What Irked You Today?

[Rob Hall]

Didn't realize Napster still existed... 

[JollySipper]

Yep! It's no longer a file-sharing app, it's a music streaming site now! It's been a great service up until very recently.........

Edited October 23 by JollySipper

[89AKurt]

3 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

I dropped Verizon 5 years ago after almost 20 years with them.   Mint Mobile (a T-Mobile company) is way cheaper per month, only drawback is I have poor signal in some rural areas. 

I would love to, but I live in rural AZ, and there are still some areas where NOBODY gets a signal because of no tower.

Took only 3 trips down the highway to the analog store with kids working there (let the jokes about me being technically challenged begin), used their land line phone to talk to someone in Asia, managed to get my phone turned back on.  Verizon totally screwed up. 🤬  At one point I needed to recall the four digit number when I got my account decades ago, somehow I pulled out the number, it was the license plate number for the car I had at the time!  Otherwise I would be SOL.  Good thing I don't live way out of town, or have to rely on it for work.

[slusher]

fell Monday im really sore was checked out by paramedics who helped me get up..⬆️ 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Ran out of argon-CO2 mix this AM.

There's another not-my-MIG in the shop but I don't want to tie it up or run back and forth getting it for intermittent work, so I came home to check the two bottles here, and if they're flatlined, I'll have to get the bottle from my other MIG at the other shop.

Just don't want to have to pay for a full fill right now.

So...I think I'll eat my sammidge sitting down for a change.   

Edited October 23 by Ace-Garageguy
punctiliousness

[johnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Ran out of argon-CO2 mix this AM.

At least it's not 4:30 on a Friday. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Pretty much swore off buying anything on eBay unless absolutely necessary, but tried it today and the stupid tinkering and "fixing" things continues unabated.

I will never understand why so much effort by idiots with no clue is put into "improving" things that worked just fine before...

But that seems to be pretty much where we are as a society now.

[Tim W. SoCal]

In the U.S, at least, it used to be that planned obsolescence of a product was looked at as a crime. Now, thanks to PC technology, planned obsolescence seems to have besieged everything including repair and maintenance parts for current model cars that were produced by the millions.

[Tim W. SoCal]

On 10/24/2025 at 9:27 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

I will never understand why so much effort by idiots with no clue is put into "improving" things that worked just fine before...

In attempt to "legitimize" and "justify" their jobs so they will continue to receive their paychecks...

[TonyK]

The magazine that I still haven't got after they sent them out 4 weeks ago. Contacted them for a replacement and the person is out until Saturday and she said would send it out then.

So that means even more of a wait. <sigh>

[Old Buckaroo]

Ordered a oil pickup tube from "440 Source" Carson City NV". Paid $19.62 shipping to Montana for it to show up "Parcel Select" and in a gray plastic bag. Part was not boxed, just a piece of paper around it.  Not exactly what I expected for a engine part. 

That will be my last order with them. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:20 PM by Old Buckaroo

[johnyrotten]

Minor irk. I seem to be missing an entire paint brush holder with brushes. I think the squirrels I hear about on the forum have either changed their taste,or brought along a raccoon. 

[Russell C]

My 39 year old daily driver GTI failed its emissions test by .03 in nitrous oxides (NOX) while passing by more than double in the two other test areas, hydrocarbons / carbon monoxide. Gas cap passed its pressure test. I'd have to look up in my receipts how old the O2 sensor / catalytic converter are, probably a bit overdue for replacement. That's not the biggest irk. All of that testing results came only after the second tech guy got in to run it on the rollers and go through all 5 gears properly in the required two run-throughs up to highway speed. The first tech guy almost veered it sideways off the rollers and panic stopped it midway through the runs not once ... not twice ... but three times, and then the test facility supervisor had to bring over another guy who appeared to have some semblance of understanding what a set of short-throw shift linkages is for, and that hotrod hatchbacks like mine have quick ratio steering.

