What's made you smile today?
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What's made you smile today?
I had a new washing machine and it stopped pumping out. Nowhere was there how to remove the filter ! I got it out and removed a hairgrip, 2 x 5p's and a dog poo bag ! After asking my 25 year old to explain please, I put it all back together. It leaked...because I had nicked the seal getting the filter out. Oh well of to Ebay. It was cheaper to get a pack with 2 new filters and sealing washers that it would have been from Currys. Also, because of my past employment in the NHS doing maintenance work, I knew that it is sometimes possible to fit another manufacturers equipment. Which is what I did. There seem to be 5 or 6 different types, so it was a matter of seeing which one might fit.
A large number of different washing machines all come from the same factory on Italy, including my Samsung branded one, so many parts are interchangeable, even if not listed. Aftermarket suppliers will often list spearately by machine make, but their own part number may give it away.
Bosch and Miele tend to be better, at a price, and made elsewhere, although some Bosch machines are not unique. I have a small dishwasher branded Bosch, which is identical to the previous one branded Hotpoint.
Bosch and Miele tend to be better, at a price, and made elsewhere, although some Bosch machines are not unique. I have a small dishwasher branded Bosch, which is identical to the previous one branded Hotpoint.
You sure you don't want to make a YouTube how to of how to delete a post?
Would such a post become invisible?
Thanks Andy, I hadn't noticed that. I have however been thinking about why some of my posts do this and I think it may be because I sometimes take a very long time to complete a post. This one, for instance, was started before we started eating our meal. Then a bit was added at the pudding stage and finally finished off after I'd cleared up the kitchen, set the tea to infusing, loaded the dishwasher and scrubbed the pots. I was careful to only hit the "post" button once but it still entered two copies!
Oh, by the way, I found I couldn't simply delete the post. However by adding that explanation and then deleting the rest of the post, it accepted it and displayed only the added text
In general yes, but iirc there are restrictions like it being in the edit window.
It's handy mainly for double posts.
Edit: now with handy screenshot of me deleting this post! Yes I'm using full PC mode on a phone.
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6 years today since I got this beauty home! [emoji846] 
Here’s to another 6!!! [emoji108][emoji6]
If only Fiat would develop another Punto! Your only choice down the line to date is the Tipo?!
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I would have a Tipo, as I do rather like them! [emoji846]
You never know the merger might see some value in reintroducing a new punto, on the flip side the tipo is supposed to end production as well?
I’ve heard the Tipo hasn’t been as much of a success as they hoped.
Having spent a lot of time in a Ford Focus Titanium back in 2013/4, first time I got into a Tipo in the show room I was a bit disappointed by things like the touch screen and plastics.
The Focus / Golf size segment seems to be extremely high value for money and I think the buyers in that class probably wouldn’t come out of a test drive too keen on the Tipo even with the much lower price compared to the others. Especially with the Korean offerings in that class giving a low price and more appealing tech (sadly).
It’s a shame. But if it means Fiat can focus on city cars like they’re good at then it’ll be for the greater good IMO!
It was only brought over to the Uk as range filler -its predecessor (the Palio) was never even offered here
Its a 'sedan'.. apart from the rarely purchased focus.. its a market for pensioners
Allied to the fact that FIATs over 1300cc have never been big sellers in the uk..
The car market was in a state before covid.
I suspect its going to be pretty chaotic in the next 18 months.
Many peoples car use just wont be the same when they no longer need to drive.. for various reasons..
And others will delay purchases because of uncertainty.. still a leap of faith to put YOUR OWN money into pure electric
And the hybrid side is a bit of a minefield with new model tech
It was only brought over to the Uk as range filler -its predecessor (the Palio) was never even offered here
Not quite right it was the replacement for the Bravo, which they stopped making in 2015.
Fiat have no cohesive plan by which they build cars.
If you look at ford or VW or any car manufacture they have a brand identity that runs from the cheapest to the most expensive models in their range.
Fiat has to be the only company that doesn't really do this, and doesn't carry on the identity of one car into the next model, but they used to.
The mk2 punto looks a lot like the mk1 punto. The grande changed the recipe, and while it sold well originally people lost interest and fiat just gave up.
