What's Boiling Your Pi$$ Today?
- Thread starter DD67
- Start date
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
Me and the missus took the Wee Dug down to the vets today for her second round of Vaccinations. On the road down there was a sudden bang, didn't see anything and no idea what the fuck it was but all seemed well so I carried on but after a couple of miles all these bloody alarms start going off and flashing red lights on the dash with 'Stop' and 'Puncture' and an indication that it was the front passenger tyre. Stopped and checked and, yes it seemed a little soft but, not wanting to sit for hours waiting on recovery I decided we'd limp down the ten miles or so to Helensburgh as the tyre seemed OK apart from being a little soft. Made it to Kwikfit in Helensburgh and the fellow has a look at it, he checked and it was showing 16Psi. He blew it up and you could here the air escaping. Fellow has a feel around the back of the wheel and says rear rim is buckled so that's the car off the road. Taxi back up the road courtesy of the RAC. Car needs to go in for repair so I don't know when we will get it back. To cap it all I was supposed to take Sharon down to Dunoon tomorrow for her first CPN visit since she did what she did, what? eight or nine weeks ago now. Sometimes I get the feeling life really likes to take the piss!
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
Modern cars don't need spare wheels they say just a squirty can of goo, yeah right, I take it you do not have a spare @MartytheMartian that could have been fitted?
chas
Legendary Knight
I don't think any car in the past few years has had a spare, not even a spacesaver. It's sodding mental. You may only need it once in a blue moon but....
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
Yep @Don the Don we don't have a spare wheel. We did have one with the last Kadjar we had but with the new one the space where the spare would go in the boot is taken up with a Subwoofer or some shit for the stereo because we all know that good sounds are more important than getting home. I wish I knew what did it. Didn't see anything in the road ahead, not a pothole, not a rock, nothing. It's a rough road down the side of Loch Long but that stretch isn't that bad. All of a sudden there was a loud bang like I'd hit a brick or something but I thought I'd got away with it for a couple of miles until the alarms went off. According to the guy at the tyre fitters it's on the inner rim as well. I really don't have a bloody clue what happened.
The guy at Kwikfit said that not even a can of tyre goo would have worked because the rim had been deformed. I've noticed that hardly any bikers or car drivers nowadays even think of the possibility of doing repairs at the roadside to get them home and just get straight on the blower to the recovery mob when things go wrong seems wasteful especially when a spare tyre could not only get you home but then let you drive to the garage to get it fixed. When we get rid of the Kadjar my next car will have a feckin' spare. Always had a spare in the past and never been stuck.
The guy at Kwikfit said that not even a can of tyre goo would have worked because the rim had been deformed. I've noticed that hardly any bikers or car drivers nowadays even think of the possibility of doing repairs at the roadside to get them home and just get straight on the blower to the recovery mob when things go wrong seems wasteful especially when a spare tyre could not only get you home but then let you drive to the garage to get it fixed. When we get rid of the Kadjar my next car will have a feckin' spare. Always had a spare in the past and never been stuck.
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Big Sandy
Legendary Knight
I hit a brick on one of the roundabouts on the A9 in Perth a couple of years back, when we had a eurobox (ford thing...Mrs' motability vehicle) and the tyre had gone down before I even got off the roundabout...had to do about 50 yards on the rim to get somewhere safe. Took us off the road until the next day as it was post 5pm, kwikfart was shut, so the recovery took us to a Premier Inn, and then collected us again the next morning. There was a note in the windscreen saying "you have a flat tyre" and somebody else had told the receptionist to tell us too....
I hated that bloody car. No spare wheel, and no comfort. Only good thing was the free recovery package ...
I hated that bloody car. No spare wheel, and no comfort. Only good thing was the free recovery package ...
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
When Sharon did the tyre hitting the kerb (the same bloody one) last year in Dalmally it went down instantly and they sent a taxi to take us home and a recovery wagon to take the car to Kwikfit but it was something over five hours before the recovery arrived from Inveraray (The driver said he got the call about an hour before he arrived and could have been with us hours earlier) and we then had to wait another hour whil the Taxi came for us from Oban (The driver of that was only contacted about forty five minutes before he arrived) but at least the way our insurance works in that instance the tyre was covered and our Excess on the policy didn't come into play. This time, because it's apparently the rim that's damaged (I didn't check it myself so I'm going by what the Kwickfit fellow said) it's a different ball game and the car has disappeared off somewhere for assessment and repair. We haven't even been told where it's gone or when it will be back yet. On the plus side they did get a black taxi to us pretty quickly from Clydebank to take us from Helensburgh to Lochgoilhead although it has to be one of the slowest journeys ever. It was an Asian taxi driver and the meter appeared to be time based rather than mileage and so he was bleedin' crawling as slow as he could get away with and even conveniently missed the turn off at the Rest and Be Thankful which, if we had said nothing would have added an extra twenty minutes onto the journey that, according to the meter was already past £60 by the time he got us to our front door. I hate to think how much the Europecar Hire that has been sent to us is costing the insurance too. I wouldn't be surprised if the overall cost comes to well over a grand between taxi, spares, labour, recovery and hire car but I guess that's the insurance companies problem.
