The grumpy thread

[FakeConcern]

Grump.

This morning Mrs Concern noticed the internet had gone off and a look at the router suggested a power cut. Looking at the fuse board the main fuse had tripped out and a process of elimination showed it to be the downstairs ring main. Great.

I unplugged every appliance in turn to see if the power would stay on, but no joy so it must be in the wiring or a socket.

I had to do an online Speed Awareness Course starting at 12.30  so I've run an extension cable from the upstairs half landing to the router, fridge, freezer and nest heating thermostat.

We have booked an electrician for tomorrow morning.

However I did manage to complete the Speed Awareness Course.

[artdjones]

2 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

It's a summer toy.is roadworthy 365 , has a puncture at mo. It's very solid , original sills,chassis rails ( two small repairs)  etc  no heater so not great this time of year. Was in retroford couple of years ago.

You can drive the car ( plus a load of other mk3's) in the 70s section of the online game GT legends ( who I supplied all the homologation specs too).

It's pretty much no compromise,if it doesn't make it stop, go or handle it doesn't need it,Must get round to weighing it sometime. Brief spec below.

No int exc bucket seat ,harness,cage, f/glass wings Ali skinned bonnet,boot,doors, plastic side windows ( only drivers slides up/down) others fixed, front replica RS front spoiler ( aren't fit original as never seen another one) SCC rear spoiler,boot mounted tank & battery, 7.5x14 steels,4 wheel discs ( vented frt,solid rear) pas (cuz I'm old) 6 linked & turreted rear,3.44:1 LSD. All mods by me 

2.0 8v twink efi (V6 omega injectors) ,Volvo T5 turbo, MT75 5speed top speed 105 mph 0-60 dunno won't set off in wet unless controls feathered, will wheel spin in 1-2-3 off line if rudely provoked in dry.

 

I suppose concours entries are off the agenda?

I bet it's fun to drive. 

[gm]

8 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

 

Sadly, even a 1.5m steel crowbar wasn't enough to lever off the reluctant rear wheel. And I had a good go at it.

It just seems to be completely stuck where the hub meets the wheel centre.

The tyres were all replaced last summer, so the wheel has been off in the past six months - yet now it seems completely jammed on. We had the same issue with the rear wheels on the Yaris, although in that case a hefty donkey kick to the tyrewall was enough to knock it free.

This time, with the tyre completely flat, kicking at it just made the rubber flex without transmitting enough force to shock the steel rim off. Kicking the rim just hurt my foot.

I'm a delicate flower, me.

With night falling fast and the rain getting heavier, I elected to just try and inflate the tyre enough to get it home.

MrsDC reckoned that tyre had looked a little soft a few days ago, but thought she was just imagining it. So I was hopeful that it was only a slow puncture, which could manage the 10 or so miles home.

Never fear, my rubbishy little Draper mini-compressor was on hand.

Except, when we went to plug it in to the 12V socket in the Avensis, while removing the satnav plug the tip fell off and bridged the contacts, popping the 10A fuse for the radio and cigarette lighter.

Right, never mind. New fuse needed.

After grubbing round inside the fusebox in the engine bay, we eventually twigged that the combined radio/ cig fuse was in fact located in a second fusebox, down in the driver footwell.

Access = suboptimal.

While bent over in the footwell with rain running down my arsecrack, trying to balance a torch on the seat to see what the hell was happening, our only spare 10A mini-fuse dropped into the gap below the fusebox and disappeared down into the wing cavity somewhere.

 

Well, fuck.

So the cars were swapped round in the parking bays so that the Corolla's 12V socket was close enough to power the compressor, and after about 15 minutes of frantic chattering, the tyre was up to about 30PSI.

That'll do. 

Despite the actions of two other road users on the way home requiring emergency stop manoeuvres (an old duffer in a C class who pulled out of his driveway in a NSL zone and promptly stopped right across the road, totally oblivious to the Avensis bearing down on him, and an equally unobservant pedestrian with a hood up who just wandered diagonally across the road in a 40mph zone, without even glancing behind them to check for oncoming traffic) we made it home safely, if somewhat drenched and chilled.

I'll be taking the Avensis down to a local tyre place at lunchtime and see if they can repair the tyre - and, naturally, get the damn thing off.

Probably a dab of copper grease around the hub where it meets the wheel centre might be worth trying, to avoid a repeat of these shenanigans...

is it rwd ?  this worked suprisingly well (although the predicted chaos was a bit of a disappointment )

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

I suppose concours entries are off the agenda?

I bet it's fun to drive. 

Way more fun than worrying if the wheel nuts line up, or the tyres have ford air in them.