In the county I live in, 1967 cars or earlier are exempt from emissions testing, which is why I give serious thought to buying a daily driver that's pre-'67. Four years back (testing is every two years) the tech guy began veering off the rollers, and in his panic stop, he broke my shifter in such a way that it was stuck in reverse, and none of the guys at my VW mechanic's place could figure out how he managed to dislodge the ball roller part of the shifter clean outside of its parallel gate panels that keeps it in place. The testing facility had to buy me a new shifter that time, waive the testing fee, and pay for the tow truck to haul my car to the VW mechanic. In all the other prior test times dating back to 1998, every one of the tech guys knew how to shift manual transmissions and never wavered an inch on the rollers that I ever saw.

[89AKurt]

The you-know-what seems to hitting the fan.....
1. One neighbor down the street got Carbon Monoxide poisoning, but seems to be recovering in some ways.  Good neighbors helping out.
2. Next door neighbor (to protect the guilty with the name) Mr. South has snitched on me to the County for the second time, got a letter Saturday before attending a wedding.  I'm good with Ms. North, she had a big Juniper cut down near her septic that I pointed out, she's cool.  Mr. South has a massive grudge with me, which I can't explain because of forum rules. 🤐  In the second complaint the pictures are taken from his front porch, not the street like the first time, which was dismissed.  I found pictures I took to show the County that he installed two mini-splits without a permit, right after the (again rules) happened and I trolled him.  He had to cut a massive vine down to access the condenser units, so now the view of my Shipping Container bothers him, Ms. North let the backhoe drive around to pull it back.  The funnier thing, they moved into town almost a year ago, basically abandoned the property.  Vacant, not even being rented like their other properties.  Then being curious, I looked at the public accessible County Global Information System, of their new house in town, the first layer shows no structures, the latest arial photo shows a finished house and garage, makes me think no permit for that too, hmmm....  Need to go in through the City's portal for "how to submit [gotta love that Power word] a public record request."  Good thing I learned how to use the government websites for work, now it's to defend myself.  That's how I know he didn't snitch on the one delivered about a month before mine up my street, plain sight on a vacant lot.  Isn't bothering me, or him, or the County drone who drove by three times for harassing me.  Today he fired up the mower, but didn't do anything with overgrown trees, so I need to call the Fire Department to evaluate my risk from Mr. South.  A sailboat has also sat in the same spot for way over 16 years (any old satellite pictures are too pixelated).
3. How sad that my older brother was at his only daughter's wedding, and she didn't want him near her, not the walk, ring, pictures, nothing.  Dead ex-wife's sister sold our mom's house, so he thinks she likes him.  Mr. Dark Cloud now thinks I'll listen to his drama.  Since mom died he showed how much he hated her, I'm done.
4. Still haven't worked on a model.  Should clean the bench. 🫣

[slusher]

irked due to pain from my fall a week ago..

[TonyK]

Spent an hour looking around my model work bench for a small decal sheet for a 1/25th scale soda pop machine. Just painted the machine so the decal sheet should be around but can't find it.

[espo]

17 hours ago, Russell C said:

My 39 year old daily driver GTI failed its emissions test by .03 in nitrous oxides (NOX) while passing by more than double in the two other test areas, hydrocarbons / carbon monoxide. Gas cap passed its pressure test. I'd have to look up in my receipts how old the O2 sensor / catalytic converter are, probably a bit overdue for replacement. That's not the biggest irk. All of that testing results came only after the second tech guy got in to run it on the rollers and go through all 5 gears properly in the required two run-throughs up to highway speed. The first tech guy almost veered it sideways off the rollers and panic stopped it midway through the runs not once ... not twice ... but three times, and then the test facility supervisor had to bring over another guy who appeared to have some semblance of understanding what a set of short-throw shift linkages is for, and that hotrod hatchbacks like mine have quick ratio steering.

