The grumpy thread

[Metal Guru]

5 hours ago, Saabnut said:

Yes. I was told that Lucas does not exist anymore as a manufacturing company. Apparently the licence to use the Lucas name for a 5 year period is auctioned off every 5 years to the highest bidder. The winner is invariably a chinese company making the cheapest tat so they can recover the cost of the licence. My source was not an official one, but have no reason to doubt. I have stopped buying anything new labelled Lucas after many failures.

I bought some Lucas branded windscreen wipers via eBay last week. Seem pretty good , as good as Bosch ones but about 40% cheaper.

[somewhatfoolish]

Not much justification for buying incandescent bulbs from China either, it's an exercise in shipping fresh air; @LightBulbFun are there are still plants in Hungary/eastern europe making tungsten lamps?

[LightBulbFun]

50 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Not much justification for buying incandescent bulbs from China either, it's an exercise in shipping fresh air; @LightBulbFun are there are still plants in Hungary/eastern europe making tungsten lamps?

yeah there are a number of Factories in Eastern Europe still churning out Tungsten lamps, as well as in India as well, the company that made "STATUS" branded bulbs that most corner shops stocked, is still churning them out over there, and they where/are pretty damn good, made on ex Osram-GEC machinery shipped out from here when the factories where wound up in the late 90's

 

sadly of course getting ahold of these lamps is another matter, since officially they are banned here, (I mean a personal import is no problem, but a company is not allowed to sell them to the UK etc)

 

although I realise this is in reference to Automotive lamps, for which none of the above really apply LOL I believe there are a few factories even in the west still churning out decent auto lamps

 

but yeah the Lucas bulbs and likely halfords ones will just be cheap Chinese crap!

 

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

All the more irritating as the tech is literally ancient, no excuse for making shitty bulbs at all.

[hairnet]

Ouch

[Remspoor]

17 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

yeah there are a number of Factories in Eastern Europe still churning out Tungsten lamps, as well as in India as well, the company that made "STATUS" branded bulbs that most corner shops stocked, is still churning them out over there, and they where/are pretty damn good, made on ex Osram-GEC machinery shipped out from here when the factories where wound up in the late 90's

 

sadly of course getting ahold of these lamps is another matter, since officially they are banned here, (I mean a personal import is no problem, but a company is not allowed to sell them to the UK etc)

 

although I realise this is in reference to Automotive lamps, for which none of the above really apply LOL I believe there are a few factories even in the west still churning out decent auto lamps

 

but yeah the Lucas bulbs and likely halfords ones will just be cheap Chinese crap!

 

 

 

I am confused by that.

I thought incandescent were tungston bulbs.

The EU not just the UK have banned the sale of these for house hold use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs#European_Union

 

[reb]

17 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

I am confused by that.

I thought incandescent were tungston bulbs.

The EU not just the UK have banned the sale of these for house hold use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs#European_Union

 

Shockingly there are a number of eastern european countries not in the EU. And at least one prominent western european country...

[Talbot]

Fire.

More specifically, fire where I didn't want there to be fire.

😡

[somewhatfoolish]

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

I am confused by that.

I thought incandescent were tungston bulbs.

The EU not just the UK have banned the sale of these for house hold use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs#European_Union

 

Phased out for general use but specialist uses are still allowed to kill kittens and nuns, although given how shit the quality is of most tungsten lamps I encounter(inspection lamps, indicator lights etc blowing more frequently than a purveyor of negotiable virtue) I won't miss the bloody things when they go.

[Pieman]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

Fire.

More specifically, fire where I didn't want there to be fire.

😡

Is everyone ok?

[somewhatfoolish]

21 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Is everyone ok?

W210 severely wounded.

[Talbot]

24 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Is everyone ok?

I got a lungfull of crap I didn't want, but other than that, as mentioned above, the only casualty is some plastic trunking and wire insulation.  Fingers crossed the short didn't do any other damage...

(info in "mercedes" sig link.)

[goosey]

A guy turns up this morning to buy some jeans we had on listed on Facebook Market place for £3 and wants to pay for them with PayPal, I told him to just take them for free and fuck off (or words to that affect) which he did . 

although thinking about it is this just a contrived way of getting my email address?  As he already has my name and full address, not sure what he could really do 

[myglaren]

SIL has an Audi A5 that he is no longer happy with, many expensive repairs.

