StevenRB45 said:

Gutted, make sure you document it with photos e.t.c. so there can be no doubt what you have asked them to fix.

If it's the other sides company then there's no reason it shouldn't be right..it's not like you're paying for a cheap job. They should be paying to put your car back to pre accident condition.

To be fair stuff like this is why my Hail damage never got me repaired. I've seen terrible jobs on easy to repair stuff..how much did I trust them to remove all the windows and headlining, rod the bigger dents out of it..skim and fill the rest and bonnet. Then refit the windows and paint it all to match the the rest..

The chances of the car surviving that without leaks and mismatched panels..zip.

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Yeah I have done. I said to them "don't worry about putting the stripe back on, because I'm gonna take it off and it'll be more work for you". The chap understood this fine, but the message that got to the paint bloke was "please don't touch the stripe, leave it on the car". Literally as far from what I wanted as is humanly possible.

And I explained even if that is what I'd asked for, it's still a botch job.

Still don't know who's paying yet - it should be him but haven't heard it's been settled. :bang:

Exactly - wish I'd never sent it in. Would've been less painful forking out for a custom set of vented wings or something aftermarket than this. In hindsight and with more research, I now realise I can choose the garage I go to. Didn't realise this at the time.

StevenRB45 said:

Currently sitting watching "Real housewives of some American armpit".

If your significant other has never foisted this utter **** upon you hold them close and never let them go...Like Towie with less class.

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Not this, nor does she watch Love Island or whatever, but I have sat through three/four hours of RuPaul's drag race.

School holidays so my car has had a can of Coke/Pepsi emptied over the bonnet while I was in town.

:bang:

Fiat putting the low pressure port of the aircon, bellow the fuel filter and behind the air filter, que removal of air filter box, and moving the fuel filter out of the way, couldn’t remove anything that would prevent the engine running as the refil process for the aircon required the engine to be run. ��

Returning from shopping, heard a strange creak from the rear. Car seemed to ride different afterwards. Peeped underneath, the left spring pan appears to be slightly lower than the right, and not horizontal. Need a new rear axle then!

Looks like surface rust, apparently worse, hiding it well. Couldn't have a good look, started raining. Now trawling Ebay for a replacement.

Work blocking access to FF on company PCs

portland_bill

Bu££er..

so much for the theory of it only happening to cars that live in mud..

or on beaches ( even shingle ones.. )

TBH , if it was a 1.1 it would be uneconomic,
but on yours it's still justifiable

me.. grumpy..??

had water through the ceiling for the 2nd time this year..

same botched bathroom install issue, they still haven't sorted
the damage from Xmas:bang:

then to cap it all a hosepipe failed ( in the heat..), ran for @36 hours when we were away, luckily neighbour phoned..so we sent somebody over.. luckily the flooding was limited.

metered water for 36 hours straight.. cost more than the hose..

varesecrazy said:

portland_bill

Bu££er..

so much for the theory of it only happening to cars that live in mud..

or on beaches ( even shingle ones.. )

TBH , if it was a 1.1 it would be uneconomic,
but on yours it's still justifiable

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Looking like around £250 for a mediocre one. Found a likely one in Italy, another in France, both looking better than the UK ones, but will use one of the breaker websearch sites, see what turns up.

Perhaps I can get one of my learners to run a Panda off the road, then follow it to the breakers.:devil:

As if the Panda axle was not enough. Beard trimmer made an escape bid, leapt off the bathroom window sill, bounced off the edge of the bath. Lots of pieces. Had to go buy a new one.
The bath appears unscathed. It'll probably crack in two tomorrow.

My wife has been worrying about our week old not going to the loo for number 2s..

However I can confirm categorically he's working just fine down stairs. How he managed to get it in his hair though is a matter for science..

StevenRB45 said:

My wife has been worrying about our week old not going to the loo for number 2s..

However I can confirm categorically he's working just fine down stairs. How he managed to get it in his hair though is a matter for science..

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We’ve had that! Had it on outside of clothes and hair. Yet looks like the nappy never leaked!

