The grumpy thread

[sierraman]

I’d go with the Halfords Autocentre on balance, they’re not mechanics but it’s a starting point to wing it into something else. Use it to broaden your knowledge, don’t expect working at Halfords to get you any credibility working at an actual garage though unless they have a commission basis on brake pads. 

[horriblemercedes]

20 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Harrumph

 

This straightened out quite well. No damage or bending underneath that I can see. I'll go ahead with the wheel bearing replacement and service that I was going to do in my mate's workshop on Monday. I guess I'll contact the guy about it but if it's going nowhere, I'm not going to bother with insurance

[Dick Cheeseburger]

4 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

This straightened out quite well. No damage or bending underneath that I can see. I'll go ahead with the wheel bearing replacement and service that I was going to do in my mate's workshop on Monday. I guess I'll contact the guy about it but if it's going nowhere, I'm not going to bother with insurance

E90s/91s are such well built cars. Our 2007 E91 is without doubt, the best car we've owned - massively capable, really comfortable and loads of grunt which some newer car drivers appear surprised about at times. I keep on saying to Mrs L that I'd like to see 200k in ours. I see yours has already hit this milestone and then some! 

[horriblemercedes]

2 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

E90s/91s are such well built cars. Our 2007 E91 is without doubt, the best car we've owned - massively capable, really comfortable and loads of grunt which some newer car drivers appear surprised about at times. I keep on saying to Mrs L that I'd like to see 200k in ours. I see yours has already hit this milestone and then some! 

I must say, it has been a really good car. I wasn't particularly looking for one but it popped up as a good deal so I had it. Then my mileage massively increased so I was glad to have it 

 

It's rusting a bit on the back arches, but I think I'll still get years out of them. I planned to keep it going until it's time to scrap it, so I'm not worried about a scrape here or there removing value. I can't imagine it's worth much! 

[cobblers]

 

My new unit is in Bakewell and the journey back home from it is down some winding country lanes. I pop in to the new place most days and end up driving back from there in the dark most nights.

More times than I can count lately I have been stuck behind people doing 20/30mph, on and off the brakes constantly because they are driving with only their dipped beam on and can't see where they are going. Almost every night I end up having to overtake several cars, and if you're being overtaken on a country lane in your Audi A3 by a 35 year old van with fucking mud tyres on that does 60MPH flat out then I don't know what to tell you other than please hand your licence in at a post office. I know it's not a race, but if the best you can muster is 30MPH on a road that's "normal travelling speed" would be 55/60mph then something is amiss

 

[Rocket88]

The next person who posts on social media with the words “ devastated / shocked/ disgusted  /or horrified will be visiting be a pestilence of biblical proportions….

[Pieman]

Referring to what?

[horriblemercedes]

1 minute ago, Pieman said:

Referring to what?

Paedos. All indignation on social media is about paedos 

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, cobblers said:

My new unit is in Bakewell and the journey back home from it is down some winding country lanes. I pop in to the new place most days and end up driving back from there in the dark most nights.

More times than I can count lately I have been stuck behind people doing 20/30mph, on and off the brakes constantly because they are driving with only their dipped beam on and can't see where they are going. Almost every night I end up having to overtake several cars, and if you're being overtaken on a country lane in your Audi A3 by a 35 year old van with fucking mud tyres on that does 60MPH flat out then I don't know what to tell you other than please hand your licence in at a post office. I know it's not a race, but if the best you can muster is 30MPH on a road that's "normal travelling speed" would be 55/60mph then something is amiss

 

You get that round here as well at this time of year.  I've done overtakes in a Dodge 50 Series and a Ligier Ambra in the past.  I also once overtook a line of 6 cars in a C-reg Skoda Estelle.  Best I've seen is some senile old bat in a Meriva get overtaken by a tractor.  OK it was a Fastrac but still.

[Rust Collector]

58 minutes ago, cobblers said:

More times than I can count lately I have been stuck behind people doing 20/30mph, on and off the brakes constantly because they are driving with only their dipped beam on and can't see where they are going. Almost every night I end up having to overtake several cars, and if you're being overtaken on a country lane in your Audi A3 by a 35 year old van with fucking mud tyres on that does 60MPH flat out then I don't know what to tell you other than please hand your licence in at a post office. I know it's not a race, but if the best you can muster is 30MPH on a road that's "normal travelling speed" would be 55/60mph then something is amiss

We get this constantly down my way, even on the main roads. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the A259 back from Eastbourne in the dark and the car in front has been going 30 in a 60 whilst braking violently for every corner. I have had the same thoughts repeatedly with some of the things I've been driving - if you're in a modern and you've got a Favorit etc. overtaking you then something is amiss with your road speed. When I was driving back from the hospital a few weeks ago at around midnight having visited my mrs I think I must have passed about 5 or 6 different dawdling cars over the course of my journey in a gutless 1.2 Clio. As you say, it's not a race, but it's bloody tedious to be going half the speed you could be travelling at on a run home.

