Gritters!

[Buggirl]

well I was sat in traffic on the way home last night from work and the inevitable happened...........I saw it approaching in the distance and couldn't move anywhere...........as it got closer my bum cheeks clenched and I braced for impact, clutching the steering wheel and shutting my eyes as my cab was lit up with the golden glow of its flashing lights heading towards me...............I yelled, please don't be switched on! Then it happened! I felt every bit of grit like I was being shot as it rickershaded off the paint work, pebble dashing all down the side of the van! I had been had by my first gritter!

When I got home I got my torch out on my iPhone and inspected the van....... I am lucky to have only seen one impact chip by the looks, but wanted to warn you, they are out there!

 

[Jules]

I feel your pain! Nightmare machines!

 

[CRD]

Thread title reminds me that I once suffered a really bad dose of the Gary Glitters after a particularly spicy curry.

Similar pebble-dashing marks ensued come to think of it.

 

[Frosty]

One of the B****rd's passed me last night too. I braced for impending grit coverage, however- luckily he had either run out or it was turned off.

 

[Mojo]

Don't know how true this is but someone told me they can change the angle that it sprays out at...Why oh why does it need to be going so high that it's bouncing off the windsreen?? Are the drivers just getting some perverse pleasure in pebble dashing everyone's cars? B@$!@RDS!!

 

[Pauly]

It makes me want to follow them home so i can pour a bucket of gravel on their car !?!?!?

 

[Loz]

I feel really sorry for the people who live around the corner from us, they are at the end of the gritting route where the lorry turns round and goes back up the road, they get a serious dousing and have in the past seen small piles of gravel at the bottom of their car side windows!

 

[HHO]

I've parked on a total strangers driveway before now to avoid them !

 

[DaveyB]

I feel your pain, but better that than slide off the road and into a hedge or wall. The van would look a damn sight worse after that.
Seen far too many nasty outcomes from vehicles finding untreated patches of road.

 

[Mojo]

I don't think anyone's against grit on the roads it's just the manner in which it's applied...

 

[Buggirl]

Awesome comments! Love this forum!

 

[Pedro]

I've parked on a total strangers driveway before now to avoid them !

Isn't that also known as stalking !!!!!!

 

[RattyMcClelland]

I'm against any salt put onto the roads. We should be like the Japanese and use volcanic ash but of course not readily available here.

That way my love for 90s jap cars won't rust away.

 

[Gingercoastie]

I'm against any salt put onto the roads. We should be like the Japanese and use volcanic ash but of course not readily available here.

Most of the road salt used here is imported by ship, so the ash shouldn't be a problem. Iceland probably has some to spare.

 

[mopardave]

Ok......don't judge me on this but here goes! It was a Winter's night in 1987. I'd just taken delivery of my first ever brand new car......a lovely metallic grey Vauxhall nova sr. I've just parked my little beauty on the road outside my mum and dad's house. I glanced lovingly back at my nova as I TIP TOED up the STEEP, SMOOTH TARMAC drive......this is significant! As I did so, I noticed one of satan's gritters pull into the bottom of the road.......orange strobes flashing! Remember, it's the eighties, right......so my grey shoes had plastic (bloody lethal but fashionable!), wood effect soles. Those soles, the ice on the ground, the gradient of the (smooth tarmac) drive and the time pressure all conspired to turn this into a comedy sketch as I went a*se over t*t, scuffing my swanky green padded bomber jacket and black Farah action slacks. I got to my feet and like bambi, I threw myself into the car in a way that Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson would have been proud of! By now, the b*stard was bearing down on me........and he knew it......I swear he was wearing a red suit, pointed hat, a goatee beard, carrying a trident and laughing manically! I had no option.......slam it in to reverse and floor it. I must have hit 30 in reverse as I tried to escape the inevitable......but escape I did. I bet that b*stard is still laughing to this day!!!!!!! I wasn't laughing when I saw what had happened to my "ensemble"! I should've sent the "Top Man" bill for my new duds to the local council!!!!!!
B*STARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pedro]

They weren't farah hopsack tho, they used to take the skin off your legs as you walked in them.......
I had legs like Niki lauda's ears.......

 

[DaveyB]

Ok......don't judge me on this but here goes! It was a Winter's night in 1987. I'd just taken delivery of my first ever brand new car......a lovely metallic grey Vauxhall nova sr. I've just parked my little beauty on the road outside my mum and dad's house. I glanced lovingly back at my nova as I TIP TOED up the STEEP, SMOOTH TARMAC drive......this is significant! As I did so, I noticed one of satan's gritters pull into the bottom of the road.......orange strobes flashing! Remember, it's the eighties, right......so my grey shoes had plastic (bloody lethal but fashionable!), wood effect soles. Those soles, the ice on the ground, the gradient of the (smooth tarmac) drive and the time pressure all conspired to turn this into a comedy sketch as I went a*se over t*t, scuffing my swanky green padded bomber jacket and black Farah action slacks. I got to my feet and like bambi, I threw myself into the car in a way that Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson would have been proud of! By now, the b*stard was bearing down on me........and he knew it......I swear he was wearing a red suit, pointed hat, a goatee beard, carrying a trident and laughing manically! I had no option.......slam it in to reverse and floor it. I must have hit 30 in reverse as I tried to escape the inevitable......but escape I did. I bet that b*stard is still laughing to this day!!!!!!! I wasn't laughing when I saw what had happened to my "ensemble"! I should've sent the "Top Man" bill for my new duds to the local council!!!!!!
B*STARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah - The Nova SR, every 17/18 year old lads dream 1st car. I couldn't afford one, so I settled for the Nova Sport (Irmscher rally homologation with twin 40 Webber Carbs).

Loved the story, you should consider entering Chris Evans 500 words next year under a pseudonym - that's what all the good writers do apparently.

 

[Caravellet6]

Ah - The Nova SR, every 17/18 year old lads dream 1st car. I couldn't afford one, so I settled for the Nova Sport (Irmscher rally homologation with twin 40 Webber Carbs).

Loved the story, you should consider entering Chris Evans 500 words next year under a pseudonym - that's what all the good writers do apparently.

I had white Nova 1.3SR as I couldn't afford to buy, run or insure a GTE, ended up with Weber twin choke carb, irmsher grille, Blydenstein (got to meet Bill himself) stage 1 big valve head, alloys, tarox brake upgrade, featured in Car Mechanics and Max Power mags, could crack 115 and 9secs 0-60, not bad for a 1300

 

[Loz]

I built a 1398 mini once, it was a Porsche beater. The downside was the bell mouths on the Webber had to be inside the car
You could put up with the vacuum by opening the window a bit but the spitting back and the flames from the carbs was a bit off putting for passengers.

Oh I forget, you couldn't steer it with the power on...

 

[mopardave]

They weren't farah hopsack tho, they used to take the skin off your legs as you walked in them.......
I had legs like Niki lauda's ears.......

hey, they might have been you know.......if I'd been into shaving my legs, these things would have saved me the job! Happy days!!!!!!