The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

John Lewis sells cheapish work trousers that are dry clean only and I only find out that I didn't check against a designer's insane choice after purchasing and washing them a couple of times.

[offcumden]

I honestly don't understand why a majority of the parents sit outside the school with their engine running.

If that isn't illegal, it ought to be.

[CAMRAMan]

In Sweden, even in the 90s, it was illegal to sit with the engine idling for more than a minute.

[Cudzoziemiec]

In Sweden, even in the 90s, it was illegal to sit with the engine idling for more than a minute.

Yebbut Sweden, that's the Continent, they don't have the winters like we do.

Oh! (!)

[CAMRAMan]

This was northen Sweden too...

[rafletcher]

In Sweden, even in the 90s, it was illegal to sit with the engine idling for more than a minute.

And just how widely was/is that law obeyed?

[ian]

I honestly don't understand why a majority of the parents sit outside the school with their engine running.

If that isn't illegal, it ought to be.

War on motorists, innit.

I just don't get the why. OK, they didn't get the message about pollution and their kids breathing it. But why just sit there wasting fuel, it's not like restarting your car is hard. And it's not just one car, there's a significant number who just sit there waiting with their engines running.

[Mr Larrington]

In Sweden, even in the 90s, it was illegal to sit with the engine idling for more than a minute.

There are signs all over BRITISH Columbia declaring it a "No-Idle Province".  They seem to work too.

[ian]

It's not just schools either, I cycled past a long line of traffic waiting for the Woolwich ferry a few weeks back – and I mean long, all the way back through North Woolwich. Half the cars had their engines running and there was no danger of anyone moving anytime soon. The ferry still wasn't in when I got to the front of the queue.

[Butterfly]

Well, they might freeze to DETH / melt in the heat* if they turn the engine off. Or never be able to start it again. Or be too slow to roll forward 3cms and lose their place.

*delete as applicable

Absolutely no awareness, the lot of em.

[Paul]

And there are the phone chargers. I was stunned to hear that a colleague ran her stationary car to change her phone while camping.

[Tim Hall]

My current company motor is an Audi A4 automatic. If I'm in a queueueue, the auto stop start won't work if I select  neutral and apply the handbrake, like I was taught BITD. If I leave it in gear and keep my foot on the brake it does. This is rubbish.

[Kim]

And there are the phone chargers. I was stunned to hear that a colleague ran her stationary car to change her phone while camping.

I spotted someone doing that at Mildenhall last year.   

The answer is of course electric cars.  You can 'run' those as much as you like for climate control, instant readiness or powering random stuff^[1] without spewing fumes and with a minimum of noise.  The transition to EVs is obviously simpler than expecting J Random internets-deprived camper to have read the manual or otherwise worked out what those ignition switch positions are for.


_{[1] Obgrumble: The irritating absence in the current generation of EVs of sensible provision of a 12V (or indeed 230VAC) supply from the traction battery without having the vehicle in ready-to-drive mode, with various auxiliary systems (running lights, brake and steering assist, climate control, etc) powered up.}

[rafletcher]

And there are the phone chargers. I was stunned to hear that a colleague ran her stationary car to change her phone while camping.

I spotted someone doing that at Mildenhall last year.   

The answer is of course electric cars.  You can 'run' those as much as you like for climate control, instant readiness or powering random stuff^[1] without spewing fumes and with a minimum of noise.  The transition to EVs is obviously simpler than expecting J Random internets-deprived camper to have read the manual or otherwise worked out what those ignition switch positions are for.


_{[1] Obgrumble: The irritating absence in the current generation of EVs of sensible provision of a 12V (or indeed 230VAC) supply from the traction battery without having the vehicle in ready-to-drive mode, with various auxiliary systems (running lights, brake and steering assist, climate control, etc) powered up.}

Many cars - including mine, need the ignition to be in the "ready to start" position to power the 12V sockets up, as opposed to the "aux" position, that merely powers the radio, and that for only 30 minutes.