I still wish I knew what the bloody hell did the damage as I didn't see any potholes or anything in the road at the time.
I still wish I knew what the bloody hell did the damage as I didn't see any potholes or anything in the road at the time.
I guess that's the beauty of having a motability vehicle
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
Hmm not so sure. I reckon this will be our last. The Diesel Kadjar is shit, much poorer than the Petrol version we had before, but we are stuck with it for another year of the contract before we can get rid of it and all the mobility allowance that the wife gets is taken up by the Motability rental contract so I pay for all the actual travel costs. When the contract is up we will hand it back and I'm going to buy our next car much as it pains me to spend money on a car that could be used on motorcycles. I reckon the people who benefit the most from Motability are the car manufacturers and dealers, the disabled get cars that aren't that suited to them a lot of the time and the taxpayer has to shell out for overpriced four wheeled shite. I think @Big Sandy got wise to that and now it's the Landy and his missus's Mobility helping to pay for the go-juice.
Sarky B’stard
Legendary Knight
I don't want to wind you up but my experience of KwikFit would never get me on their forecourts again. They get a commission on what they sell.
I had a 'fitter' try and sell me a full exhaust system including the cat backwards when it was sound apart from a puncture in the back box. £70 online self fitted v, a smidgen over a grand. While waiting, I overheard them selling an old boy winter tyres. His current set were fine. I quietly asked him if he ever left Edinburgh much. He said not. I said in that case you don't need winter tyres. Just take it slightly easier in freezing conditions because the rubber is a bit less grippy in the cold but won't wear as fast when it warms up.....
I am afraid their business model invites dodgy practice.... they'll be telling you about suspension damage. Eyeball it!
I had a 'fitter' try and sell me a full exhaust system including the cat backwards when it was sound apart from a puncture in the back box. £70 online self fitted v, a smidgen over a grand. While waiting, I overheard them selling an old boy winter tyres. His current set were fine. I quietly asked him if he ever left Edinburgh much. He said not. I said in that case you don't need winter tyres. Just take it slightly easier in freezing conditions because the rubber is a bit less grippy in the cold but won't wear as fast when it warms up.....
I am afraid their business model invites dodgy practice.... they'll be telling you about suspension damage. Eyeball it!
chas
Legendary Knight
The fitters are pressured to 'upsell'.
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
spot on, never have or never will use them, they don't call them Kwikfitup for nothing
Scrappy
Legendary Knight
Having known someone who worked for KwikFit, and he told me the fitters used to compete to sell the most unnecessary items/services they could
chas
Legendary Knight
It's one thing to make a profit from a bit of nous but another entirely when it becomes effectively a 'con trick' or a fraudulent sellHaving known someone who worked for KwikFit, and he told me the fitters used to compete to sell the most unnecessary items/services they could
Big Sandy
Legendary Knight
Hmm, kind of.
The agency dealing with PIP claims decided, via a telephone interview, that Mrs Sandy was fit and well, and didn't need the full benefit entitlement. (She has chronic bowel problems, loss of balance, difficulties walking unaided, to list just a few things) So motability said we had 6 weeks to appeal the decision, and then they would ask for the car back. We were 14 months into a 3 year car contract at that point. So we appealed the decision, and due to the stress of dealing with the DSS her health deteriorated more.
Six weeks later the car went back. 12 weeks later the DSS decided, yes, actually, she is entitled to the full pip amount.
By that time we had lost the car, and the initial deposit of over £1500. I think about 3 months later we got part of the deposit back....
So now, motorhome as it has onboard toilet facility, plus we can get away now and again, and the LR, which we have had for 25 years anyway. And of course, my bike.
Nothing under 25 years old ....
I wouldn't have another motability car given us, free of charge.
The motor trade in general is rife with it Scrappy.Having known someone who worked for KwikFit, and he told me the fitters used to compete to sell the most unnecessary items/services they could
It's very common for them to tell a clueless customer that their brake pads are 60% worn (when they probably aren't?)