New AA car yesterday. New model Fiesta. Disappointment.
Mirrors smaller. Just what we need for the learners.
Headlamps default to auto at each start. At least we can turn off the auto main beam.
No CD player, but at least it will play uncompressed files from a USB.
Has a large central screen, like so many these days, looks like an afterthought.
When on, it is bright. On dimmest setting, still too bright. Not a distraction we need for learners. Actually very irritating for anyone. We're supposed to be looking out the window!
The nav is permanently displayed as half the 'Home' screen, so there's also a moving image to distract.
I've set it on night mode.
We can turn the screen off, but then, that loses the top line too, so no clock. Genius.
Might need to stick a cheap watch to the dash with blu-tack.

Then the dual-controls don't work properly. By design.
Normally duals are fitted using the pedal location for a LHD car. But the duals company have obviously had problems with this and have adopted a 'that'll do' attitude.
The pedals present vertical, as expected. But they operate mostly downwards, not forwards. The brake is manageable, as it only travels a short distance, but the clutch is difficult. With a foot placed 'normally' as the pedal is pushed, it moves down, trying to squeeze the foot, as the toes move down, but the heel has nowhere to go. It is trying to fold my foot in half. Only way to operate it correctly is to lift the foot above the pedal and push downwards. On the top of the pad, instead of the face. This is not going to happen in an emergency, just the time when it is needed most.

Using it to demonstrate clutch control, or moving the car in tight spots is going to be difficult. In an emergency, might actually be very dangerous. Stopping is easy, just brake and stall, but most of the time we need to move again, not park.

Imagine a scene. Learner decides to pull out onto a busy main road. Gap is big enough, learner confident enough to push the gas and go, so no problem yet. They move out in 1st gear, snatch for 2nd in a hurry, pull towards them and get 4th. As an instructor, we deal with this daily. (Each gear sounds different as it engages - yes really - so we know even without looking) Easy fix, dual clutch down, 4th-2nd, clutch up, still moving, problem solved, discuss later. With this car, we'll probably be sitting with a dead engine, an unresponsive learner, and a truck bearing down on us.

I've sent emails. Will await the responses on Monday. Blame the messenger time I expect. But are they brave enough not to change anything, and risk big compensation claims.

Keep well away from learners, horrible creatures, and they are all out to get you.:devil:

Tell the AA that you want a decent car, not a fiesta, lol!

puntofan01 said:

Tell the AA that you want a decent car, not a fiesta, lol!

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Their contract is with Ford, so its a Fiesta or a Focus. The Fiesta is already huge, same size as the original Focus, so no way will I have a Focus, even more horrible. I already refer to the Fiesta as 'the big car' when choosing which one to use.
The issue is not really with the crap design and inconsistencies with Fords, but the main issue is with the duals that are unsafe.

I see! If they don't do anything about it, would it be worth changing schools?

Bus driver in Cambridge who pulled out of a indented bus stop ACROSS the bus lane and then proceeded to drive at 18mph (GPS speed) on a 30 MPH main route with no one in front of him either in the bus lane or main part of road. Oh and Vauxhall Grandland X driver who stopped to let him.

Constant problem in Cambridge. Lots of bus and cycle lanes taking up space and the buses and bikes not using them. The won't let motorcycles use the bus lanes either. (I'm not bike rider) Considering getting a Series III LWB Staion wagon (12 seats) Land Rover so I can use thr bus lanes.


Robert G8RPI.

portland_bill said:

As if the Panda axle was not enough. Beard trimmer made an escape bid, leapt off the bathroom window sill, bounced off the edge of the bath. Lots of pieces. Had to go buy a new one.
The bath appears unscathed. It'll probably crack in two tomorrow.

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Our family have strong links to aviation - Mrs Jock and her sister are ex-BOAC, brother in law was pilot with BEA (later a training captain with Cyprus Airways) and son in law works on military stuff (we don't talk about that). When I was dating the future Mrs Jock, back in the 60's, I quickly became aware that many people employed in this field believe in the "law of three". In particular that if things go wrong it happens in batches of three! So there is your Panda rear axle failure and the beard trimmer, just keeping my fingers crossed for you that the third one is of minor impact!

