Quick rant thread.

[polley 916]

20 hours ago, leichtbau said:

Tradies who charge both a mileage rate AND an hourly fee for the travel time. You can have one or the other, not both.

I'll charge both thanks.

 

It costs to run my vehicle x amount per km. And it costs for my time. Otherwise I'm better off to do jobs close by / at the workshop and actually get paid for my time rather than drive around for free.

 

[M3AN 4016]

2 hours ago, polley said:

I'll charge both thanks.

Interesting. Does that apply for all jobs or just out of the way jobs?

I'm not being judgy but if, for example a plumber, wanted to charge me either I'd just call another plumber, or sparky, or builder, or etc. It's not like there's a shortage of any around me.

Out of the way, as long as it's an 'extraordinary' fee sure, but normal time and miles is a basic cost of working right? You can't do the job if you can't get to the site, my employer doesn't pay for my to-and-from work travel time or mileage. And if people have enough work that they can afford to turn down jobs then it's a non-issue right, you pick the most lucrative jobs regardless of location, you shouldn't need to add additional fees.

I'm fascinated a little by this, perhaps being a city lad has just never exposed me to this reality?

Edited November 27, 2020 by M3AN

[aja540i 1906]

You're paying for it either way, one guy includes it in his hourly rate, the other guy charges it separately. As long as they tell you about the charge before you engage them you can't complain.

[M3AN 4016]

25 minutes ago, aja540i said:

You're paying for it either way, one guy includes it in his hourly rate, the other guy charges it separately. As long as they tell you about the charge before you engage them you can't complain.

100% agree about (not) complaining! If you agree up front then it's a done deal.

I'm just interested in the circumstances where somebody would charge milage+travel time+normal hourly rate. That seems extraordinary to me but I wonder if I'm missing something.

[Bandit 194]

33 minutes ago, M3AN said:

100% agree about (not) complaining! If you agree up front then it's a done deal.

I'm just interested in the circumstances where somebody would charge milage+travel time+normal hourly rate. That seems extraordinary to me but I wonder if I'm missing something.

Yes. The sheer costs of running a small business in New Zealand. Even before your have opened the door (to your business or vehicle)

[polley 916]

15 hours ago, M3AN said:

Interesting. Does that apply for all jobs or just out of the way jobs?

I'm not being judgy but if, for example a plumber, wanted to charge me either I'd just call another plumber, or sparky, or builder, or etc. It's not like there's a shortage of any around me.

Out of the way, as long as it's an 'extraordinary' fee sure, but normal time and miles is a basic cost of working right? You can't do the job if you can't get to the site, my employer doesn't pay for my to-and-from work travel time or mileage. And if people have enough work that they can afford to turn down jobs then it's a non-issue right, you pick the most lucrative jobs regardless of location, you shouldn't need to add additional fees.

I'm fascinated a little by this, perhaps being a city lad has just never exposed me to this reality?

At my previous job it was for all jobs, nearby or far. $2 per km, there and back, while charging full workshop rate for time traveled.

Why would I drive my vehicle around at a reduced hourly rate (or free as some people would expect), when i can stay in the comfort of the workshop and charge full rate on another job. If there is some other sucker out there willing to drive around for free by all means, call them instead lol!

Now I'm somewhere else, and its a set fee for travel around town. Out of town is extra.

Most of the time dealing with the general public is such a f**k around i understand why a lot of people don't bother. I do a bit of work on the side for people, and I turn people away all the time because the hassle just isn't worth it, I don't even bother doing jobs for people unless I know them any more.

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by polley

[M3AN 4016]

1 hour ago, polley said:

...

Why would I drive my vehicle around at a reduced hourly rate (or free as some people would expect), when i can stay in the comfort of the workshop and charge full rate on another job.

...

Fair enough, as I acknowledged, if you have enough work to turn customers away then you can charge what you want really.

I imagine there are lots of people that aren't that lucky though and charging extra might not be a tenable option for them.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Did Auckland - Taupo - Napier trip again last night, and now SH5 Taupo Napier Road has been afflicted with the patchwork quilt road repair disease.

[lord_jagganath 421]

^ hope rogue rocks don't come loose. anymore. 

[Sammo 2542]

Minor gripe, but the pains of being anal about ones automobile...