At Wakefield thrones park show last summer it was hilarious to here one guy grumbling " hurmph obviously didn't drive that here could've at least washed it" wanted to say i drove it to the annual Cortina show in Monmouth couple of weeks before  but the silly old fool never mentioned the spoof history in the window. So that was another tick for anti rivet counting.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

Grump.

This morning Mrs Concern noticed the internet had gone off and a look at the router suggested a power cut. Looking at the fuse board the main fuse had tripped out and a process of elimination showed it to be the downstairs ring main. Great.

I unplugged every appliance in turn to see if the power would stay on, but no joy so it must be in the wiring or a socket.

I had to do an online Speed Awareness Course starting at 12.30  so I've run an extension cable from the upstairs half landing to the router, fridge, freezer and nest heating thermostat.

We have booked an electrician for tomorrow morning.

However I did manage to complete the Speed Awareness Course.

 It's usually the bulb in the oven going pop, for us.

[FakeConcern]

1 minute ago, High Jetter said:

 It's usually the bulb in the oven going pop, for us.

Everything is unplugged including the oven, so it's not that (I don't think!)

Hope the electrician will find it quickly (and cheaply!).

[artdjones]

9 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Way more fun than worrying if the wheel nuts line up, or the tyres have ford air in them.

At Wakefield thrones park show last summer it was hilarious to here one guy grumbling " hurmph obviously didn't drive that here could've at least washed it" wanted to say i drove it to the annual Cortina show in Monmouth couple of weeks before  but the silly old fool never mentioned the spoof history in the window. So that was another tick for anti rivet counting.

Quite a rare car anyway, there can't be many 3 doors left. I remember a friend's father buying a Daytona Yellow 2.0 GXL 3 door back in 1978, and me making a cheeky remark to the effect that the car was a bit young for him.

[sheffcortinacentre]

2 Dr I own 3 this & my Daytona yellow one are both GTs ( racer was Daytona yellow too) , blue ( Monza blue) one was an XL but now a GT clone , EST( Leman's  green) is a GT phantom as only mk1-2 GT eats were available . I really need a Sebring red GT to make a full set of race track colours lol.

[artdjones]

47 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

2 Dr I own 3 this & my Daytona yellow one are both GTs ( racer was Daytona yellow too) , blue ( Monza blue) one was an XL but now a GT clone , EST( Leman's  green) is a GT phantom as only mk1-2 GT eats were available . I really need a Sebring red GT to make a full set of race track colours lol.

Just remembered the 3dr I mocked my friend's father over was a GT. Funny if it was one of yours. I think it was the GT badging which marked it as sporty in my mind, so therefore not suitable to be driven by a middle aged gent.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

Everything is unplugged including the oven, so it's not that (I don't think!)

Hope the electrician will find it quickly (and cheaply!).

Yup, if isolating what you can doesn't avoid a trip there's a problem.

[Wibble]

23 minutes ago, artdjones said:

Just remembered the 3dr I mocked my friend's father over was a GT. Funny if it was one of yours. I think it was the GT badging which marked it as sporty in my mind, so therefore not suitable to be driven by a middle aged gent.

I think @sheffcortinacentre was being subtle. It’s a 2 door saloon, not a three door. It’s not a hatchback.

[High Jetter]

29 minutes ago, artdjones said:

Just remembered the 3dr I mocked my friend's father over was a GT. Funny if it was one of yours. I think it was the GT badging which marked it as sporty in my mind, so therefore not suitable to be driven by a middle aged gent.

3dr Cortina?

[sheffcortinacentre]

Cars a generally  2 or 4 door hatch backs or r door hatchback  you get in & out through door ,things go through hatches.

Should be in the other thread drives me crazy when people say this.

[High Jetter]

Today's grump: Member of staff texted at 7:30 to say she wouldn't be in this morning. Guess who is the only person availabe to cover? Yup, muggins here. The joys of running your own business.

[artdjones]

7 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Cars a generally  2 or 4 door hatch backs or r door hatchback  you get in & out through door ,things go through hatches.

Should be in the other thread drives me crazy when people say this.

Sorry, I meant 2 Dr, I was very tired yesterday.

[robt100]

Been a series of grumps really. 3 weeks ago the dishwasher packed up, thankfully in warranty. Had to spend a week without a dishwasher but warranty guy was very good, got it all fixed, gave ETAs the day before etc etc.
Last week the washer-dryer packs in, no spin. Motor runs up but drum doesn't, can feel its disconnected by hand, probably just a belt but also still in warranty so ring them up.  who then direct me to the manafacturer, who then books me in with a 3rd party company, who has then subcontracted it out. Told by a text about 5 days ago that they are coming today, no eta, no working window, just "on 12/2" and given the engineers mobile. Text him yesterday afternoon asking very nicely for a rough ETA window, even if it was 'after/before 1pm ish' as I need to go to work, as my job is self-employed and weather dependant, and Ive managed a total of 8 days so far this YEAR. 