They'll say it with a straight face & follow it up with a price to supply/fit new pads.
Invariably the response is..."Oh, you best change them then"...
When the response should be..."Brilliant, I've got 30,000 miles out of the first 60%. I'll have them changed in approx 15,000 miles. And that'll still leave a good safety margin"...
Big Sandy
Legendary Knight
That sounds so posh, don't it?
Naah ... It's the same age as my bike, 1997. A VWT4 based autosleeper Clubman. If you use the bay of E you'll see similar models selling between the £9000-14000 mark. Needless to say, I didn't pay that. It needed work, failed glow plugs making it hard to start, and the guys (an old Doctor) mot station had decided they could take him for a shit ton of welding...I have some old bills, and can guess what they were going to charge
So, well....let's just say I got a good deal. It is worth the above, now
I gave less than a third of the lower....
Some bills from his ownership... service, engine oil, air filter, oil filter...£275. Weld a patch on a sill...£300. New alternator,£400. Yes, the guy spent money on it, but in all the wrong places. I just did a full service on it...cost me about £40?
Which kind of ties in to the convo about rip off garages too, don't it
chas
Legendary Knight
Does it have the 1.9 sdi lump in it? They're bloody indestuctableThat sounds so posh, don't it?
Naah ... It's the same age as my bike, 1997. A VWT4 based autosleeper Clubman. If you use the bay of E you'll see similar models selling between the £9000-14000 mark. Needless to say, I didn't pay that. It needed work, failed glow plugs making it hard to start, and the guys (an old Doctor) mot station had decided they could take him for a shit ton of welding...I have some old bills, and can guess what they were going to charge
So, well....let's just say I got a good deal. It is worth the above, now
Some bills from his ownership... service, engine oil, air filter, oil filter...£275. Weld a patch on a sill...£300. New alternator,£400. Yes, the guy spent money on it, but in all the wrong places. I just did a full service on it...cost me about £40?
Which kind of ties in to the convo about rip off garages too, don't it
Big Sandy
Legendary Knight
2.3d 5 cylinder. Also pretty bombproof. Only has 95000 miles on it...new water pump and timing belt fitted.
Most expensive thing so far has been tyres...but that's a consumable anyway. I've fitted new heavy duty springs on the rear, new shocks all round, new suspension bushes at the front for the anti roll bar, and the rear...full service, brakes serviced, all the usual stuff. Probably spent about £600-£800 on parts over the 3 years we've had it. Three services... I do an oil and filter change before winter every year, regardless of mileage done. I'm also going to be fitting solar to it soon, too.
Interior wise, new water heater and new fridge. General sorting of fixtures and fittings, new toilet cassette, new batteries...the leisure battery was dated 2007! New 2nd hand wheel for the spare, as it had never been fitted and was well rusty. Had the original tyre fitted, from 1997....
It's happiest sitting at about 50, most mpg then...it averages about 30mpg, which, considering its 2.5t isn't too bad. The motability car we had struggled to get 35mpg, and I could hardly get behind the steering wheel in that..
That's not a boiling my piss type rant. Damnit, thread derail.....
Big Sandy
Legendary Knight
Kwikfart. Years ago when Mrs Sandy was driving, she had a puncture outside kwikfart, in the S2a we had at the time.
Rolled in, she asked them to get the spare off the bonnet, and fit that. I'd sort the puncture when she got home.
So they did. But used a windy gun. 2a studs are threaded in. They pulled 2 out of the 5 out. Wrapped insulation tape on them, and pushed them back in with the nuts on.
I came to swap the wheels over the next day, and found this ..so entire hub off, and holes drilled, new S3 type splined studs...about 2hrs work.
Went to kwikfart later that day and asked to speak to the helpful chap that had helped my missus out, and in the presence of the manager, reamed him a new one. He was as pale as a ghost when I finished with him.
Rolled in, she asked them to get the spare off the bonnet, and fit that. I'd sort the puncture when she got home.
So they did. But used a windy gun. 2a studs are threaded in. They pulled 2 out of the 5 out. Wrapped insulation tape on them, and pushed them back in with the nuts on.
I came to swap the wheels over the next day, and found this ..so entire hub off, and holes drilled, new S3 type splined studs...about 2hrs work.
Went to kwikfart later that day and asked to speak to the helpful chap that had helped my missus out, and in the presence of the manager, reamed him a new one. He was as pale as a ghost when I finished with him.