Been getting quotes to colour match my boot and mirrors (panels are a slightly different colour) and all quotes are about 50% more than I expected (hoped).

Then I just noticed this morning (no idea how I didn't realise before?) that my drivers side quarter window has a light tint (rest the of windows are clear as God intended) so gotta source a clear one as well now...

So yeah - first world problems haha

[BMTHUG 1039]

The insane Christmas rush that happens every year without fail. Everyone wants their car's done yesterday and there's only so much one can accommodate. Also road-works in dome valley at all hours of the night. lol

Edited December 3, 2020 by BMTHUG

[gjm 3258]

Trying to replace a fuel pump in an E46. Easy to get at - yes. Abso-effin'-lutely impossible to remove the clamp securing the fuel line to the old pump. Looks to have been crimped in place, then smacked with a hammer/screwdriver to ensure it cannot be uncrimped. At all. In fact, no obvious way to remove it short of cutting the fuel line, which then leaves the hose too short!

What was wrong with a jubilee clip/screw drive clamp? Or even a BMW/Merc-preferred clic or clic-r clamp? Oh no... Let's throw a truly awful clamp into the mix. 😡 😡 😡

Wondered if the most expedient solution is to cut the plastic connection from the existing fuel pump, but that leaves me with a line  with a piece of plastic buried in it.

Edited December 10, 2020 by gjm

[M3AN 4016]

30 minutes ago, gjm said:

Wondered if the most expedient solution is to cut the plastic connection from the existing fuel pump, but that leaves me with a line  with a piece of plastic buried in it.

Stink... how about chop the nipple off the existing pump, hand drill out the nipple from the hose, compress the hose and slip the existing clamp off?

[Sammo 2542]

27 minutes ago, gjm said:

Trying to replace a fuel pump in an E46. Easy to get at - yes. Abso-effin'-lutely impossible to remove the clamp securing the fuel line to the old pump. Looks to have been crimped in place, then smacked with a hammer/screwdriver to ensure it cannot be uncrimped. At all. In fact, no obvious way to remove it short of cutting the fuel line, which then leaves the hose too short!

What was wrong with a jubilee clip/screw drive clamp? Or even a BMW/Merc-preferred clic or clic-r clamp? Oh no... Let's throw a truly awful clamp into the mix. 😡 😡 😡

Wondered if the most expedient solution is to cut the plastic connection from the existing fuel pump, but that leaves me with a line  with a piece of plastic buried in it.

Ugh, had same thing replacing my fuel filter - had to leave it, go out and buy new line and just cut it off.

Is that possible? Not familiar with the intricacies of the fuel pump line - is the other end of the line inaccessible (if you replaced just it that whole line)

[gjm 3258]

22 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Stink... how about chop the nipple off the existing pump, hand drill out the nipple from the hose, compress the hose and slip the existing clamp off?

 

21 minutes ago, Sammo said:

Ugh, had same thing replacing my fuel filter - had to leave it, go out and buy new line and just cut it off.

Is that possible? Not familiar with the intricacies of the fuel pump line - is the other end of the line inaccessible (if you replaced just it that whole line)

Various online suggestions are to use a pair of sidecutters. Good luck with that - unless you are Mr Gorillahands you'll not have enough leverage.

I used a pair of aviation snips. Even then it was a bit of a mission.

Whatever anyone else does or recommends - do not use a Dremel or similar! 

 

[lord_jagganath 421]

1 hour ago, gjm said:

Whatever anyone else does or recommends - do not use a Dremel or similar!

[coop 261]

I have several knipex side cutters but one of my most used tool overall is the long nose side cutter. Will cut through hose clamps, fuel and air hoses, large split pins etc no worries.  
after over a decade on the tools, the hands and wrists have taken a  hammering so these are also easier on the palms as well.  
 

 

To further the whinge on NZ roads/road works. 
the last couple of days they’ve re sealed about 500m both lanes on the desert road. 
Yesterday afternoon they left it nearly finished except loose chip was still on the surface resembling an unsealed rural road with a temp 50k speed limit.
I went through both directions last night/this morning in my 9 axle truck & trailer and at 50kmh these things throw the stones for miles including into oncoming traffic. I feel for anyone who has taken a decent car through there this weekend.  
Im pretty sure in years gone by any unsealed or loose sections of roadworks were 30k. 
 

