Got to be a cup of Tea for us. Mrs J won't get out of bed in the mornings until I've brought her a strong cup of tea and a Ginger Nut biscuit!
What's made you smile today?
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What's made you smile today?
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I went onto a Vauhall forum today re my neighbours brakes. Oh dear what a shower and what a useless forum. It makes me realsie what a pleasure it is on here knowledgable people and almost 100% a nice attitude between members whatever the issue raised. A big thankyou to my fellow forum members.
This is the best forum I've experienced.
Needed some help when father-in-law had an older Toyota. Toyota forums, no help at all, unless you had an MR2 or Supra.
I've looked at a few Ford forums, all are about modifying, mostly with lots of enthusiasm, but zero understanding or knowledge. For what turned out to be a common issue with a normal Focus, no help at all.
Similarly, little help for any Suzuki Carry van owners.
Did find some help on Renault forums when a friend's Clio sprung a leak around the sunroof, and the bootlock went all random.
The Skoda owners forum is of little help, on any matter. Appears to be frequented by good people, just no experience or knowledge of any issues.
Absolutely, that's my experience too. Very nice people and attitudes, I doubt if a day goes by without me learning something I didn't know and, being a bit of an old codger, I do so enjoy all the reminiscing that goes on about days and events gone by. Thanks dear friends!
A friendly forum 
Look on it as a fringe benefit of FIAT not appealing to 'the younger market' for 20 years
I joined a Ford forum regarding the repair of an 'Ecoburst' engine
A few helpful respondents..as it was about technical info on a relatively expensive car
Back in a previous life (and Millennia..)
I was on a US forum for a Niche motorcycle.. again average user was @40
Regular comments from new owners..so new members
who had tired of 'popular' forums populated by teenagers
Crikey.. Im old
Look on it as a fringe benefit of FIAT not appealing to 'the younger market' for 20 years
I joined a Ford forum regarding the repair of an 'Ecoburst' engine
A few helpful respondents..as it was about technical info on a relatively expensive car
Back in a previous life (and Millennia..)
I was on a US forum for a Niche motorcycle.. again average user was @40
Regular comments from new owners..so new members
who had tired of 'popular' forums populated by teenagers
Crikey.. Im old
I like this forum even though I rarely ask anything about my Fiat in Jeep clothing. It's comfortable. I'm on one motorcycle forum that's similar to this.
Another motorcycle forum that is slightly less so. That one is full of opinionated cranky old pharts(if you ain't ex-military, you ain't sh*t kind of guys)with a few good eggs thrown in.
Another motorcycle forum that is slightly less so. That one is full of opinionated cranky old pharts(if you ain't ex-military, you ain't sh*t kind of guys)with a few good eggs thrown in.
Your "sickle" scene seems to be very different to our's over here. I've noticed, when I was over visiting relatives mostly on the East coast (Southern Maryland up to the Boston area and in between when driving between the two) that you often see fellows on big Harleys, often with lots of tattoos, and what look to me, in my ignorance, like fairly standard bikes with lots of cosmetic aftermarket add ons? Not so many where the bike has been stripped down for maximum performance and rideability. Suits your type of highways though I suppose?
Over here you do see a few Harleys but seldom see the big bulky examples so often seen over your side of the "pond", the "sportster" type thing is more popular here. One thing in common though is they all seem to like loud exhausts! Over here you're much more likely to see fast Jap stuff. All about handleability for our narrow twisty roads. Many with 4 cylinder "howlers" for engines - some very loud indeed! You also see large engine'd Italian stuff like Ducatis with their thunderous V twins which sound so different to the Harleys. Riders of these machines often have made considerable investment in riding leathers so you can't see if they are tattoo'd or not - many are. Sometimes you'll also see a single cylinder "enduro" type "Thumper" - there's one goes past the end of our road every day - obviously a commuter. Talking about commuters and young riders, you also see quite a number of small engine'd machines being used in this way. Also, of course, over here you can't just jump on a big engined bike and ride away you pretty much have to start small and work your way up because of the licencing structure - I think you now have to have a couple of years of riding smaller engine'd machines under your belt before you can even try for a licence to ride a big engine.d machine? Maybe someone more knowledgeable could advise?
Riding positions are very different too. Over with you riders tend to sit upright and "cruise" along rather "regally". Over here they tend to be much more over the tank with lower 'bars - some of the lads with full leathers look like they've come straight off the racetrack - very smart and must cost lots of cash. So different to my look - back in the days when I rode on the road - which was Jeans and an old waxed jacket (lookalike Barbour) with a Dome type crashhat and separate goggles- now illegal I believe? Been many years since I rode a bike regularly though. Cafe racer styled machines were very popular back then. Tritons, Tribsas etc were the bikes to have. Here's a video worth watching which lets you hear that lovely noise - the overlap on closed throttle is "lovely" isn't it? By the way, for you guys "over there" Alf Hagon was a God to all us early drag racing fans back here in Britain in the '60's.