[captain_70s]

People are just scared of any encounter on the road and have no idea of the capabilities of their vehicle

I regularly find motorway traffic will slow when approaching bridges and then pick back up once the "obstacle" has been cleared...

[barefoot]

I'm going to grump about petrol this morning. Last time I filled up I was obliged to chuck in some E10 because they had no proper fuel. I only bought half a tank because reasons, and this morning bobbed out for some super in the Scirocco. Again, they'd none left. Being fill up day, I then bobbed out to fuel the Rover, this time I drove up to EMA, they always have fuel... This morning, the fucking fuel was being delivered by the tanker at the very moment I arrived so I had to turn round, in front of one of those airport camera vans that nick you for anything, and drive down to the motorway services. I paid just £20.03 for a frighteningly small quantity of E10 and was about to give the young woman on the till two crisp twenties to pay for it, when I noticed that she had a pretty smile & a lovely pair of spectacularly firm looking, round tits.

[loserone]

How did you know they were firm during that transaction?

[Zelandeth]

Just saw someone deliberately swerve to hit a fox that had just crossed the road.

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, Rocket88 said:

The next person who posts on social media with the words “ devastated / shocked/ disgusted  /or horrified will be visiting be a pestilence of biblical proportions….

I would add reacting  to ANYTHING however trivial or mundane as “amazing”. On the Chase the other night , one contestant scored 3 in the cash builder ( out of 11/12?) and one of their team described that as “amazing”. FFS!

Ditto, beginning every sentence with ,”so..”

[andyberg]

7 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

 

Ditto, beginning every sentence with ,”so..”

I would add, putting 'like' at least 3 times in every sentence 😡

[barefoot]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

How did you know they were firm during that transaction?

How much thought did you put in to reading my post?

[cobblers]

7 hours ago, cobblers said:

 

My new unit is in Bakewell and the journey back home from it is down some winding country lanes. I pop in to the new place most days and end up driving back from there in the dark most nights.

More times than I can count lately I have been stuck behind people doing 20/30mph, on and off the brakes constantly because they are driving with only their dipped beam on and can't see where they are going. Almost every night I end up having to overtake several cars, and if you're being overtaken on a country lane in your Audi A3 by a 35 year old van with fucking mud tyres on that does 60MPH flat out then I don't know what to tell you other than please hand your licence in at a post office. I know it's not a race, but if the best you can muster is 30MPH on a road that's "normal travelling speed" would be 55/60mph then something is amiss

 

And again tonight, another silly bastard in a Zafira. Pulled out in front of me on a roundabout, then I followed them at 25mph for a couple of miles, til they briefly maxed out at 28mph in a 60 limit. (passenger took the photo etcs)

I need a fucking harpoon on the front of this van

 

[Bren]

Went for a meal last night - the local beefeater.

It was very poor - two hour wait and the food was not up to much. My wife made it clear we would not be returning- the staff to their credit knocked the drinks from the bill.

Not grumpy - sad. Hospitality is on it's arse and the manager is more than likely having a breakdown.

In another couple of years I think choices will be more limited.

[cobblers]

1 minute ago, Bren said:

Went for a meal last night - the local beefeater.

It was very poor - two hour wait and the food was not up to much. My wife made it clear we would not be returning- the staff to their credit knocked the drinks from the bill.

Not grumpy - sad. Hospitality is on it's arse and the manager is more than likely having a breakdown.

In another couple of years I think choices will be more limited.

I don't know whether I've been spoiled by the independent places locally in the last couple of years or what, but the "chain" places I've been to in the last few years have been pretty miserable, and getting worse fast. I used to love any pub dinner - We had a beefeater nearby and we'd be in there every week. Nowadays,

Beefeater, Greene King are both very mediocre at best,  But Marstons or Punch Taverns are absolutely 100%  inedible shite, not fit to feed the dog, and they both serve crap beer, badly.

We have a Marstons literally next-door to our house and I have eaten there once, and never set foot through the door again.

These breweries really ruin what could be a nice pub by forcing a shit choice of ales and food on them, I think as people are squeezed they won't put up with crap like that, if you're going out for a meal it had better be decent. 