So do I get an ETA?

no

Does he answer his phone?

No, straight to answer machine

Can the company get hold of him or tell me anything about the route?

No, they get answer machine and no response

Have I lost a day of work and over £200?

Yes, like I didn't need to add that to the £3k of lost work I already have since christmas.

Will he turn up before his 6pm cutoff?

will he heck! Thats my bet.

Can't take another day off, so if he isn't here by 6 I shall be putting my (weak and damaged) back out taking apart the washing machine and having a go myself.

[barefoot]

Camper van is back-firing like a bastard. My man with the Volkswagen spanners tells me that it's carburettor icing.

[comfortablynumb]

Swombos and my friend Nick Pope , the UFO investigator, has announced that he has stage 4 oesophageal cancer.

Bollocks 😕

[robt100]

6 hours ago, robt100 said:

Been a series of grumps really. 3 weeks ago the dishwasher packed up, thankfully in warranty. Had to spend a week without a dishwasher but warranty guy was very good, got it all fixed, gave ETAs the day before etc etc.
Last week the washer-dryer packs in, no spin. Motor runs up but drum doesn't, can feel its disconnected by hand, probably just a belt but also still in warranty so ring them up.  who then direct me to the manafacturer, who then books me in with a 3rd party company, who has then subcontracted it out. Told by a text about 5 days ago that they are coming today, no eta, no working window, just "on 12/2" and given the engineers mobile. Text him yesterday afternoon asking very nicely for a rough ETA window, even if it was 'after/before 1pm ish' as I need to go to work, as my job is self-employed and weather dependant, and Ive managed a total of 8 days so far this YEAR. 

So do I get an ETA?

no

Does he answer his phone?

No, straight to answer machine

Can the company get hold of him or tell me anything about the route?

No, they get answer machine and no response

Have I lost a day of work and over £200?

Yes, like I didn't need to add that to the £3k of lost work I already have since christmas.

Will he turn up before his 6pm cutoff?

will he heck! Thats my bet.

Can't take another day off, so if he isn't here by 6 I shall be putting my (weak and damaged) back out taking apart the washing machine and having a go myself.

An update on this..

Decided to have a look myself rather than wait for the invisible repair man. The bolt that held the gear on the back of the drum had come loose and fallen off, so the gear and belt were thrown into the bottom of the machine. Put it back on, tightened the bolt as much as I could (looks like the threadlock paste had given up) and put it back together, working fine.

5:45pm, a message from repair man!

"im on my way"

So, 15mins till cut-off time, with no ETA still, could be on his way from anywhere. By this point im already out the house to a medical appointment, Mrs is home but suffering with fybromyalgia flare-up. So sent him a message to let him know that whilst he was busy not answering my texts or sending ETAs, and I was sat at home loosing £250+ waiting for him to turn up, that I had a look, found the fault, and made an attempted repair but would need him to check if anything was amiss or the cause of the bolt departing.....  Yes I was pretty narked by this point so sent a pissy text message 😅

The result?

No reply, and he still hasn't arrived at 9:45pm, so I assume he is on his way from Australia, by rowing boat..


EDIT:

I think what makes me most grumpy about all this is that I could have just had a bit of self confidence and taken a quick look without worrying about possible voiding of the warranty etc and fixed it in 5mins over a week ago. But I was too stressed with many things going wrong and not getting money in for work etc that I felt it best to just go through the "proper" channels. Need to change my attitude in future!

Edited February 12 by robt100
Personal self musings added.

[ruffgeezer]

I'm laid up and off work as alluded to elsewhere one here.  All that is going round in my head is all the jobs I need to do - the cloakroom downstairs still needs the new loo and sink fitting ready to be decorated and tiled and I still haven't got my prefab garage put up.

If anyone here fairly local has experience in putting the walls of one up, and fancies helping a long term and somewhat hobbled shiter put some walls up, I'd greatly appreciate the assistance. 

[High Jetter]

On 12/02/2026 at 21:42, robt100 said:

An update on this..

Decided to have a look myself rather than wait for the invisible repair man. The bolt that held the gear on the back of the drum had come loose and fallen off, so the gear and belt were thrown into the bottom of the machine. Put it back on, tightened the bolt as much as I could (looks like the threadlock paste had given up) and put it back together, working fine.

5:45pm, a message from repair man!

"im on my way"

So, 15mins till cut-off time, with no ETA still, could be on his way from anywhere. By this point im already out the house to a medical appointment, Mrs is home but suffering with fybromyalgia flare-up. So sent him a message to let him know that whilst he was busy not answering my texts or sending ETAs, and I was sat at home loosing £250+ waiting for him to turn up, that I had a look, found the fault, and made an attempted repair but would need him to check if anything was amiss or the cause of the bolt departing.....  Yes I was pretty narked by this point so sent a pissy text message 😅

The result?

No reply, and he still hasn't arrived at 9:45pm, so I assume he is on his way from Australia, by rowing boat..


EDIT:

I think what makes me most grumpy about all this is that I could have just had a bit of self confidence and taken a quick look without worrying about possible voiding of the warranty etc and fixed it in 5mins over a week ago. But I was too stressed with many things going wrong and not getting money in for work etc that I felt it best to just go through the "proper" channels. Need to change my attitude in future!

If under warranty, you shouldn't have to. Shoddy service, taking so long to book a date. Hope you've left a good* review.

[robt100]

1 minute ago, High Jetter said:

If under warranty, you shouldn't have to. Shoddy service, taking so long to book a date. Hope you've left a good* review.

Well I just recieved an email from the manufacturer to leave a review/feedback on how my repair went... So I know what im writing this weekend 😈

[artdjones]

On 12/02/2026 at 15:50, robt100 said:

Been a series of grumps really. 3 weeks ago the dishwasher packed up, thankfully in warranty. Had to spend a week without a dishwasher but warranty guy was very good, got it all fixed, gave ETAs the day before etc etc.
Last week the washer-dryer packs in, no spin. Motor runs up but drum doesn't, can feel its disconnected by hand, probably just a belt but also still in warranty so ring them up.  who then direct me to the manafacturer, who then books me in with a 3rd party company, who has then subcontracted it out. Told by a text about 5 days ago that they are coming today, no eta, no working window, just "on 12/2" and given the engineers mobile. Text him yesterday afternoon asking very nicely for a rough ETA window, even if it was 'after/before 1pm ish' as I need to go to work, as my job is self-employed and weather dependant, and Ive managed a total of 8 days so far this YEAR. 

So do I get an ETA?

no

Does he answer his phone?

No, straight to answer machine

Can the company get hold of him or tell me anything about the route?

No, they get answer machine and no response

Have I lost a day of work and over £200?

Yes, like I didn't need to add that to the £3k of lost work I already have since christmas.

Will he turn up before his 6pm cutoff?

will he heck! Thats my bet.

Can't take another day off, so if he isn't here by 6 I shall be putting my (weak and damaged) back out taking apart the washing machine and having a go myself.

This has been the worst January/Feb for window cleaning since I started 37 years ago. It doesn't matter for me, as you know I just retired, but if you have bills it's awful. But at least half the regular work I'm keeping on didn't get done this year yet.

[robt100]

18 minutes ago, artdjones said:

This has been the worst January/Feb for window cleaning since I started 37 years ago. It doesn't matter for me, as you know I just retired, but if you have bills it's awful. But at least half the regular work I'm keeping on didn't get done this year yet.

Yup, 9 days since 24th December for me now. I had saved up a decent buffer for this winter thankfully, but its now all gone. So no holidays for me this year! 
Had one person comment "must have been nice to have all those days off", no, not really, I spent them chomping at the bit trying to get out and earn some money 😩

[artdjones]

1 minute ago, robt100 said:

Yup, 9 days since 24th December for me now. I had saved up a decent buffer for this winter thankfully, but its now all gone. So no holidays for me this year! 
Had one person comment "must have been nice to have all those days off", no, not really, I spent them chomping at the bit trying to get out and earn some money 😩

I often found rainy days when I had lots of work I couldn't do more tiring than days actually working. Staring tensely at a grey weeping sky willing it to clear is exhausting. Especially sat in a steamed up vehicle ten miles from home.

[Datsuncog]

On 11/02/2026 at 15:13, Datsuncog said:

I'll get it fully inflated later and then spray a bit of soap solution around the bead, and see if I can see anything untoward.

Well, that's pretty unequivocal.

Seems that it's the valve hole in the rim that's letting the air out - not the part that the tyre bead seats against. 

Which begs the question - is the rim rusted out, or is the valve damaged? 

More investigation required, I think.. 

[High Jetter]

11 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Well, that's pretty unequivocal.

Seems that it's the valve hole in the rim that's letting the air out - not the part that the tyre bead seats against. 

Which begs the question - is the rim rusted out, or is the valve damaged? 

More investigation required, I think.. 

Either. How old is the valve? It's more likely, and cheaper to fix.

[Datsuncog]

3 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Either. How old is the valve? It's more likely, and cheaper to fix.

Valve is six months old. Tyre place told me the rim was rotten and wouldn't seal against the tyre, therefore new rim needed. But it was apparently fine until Tuesday... 

[High Jetter]

Maybe just a clean?

[comfortablynumb]

I bought one of these a while ago, used it a couple of times, works really well.

Not much use if you need it fixed now tho