The grumpy thread

[Wibble]

8 hours ago, Surface Rust said:

If the drums not turning at all it might be the motor brushes. I had exactly this fault a few weeks ago and one of the brushes was worn right down. I was able to stretch out the spring to get the machine running temporarily before fitting some £6 brushes.

I consulted the hive mind on here and it's apparently not that uncommon.

Thanks and @High Jetter. It’s not the brushes, unfortunately, they are in good shape. Found out how to put it in test mode and it’s throwing a code for motor issue, which could also be the pcb. Having see the cost of a motor, it’s going to the tip and I’ll have to buy a new machine.

[artdjones]

2 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Thanks and @High Jetter. It’s not the brushes, unfortunately, they are in good shape. Found out how to put it in test mode and it’s throwing a code for motor issue, which could also be the pcb. Having see the cost of a motor, it’s going to the tip and I’ll have to buy a new machine.

Sounds like a day I had a couple of years ago. I found out some building work I'd been expecting to have done was to be put off for several months. Then, I took some friends who were moving country to the bus for Dublin airport. Unfortunately there was a huge traffic jam on the way meaning we missed it by 5 minutes. I got home, where my wife told me that some water was leaking from the C/H boiler. That turned out to be terminal corrosion in the boiler itself. Finally, an hour later the kettle expired.

[andyberg]

Managed to get my son his driving test booked, in August, in Newport!!!! FFS😡😡

We live south of Bristol!! We both went online at 6am on Monday, the time and day the DVLA release new dates. We joined 18000 and 16000 in the queue! By the time we got to the front over an hour later all tests in Bristol had gone. This is every week we have been trying. Bloody country is broken. 

[Cookiesouwest]

37 minutes ago, andyberg said:

Managed to get my son his driving test booked, in August, in Newport!!!! FFS😡😡

We live south of Bristol!! We both went online at 6am on Monday, the time and day the DVLA release new dates. We joined 18000 and 16000 in the queue! By the time we got to the front over an hour later all tests in Bristol had gone. This is every week we have been trying. Bloody country is broken. 

But at least he has a test booked now. Makes it easier to get a cancellation.

[Sunny Jim]

Fiddlesticks, that's sub-optimal.

OSF spring on the C15 has let go.

[andyberg]

8 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

But at least he has a test booked now. Makes it easier to get a cancellation.

True

[Metal Guru]

7 hours ago, andyberg said:

Managed to get my son his driving test booked, in August, in Newport!!!! FFS😡😡

We live south of Bristol!! We both went online at 6am on Monday, the time and day the DVLA release new dates. We joined 18000 and 16000 in the queue! By the time we got to the front over an hour later all tests in Bristol had gone. This is every week we have been trying. Bloody country is broken. 

6 months? Roughly the same as when I was learning in 1979. Driving school told us to book a test after the first lesson.

[gm]

11 hours ago, Wibble said:

Thanks and @High Jetter. It’s not the brushes, unfortunately, they are in good shape. Found out how to put it in test mode and it’s throwing a code for motor issue, which could also be the pcb. Having see the cost of a motor, it’s going to the tip and I’ll have to buy a new machine.

what make of washer is it ? when my hotpoint went tits up, i kept the motor (you know, for a project or some such nonsense)

 

[Wibble]

3 hours ago, gm said:

what make of washer is it ? when my hotpoint went tits up, i kept the motor (you know, for a project or some such nonsense)

 

It’s a Beko and I’m picking up a new machine this evening.  Not looking forward to swapping them over.

[comfortablynumb]

5 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

6 months? Roughly the same as when I was learning in 1979. Driving school told us to book a test after the first lesson.

MK2 daughter is learning currently, I've said should she be looking at booking a test, her instructor reckons the waiting list is 8 months for Norwich!

[dean36014]

12 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

Fiddlesticks, that's sub-optimal.

OSF spring on the C15 has let go.

Wonder if that's the one I replaced a couple of years back.  At least they are easy enough to change  mate.

Edit: just checked and it was!

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, comfortablynumb said:

MK2 daughter is learning currently, I've said should she be looking at booking a test, her instructor reckons the waiting list is 8 months for Norwich!

For what they charge, (£85 for both tests), there should be enough to make a profit (their overheads aren’t that high, grotty little office in shit part of town usually), so you’d think they’d have an incentive to employ more examiners and conduct more tests.

[Dyslexic Viking]

The Hyundai hasn't been washed since October so since it was warm today I washed it and 30km later and that was pointless. 

Can't wait until the road salting is over.

[myglaren]

8 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

6 months? Roughly the same as when I was learning in 1979. Driving school told us to book a test after the first lesson.

