What's made you grumpy today?

[StevenRB45]

A few weeks back we had covid and a week before that he had what I now assume was covid but presented as exploding nappies every few hours, which meant completely stripping and changing everything every few hours, that was a new level of exhaustion.

Ah the feared Donald duck impression...if you hear it on the monitor then it's a conflict between "if I get there before he's moved too much perhaps the damage can be contained" and "Why would I want to be first on the scene for this????" Distinctly remember few years ago the first time he had a sickness bug after my wife's maternity ended..the skill is knowing which calamity to address 1st. If you get him out of the mess..he'll escape and spread it..but you can't put him in any of the usual baby holders without ruining them as well. Without getting to the fact the little biohazard is deeply unhappy and would like a cuddle.

Measured in weeks..... Our first went nearly 3 years before he started sleeping like a human! I remmeber walking around as the sun came up one morning, with him in the push chair at about 3.30 in the morning and a policeman pulling alongside in his car. " Are you alright chief"?
"Good morning office..... Do I look alright???? If I was alright this little **** and I would both be tucked up in bed fast asleep. No Im not alright!!! We had a good laugh at least. ..................... And puke, I remember having to remove the back seat and carpet and rear seatbelt at the road side to sluice them off After No2 daughter had filled the seatbelt cubbie in the floor with 5* puke. The car was two days old and never smelled the same again. OCD car meant it was moved on at 6 months old. Now thats expensive vommit.

2.5 years for ours...and for about 12 months after my wife went back on maternity he would only sleep in a moving pram or car.

This handily coincided with Lockdown...so I got many funny looks off the police and followed multiple times as well.

I've been vaguely lucky car wise...yes current car has some stains on the boot floor of questionable origin..and yes I did spend some time Friday dealing with a milky drink aftermath (god bless zip off seat covers). But whenever we've had a proper disaster it was into a removable seat. Worst one being poo that literally filled the plastic shell of the seat and started dribbling out. Thankfully it landed on the hard plastic isofix base not the soft furnishing.

Car OCD is for people who don't have Kids I think..I've decided to settle for keeping it fully functional, safe and maintained and the inside is not offensive to the nose..just don't look down.

 

[portland_bill]

For many years, working at a car dealer, if a young couple presented a car for part-ex, the salesman would sniff it. If it smelt of vomit, it was seriously devalued, as it could only ever be sold to another young couple, who would already be desensitised to it.
No amount of cleaning will remove the smell. We've completely stripped interiors, including side trim carpets and underlay, steam cleaning them, to no avail. Seventies cars with vinyl seats stood up to this best, but I doubt any manufacturer would reintroduce them for young families.

 

[bugsymike]

For many years, working at a car dealer, if a young couple presented a car for part-ex, the salesman would sniff it. If it smelt of vomit, it was seriously devalued, as it could only ever be sold to another young couple, who would already be desensitised to it.
No amount of cleaning will remove the smell. We've completely stripped interiors, including side trim carpets and underlay, steam cleaning them, to no avail. Seventies cars with vinyl seats stood up to this best, but I doubt any manufacturer would reintroduce them for young families.

Not just children's vomit, as an apprentice in late 60s cleaning the yellowed vinyl headlining from heavy smokers was another task, one which often resembled the ceiling of an old country pub in those days.
The job I recall most, was a a large Vauxhall estate that had been used by a dog breeder, all the seats had to come out, not just for the dog hair, it was the urine and maggot farm!
Mind you what ever mess you found, I noticed it didn't stop the car salesmen from lifting the seats in search of money lost by the previous owners, that and running the cars themselves until road tax or fuel ran, which ever first, unless they took the tax disc for a refund which they had neglected to tell the previous owner about.

 

[Cheest]

I am now starting day three of what was supposed to be a two hour repair on my Ural. I actually finished the repair yesterday but I still need to go out to the garage to put everything away and fill out the logbook. I would have done that yesterday, too, but after I got the rig down off the jack stands, I went to check all the lights and the right rear turn signal was barely working. All my lights are multi chip LED and only a couple chips in this one were working. I dug through all my stuff and nary a replacement to be had. I did find one 1156 incandescent bulb, so that's in there until the new ones arrive.