[Bren]

12 minutes ago, cobblers said:

I don't know whether I've been spoiled by the independent places locally in the last couple of years or what, but the "chain" places I've been to in the last few years have been pretty miserable, and getting worse fast. I used to love any pub dinner - We had a beefeater nearby and we'd be in there every week. Nowadays,

Beefeater, Greene King are both very mediocre at best,  But Marstons or Punch Taverns are absolutely 100%  inedible shite, not fit to feed the dog, and they both serve crap beer, badly.

We have a Marstons literally next-door to our house and I have eaten there once, and never set foot through the door again.

These breweries really ruin what could be a nice pub by forcing a shit choice of ales and food on them, I think as people are squeezed they won't put up with crap like that, if you're going out for a meal it had better be decent. 

It is the staff I feel sorry for. The chain that own the beefeater obviously aren't arsed about the branch I ate in.

[AnthonyG]

Chain restaurants are mostly owned now by private equity/vulture funds stripping  the last bits of cash out of them before dumping it onto another vulture fund lower down the pecking order, or occasionally someone foolish with far more ambition than talent or business acumen (like the ‘race car driver’/yacht enthusiast who ended up with BHS for a £1). 

Companies that that must be dire to work for and even worse places to stay in or eat at.

[New POD]

38 minutes ago, cobblers said:

And again tonight, another silly bastard in a Zafira. Pulled out in front of me on a roundabout, then I followed them at 25mph for a couple of miles, til they briefly maxed out at 28mph in a 60 limit. (passenger took the photo etcs)

I need a fucking harpoon on the front of this van

 

And yet in Staffordshire everyone at commuting time drives like Carlos McBurns-Mikola. 

At 6 am going South from say Ashborne, towards Lichfield, there's a B Road that heads towards BARTON under Needwood, and at 60 I can't keep up. 

Same in the Evening. 

[New POD]

3 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

Chain restaurants are mostly owned now by private equity/vulture funds stripping  the last bits of cash out of them before dumping it onto another vulture fund lower down the pecking order, or occasionally someone foolish with far more ambition than talent or business acumen (like the ‘race car driver’/yacht enthusiast who ended up with BHS for a £1). 

Companies that that must be dire to work for and even worse places to stay in or eat at.

Pubs that make Wetherspoons look good.  

[High Jetter]

9 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Paedos. All indignation on social media is about paedos 

Is that a Spanish delicacy?

[sierraman]

10 hours ago, Bren said:

It is the staff I feel sorry for. The chain that own the beefeater obviously aren't arsed about the branch I ate in.

It’s mostly kids getting paid the absolute bare minimum so it’s inevitable they won’t give a shit. I’ve given up with eating out in the U.K., ok I’ll nip in the Wetherspoons if it’s otherwise not practical to cook but I’d not waste the money on Hungry Horse etc. Also the beer in a lot of these places is dreadful, you get half way down a pint and immediately feel that awful you have to go home, Wetherspoons is probably an exception as the beer is usually quite good there but Hungry Horse/Beefeater etc... forget it. 

[cobblers]

28 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s mostly kids getting paid the absolute bare minimum so it’s inevitable they won’t give a shit. I’ve given up with eating out in the U.K., ok I’ll nip in the Wetherspoons if it’s otherwise not practical to cook but I’d not waste the money on Hungry Horse etc. Also the beer in a lot of these places is dreadful, you get half way down a pint and immediately feel that awful you have to go home, Wetherspoons is probably an exception as the beer is usually quite good there but Hungry Horse/Beefeater etc... forget it. 

There's plenty of places to eat out and be guaranteed a flipping lovely meal and a good pint, but any chain place puts a pretty low cap on how good a meal can be (but seemingly not how bad it can be)

A few pubs I visit often and the food is always very very good - all fresh, locally sourced meat (One place you can see out of the window to the field where your steak came from) and it's not really much more expensive than eating at beefeater - A sirloin steak would be £18/20, a big burger £14, £12 for a pie etc. Always a couple of good local beers on cask and they are al busy enough to sell it through before it goes dead. These are long running successful businesses with staff that have been there for years. 

It's possible to run a decent pub and keep the customers and staff happy if all the profits aren't syphoned off by pricks at a head office somewhere. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

18 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Just saw someone deliberately swerve to hit a fox that had just crossed the road.

A very common sight here where the fox is an introduced species and is considered a feral pest.

[Talbot]

1 hour ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

A very common sight here where the fox is an introduced species and is considered a feral pest.

Given the population explosion of urban foxes in the UK, that is fast becoming true here too.

[cobblers]

31 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Given the population explosion of urban foxes in the UK, that is fast becoming true here too.

you are Jo Maugham AICMFP