BHM

+1 After looking at hiring a heavy duty industrial type vacuum when I was renovating my house, I bought one of these to abuse & fully expecting it to f*** up within a month. It outlived the renovation works (proper work would kill a Dyson or similar within a week) & is still under the stairs for when I do the occasional wet vac job myself. It worked/works a treat, is powerful and although the hose is cheap plastic, even that hasn’t broken. Nowt fancy but if you’re on a tight budget I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

Tbh the knack is to avoid about 99% of engine reconditioners nowadays. Either buy the best or chance a secondhand unit from a breakers. Or make it disappear.

Dave, would I be correct in thinking you don’t rate many garages? As for punters reading MOT histories, they haven’t a clue. I was asked two days ago “I see the car failed on X and Y in 2016. Have they been done?” FFS it’s on it’s third MOT since then.

Dave, I think you’ve answered your own question. I’s suggest if you’re bothered write yourself the invoice then forget about it.

My thoughts exactly!

My trade plates are exercised day & night. An airport run loaded up with kids n cases wouldn’t concern me. It’s one of the perks of this job, I’ve paid my £165 so why not make ample use of them? Also my shit stock needs regular exercising to stock them becoming terminal basket cases.

Dave, life’s too short. I’ll make it easy for you. Don’t f***ing bother, move on & forget about it.

Horrible. It looks like they’re HDR photographed in the dark.

Lions, nutters & the penniless at the moment. Every email contains the phrase “What is your lowest price” & every caller is the same. No questions about age, quality, MOT. Just price. I think this week I’ve had just about every foreign speaker based in London on the phone - all wanting £500 off to travel but not having a clue about what they’re phoning about. I don’t know how they find my phone no. cos none of them sees an advert or has a clue what they’re phoning about.

On an alternative £20 phone that I’d bought from Asda, I listed a personal car on Scumtree. Within 15 minutes I had a call from some solicitor’s (allegedly) about my accident. Same thing again an hour later. and repeat. and repeat again. It seems these Asian claims chasers are fleeting phone no.s from Gumtree & chancing their arms phoning up any new phone no.s. Pure scum.

Assuming the man won’t buy without it just let him pay his money, it’s no skin off your nose. Do NOT remove the car for sale & even if a punter comes AFTER the inspection but BEFORE the man responds sell the car. All I’d insist on it that you get a copy of the report, I’ve only had one external inspection & never got a report. Mind you, the man paid about £120 to inspect an £600 banger but the best part of it was THE CAR WAS ADVERTISED AS SPARES OR REPAIRS!! . Typical thick ebayer.

Cash is king. Always has been, always will be.

I’ve no idea Nick but that’s what they say to me. Funnily enough, to be more accurate I’d say it’s predominantly a Polish ‘thing’ so perhaps it’s something to do with driving regulations, insurance, or whatever back in Polska. The Hungarians and Romanians who live here usually do have a UK licence, in my limited experience. I think we’re all basically agreed on that if we can help, we will, especially those who need our help, but ultimately it’s the customers’ problem and I certainly don’t lose sleep over the actions of the many who’s attitude seems to be not to give a toss. Easy. I say I can’t give out definitive insurance advice as each company & policy is different & tell them they need to check with their insurance company. It’s at that point most then decide to “sort it when I get back home”

+1. There seems to be a few on here who think they’re some sort of moral guardian for their customers. Good luck to those in that mindset. It’s clear in law. Responsibility lies with the person in charge of the vehicle at the time. I’m more than happy for customers to sort insurance & RFL at my place but if they choose to drive off illegally I have no legal powers to stop them and I’ll repeat, I couldn’t give a toss. What about half of the immigrants who are still driving on a driving licence issued in their original country but have lived here for years? Just about every Eastern European refuses to swap their licence for a UK one “because it causes problems driving when they go back visiting”. Are you going to refuse to sell them a car?

I once worked with a chap who’s Mrs. was visiting the vicar for afternoon, ahem, ‘teachings’ regularly. Someone jokingly asked “Are you sure the vicar’s not showing her what’s under his cassock?”, amongst other more blunt comments, eliciting much chortling amongst us. A few months later said chap comes into work looking sad. “What’s up Pete?”. “Well, you know a few months ago Chris asked if our lass was being given one by the vicar, well apparently.....”. You can guess the rest

Does it matter though? Sorry to sound brutal but once my palm has been crossed with silver I could not give a toss what the customer does regarding insurance, tax etc. Tbh I get the impression half of the population doesn’t either, by the number of customers who drive off saying “I’ll sort it when I get home”

I’d assumed it would of been a cash-in-hand job. Anyway, the fact Dave has done a home visit was his choice, not the factors problem - his customer was responsible for getting the vehicle to him. As for arguing over the labour time for a quick diagnosis & to change it. Really?

I’ve never found anything any more valuable than a couple of quids worth of loose change under the seats. I once found a folded-up nappy but I resisted the temptation to open it up as I suspect it didn’t contain gold!

Before I was got into this trade but I know a lad who used to knock them out to Russian sailors when the boat was in the local dock. He tells me they’d buy anything Lada, good, bad or ugly, because spare parts were as highly prized - allegedly the deckhands would strip the knackered cars on the voyage home & the carcass was tipped over the edge into the Baltic. I suspect they weren’t too fussy about log books either. The nearest I got was with Shittyrovers. The best part of a decade ago literally no body wanted them at the block, usually hammered out for £200ish, driven back, washed, photoed & £800-1000 across them to sell within days, nice unfussy punters & I NEVER had one single comeback. I couldn’t get enough of them, and the lads in the auction hall laughed every time I bought one.

Far too high a waistline on the car - it looks like the occupants heads are balanced on the window ledges.

This is a joke, right?

Typical Toyota - cheap materials thrown together & like to rust underneath. VERY hard work to sell unless you’re on a pitch - internet buyers seem blind to them.

The occasional the EML but not limp mode. I wish every engine was as strong as Vauxhall’s 1.8 lump - VAG can only dream of such reliability.

+1. Mind you I’ve NEVER had a petrol Zafira go into limp mode so I’d be interested to know what’s caused it.

Tbh I do better with cabbies in the darker months. I think punters think they’re being overcharged in the summer months. PS Not that there’s a summer premium anyway! That’s just a Wheeler Dealer style myth.