It was time to enter all the repairs in the logbook. Yay! I flipped the ignition switch on...and my damn speedometer wouldn't turn on. Arrrgh! The wiring for that is behind the headlight. To get the headlight out, I need to remove the fairing first. I get to the rats nest in the nacelle and see nothing amiss. I touch the harness and connector at the bottom of the speedometer and the connector just drops out. So, something stupid simple.

It takes me another hour to get everything back together. I flipped the ignition switch several times and all is good. It's now 4:30 in the afternoon. I've been at this since 9:00. The sun is nearing the horizon and the temp is settling, too. Screw it, I'm going in.

 

[varesecrazy]

My Grande Punto has developed the 'BOINGG' they can perform expertly

Its the Bearings on the top of the Front Struts that 'get sticky'

Its a job that needs the strut out and spring compressing

Ive got a 350 mile family day trip in the next couple of weeks.. snow forecast sooner.. and my tools for the task are elsewhere.

Oh the joys... :-(

 

[Cheest]

My Grande Punto has developed the 'BOINGG' they can perform expertly

Its the Bearings on the top of the Front Struts that 'get sticky'

Its a job that needs the strut out and spring compressing

Ive got a 350 mile family day trip in the next couple of weeks.. snow forecast sooner.. and my tools for the task are elsewhere.

Oh the joys... :-(

I'd lend you mine if you weren't a few thousand miles away.

 

[varesecrazy]

I'd lend you mine if you weren't a few thousand miles away.

Equidistant to MY tools.. ( in another country..)

 

[StevenRB45]

My Grande Punto has developed the 'BOINGG' they can perform expertly

Its the Bearings on the top of the Front Struts that 'get sticky'

Its a job that needs the strut out and spring compressing

Ive got a 350 mile family day trip in the next couple of weeks.. snow forecast sooner.. and my tools for the task are elsewhere.

Oh the joys... :-(

Tbf ran the C3 for months with a Boinging top mount on the basis you couldn't get another one at the time (warranty job and they only come with a strut and shock attached from PSA and back ordered, sure aftermarket would have been different but they were paying). Unless it's knocking or you're planning a track day sure it'll be reet.

Not just children's vomit, as an apprentice in late 60s cleaning the yellowed vinyl headlining from heavy smokers was another task, one which often resembled the ceiling of an old country pub in those days.
The job I recall most, was a a large Vauxhall estate that had been used by a dog breeder, all the seats had to come out, not just for the dog hair, it was the urine and maggot farm!

Remember hearing about the police dog van estates...they are specifically designed to drain the wee etc...and still stink to high heaven and the rear floors rust.

Worst car I ever went to see was a mk6 fiesta, looked tidy and nice, open the door the smell of tobacco smoke hit you before you even sat down.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The worst we ever had was when my daughter was very young - babe in arms - and my older boy was about 3, No 2 son was not even being thought about at that time. We were on holiday in Cyprus and had borrowed a friend's Opel Kadett to go a day trip to see Aphrodities bath out past Paphos in the western end of the island. On the return journey, back in those days the roads were nothing like as good as they are today so it was quite a time consuming journey, My boy fell asleep on the floor in the back at my wife's feet with her cradling our young daughter on her lap. Daughter, who we didn't know had drunk water from the loo that morning - young son "spilt the beans" - suddenly had horrendous very runny diarrhea which escaped the nappy and dribbled down over my wife's beautiful voluminous flowery summer dress and dripped all over my boy's head and shoulders. It was horrendous!

Luckily - is that the right word to use? The Opel was the base version so had plastic seats and rubber floor mats. We were traveling back towards Larnaca on the south coast road so I pulled onto the beach and we dumped the kids and Mrs J in the sea to clean up while I took the back seat squab and rubber floor mats out and washed them in the sea. It was very hot so the seats dried out in about 15 minutes on the sand. I used the beach towels to clean up the bits which had got round the seat and floor mats, but Mrs J's lovely dress was completely ruined so it went in an old oil drum which was the local beach bin.