It was hit by a bin wagon five weeks ago.  He was hoping to have it written off as he wants rid of it.

Insurance gave him a loan car while a decision was reached whether to repair it or bin it.

£240 a day for the loan car.  Would have cost less to replace that stupid thing.

[Rust Collector]

35 minutes ago, goosey said:

A guy turns up this morning to buy some jeans we had on listed on Facebook Market place for £3 and wants to pay for them with PayPal, I told him to just take them for free and fuck off, which he did . 

although thinking about it is this just a contrived way of getting my email address?  As he already has my name and full address, not sure what he could really do 

Probably skint and trying to use a credit card or something

[horriblemercedes]

On 1/18/2023 at 10:29 PM, RoverFolkUs said:

On the subject of Lucas, I fitted one of their Alternators recently, dead out of the box

Was a Disco 2 TD5 so not a particularly straightforward job to have to do twice either

Had me second guessing my diagnosis but after spending another hour going over everything (again) I tried a Denso one and it was obviously ok 

Obviously Starline and RTX are no good either so don't bother with ECP unless they list a Denso one. Bit more expensive, but it should last, or more importantly, actually fucking work out of the box!!

 

Aren't the Lucas ones just refurbished?

I fitted a Lucas alternator from ECP and it was just a refurb Valeo

 

I've also done well with Lucas bulbs, but I don't fit enough bulbs or alternators to make my data reliable. I also know that Lucas is not the Lucas that we all know and love. I just chose those parts because they were cheap

[Zelandeth]

Sodding GP.

Ordered medication on the 9th and they haven't done anything with it yet.  So I'm going to need to go down there and tell them a question in person.

Again.

Edit: Roofers have just showed up.  Why are tradespeople so fscking incapable of letting you know when to expect them?!?  I'm glad they're here, but had zero knowledge they were expected.  I now feel completely unprepared, and have had to put of nowhere shelve plans for absolutely anything I was going to be doing this afternoon.

I'm also embarrassed to have to let them into the side garden as it's kinda a mess at the moment.  Had I known they were coming I'd have done my absolute best to do a thorough dog litter pick and to have at the very least jet washed the paths so they're properly clean.  I do try to keep on top of it, but at this time of year it's a bit of a losing battle sometimes.

 

[barefoot]

6 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Sodding GP.

Ordered medication on the 9th and they haven't done anything with it yet.  So I'm going to need to go down there and tell them a question in person.

Again.

I've said it before & I've said it again - https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk

NHS funded, free delivery & they seem to put a fucking rocket up the arse of the GP.  I ordered my repeat, three items about tea time on the 19th, the GP approved it the same evening & everything was despatched on the 20th.

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, barefoot said:

I've said it before & I've said it again - https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk

NHS funded, free delivery & they seem to put a fucking rocket up the arse of the GP.  I ordered my repeat, three items about tea time on the 19th, the GP approved it the same evening & everything was despatched on the 20th.

This is an opt-in scheme and our GP haven't opted into it.  Likewise none of the usual "deliver to your door" services are available for our practice.  They *were*, but they cut them all right at the same point they stopped allowing repeat prescriptions for routine medication to be issued automatically.  The only "deliver it to me" services are from the local pharmacies themselves - but the problem here isn't them - it's getting the actual script issued by the surgery themselves.

Literally the only ways to get a repeat prescription issued (which can then be sent to any pharmacy you like as normal) are to use their horrendous web portal or to physically walk into the surgery, fill in a paper form and post it into a letter box (which they empty a couple of times a week at most).  In theory you can phone up to, but in 8 3/4 years I've not once actually managed to get through to the surgery once by phone about anything.

[barefoot]

Fuck me, that's shite. 

[myglaren]

Alternative GP perhaps?

I changed GPs three times in relatively short order and it was one of the easiest things done.

There was nothing actually wrong with the GPs other than the reception area and the other patients, who had been smoking (even smoking in the entrance, turn around and go home) and had perfumes/deodorant/aftershave etc. on them, one the waiting room had air fresheners.  The doctor had to come out and sit in my car to talk to me.

Hospitals have the same problem, i.e. it is me rather than them that is the problem.

