Grump of the day

[Flyfisher]

A daily drive through a seawater ford would have made it almost acceptable!

Apparently it's a well documented problem that occurred around 2000 and affected a couple of years of production. I've read various reasons ranging from poor quality steel, poor quality painting and the introduction of water-based paints. Those bodywork photos are bad enough but at the last MoT test I was told it would probably not pass another one without some welding work to the underside front structural components, which sealed its fate as far as I was concerned. Shame really, as it had been mechanically fine over its 170k miles and I reckon the engine was probably good for 250k miles, maybe more.

 

[Keithj]

Surely if you are losing money on each one, the more you sell the more money you lose, so you go bust sooner?

You had to have been there. Irish management (if one is allowed to make Irish jokes these days).

Breakeven was at something like 108% of production capacity. Not a recipe for business success.

 

[Penners]

Rather the opposite end of the spectrum from John Harvey Jones' Troubleshooter programme about Morgan Cars, in the 1990s.

JHJ met the Marketing Manager of Morgan, and the conversation went something like this:-

JHJ: How Many Morgan cars are ordered from you each week?
MM: About 25.
JHJ: And how many cars do you make each week?
MM: About 10.
JHJ: You're not the Marketing Manager - you're the Rationing Manager!

 

[Flyfisher]

Ha! I remember that programme. JHJ was adamant that the company had to radically change or it would be unable to compete and would go bust. The assembled crusty-old company directors (ok, forgive my poetic icence) resisted his advice, explaining that it was precisely their traditional hand-made 'inefficiency' that was their USP (also forgive my biz-speak :wink: ). I seem to recall he was convinced they were doomed. 25+ years later, they still seem to be in business

I couldn't find the original 1990 programme on the web, but I found this 1995 assessment of it: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/haha-haha-ha-harveyjones-1602523.html

The perfect 'period car' perhaps?

 

[Penners]

True, FF, but I seem to recall that Morgan did heed one of JHJ's recommendations. He suggested that, if their orders vastly exceeded their production capacity, they should at least put their prices up. Logical market economics.

 

[Zebra]

I've almost finished making the architrave for the bathroom door, and I've done it backwards!!! :evil:

 

[Penners]

Next time, turn around and do it forwards. You'll find it much easier.

(Bad luck, Zebra!)

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Oh Zebra-- bad luck!

 

[LadyArowana]

Oh dear, how annoying. Was it the giraffe's fault?

 

[Keith Bowman]

I've almost finished making the architrave for the bathroom door, and I've done it backwards!!! :evil:

If you mean cutting the mitres the wrong way round - been there and I expect most of us have. The thing to avoid is starting again and doing exactly the same thing next time. Been there too!

 

[Zebra]

Yes indeed. Cutting the mitres the wrong way round. No, not Giraffe's fault. There aren't any other doorframes in the house to copy, and I couldn't picture how it went. Should have googled!
On the bright side, however, I have a bathroom door!

 

[Penners]

Zebra - here's a tip for cutting architrave mitres next time. Don't cut the stiles (the uprights) to length and then cut the mitres. Cut the mitres first and then when you're satisfied with them, finally cut the stiles to length. That way you have some surplus material that you can use up if you have to re-cut a mitre that's either a poor fit or the wrong way round.

For the horizontal one at the top, follow the same principle for the first mitre. The second one is s**t or bust!!

 

[PeterI]

On the bright side, however, I have a bathroom door!

We're arguing about door knobs at the moment, so our bathroom doors are on hold at moment (we have the doors)

 

[DJH]

hmpff...where do I start???

Firstly we decided to buy a new Hyundai i20 to replace our existing one and, taking advantage of their much publicised 5 years free servicing on cars bought before 30th June, we took ourselves off to a main dealer and paid a deposit on our new car. Three days later they rang to say there wasn't one available in the country ( Republic of Ireland) and would we consider a lower specification model...as if!!! Much to our disamay they are now advertising that the 5 year free servicing deal is now extended to 31st July... :evil: :evil: If we order one it will be about 16 weeks delivery, more expensive and no servicing deal... :roll: :roll:

Secondly our middle donkey Jet has a poisoned foot from a stone working it's way up into his hoof and we've had the farrier visiting for a week now applying a poultice to his foot. The good news is that it's working...

Toffee on the right, is about to bray, Whiskey is watching and Jet is lying down.



the bad hoof...



The tale of woe continues...

I drove over a stone with the mower ( our friends chickens must have pulled it out when they came to stay for a few days...) and it went around the rotary blade like a lottery ball bending the blade and the drive shaft along with a belt... :roll:

The thermostat has failed on the off peak immersion heater. I fitted the spare and forgot to press the small reset button so no hot water again today!

Coincidentally, and nothing to do with the immersion heater, the under sink electric water heater has split...grrr, so my bright idea of fitting it in the window recess behind the sink unit has come back to bite me after ten years as it now has to come out along with all the associated damage for me to replace the heater... :roll: and Mrs DJH's blue kettle gave up the ghost as well that's why there's a white emergency one in use...



Oh, on top of that we have a little furry creature taken up residence behind the cooker and sink. His presence was revealed by the sudden interest of the cats who have been lying in wait for several days for the mouse to wander out...

Things can't get any worse can they although hang on a minute, gulp, I'm flying to the UK this Friday on Ryanair...

 

[Penners]

Doug, this may not be a good week to buy a lottery ticket.

 

[DJH]

:lol: :lol:

Some better news...the donkey is better and the farrier's bill paid...

The mower is back but the bill not paid yet...

Doug

 

[LadyArowana]

Nice to "see" you DJH and glad the three legged one is back to being a four legged one again.

 

[mims&pip]

Good to hear Jet the donkey is better, Doug

 

[malcolm]

After the recent leaning wall thread I checked my timbers were securely located in the walls. There is no evidence that the roof ridge beam was ever located in the leaning brick gable, which is a shame as it would have been a sensible way to hold up the roof and stop the wall from leaning. The house has just been re-roofed and it is annoying the roofers didn't mention the issue before I re-pointed the wall. It's all fixable but schedules work better when you know what needs doing sooner rather than later.

And while I'm here. Wattle and daub walls are rubbish for frame fixings.

 

[Penners]

It's disgraceful that the people who built wattle and daub walls didn't make them suitable for frame fixings. Typical shoddy workmanship. :evil: