What grinds your gears?

[zollaf]

in both cases above, the charge should be reduced from murder, to manslaughter with a bloody good reason, a small award given and the whole event forgotten about.

[Crasher]

The Passat would probably have had the engine warning light on due to pedal switch failure (no outers and partly illuminated centre is a good clue) but he probably thought "it runnin alreet, sowt nah prob". Yes, many modern cars have bulb warning lights and I see dozens of them each time I drive at night where I know full well they have a warning light on telling them a headlight or other is out even if their dim brains won't pick up the reduced foreground illumination in the case of a headlight, so they have no excuse. The thing is I also know WHY people are driving around like this. Many of these cars are on contact hire or company cars and a bulb failure is going to cost them (a lot in many cases) to have put right whether they do it themselves or get a Halfords Muppet to fit it upside down (and before you shout foul, I had that twice in the last moth with receipt evidence!) so they leave it until the next scheduled service because it will get done FOC. When I had a brand new company car (three times) I striped them down and waxed the life out of them in every nook and cranny and kept them immaculate inside, out and under the covers, just because it was not mine did not mean I "drove it like I stole it".

I often admonish people who misspell or criticise Halfods as it is a useful shop for emergencies (not a patch on the high street choices the Americans have though) but they have annoyed me three times recently. In addition to the above I popped in to my local smallish shop and bought some McGard wheel bolts for my new wheels. When I went to fit them I found two were for a different key so someone out there has the same problem. After a week and numerous calls they have still failed to sort it out so that I'm having to run two of my old incorrect contact face (Kugel bundt und nicht Kegel bundt) bolts which is OK but not a good idea. I feel an angry phone call coming on....

[kite]

The Passat would probably have had the engine warning light on due to pedal switch failure (no outers and partly illuminated centre is a good clue) but he probably thought "it runnin alreet, sowt nah prob". Yes, many modern cars have bulb warning lights and I see dozens of them each time I drive at night where I know full well they have a warning light on telling them a headlight or other is out even if their dim brains won't pick up the reduced foreground illumination in the case of a headlight, so they have no excuse. The thing is I also know WHY people are driving around like this. Many of these cars are on contact hire or company cars and a bulb failure is going to cost them (a lot in many cases) to have put right whether they do it themselves or get a Halfords Muppet to fit it upside down (and before you shout foul, I had that twice in the last moth with receipt evidence!) so they leave it until the next scheduled service because it will get done FOC. When I had a brand new company car (three times) I striped them down and waxed the life out of them in every nook and cranny and kept them immaculate inside, out and under the covers, just because it was not mine did not mean I "drove it like I stole it".

I often admonish people who misspell or criticise Halfods as it is a useful shop for emergencies (not a patch on the high street choices the Americans have though) but they have annoyed me three times recently. In addition to the above I popped in to my local smallish shop and bought some McGard wheel bolts for my new wheels. When I went to fit them I found two were for a different key so someone out there has the same problem. After a week and numerous calls they have still failed to sort it out so that I'm having to run two of my old incorrect contact face (Kugel bundt und nicht Kegel bundt) bolts which is OK but not a good idea. I feel an angry phone call coming on....

I bet you do amazing 'angry' phone calls. ..

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[zollaf]

driving a landrover back from weymouth the alternator belt went just before the bridge (severn bridge) we limped on until carmarthen where there was a halfords. i ran in, old belt in hand and asked for one the same size, to be told they would need to order it in. i explained that it didn't need to be an exact match as long as it was close. oh no he said, they no longer stock belts, he could order one in. mrs z dragged me out before i could trash the place. we got home on what was left in the rather large batteries.

[Crasher]

I bet you do amazing 'angry' phone calls. ..

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No I chicken and and suddenly start feeling sorry for the idiots who have ****** me around...well in truth I also find it more successful to complain with a bit of jollying along humour rather than (hopefully) not make the other person think, "what a cnut", well not more so than people do normally on contact with me....

[kodkod.84]

The number of vehicles on the road that have one or more brake lights inoperative! It seems to be an increasing problem around my way, and I cannot for the life of me understand it as most cars nowadays have a bulb out warning light (at the least).

I was behind a guy in traffic the other night - Passat B5, only the high-level brake light worked, and even that appeared to be partially obscured or have a bulb out; when we got to a set of traffic signals, I drew alongside him and got him to open his window and told him about his lack of brake illumination; after a bit of initial disbelief, he just shrugged his shoulders and drove off - not even as much as a 'thanks for the heads-up' or anything.

I always think that cars with bulbs out (especially more than one) is an indicator that the car will have goodness knows what all wrong with it (tyres etc), as its clearly being driven by someone who couldn't give two hoots.

Yes I find this highly annoying too- even me in my old MK3 I know when a brake bulb is out as just reverse up to a glass fronted building and check the reflection. Don't need any dash warning

Which leads me to French cars: do they all have totally dodgy electrics- always see Citroens with flickering brake lights and Peugeots with fog lights on

[Crasher]

Yes but they do seem to be extremely resilient to rust which is more than can be said for modern VAG front wings!

[zollaf]

wgmg is people selling a car with no mot who say it will pass no problem , they just havn't got time to do it. so thats why its parked up and you are not using it. an mot is cheap enough, why not just flippin do it and get more money.. ooooh, i see, you know the sills are full of holes, just want shot of it and happy for it to be someone elses problem eh. ****.

[Crasher]

Which takes me to another point. Why can a member of the public sell a car with faults and get away with it and being held accountable, whereas if they sell that car to a trader and he passes it on, he is liable? EVERYONE who sells a car, private or trade, should be equally responsible for what they are selling.

[fat controller]

To be honest Crasher, it disgusts me the condition of many cars on the road nowadays. Even back when I was utterly skint, I always made sure that my cars were in tip-top condition. In fact, even my current car - having just shelled out for a cambelt and water pump, money is a wee bit on the tight side for the service; OK, so that will be another couple of days overtime to pay for it then - - it needs it, it needs OEM parts (or as near as dammit), and the car deserves to be looked after -- it starts daily, takes us everywhere we wish to go in complete comfort, and does so with grace, and without as much as a cough or a knock; yeah, a service once a year is peanuts really when it comes to all that we get in return from it every year.