P
Patrick Manuel
Guest
Arlo eat your heart out - or should that be Alice eat your heart out?
Patrick
PS Glad to hear that Grumble passed the test
"Mother" <"@ {mother} @"@101fc.net> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> As some may recall, Grumble has slightly larger wheels, and a roofbox
> - these have to be removed at MOT time and the original wheels fitted
> so it can get into the testing station so the sadist (sorry, tester)
> can hit it lots with a big hammer...
>
> Due to a number of reasons that I'll not go into for the sake of
> bandwidth and my own sanity, I simply couldn't be arsed to go through
> all this again this year...
>
> So, I booked it in with a local commercial vehicle testing station who
> had a good reputation for doing a good test (I'm not bothered about a
> 'quick test', as it's our lives that are at risk in it!).
>
> 9am this morning I arrive. Chap looks at Grumble... "I'm not f*cking
> testing that, what it it?". Ah, good start methinks (not). I go
> through the tale of Land Rover military vehicles, class 4 or 7, weight
> etc, nearly get out the 27, 8x10 colour glossy photos with circles and
> arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it is
> (that comment will be missed by most!)...
>
> Eventually I realise I've found another sadist. Not the normal kind
> of MOT sadist, but a "by the book in every possible respect and you
> can lump it if you don't like it" type sadist - with a grin and an
> evil look in his eye...
>
> As the ramp went up, my confidence went down. Warren and I had gone
> over everything - twice, double checked everything, twice, but I knew,
> I just knew this sadist would find something...
>
> I waited, sat 9 feet in the air, listening to banging, scraping,
> wiggling, poking. The ramp decended...
>
> "How old is this?" the sadist enquired... 30 odd years I replied,
> knowing I should have put a different 'historical' emphasis on the
> intonation...
>
> "It's in bloody good nick init. I can't find anything wrong with it"
>
> He then goes through the 'sticking his thing in the exhaust' test.
> It passes, then the brakes "it stops well, doesn't it" he reflects.
>
> Then he goes quiet, starts looking at screens on his computer. Goes
> and double checks the wheels and tyres, has another look at the
> lights, then steering and all of the ball joints - again. Comments
> that the passenger side windscreen washer is probably an inch too
> high. Goes back to his computer and looks up centre dip, goes back
> and pokes the rear crossmember. By now everyone else in the testing
> station is chipping in, swarming around Grumble, asking this, that and
> the other, poking, peering. The tester dissapears into a little
> office...
>
> ... and returns with a new test certificate!
>
> An hour test took 90 minutes - which is totally fine with me
>
> ...and the punchline...
>
> "where can I get one of these"
>
> RESULT!
>
>
> --
> Some Land Roveresque (101 biased), links available
> from: http://links.solis.co.uk/Geek/X4_Land_Rover/
> I also have a little Land Rover site biased toward
> my beloved 101 "Grumble", at: http://www.101fc.net
>
>
> Reading this in 'alt.fan.landrover'? Did you know
> there's a group FAQ: http://www.aflfaq.dyndns.info
Patrick
PS Glad to hear that Grumble passed the test
"Mother" <"@ {mother} @"@101fc.net> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> As some may recall, Grumble has slightly larger wheels, and a roofbox
> - these have to be removed at MOT time and the original wheels fitted
> so it can get into the testing station so the sadist (sorry, tester)
> can hit it lots with a big hammer...
>
> Due to a number of reasons that I'll not go into for the sake of
> bandwidth and my own sanity, I simply couldn't be arsed to go through
> all this again this year...
>
> So, I booked it in with a local commercial vehicle testing station who
> had a good reputation for doing a good test (I'm not bothered about a
> 'quick test', as it's our lives that are at risk in it!).
>
> 9am this morning I arrive. Chap looks at Grumble... "I'm not f*cking
> testing that, what it it?". Ah, good start methinks (not). I go
> through the tale of Land Rover military vehicles, class 4 or 7, weight
> etc, nearly get out the 27, 8x10 colour glossy photos with circles and
> arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it is
> (that comment will be missed by most!)...
>
> Eventually I realise I've found another sadist. Not the normal kind
> of MOT sadist, but a "by the book in every possible respect and you
> can lump it if you don't like it" type sadist - with a grin and an
> evil look in his eye...
>
> As the ramp went up, my confidence went down. Warren and I had gone
> over everything - twice, double checked everything, twice, but I knew,
> I just knew this sadist would find something...
>
> I waited, sat 9 feet in the air, listening to banging, scraping,
> wiggling, poking. The ramp decended...
>
> "How old is this?" the sadist enquired... 30 odd years I replied,
> knowing I should have put a different 'historical' emphasis on the
> intonation...
>
> "It's in bloody good nick init. I can't find anything wrong with it"
>
> He then goes through the 'sticking his thing in the exhaust' test.
> It passes, then the brakes "it stops well, doesn't it" he reflects.
>
> Then he goes quiet, starts looking at screens on his computer. Goes
> and double checks the wheels and tyres, has another look at the
> lights, then steering and all of the ball joints - again. Comments
> that the passenger side windscreen washer is probably an inch too
> high. Goes back to his computer and looks up centre dip, goes back
> and pokes the rear crossmember. By now everyone else in the testing
> station is chipping in, swarming around Grumble, asking this, that and
> the other, poking, peering. The tester dissapears into a little
> office...
>
> ... and returns with a new test certificate!
>
> An hour test took 90 minutes - which is totally fine with me
>
> ...and the punchline...
>
> "where can I get one of these"
>
> RESULT!
>
>
> --
> Some Land Roveresque (101 biased), links available
> from: http://links.solis.co.uk/Geek/X4_Land_Rover/
> I also have a little Land Rover site biased toward
> my beloved 101 "Grumble", at: http://www.101fc.net
>
>
> Reading this in 'alt.fan.landrover'? Did you know
> there's a group FAQ: http://www.aflfaq.dyndns.info