I booked my test after my first lesson, on my 17th birthday. passed a fortnight later.

My youngest grandson's is in April, having been shunted forward several times, should have been last month.

[barefoot]

57 minutes ago, myglaren said:

I booked my test after my first lesson, on my 17th birthday. passed a fortnight later.

Ha, a whole fortnight. You total dragging your feet style, lightweight.

I passed my test (probably in a Ferrari or similar), less than a week after I saw a car for the very first time on my 17th birthday. etc. etc.

And you try telling that to the kids of today...

[New POD]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

For what they charge, (£85 for both tests), there should be enough to make a profit (their overheads aren’t that high, grotty little office in shit part of town usually), so you’d think they’d have an incentive to employ more examiners and conduct more tests.

And fail more people so they can get a repeat fee.....are they on commission? The more you fail the bigger your bonus? 

[New POD]

16 hours ago, andyberg said:

Managed to get my son his driving test booked, in August, in Newport!!!! FFS😡😡

We live south of Bristol!! We both went online at 6am on Monday, the time and day the DVLA release new dates. We joined 18000 and 16000 in the queue! By the time we got to the front over an hour later all tests in Bristol had gone. This is every week we have been trying. Bloody country is broken. 

Computersation hasn't helped. If it were a paper based system, your application would be on a pile and they'd get to it eventually. 

 

[Spiny Norman]

It used to be an unspoken bit of common knowledge that BSM would clog up the system and pre book tests for imaginary clients so they could offer their seven day courses with a test on the last day, whether they still do that now I don't know.
Driving tests are one of those areas that never fully recovered after Covid, which created a massive backlog with typical civil service bureaucracy and inefficiency not helping. 

Although the hours are OK and you get the usual working for the government holiday & pension benefits the actual wages are shite and it can't be a very pleasant job most of the time. And no, they're not on commission for every one they fail...

It's all down to Breggzit mate.

[artdjones]

9 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

It used to be an unspoken bit of common knowledge that BSM would clog up the system and pre book tests for imaginary clients so they could offer their seven day courses with a test on the last day, whether they still do that now I don't know.
Driving tests are one of those areas that never fully recovered after Covid, which created a massive backlog with typical civil service bureaucracy and inefficiency not helping. 

Although the hours are OK and you get the usual working for the government holiday & pension benefits the actual wages are shite and it can't be a very pleasant job most of the time. And no, they're not on commission for every one they fail...

It's all down to Breggzit mate.

Most "public service" organisations don't mind having a huge backlog, it makes them immune to cutbacks.

[Sunny Jim]

17 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

Fiddlesticks, that's sub-optimal.

OSF spring on the C15 has let go.

Fortunately it happened on the drive and not at 70mph on the A55 on the journey I had planned for this morning.. Careful cutting with the grinder and precision hammering got the cut spring back into the cup so I can drive it down the lane for recovery.

@yes oui si approved? Not going to chance it on the road though.

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

It used to be an unspoken bit of common knowledge that BSM would clog up the system and pre book tests for imaginary clients so they could offer their seven day courses with a test on the last day, whether they still do that now I don't know.
Driving tests are one of those areas that never fully recovered after Covid, which created a massive backlog with typical civil service bureaucracy and inefficiency not helping. 

Although the hours are OK and you get the usual working for the government holiday & pension benefits the actual wages are shite and it can't be a very pleasant job most of the time. And no, they're not on commission for every one they fail...

It's all down to Breggzit mate.

There are many companies on t’internet offering tests at short notice for a fee,£250 upwards seems to be the going rate.

They’re just ticket tours really , although , I think “resellers “ is the preferred term these days. Leeches watch ever they’re called.

[yes oui si]

40 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

Fortunately it happened on the drive and not at 70mph on the A55 on the journey I had planned for this morning.. Careful cutting with the grinder and precision hammering got the cut spring back into the cup so I can drive it down the lane for recovery.

@yes oui si approved? Not going to chance it on the road though.

It'll be reet. Cut the same amount off the rest of them and drive it. 

[horriblemercedes]

Greeting one of my neighbours I was going to say "you OK?" but I don't know him that well so at the last moment, decided to go with "good evening". I hope he appreciated "you evening!"

[clayts450]

11 hours ago, Wibble said:

It’s a Beko and I’m picking up a new machine this evening.  Not looking forward to swapping them over.

My 20 year old Beko did that (stopped spinning, making horrific clunking noise)  - there was lots of You Tube searching to see if I could fix it myself. After poring over many hours of blurry videos of people turning washing machines inside out to remove concrete blocks I thought, WCPGW ?

I therefore placed an order for a replacement washing machine which arrived two days later. AO also take the old one away for you for a small fee. And yes, I bought another Beko.