We continued our journey back to Mrs J's sister's flat which was on the Dhekelia base side of Larnaca but when we got there the problem was how was she going to get through the entrance hall in just her bra and knickers - The flats were very upmarket and quite "posh" with a big open ground floor hall which contained a couple of shops and a concierge - Anyway, she moved pretty fast in those days and nearly made it only for the concierge to appear at his office door as she was waiting at the lift door. He stood with his mouth open until the lift door closed and we all went up to the flat.

Oh, and yes, I did tell our friends what had happened. Actually we went out to the pub on the roundabout (Bambos?) with them a few days later and I was surprised that there was no detectable smell in the car. Doubt very much if that would be possible with modern interiors.

 

[bugsymike]

One of my sisters and her husband were driving down from London on the M4 I think, 70 mph or so many years ago in a Renault 10, suddenly the car is filled with an awful choking smell, their cat was having a "dump" on the parcel shelf.

 

[StevenRB45]

One of my sisters and her husband were driving down from London on the M4 I think, 70 mph or so many years ago in a Renault 10, suddenly the car is filled with an awful choking smell, their cat was having a "dump" on the parcel shelf.

This begs the question..what was the cat doing on the parcel shelf?

Other than laying cable obviously..

 

[AndyRKett]

For many years, working at a car dealer, if a young couple presented a car for part-ex, the salesman would sniff it. If it smelt of vomit, it was seriously devalued, as it could only ever be sold to another young couple, who would already be desensitised to it.
No amount of cleaning will remove the smell. We've completely stripped interiors, including side trim carpets and underlay, steam cleaning them, to no avail. Seventies cars with vinyl seats stood up to this best, but I doubt any manufacturer would reintroduce them for young families.

I worked for a dealership in the early 2000s and there was always some company with a new device that would easily get rid of odours with some magic box you plugged in and left in the car (all bull ship obviously)

But they did get very good at stripping out interiors and steam cleaning carpets and seats if needed to get rid of smells, would take about a week for things to dry out, and they generally didn’t smell afterwards.

This wasn’t a main dealer this was the sort of general car dealership that would sell you any car on credit as long as you had a pulse. So often the car would come back 3 months later repossessed and completely wrecked, only to be cleaned up and sold again

 

[Cheest]

One of my sisters and her husband were driving down from London on the M4 I think, 70 mph or so many years ago in a Renault 10, suddenly the car is filled with an awful choking smell, their cat was having a "dump" on the parcel shelf.

The first car the missus and I had when we got hitched was a 1967 AMC Ambassador 2 door hardtop that I got in high school. IMO, the best looking car AMC ever made. We also had a rambunctious Corgi/Terrier mix pooch named Willy. Anyway, we are driving back to Chicago after visiting both sets of parental units. Willie also slept on the parcel shelf, when he wasn't chasing cars going the other direction. So, nearing our exit when Willy jumps down from the shelf, stands on the floor behind the drivers seat and explodes vile stuff from both ends. Thankfully, rubber floor mats and vinyl seats.

After we got everything cleaned up, I called my folks to let them know we got home and that Willy had puked. My Dad said it must have been the roast duck that Willy ate. Wait...What? Mom had made a roast duck for dinner and neither liked it, so they tossed it out the back door. Our stupid dog devoured the duck and my Dad just sat there and watched.

There was payback.

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

I haven't bought tomatoes recently
I was just thinking about buying some
And then the great .not so great ,tomato famine of '23 occurs and the supermarket had no normal size ones at all last night ,just cherry size which I don't want for sandwiches .
I do hope people are not panic buying them ,they are only going to last a week or so then they start to shrivel up and end up wasted in the bin .
The fruit and veg aisle of Asda last night was like a desert ! ,not a dessert !

 

[Cheest]

I looked over at the Jeep this morning, while taking the trash cans down to the street, and saw my gas cap was missing. As it was a locking cap, that means I left it on the roof when I filled up last night and it's lying somewhere between home and Shabbona, Illannoy.

