Just last week I changed the oil...

[venta]

I spent the evening with William, or, more accurately, I spent quite a lot of it under him. He's now had:

• His engine flushed, and oil/oil filter changed


• His radiator flushed and refilled with the right amount of anti-freeze.


• The waterproof doodahs put back on the sparkplugs (and the spark lead I snapped in the process (arses) replaced.)

I feel quite accomlished in the car maintenance department :) Only one minor moment of confusion - usually if asked to undo a nut/screw/bottle top I automatically turn it the correct way. Undoing the sump plug, I actually paused to think about which way to turn it. Disaster. It's one of those things like walking - don't pause to consider how you do it, or you'll completely lose the ability...

And wimble came over and said things like "ooh" and "ah" and "is that what an oil filter looks like?". And proved most useful when I wasn't strong enough to get the bleed screw on the radiator undone. And he's faster on the uptake at improvising funnels than me.

Once all the car stuff was done, we trundled off to the Fir Tree on Iffley Road for a pint. This is now a Good Pub again. Actually, it was a pretty good pub before, but fell foul of my boycott of Morrell's.

Morrell's are:

• A bunch of bastards - they screwed the OUFC and several local landlords right royally.


• To be despised - they had a fit of taking pubs, redecorating them inside and out, more-or-less Firkinising them on the iniside, changing their names (Hisssssssssssssss!), and then having the gall to put up signs saying "Unspoilt By Progress"[*]


• Guilty of the worst crime - their beer's shite.

However, "Ye Olde Ale House" is now back to being The Fir Tree again, and is run by Greene King. Not that GK make the nicest beer in the world, but they have guest ales :)

Pintwatch: £4.75 for a pint of Ruddles and a pint of Old Speckled Hen. Can't comment on the quality, as I'd forgotten that I'm not a huge fan of Ruddles, and I was feeling so knackered I actually had to get wimble to finish my pint for me (don't tell anyone!).

(Apologies for the fit of bullet points. I'm not sure what brought it on.)

[*]Which, as a friend of mine pointed out, can with judicious deletion of letters be made to read "spoilt by ogres". Sadly, I never found an easily portable container of paint of the correct colour.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

How do you feel about 15W-40 ?
(What I was using)

Re:

[condign.livejournal.com]

I don't know--is that an invitation?

[venta.livejournal.com]

More of a Request For Comment :)

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Shall I bring the torque wrench?

[condign.livejournal.com]

(previous comment deleted to allow for double entendre)

Then I'll only say that the higher-weight oil is only functional if you can get it warm enough that it loses some of its viscosity.