[Wibble]

15 minutes ago, clayts450 said:

My 20 year old Beko did that (stopped spinning, making horrific clunking noise)  - there was lots of You Tube searching to see if I could fix it myself. After poring over many hours of blurry videos of people turning washing machines inside out to remove concrete blocks I thought, WCPGW ?

I therefore placed an order for a replacement washing machine which arrived two days later. AO also take the old one away for you for a small fee. And yes, I bought another Beko.

Same. Picked up the new one this evening and the swap can wait until tomorrow now. Tip run will be booked for the weekend although I reckon, if I leave it out the back, it’d be gone in a day🤔

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Wibble said:

Same. Picked up the new one this evening and the swap can wait until tomorrow now. Tip run will be booked for the weekend although I reckon, if I leave it out the back, it’d be gone in a day🤔

Just make sure it's something you can take there in your area - ours don't take "large appliances" at the tip now - you have to book a collection - for a fee.  I found that out when I helped out a friend who doesn't drive get rid of an oven.  Apparently anything bigger than a TV counts as a large appliance.

And they wonder why we have a fly tipping problem...

[Wibble]

6 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Just make sure it's something you can take there in your area - ours don't take "large appliances" at the tip now - you have to book a collection - for a fee.  I found that out when I helped out a friend who doesn't drive get rid of an oven.  Apparently anything bigger than a TV counts as a large appliance.

And they wonder why we have a fly tipping problem...

Thanks but it’s fine, they do. I agree with your point though. There were surcharges being added when I was involved with taking stuff to landfill. When we closed our doors, there were £20 surcharges on mattresses, £60 for a sofa, £45 for an armchair and £20 for a scatter cushion. Also £80 for a fridge, £25 for a CRT TV.
 

As you say, no wonder there was fly tipping, which we often had to clear up for the local council and then pass on the surcharges to them…

[myglaren]

19 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Just make sure it's something you can take there in your area - ours don't take "large appliances" at the tip now - you have to book a collection - for a fee.  I found that out when I helped out a friend who doesn't drive get rid of an oven.  Apparently anything bigger than a TV counts as a large appliance.

And they wonder why we have a fly tipping problem...

There are 'tatters' (scrapmen) that come around regularly, a couple of times a week minimum.

Any appliances other than fridges and freezers will be taken,and any other metal items although they have to be left ar the side of the road so there is no mistake.  Plenty of grassed areas for that.

I have put washing machines, cookers, tumble driers etc out (not all mine) and they have been gone within hours.

The council will also collect any sort of rubbish but do charge for it.  I think it is still £10 since Covid.

Still there are fly tippers who don't care.  Out the back of my house is a car park for seven cars.  Just before Christmas someone dumped a great pile of wood, a dismantled fence; and more recently a double bed, office chair and assorted crap has also appeared.  I hope they get fined the £1,000 that is publicised.

No charges whatsoever if you take it to the recycling centre yourself.

[Zelandeth]

Just now, myglaren said:

There are 'tatters' (scrapmen) that come around regularly, a couple of times a week minimum.

Any appliances other than fridges and freezers will be taken,and any other metal items although they have to be left ar the side of the road so there is no mistake.  Plenty of grassed areas for that.

I have put washing machines, cookers, tumble driers etc out (not all mine) and they have been gone within hours.

The council will also collect any sort of rubbish but do charge for it.  I think it is still £10 since Covid.

Still there are fly tippers who don't care.  Out the back of my house is a car park for seven cars.  Just before Christmas someone dumped a great pile of wood, a dismantled fence; and more recently a double bed, office chair and assorted crap has also appeared.  I hope they get fined the £1,000 that is publicised.

Anything not tied down around here will vanish.

Last thing nicked off my driveway was two bottles of fancy expensive synthetic engine oil.

...Which contained the old oil out the Rover and Invacar waiting to be taken to the tip!  Oh well, saved me the time!  Hope they were suitably pissed when they realised it was manky 20W50 rather than £60+ of 0W30!

[myglaren]

15 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Anything not tied down around here will vanish.

Last thing nicked off my driveway was two bottles of fancy expensive synthetic engine oil.

...Which contained the old oil out the Rover and Invacar waiting to be taken to the tip!  Oh well, saved me the time!  Hope they were suitably pissed when they realised it was manky 20W50 rather than £60+ of 0W30!

Just the opposite here.  Anything close to the house stays there.  There are bikes, scooters, sledges and lots of other paraphernalia left close to the doorways and no-one touches them.  It is quite surprising really.

If you want it taken you have to put a note on it for people to help themselves.  Have seen some nice furniture, mirrors and suchlike left with a sign for it to be taken by anyone.