Then there was the original 90s brava/bravo/marea cars which did sell reasonably well, then rather than revamp them they launched the stilo to replace them.... then they went back to the bravo, then chose the tipo. When they repeatedly do this no one knows what the hell they are buying. Someone who buys a golf and wants a newer version of the golf, buy a golf. They do the same with the focus or what ever. They know that a golf or focus means a certain sized car. Fiat keep changing names and identities so no one knows what the latest fiat actually represents.
I actually think the 500L was supposed to be the new Bravo but no one bought them and they had this Aegea car in turkey so slapped an old Tipo badge on it hoping that the rest of europe would buy that instead. No one is buying the Tipo so as usual Fiat have lost interest.
Fiat's problem is not the cars, its the company and how they market them, which is a lets throw a million at marketing for the launch of this car, that should be enough to keep selling it for the next 10 years.
It’s mad that they can’t use the money they have to market and design / research what they should do a little better. I feel like the over-focus on the 500 brand identity has had too much toll and stolen too much focus from the Panda and other lines that could have had a bit more investment over the years.
Happy with the Panda how it is, but I will admit I’d love it to have cruise control etc. Most people I know don’t see it as even acceptable and it’s hard to argue sometimes. I still love it, but regardless I wish Fiat did a bit more lol
The main problem with all their cars is the lack of marketing, the one they never really stopped advertising is the 500 and surprisingly it’s still selling, I wonder why that could be ??
The 500x is not a bad car but they don’t really push it. The 500l is and always has been a bad car for Fiat and they should probably take it out the back and shoot it
They need to make a new panda for launch shortly after the new 500.
They need a car in the position of the Punto, they’d probably give it a different name but they should call it a Punto and actually market it, then while their make a hot version a 200hp hot hatch Punto sized car would sell as the corsa VXR sold for Vauxhall’s and the st fiestas sell. They just need to give it decent power and not make another tepid hatch, like the 130hp Punto HGT at a time when 170 -200hp was the norm for this kinda car. The abarth spider would have sold way better if it made some proper power out of the box.
I’m not sure Fiat would sell cars any bigger, but if they specialised their range of small cars people would like them and keep coming back. Let’s face it the future is not going to be in big saloon cars or huge people carries so Fiat should forget about chasing those markets.
I've had a set of normal depth, 6 point, impact sockets for many years which tend to be my instinctive "go to" on most occasions. However last year I treated myself to a set of Bergen "XI-ON" deep impact sockets:https://www.amazon.co.uk/BERGEN-IMPACT-SOCKET-10-32mm-B1402/dp/B013JZ4K4Y
I've been using them for general jobs where appropriate but haven't yet really had the opportunity to really challenge their claim that they grip partially rounded off fixings - that's what the little "teeth" on the inside of every second hex flat are for. Well, today I got the chance.
I was working in my front garden and was peripherally aware that one of my more "mechanically savvy" neighbours was trying to get the back wheel off his scooter (the sort that delivery companies use - think Deliveroo). The tyre was punctured and he was going to repair it. After a while he came over - observing separation of course - and asked if I had a 24mm deep socket he could borrow. Yes of course said I and asked what he was trying to do. On this scooter the wheel is held onto the spindle with just one large nut -24 mm - with the drive being transmitted by splines on the wheel and hub. He had been trying to undo this nut without success and had started to round of the nut. Being a sensible chap he'd stopped at that. He didn't have a big enough socket so had been trying to do it with a big 12 point ring key but the nut was so tight it was refusing to budge.
The corners of the nut were deformed enough that the socket had to be "persuaded" on with a hammer and still refused to move using his "T" handle. I started back to my garage to get my big power bar when he astonished me by producing one of these: https://www.clarketooling.co.uk/product/cew1000-electric-impact-wrench-2/
I've long wondered whether they are any good so I was excited to see it in use. Well I'm pleased to tell you that I was mightily impressed. He had to "hit" it twice but it shifted it with very little drama. If I didn't already have my air guns I would be buying one of these. The only slight draw back I could see is that it's either on or off. Pull the trigger and it goes at it hammer and tongs, no partial pull on the trigger like an air gun. For that reason I would be inclined to use it for removing things but not for tightening.
Anyway here's a picture of the end of my 24mm socket so you can see the "little teeth"
And here's a couple of views of the nut. You can see the way the end of the flats have started to round with his use of that big ring spanner and the marks left by the "little teeth" digging in.
In everyday use these "little teeth" don't leave any noticeable marks and the "tightening side" of the hex in the socket doesn't have them so obviously doesn't leave marks on tightening.
