What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Dec 26th 2016, 8:20 pm
#406
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
That is correct. That is not correct.
The rest of your post is a mix of overstatement, oversimplification, and things which aren't true yet, but might be in the future.
The rest of your post is a mix of overstatement, oversimplification, and things which aren't true yet, but might be in the future.
Which parts arent true from your investigation, i'm interested?
I worked for some years for the lucas car components co, inan area that looked at expected demands for parts by country. As lucas owns many pretty much global patents though often lapsed eg almost all brakes made are based on girling or lockheed designs and who uses or makes what components is comercially important in the replacement marketplace. Keeping up with who owned whome was also of course important. Read the news for tatas current activities, caution: most of the wikis arent up to date.
Dec 26th 2016, 8:38 pm
#407
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Sorry you dont like it, with one exception it was researched properly from my company info, tata own daewoo in korea not hyundai, which if i'd thought about the other things hyundai do should have made me think more about it when i read it.
Which parts arent true from your investigation, i'm interested? .....
Which parts arent true from your investigation, i'm interested? .....
Dec 28th 2016, 11:31 pm
#409
Banned
Joined: Dec 2015
Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Sorry you dont like it, with one exception it was researched properly from my company info, tata own daewoo in korea not hyundai, which if i'd thought about the other things hyundai do should have made me think more about it when i read it.
Which parts arent true from your investigation, i'm interested?
I worked for some years for the lucas car components co, inan area that looked at expected demands for parts by country. As lucas owns many pretty much global patents though often lapsed eg almost all brakes made are based on girling or lockheed designs and who uses or makes what components is comercially important in the replacement marketplace. Keeping up with who owned whome was also of course important. Read the news for tatas current activities, caution: most of the wikis arent up to date.
Which parts arent true from your investigation, i'm interested?
I worked for some years for the lucas car components co, inan area that looked at expected demands for parts by country. As lucas owns many pretty much global patents though often lapsed eg almost all brakes made are based on girling or lockheed designs and who uses or makes what components is comercially important in the replacement marketplace. Keeping up with who owned whome was also of course important. Read the news for tatas current activities, caution: most of the wikis arent up to date.
Dec 29th 2016, 8:29 am
#410
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
I could tell you stories... I was once sent to lagos [one of the many armpits of africa] to figure out why their alternators ate 900% more o rings than expected. It was because the o rings cost less than specific tap washers and fitted taps... Re the darkness, they have a vast global packing centre near aylesbury. Their miles of warehouses accumulated anonymous cses that were occasionally unearthed and had t obe opened and audited. One year i found - 12 cases marked landrover parts for egypt that contained 3ft dia flywheels, thinking they were a bit big, i enquired about the part nos and found they fitted the engines in chieftain tanks, on which they were rapidly spirited away by someone. The 4 ancient crates that contained REAL king of the road headlamps, the sort fitted to cars in the 1930's and go for a grand each in poor condition as antiques, gave them to beauleau, or the small box of contact breakers marked rotax [lucas aerospce] that i was asked to return to their factory via securicor, made of platinum [refused, once with us we owned them, they could buy them back, sold them to johnson matthey smelters for 12 grand 20 years ago.]
Oh yes - years ago they all went on strike and stopped various factories from being able to make cars. The car factories repplaced lucas with japanese parts and after the strike lucs didnt get all the contracts back... Joke was on the car makers though, the parts were made by nihon lucas in japan...
Oh yes - years ago they all went on strike and stopped various factories from being able to make cars. The car factories repplaced lucas with japanese parts and after the strike lucs didnt get all the contracts back... Joke was on the car makers though, the parts were made by nihon lucas in japan...
Last edited by uk_grenada; Dec 29th 2016 at 8:32 am.
Dec 29th 2016, 11:05 am
#412
Joined: Apr 2012
Location: CT
Posts: 33,508
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Dec 29th 2016, 11:34 am
#413
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Lucas bike electrics were rubbish no doubt, finest i ever had was a laverda jota. Italian engine and frame, british suspension and i think suzuki electrics, japanese definitely. Only issue was it wasnt really run in till it had done 20k miles, but on the other hand i sold it with 60k and it was still pristine, replaced with a silk 700, even more long lasting, 25 years later - stilll rust free and running [all hail to the wd40 god, apply autumn, wash off spring, still shiny shiny...]
