We are back in Dresden.....again.....

Well the Pug passed it's MOT as you know, but since then the front wheel bearings have upped the anti and are starting to sound like the distant approach of the RAF in 1942, it's been getting louder and even I am getting a little worried driving it now, I should imagine they will last for at least another month but I'm not taking any chances. So yesterday I went to Val's Motor factors in Carmarthen and picked up a new set of bearings for the old girl @ £20 EACH !! these do look a bit more substantial than the £8.50 Ryobi ones from GSF in Swansea and they don't have a bit of nylon or plastic on them, plus they weigh in at nearly twice the weight so I suspect they have used metal ball bearings in them instead of the chalk ones in it now :) .... hopefully they will last one hell of a lot longer, you only have to look down my blog to find out when I replaced the other ones for the frankly disappointing bearings made by Tonka Toys, I'm not looking forward to doing it, it's not that it's technically hard or anything it's just a royal pain in the backside doing it again.... so bloody soon !!!

I did laugh at Val's though he is a bit condescending the guy who serves you and grates on you a bit offering his sage advice, he did ask me

"How did you put the old ones in ? with a hammer or with a hydraulic press, funny they failed so quick.... izzenit ?" ...

I couldn't resist and said "Well it was a 5lb lump hammer actually...." ....

"OH my GAWD you didn't put them in with a lump hammer did you mun ?" ......

"No I was joking they were put in with a 50 ton hydraulic press....properly"....

"ahhhh but did you use some oil to lubricate the outside surfaces before pressing them in, only on the outside ring though mun ?"

"Damn .....that's where I went wrong I rubbed them in the dirt outside first, of course I used some oil"

"you jokin innit mun, aiiii, hmmmmm strange that then innit they have gone so quickly usually they last fo'ever init though mun...."

"Not really they cost £8.50 each and were made by Ryobi and were basically crap !!"

"ahhh see now we don't do Ryobi bearings, shoulda said mun, they're crap VECO and Koyo we do init mun ..... brilliant !! " .....

"how much would you charge to use your hydraulic press ?"

"Ahhh see now mun, health and safety and insurance don't cover it, but £30 and we'll do it properly for you...like...innit"

"No you're ok I'll go to where I got them pressed in before..... cheaper !!"


I paid my money and left.... I only have a week left in work before my summer (pah that's a laugh) jollies start, so no doubt next weekend I will be black as the ace of spades and cursing the b'jesus out of the Pug, mind you the front hubs have been taken off so many times since we bought it they probably respond to voice command by now, oh that reminds me I have to change the brake pads as well one of them is down to the metal or very nearly.....oh joy is me

ps/ weather is bloody awful .....August my ar......mpit !!!