Current GP seems fine although I have only been in there for Covid and pneumonia jabs in the three or more years I have been with them.  Haven't seen an actual doctor in six~seven years.

[Zelandeth]

3 hours ago, myglaren said:

Alternative GP perhaps?

I changed GPs three times in relatively short order and it was one of the easiest things done.

There was nothing actually wrong with the GPs other than the reception area and the other patients, who had been smoking (even smoking in the entrance, turn around and go home) and had perfumes/deodorant/aftershave etc. on them, one the waiting room had air fresheners.  The doctor had to come out and sit in my car to talk to me.

Hospitals have the same problem, i.e. it is me rather than them that is the problem.

Current GP seems fine although I have only been in there for Covid and pneumonia jabs in the three or more years I have been with them.  Haven't seen an actual doctor in six~seven years.

Sadly no chance.  They've all massively oversubscribed in our area so nobody even vaguely nearby are taking out of zone patients and/or have an even worse reputation than our local.  Only reason our one took us on was because they had no choice.

[Remspoor]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:35 PM, reb said:

Shockingly there are a number of eastern european countries not in the EU. And at least one prominent western european country...

I know that Eastern Europe can be outside of the EU. But some of said Eastern European counties have also got a ban on selling incandescent bulbs.

A lot of counties world wide do not permit them or have restricted usage.

As the UK has found out the EU can make it hard/impossible to import goods, without a lot of hassle.

[leafsprung]

Found a nail in one of the Volvo's tyres yesterday afternoon, approximately 5 mins after the local tyre place closed at midday. With a 250 mile drive this afternoon and a space saver spare I'd rather not chance it. My only option open today was a 15 mile drive to the city branch of the local company as all of their other smaller branches are closed on Sundays. I was there as the doors opened at 9am but was told no chance of having it done as they were 'all booked up M8'. 

Of course, you can book just about anything online with them, MOT, tyres, brakes etc etc. But not puncture repair. 

There is literally no other option anywhere locally. Do people only get punctures in weekday office hours now? 

[myglaren]

Is there anywhere doing second hand tyres near you?

They also repair tyres.  I have used a local one several times, they are far quicker than the well known ones and far less expensive too.

[leafsprung]

1 hour ago, myglaren said:

Is there anywhere doing second hand tyres near you?

They also repair tyres.  I have used a local one several times, they are far quicker than the well known ones and far less expensive too.

Not that I know of or open today. Just seems everywhere locally is shut on Sunday other than shite-fit and National tyres (who both opened at 10 rather than my favoured place at 9) and who both seem to need online booking. No spare time to be running around taking a chance on other places  annoyingly. Will risk it and try to find somewhere local if/when I get to where I'm going. 

[horriblemercedes]

43 minutes ago, leafsprung said:

Not that I know of or open today. Just seems everywhere locally is shut on Sunday other than shite-fit and National tyres (who both opened at 10 rather than my favoured place at 9) and who both seem to need online booking. No spare time to be running around taking a chance on other places  annoyingly. Will risk it and try to find somewhere local if/when I get to where I'm going. 

Check the pressure, top it up if necessary and use it. It'll be fine

 

As long as the pressure is fairly close to what it should be, it'll be fine 

[hairnet]

 

bastard

in the last coupla days - least of problems

 

[leafsprung]

2 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Check the pressure, top it up if necessary and use it. It'll be fine

 

As long as the pressure is fairly close to what it should be, it'll be fine 

Had lost a few psi this morning but holding up so far. All wind devices carried! 

[Zelandeth]

Once again lamenting the loss of Maplin.

In the middle of a project and discovered I need two bog standard 1N4007 diodes.  Do I have any in stock?  Do I hell.  Do I have anything else in stock that will do?  No. 

So now I have to pause, put everything back together and move on to something else while I wait for them to be sodding delivered...from Amazon because I refuse to pay six times the price of the goods I need from RS/Farnell for the shipping. 

If you're an electronics hobbiest and need random components like that at short notice unless you're lucky enough to have an RS trade account and live in a city with a trade counter you're screwed these days as there really is no alternative.

Of course last week I took several things which had been sitting in the corner for weeks to the E-waste bin at the tip...most of which probably contained appropriate diodes that I could have cannibalised them for.  Oh well...