[CAMRAMan]

In Sweden, even in the 90s, it was illegal to sit with the engine idling for more than a minute.

And just how widely was/is that law obeyed?

There is a completely different mindset in Sweden, so widely observed. This is a country where, even in the 90s, the road surface colour changed to red as you neared a school and the speed limit changed down to 20KMH as you drove past a school.

[ian]

They'll do it when it's cold and when it's hot. In many cases, they'll sit there with the car running and the window down so they can smoke and stare gormlessly at their phone. I confess it's more than a little depressing because I simply think they just don't care and simply can't be bothered. Which I guess means their kids will grow up in the same mould.

[Kim]

Many cars - including mine, need the ignition to be in the "ready to start" position to power the 12V sockets up, as opposed to the "aux" position, that merely powers the radio, and that for only 30 minutes.

The last time I owned a car, I had a permanently live 12V feed to a female XLR in the back of the glove compartment because of this sort of rubbish.

I've seen at least one where you can determine the 12V socket's behaviour by putting a fuse in a different position.

More modern cars tend to have USB sockets, which power up with the radio.  Unfortunately these seem more interested in mounting a MTP device and playing any compatible audio files in a continuous loop^[1] than in dispensing useful quantities of electrons.


_{[1] And so it came to pass that I found myself sat in the car park of Mildenhall's branch of Mr Sainsbury's Emporium of Toothy Comestibles, in the pissing rain, listening to the dulcet tones of a 28k8 modem handshake^[2] turned up to 11 while I frantically grappled with the controls of an unfamiliar radio.  Flashbacks to being a naughty teenager pissing about on the fidonets after bedtime.
[2] My SMS notification tone, and therefore one of the few non-FLAC audio files present on the device.}

[Mr Larrington]

That Shitbox Dodge, which I returned to Mr Hertz on Friday, had both "live when the ignition is on" and an "always on" 12-vole sockets in its centre console.  As well as an inverter providing 115 vole anbarism out of a mains-shaped socket.  I expected it to be stuffed to the gunwhales with USB sockets too, but could only find two.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Many cars - including mine, need the ignition to be in the "ready to start" position to power the 12V sockets up, as opposed to the "aux" position, that merely powers the radio, and that for only 30 minutes.

The last time I owned a car, I had a permanently live 12V feed to a female XLR in the back of the glove compartment because of this sort of rubbish.

Isn't that a Jaguar? Didn't think that was your type of motor, Kim.

 

[Cudzoziemiec]

[offcumden]

Well, it's not plastic, so that's alright . . .

[LittleWheelsandBig]

We woke up to water dripping through our ceiling onto HK's family heirloom bureau as a result of the building work next door and some rain. Rapid moving of stuff (including bureau) and setting out several buckets was the result. The forecast looks good for a few days and I've applied some pressure to the builder. He started to bluster until I started quoting appropriate chapter and verse at him. Stop stuffing about and do things properly, otherwise it'll be strict compliance with every single requirement, no matter how trivial. I don't need this shit right now.

[hellymedic]

Oh shit!

[Tod28]

Leaving an engine idling is an offence. "Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988," says Jeanette Miller, managing director of Geoffrey Miller Solicitors.

The Act enforces rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states: "You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."

Doing this can incur a £20 fixed-penalty fine under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 2002. This goes up to £40 if unpaid within a given time frame.

But this is only imposed if the driver fails to turn off their engine when asked to do so by a Civil Enforcement Officer..

Of course, it doesn't mean you've got to cut your engine at every red light. You’re allowed to leave your engine running if you're stationary in traffic, diagnosing faults or defrosting your windshield.

[fuzzy]

They'll do it when it's cold and when it's hot. In many cases, they'll sit there with the car running and the window down so they can smoke and stare gormlessly at their phone. I confess it's more than a little depressing because I simply think they just don't care and simply can't be bothered. Which I guess means their kids will grow up in the same mould.

Hopefuly the mould of their festering corpse?