One special treat I'm always on the look out for is that somewhere near me there's an older chap who has several classic machines - Triumph, AJS, etc - and sometimes, on a nice summer's day, I'll hear the wonderful even exhaust beat of a 360 degree crank Triumph or single cylinder AJS "plodder" coming up behind me as I'm walking to the local shops or taking a stroll to the park. Very special!
I have a wry smile for other's misfortune , slightly mean but not malicious ,read on .
I made offers on 3 things on Ebay , 3 different sellers .
When you receive an offer ,you get 3 choices to click on , accept offer , decline , or make counter offer .
All 3 sellers took the 4th option , ignore the offer altogether and just let it time out after 24 hours .
My offers were all below their auction start price or buy it now price , as in my opinion , they all were asking too much .
2 weeks later , none of them have sold , 1 even has been relisted £1 more than it was before , FYI sellers ,not going to sell ,the condition of all 3 items is not good enough for what you want for them .
not talking big bucks , less than £10 each is what I am willing to pay .
I did bid on another , a pair , this afternoon and failed to win , 2 more this evening to try on .
As an aside , sales on Ebay are slow currently due to the cost of living crisis , so shoddy stuff at high prices ,not going to sell .
I made offers on 3 things on Ebay , 3 different sellers .
When you receive an offer ,you get 3 choices to click on , accept offer , decline , or make counter offer .
All 3 sellers took the 4th option , ignore the offer altogether and just let it time out after 24 hours .
My offers were all below their auction start price or buy it now price , as in my opinion , they all were asking too much .
2 weeks later , none of them have sold , 1 even has been relisted £1 more than it was before , FYI sellers ,not going to sell ,the condition of all 3 items is not good enough for what you want for them .
not talking big bucks , less than £10 each is what I am willing to pay .
I did bid on another , a pair , this afternoon and failed to win , 2 more this evening to try on .
As an aside , sales on Ebay are slow currently due to the cost of living crisis , so shoddy stuff at high prices ,not going to sell .
Your first paragraph hit it on the head, Jock. Those of us that don't subscribe to H-D fashion over here, call that the 'Pirate Look'. Or, "I'm an individual, following my own path. Just like my friends here." Personally, I can't stand loud bikes. I'm not a subscriber to the "Loud Pipes Saves Lives" BS. My 43 year old Honda CX500 has Harley mufflers on it, only because I could not get the proper replacements. Has a deep but not obnoxious tone. I can hear the valve train over the exhaust, so it can't be too bad.
It's a whole different moto world over here. Pirates. Squids(Sports bike riders who ride in shorts and t-shirts, usually without head gear and at very high speeds). ADV riders(Usually a Beemer, KLR 650, Africa Twin). Geezers(Old Jap bikes[raises hand]) Hackers(sidecars[raises hand again]). Then there are subgroups within. I had a coworker that was a Pirate and bragged about going down to Bike Week in Daytona, Florida. He let it slip that he and his Pirate buddy trailered their bikes from Atlanta, Georgia instead of doing the 9 hour ride on the super slab(Interstate highway). I finally got him to admit that he only went to be seen, not to ride.
Speaking of which, got to shut this down and get moving to Lake Superior. About a thousand mile ride this week.
That's the thing that gets us Europeans when we first start to move around over your side of the pond. The distances are so vast. It first hit me when, a few years ago, we were staying with my daughter (and family) in Southern Maryland and decided to drive up to my sister for thanksgiving - roughly 2 hours west of Boston near the Quabbin reservoir - Thought we'd do it in a day but it took us two! We did stop off briefly at a few places along the way though. Nice and peaceful cruising along the I-95 most of the time except around the big cities.
Still getting out and about the weather is passable...
What happens when you leave a 4 year old unattended with a mini digger... random quarry.
What happens when you leave a 4 year old unattended with a mini digger... random quarry.
And today the seller mentioned above that put his price up by £1 has now offered it to me for £1.24 less than the new price , go figure .
I won't be replying and no I do not want it at 24p less than before as it's still £2 too much
I won't be replying and no I do not want it at 24p less than before as it's still £2 too much
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Good news for me.
After my stent change and conversation with anaesthetist during which I laid my soul bare the surgeon appeared. It seemd he had overheard my desperation and barbed comments about not getting to see anyone for a follow up and how this could easily be arragned if I got my cheque book out.......because they can all be contacted with the greatest of ease if you pay at BUPA.. Anyway he was apologetic and this seemed genuine, so hats off to him for that, he accepted there are some issues that are now real problems and disappeared for a few minutes and informed me I am now in a Q for my op and that they are booking people who have been waiting 90 weeks. This means I am at 70 weeks and i might get to the head of the q in the spring. Interesting that I seem to have moved onto an urgent waiting list so it seems nothing would have happenend had I not said something. The moral seems to be that you really do need to push. Anyway Im grateful something may happen in a timescale I can comprehend and cope with. New stent means I can stand upright again and actually walk out with the dog occasionally which is a massive relief for a while at least.
After my stent change and conversation with anaesthetist during which I laid my soul bare the surgeon appeared. It seemd he had overheard my desperation and barbed comments about not getting to see anyone for a follow up and how this could easily be arragned if I got my cheque book out.......because they can all be contacted with the greatest of ease if you pay at BUPA.. Anyway he was apologetic and this seemed genuine, so hats off to him for that, he accepted there are some issues that are now real problems and disappeared for a few minutes and informed me I am now in a Q for my op and that they are booking people who have been waiting 90 weeks. This means I am at 70 weeks and i might get to the head of the q in the spring. Interesting that I seem to have moved onto an urgent waiting list so it seems nothing would have happenend had I not said something. The moral seems to be that you really do need to push. Anyway Im grateful something may happen in a timescale I can comprehend and cope with. New stent means I can stand upright again and actually walk out with the dog occasionally which is a massive relief for a while at least.
A friend asked yesterday if I wanted to do some paid work. A neighbour of his has a BMW with a noisy timing chain.
I didn't ask any further details, I just said no.
Whatever engine, that's a bit of a task, and I think there are issues with tensioners, and there are modified replacements. Lots of bits, and need to be right. If my own, I'd do it. Don't need the risk for an unknown. I guess they've had a quote, and are still reeling from the shock.
I didn't ask any further details, I just said no.
Whatever engine, that's a bit of a task, and I think there are issues with tensioners, and there are modified replacements. Lots of bits, and need to be right. If my own, I'd do it. Don't need the risk for an unknown. I guess they've had a quote, and are still reeling from the shock.
Right decision PB. Far to much liability and just general agro in that to be fun. I only tackle stuff which looks like "fun" these days and generally not for money, just to win "brownie points". Unless it's close family of course. The implications of liability where something as potentially lethal as a car is involved has always frightened me.
Absolutely one is best off not working on other people's cars, especially modern ones.
I might consider doing a simple no fee job on a old classic car, or help someone change a battery (not a coded one), or bulb, or wiper, similar low risk job etc. but as soon as you take money you are certainly into bad lands.
Learned my lesson when I earned my living at it. Having carried out a repair to a vehicle shortly after returning it to the customer something else, sometimes entirely unrelated, would perhaps start playing up and quite often the customer attitude would be "well you were the last one to work on it so it must be your fault this (whatever it may be) has happened/broken/whatever" Brakes and suspension always concerned me most and I would detail very precisely what I'd worked on on my jobsheet. Later, when I ended up in charge of workshops, I would be just as precise on my invoices. In fact I found most customers really liked that as they had a record of their own of precisely what had been done to the car which they could produce when moving the car on to a dealer/new owner.
Absolutely run...
If it's an N57 diesel (very likely as the chains are chocolate) it'll be a pain in the arse..and even the new "fixed" chains still fail..so potential for a follow up "You know this car you fixed for me"..before you get into likely requirement for special tools, and software resets.
However get him to check his reg number as seem to remember there was a recall out for those engines at one point to fit modified tensioners.
Edit: if it's an N57...the gearbox needs to come out
So I suppose lesson no2 is not to even think about taking on something you don't already know about?Absolutely run...
If it's an N57 diesel (very likely as the chains are chocolate) it'll be a pain in the arse..and even the new "fixed" chains still fail..so potential for a follow up "You know this car you fixed for me"..before you get into likely requirement for special tools, and software resets.
However get him to check his reg number as seem to remember there was a recall out for those engines at one point to fit modified tensioners.
Edit: if it's an N57...the gearbox needs to come out
Not necessarily but there's a time and place to wing it.
In this case it's not going to be like a suspension or brake job where you can to all intents and purposes work on principles even if you've not seen one of these before you can usually figure it out.
When it comes to modern German executive cars that belong to other people they are not a car to be getting experimental on.