In the county I live in, 1967 cars or earlier are exempt from emissions testing, which is why I give serious thought to buying a daily driver that's pre-'67. Four years back (testing is every two years) the tech guy began veering off the rollers, and in his panic stop, he broke my shifter in such a way that it was stuck in reverse, and none of the guys at my VW mechanic's place could figure out how he managed to dislodge the ball roller part of the shifter clean outside of its parallel gate panels that keeps it in place. The testing facility had to buy me a new shifter that time, waive the testing fee, and pay for the tow truck to haul my car to the VW mechanic. In all the other prior test times dating back to 1998, every one of the tech guys knew how to shift manual transmissions and never wavered an inch on the rollers that I ever saw.

Sorry to hear about your experience getting your car tested. Here in the states a manual transmission is considered a theft deterrent.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

15 minutes ago, TonyK said:

Spent an hour looking around my model work bench for a small decal sheet for a 1/25th scale soda pop machine. Just painted the machine so the decal sheet should be around but can't find it.

Johnnyrotten's racoon ate it.

[FoMoCo66]

18 minutes ago, TonyK said:

Spent an hour looking around my model work bench for a small decal sheet for a 1/25th scale soda pop machine. Just painted the machine so the decal sheet should be around but can't find it.

I played that game yesterday while serching for decals on my 40 willys, luckily I found them. Best of luck to you!

[Ace-Garageguy]

17 hours ago, Russell C said:

My 39 year old daily driver GTI failed its emissions test by .03 in nitrous oxides...In all the other prior test times dating back to 1998, every one of the tech guys knew how to shift manual transmissions and never wavered an inch on the rollers that I ever saw.

Pretty p-poor that somebody who can't drive a stick even has the job.

Here the emissions exemption rolls over every year for cars 25 years old, so the PT is just about to get a free pass so I can tag it...which I haven't been able to do because it has a trans code I haven't fixed yet.

[johnyrotten]

10 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Johnnyrotten's racoon ate it.

If it did,I hope it choked on them. Still can't find that brush holder,and it's not like it's small.

[johnyrotten]

7 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Pretty p-poor that somebody who can't drive a stick even has the job.

I've never had a vehicle on a dyno,or rollers for that matter. That being said,you don't just dump the clutch, and having owned one of those vw's, the torque steer isn't insane or anything. That guy must have been an absolute clueless idiot. 

[Trainwreck]

A meticulously built kit with visible mold lines or a sagging bumper, today and every day. 

[Russell C]

5 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

...guy must have been an absolute clueless idiot. 

While it was expected that he'd ask what year my GTI is, it wasn't a good sign when he next asked if it was front wheel or rear wheel drive, and when I put it into the rollers, he said to put it in "Park." He was definitely not a car guy, that's for certain. I did tell him it was a short-shift 5 speed, but from all the prior years where I only saw the one tester veer abruptly to the side and panic stop my car cold (who somehow got the shifter stuck in reverse!), I'd never seen any of the others overcorrect the steering on the rollers that much as the first guy yesterday, so I didn't think to initially tell the guy my car also has close ratio steering. The second tester guy clearly understood what that was without me saying it and only put in the smallest of corrections to keep it straight in the rollers. I checked afterward to be certain, both front tires were inflated equally to the proper amount, and when I drove it the prior week to & from New Mexico in a 900 mile round trip, it ran perfectly straight on the I-10 freeway, I only needed occasional nudges with a fingernail to keep it dead-centered in the lane.

[johnyrotten]

5 hours ago, Russell C said:

While it was expected that he'd ask what year my GTI is, it wasn't a good sign when he next asked if it was front wheel or rear wheel drive, and when I put it into the rollers, he said to put it in "Park."

Sounds like that person operates on autopilot. I've seen that "phenomenon " in more than a few occupations. They recite a script so often it becomes "Pavlov's dog". Or zero situational awareness.  On another note,hopefully you figure out the emissions issue,those are great,fun cars to drive.