Off to the local auto parts store in the freezing rain.

 

[StevenRB45]

Another lunchtime walk..another victim for the S bend down the far end of the village.

Note the wall behind him...

No there's absolutely no reason to come off at this corner, it's a 30 zone, to get here you've passed at least one if not 2 schools. These corners are entirely possible in good conditions on 155 tyres at 40+ (a friend with a mk1 Punto tells me...) and there's no point where at 30 miles an hour they'd be dangerous except perhaps ice.

Oh well he joins the Audi 2.0 TDI RS3 Rep...Porsche Boxster and Bini in having failed miserably likely due to speed can only assume he's done the usual of just hanging on in corner one lifting when he sees the next and changing direction. Looks like he's hit the wall at 90 degrees to the road..

The aftermarket intercooler setup looks interesting, entry and exit on same side clearly the standard one is a vertical fit in the drivers side.

Guy who lives there must be furious..he just rebuilt that wall 4 months ago after the last one cracked it.

 

[AndyRKett]

the joy of pushchairs and cars. Back bumper was getting scratched to hell taking things in and out of the boot especially the pushchair.

So I have bit the bullet and fitted a protector trim to the top of the bumper, not the prettiest but at least it looks better than the ever growing numbers of scratches

 

[StevenRB45]

Just get the sacrificial car already

Speaking of which...had to deal with a tantrum today.

Because we were following a green C3..which is rare as the colour is rare. My son booted off because instead of following this poor person to where ever they were going we went to the swimming pool.

Still not my favourite green C3 moment that would be when in the summer a few years ago we went up to Amble, last parking space available was next to another green C3..so I get to look like "that guy" "caaaar fweeend!" Etc. Thought nothing of it went to get the wife a coffee while my son was asleep in the back.

Anyway come back and my wife is crying laughing older lady has come back with her husband while I was away "Gerald! Why is there a woman with Purple hair and a baby in our car!!!"

 

[bugsymike]

Just get the sacrificial car already

Speaking of which...had to deal with a tantrum today.

Because we were following a green C3..which is rare as the colour is rare. My son booted off because instead of following this poor person to where ever they were going we went to the swimming pool.

Still not my favourite green C3 moment that would be when in the summer a few years ago we went up to Amble, last parking space available was next to another green C3..so I get to look like "that guy" "caaaar fweeend!" Etc. Thought nothing of it went to get the wife a coffee while my son was asleep in the back.

Anyway come back and my wife is crying laughing older lady has come back with her husband while I was away "Gerald! Why is there a woman with Purple hair and a baby in our car!!!"

Reminds me of coming back to my shopping trolley at supermarket and a guy was busy filling it with his shopping, I asked him "is there a reason why you are you are putting your shopping in my trolley ?" , he nearly died of embarrassment

 

[AndyRKett]

Just get the sacrificial car already

Speaking of which...had to deal with a tantrum today.

Because we were following a green C3..which is rare as the colour is rare. My son booted off because instead of following this poor person to where ever they were going we went to the swimming pool.

Still not my favourite green C3 moment that would be when in the summer a few years ago we went up to Amble, last parking space available was next to another green C3..so I get to look like "that guy" "caaaar fweeend!" Etc. Thought nothing of it went to get the wife a coffee while my son was asleep in the back.

Anyway come back and my wife is crying laughing older lady has come back with her husband while I was away "Gerald! Why is there a woman with Purple hair and a baby in our car!!!"

I did have a sacrificial car…. It was the punto I sacrificed on a deer in September 2021, well all know how unsafe the punto is if you listen to NCAP, putting my child in that death trap now…


Back in the 80s my mum had a Datsun Cherry. She once parked it nose in ouside a row of shops next to, you guessed it another red Datsun Cherry. 10 Minutes later when she came back to the car me and my brother watched amused as she spent 5 minutes trying to get into this other car confused that her key wasn’t working and ignoring the fact when she got out of the car there were two children in the car, something now absent from the car she was now trying to get into….