As a parting thought and much in the same vein as the above, I read somewhere the other day "O'Toole's comment on Murphy's law - Murphy was an optimist!" Just seemed to work for me!

By the way, so sorry to hear of the rear axle failure. How old is the car? When I last checked Becky's it looked moderately rusty but not deeply corroded, I think I probably should undertake an in depth examination before the winter sets in.

puntofan01 said:

I see! If they don't do anything about it, would it be worth changing schools?

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I've been thinking about becoming independent for some time. Then comes the hassle of deciding, lease a car, buy new, or used. Big decisions. Desk covered in lots of paper notes as I type this. Meanwhile, we'll seee what tomorrow brings, having lit the blue touch paper.

Pugglt Auld Jock said:

By the way, so sorry to hear of the rear axle failure. How old is the car? When I last checked Becky's it looked moderately rusty but not deeply corroded, I think I probably should undertake an in depth examination before the winter sets in.

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Have heard, and used, the old 'everything happens in threes' adage. Seem to have got away with it this time. (Oops!)

The car is 12 years old, having been built Jan 2006. Axle looks moderately rusty. Had planned to drop it, clean it and repaint it. Meant to do last summer, but lots of things got in the way. Was on a must do list for this summer. Carrying two heavy friends has highlighted that it was ready to let go. (Should have carried them easily, so not their fault.) At least it groaned a little and bent a bit, rather than collapsed in a dangerous situation.
So my advice, is get under there and look sooner rather than later.

I found a company in London specialising in suspension stuff, lots of subframes and axles for various makes. A new pattern axle for £350 seemed like a good idea. Now sitting in my garage, and the weather has fought back. Will remove the old one, put them together to check alignment, and report on my findings. Currently optimistic.

Pessimists are happier people, as everything is better than expected. Optimists, however, go through life with a series of disappointments.

portland_bill said:

I've been thinking about becoming independent for some time. Then comes the hassle of deciding, lease a car, buy new, or used. Big decisions. Desk covered in lots of paper notes as I type this. Meanwhile, we'll seee what tomorrow brings, having lit the blue touch paper.

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I see! Keeping fingers crossed for you.

portland_bill said:

I've been thinking about becoming independent for some time. Then comes the hassle of deciding, lease a car, buy new, or used. Big decisions. Desk covered in lots of paper notes as I type this. Meanwhile, we'll seee what tomorrow brings, having lit the blue touch paper.



Have heard, and used, the old 'everything happens in threes' adage. Seem to have got away with it this time. (Oops!)

The car is 12 years old, having been built Jan 2006. Axle looks moderately rusty. Had planned to drop it, clean it and repaint it. Meant to do last summer, but lots of things got in the way. Was on a must do list for this summer. Carrying two heavy friends has highlighted that it was ready to let go. (Should have carried them easily, so not their fault.) At least it groaned a little and bent a bit, rather than collapsed in a dangerous situation.
So my advice, is get under there and look sooner rather than later.

I found a company in London specialising in suspension stuff, lots of subframes and axles for various makes. A new pattern axle for £350 seemed like a good idea. Now sitting in my garage, and the weather has fought back. Will remove the old one, put them together to check alignment, and report on my findings. Currently optimistic.

Pessimists are happier people, as everything is better than expected. Optimists, however, go through life with a series of disappointments.

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I do love all the "stuff" you learn on this forum! Of course I've come across many different pattern parts during my adventures with cars and mechanical "toys". Indeed some of the older stuff could not be repaired and kept running without them. I have never come across anyone making an entire pattern axle though. My assumption would have been that manufacturer or scrappie were the only options so you can imagine I'm really excited to hear of your supplier. Would you care to share contact details for them with me? Beckie is an early 2010 registration and our roads up here see a lot of salt during the winter so I think your advice to get under and look as soon as possible is something I'm going to do as soon as this rain stops - been raining all day yesterday and still drizzling right now. - I would be very interested to see a picture, if possible, of your new axle if you could manage that?
Kindest regards
Jock
PS. I still haven't cracked how to quote only part of a post (like in the above, where it appears in italics)