[gjm 3258]

35 minutes ago, coop said:

I have several knipex side cutters but one of my most used tool overall is the long nose side cutter. Will cut through hose clamps, fuel and air hoses, large split pins etc no worries.  
after over a decade on the tools, the hands and wrists have taken a  hammering so these are also easier on the palms as well.  
 

Something with longer handles might suit. I have a 'nice' set of sidecutters with slightly angled ends that I like - slightly longer than stock handles, too - but they didn't do more than tickle the hose clamps I was paying with yesterday.

[KwS 2421]

3 hours ago, coop said:

Im pretty sure in years gone by any unsealed or loose sections of roadworks were 30k. 
 

In years gone by they were done properly and rolled by a bloody roller and swept up instead of forcing traffic to roll it. I still cant believe how sh*t we are at making roads, its not like its a new process.

Drove the Kapiti Expressway the other day and god damn that road surface feels like its about 10 years old, not 3. I dont hold high hopes for Transmission Gully staying together long.

[kwhelan 241]

hose clamp was a 5 min job with a piece of broken hacksaw blade, done  3 now annoying but understandable from a factory perspective, was more annoyed at having to cut and solder/heatshrink  the new flying leads off the old pump so the connector was correct on the new ebay a pump

[Olaf 3309]

On 12/11/2020 at 12:18 PM, gjm said:

Whatever anyone else does or recommends - do not use a Dremel or similar! 

 

what could possibly go wrong?! 😎

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

These are the side cutters we used to cut those squeeze clips with....never a problem with these

https://shop.nws-tools.de/en/heavy-duty-lever-side-cutter-fantasticoplus-10522.html

and we had, and I still have the two types of crimping tools for the clips. We did not / never use jubilee clips. Especially on reinforced fuel line. The teeth and worm drive damages the reinforced hose.

Edited December 13, 2020 by B.M.W Ltd

[Olaf 3309]

14 hours ago, KwS said:

In years gone by they were done properly and rolled by a bloody roller and swept up instead of forcing traffic to roll it. I still cant believe how sh*t we are at making roads, its not like its a new process.

Drove the Kapiti Expressway the other day and god damn that road surface feels like its about 10 years old, not 3. I dont hold high hopes for Transmission Gully staying together long.

agree.  compare SH16 to the Kapiti Expressway.  All that engineering and they couldn't successfully build a road over a swamp.  It's like a rollercoaster.  

I too have very low expectations for Transmission Gully.  Prepared to eat my words, though I doubt it will open in 2021.  Vehicles were being sold off and workers contracts finished back in May; downsizing as the contracts went into dispute.  Word from the earthmovers is that some parts were laid with the agregates in the wrong order, necessitating significant rework.  It's a big ambitious project, and its benefits when completed will be significant.  Especially if it joins with a completed Kapiti Expressway extension that bypasses Otaki at last.

There.  We don't argue about *everything*!?  Merry Xmas! 😊 

[coop 261]

TG will benefit north bound. 
It will make south bound worse for the morning commute. 
As Grenada-Petone link has been cancelled. This complemented TG and was crucial to avoid the bottle neck at the top of the Ngauranga Gorge, which can go back as far as Porirua. 
Now we will have more people moving north to escape one of the most over priced areas in NZ, with the assumption their drive into work is gonna be a breeze. 

[gjm 3258]

7 hours ago, B.M.W Ltd said:

These are the side cutters we used to cut those squeeze clips with....never a problem with these

https://shop.nws-tools.de/en/heavy-duty-lever-side-cutter-fantasticoplus-10522.html

and we had, and I still have the two types of crimping tools for the clips. We did not / never use jubilee clips. Especially on reinforced fuel line. The teeth and worm drive damages the reinforced hose.

Good side cutters, as with many tools, are so well worth spending extra money on. The problem I had removing them was mainly one of leverage.

The type of clip used is possibly less of an issue than the consistency of use. BMW have seemingly used everything - even the fuel filter is connected to the car using short flexible hose (sensible) - hose secured at one end by one-way fastening non-removable clips, and the other by jubilee clips (BMW p/n 07129952104). Then the same pipe is terminated at the pump end using a completely different, again non-reusable, Oetiker (ear clamp) clip (a better hose securing design).

What price consistency?