So, looks like the sockets work exactly as claimed by Bergen/US Pro in their literature! I'm very pleased.
I've been using them for general jobs where appropriate but haven't yet really had the opportunity to really challenge their claim that they grip partially rounded off fixings - that's what the little "teeth" on the inside of every second hex flat are for. Well, today I got the chance.
I was working in my front garden and was peripherally aware that one of my more "mechanically savvy" neighbours was trying to get the back wheel off his scooter (the sort that delivery companies use - think Deliveroo). The tyre was punctured and he was going to repair it. After a while he came over - observing separation of course - and asked if I had a 24mm deep socket he could borrow. Yes of course said I and asked what he was trying to do. On this scooter the wheel is held onto the spindle with just one large nut -24 mm - with the drive being transmitted by splines on the wheel and hub. He had been trying to undo this nut without success and had started to round of the nut. Being a sensible chap he'd stopped at that. He didn't have a big enough socket so had been trying to do it with a big 12 point ring key but the nut was so tight it was refusing to budge.
The corners of the nut were deformed enough that the socket had to be "persuaded" on with a hammer and still refused to move using his "T" handle. I started back to my garage to get my big power bar when he astonished me by producing one of these: https://www.clarketooling.co.uk/product/cew1000-electric-impact-wrench-2/
I've long wondered whether they are any good so I was excited to see it in use. Well I'm pleased to tell you that I was mightily impressed. He had to "hit" it twice but it shifted it with very little drama. If I didn't already have my air guns I would be buying one of these. The only slight draw back I could see is that it's either on or off. Pull the trigger and it goes at it hammer and tongs, no partial pull on the trigger like an air gun. For that reason I would be inclined to use it for removing things but not for tightening.
Anyway here's a picture of the end of my 24mm socket so you can see the "little teeth"
And here's a couple of views of the nut. You can see the way the end of the flats have started to round with his use of that big ring spanner and the marks left by the "little teeth" digging in.
In everyday use these "little teeth" don't leave any noticeable marks and the "tightening side" of the hex in the socket doesn't have them so obviously doesn't leave marks on tightening.
So, looks like the sockets work exactly as claimed by Bergen/US Pro in their literature! I'm very pleased.
Seeing the chewed nut reminded me of a sad story many years ago.
While working in the warranty department of a major parts supplier, I received a letter from a guy complainng that our wheel bearings had failed, and had destroyed the CV joint, hub, brake disc, and damaged the caliper. This was a late, disc-braked Mini.
I replied same day, requesting that all the damaged parts, be sent to me. He could drop them off at our distributor and they'd be with me next day.
Next day, a call from the returns department, so i collected my parcel and tipped the contents onto my desk.
There staring at me was the hub nut, with markings where it had been struck with a large chisel. Now that was common when amateurs tried to undo such nuts, but these marks were on the tightening edges. Not sure how you achieve the massive torque required by these nuts when using a chisel.
All through the life of Mini, 1100/1300, Allegro, Maxi, 1800, etc., it was critical that these nuts were tight. They had a habit of coming loose, with the resultant damage that I was presented with on the rest of the contents of the box.
Not a manufacuring defect with the wheel bearings then, sorry.
While working in the warranty department of a major parts supplier, I received a letter from a guy complainng that our wheel bearings had failed, and had destroyed the CV joint, hub, brake disc, and damaged the caliper. This was a late, disc-braked Mini.
I replied same day, requesting that all the damaged parts, be sent to me. He could drop them off at our distributor and they'd be with me next day.
Next day, a call from the returns department, so i collected my parcel and tipped the contents onto my desk.
There staring at me was the hub nut, with markings where it had been struck with a large chisel. Now that was common when amateurs tried to undo such nuts, but these marks were on the tightening edges. Not sure how you achieve the massive torque required by these nuts when using a chisel.
All through the life of Mini, 1100/1300, Allegro, Maxi, 1800, etc., it was critical that these nuts were tight. They had a habit of coming loose, with the resultant damage that I was presented with on the rest of the contents of the box.
Not a manufacuring defect with the wheel bearings then, sorry.
That brings back memories PB. I remember in particular that assemblies which used that conical split washer behind the nut seemed to be particularly prone to it.
Hope you and yours are keeping well and safe
regards
Jock