Dec 29th 2016, 11:56 am
#415
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Its of course a scott at heart. I have 3 sets of heads, so i can get all racy in about 20 mins... You can get spare parts quite easily, the scott / silk owners club are the sopranos of bike collectors.
Dec 29th 2016, 3:05 pm
#416
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Portlandia Metro
Posts: 7,425
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
I could tell you stories... I was once sent to lagos [one of the many armpits of africa] to figure out why their alternators ate 900% more o rings than expected. It was because the o rings cost less than specific tap washers and fitted taps... Re the darkness, they have a vast global packing centre near aylesbury. Their miles of warehouses accumulated anonymous cses that were occasionally unearthed and had t obe opened and audited. One year i found - 12 cases marked landrover parts for egypt that contained 3ft dia flywheels, thinking they were a bit big, i enquired about the part nos and found they fitted the engines in chieftain tanks, on which they were rapidly spirited away by someone. The 4 ancient crates that contained REAL king of the road headlamps, the sort fitted to cars in the 1930's and go for a grand each in poor condition as antiques, gave them to beauleau, or the small box of contact breakers marked rotax [lucas aerospce] that i was asked to return to their factory via securicor, made of platinum [refused, once with us we owned them, they could buy them back, sold them to johnson matthey smelters for 12 grand 20 years ago.]
Oh yes - years ago they all went on strike and stopped various factories from being able to make cars. The car factories repplaced lucas with japanese parts and after the strike lucs didnt get all the contracts back... Joke was on the car makers though, the parts were made by nihon lucas in japan...
Oh yes - years ago they all went on strike and stopped various factories from being able to make cars. The car factories repplaced lucas with japanese parts and after the strike lucs didnt get all the contracts back... Joke was on the car makers though, the parts were made by nihon lucas in japan...
Dec 29th 2016, 3:07 pm
#417
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Portlandia Metro
Posts: 7,425
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
Made country lanes interesting, meant you had to keep the revs/speed up round the bends.
Dec 29th 2016, 4:15 pm
#418
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
It was in the village of haddenham - windmill rd. You can see its gone now, taken over by other conpanies
Last edited by uk_grenada; Dec 29th 2016 at 4:23 pm.
Dec 29th 2016, 4:45 pm
#419
Turning into a PA gal!
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College PA, finally!
Posts: 3,563
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
My grandmother lived in Haddenham, very close to Windmill Road. Back then I had no interest in Land Rovers or the Prince of Darkness, but I do remember the signs for Lucas, Hozelock and another firm.
Jan 9th 2017, 11:26 pm
#420
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 111
Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?
I agree with Tonrob - everything is different, but usually only a little bit. I think it is the superficial similarity of almost everything that makes the universal small differences unsettling - like entering a parallel universe that diverged from the one you are familiar with 240 years ago! 
I think the difference that struck me is how quickly it became normal to drive distances that would be considered insane in the UK. The distance to our nearest Walmart is the same as driving from the house where my mother lives in Gloucester all the way to Cheltenham, driving five miles for lunch or thirty miles for dinner has become quite normal - despite the massive difference in the price of petrol, we spend as much on petrol as we did in the UK because we drive 3-4 times as far!
Also, American houses are junk - they need perpetual repairs and maintenance just to keep them working properly and looking good. You will need to either get familiar with household plumbing and electrical work, as well as finish carpentary, painting, and sundry other handyman skills, or expect to be paying an average of a couple of hundred dollars a month on service calls. I enjoy doing DIY projects, and I used to joke that my house wasn't just a home, it's a hobby too.
But after almost fourteen years, and with no end in sight to the relentless stream of tasks, the joke is wearing a bit thin. 
I think the difference that struck me is how quickly it became normal to drive distances that would be considered insane in the UK. The distance to our nearest Walmart is the same as driving from the house where my mother lives in Gloucester all the way to Cheltenham, driving five miles for lunch or thirty miles for dinner has become quite normal - despite the massive difference in the price of petrol, we spend as much on petrol as we did in the UK because we drive 3-4 times as far!
Also, American houses are junk - they need perpetual repairs and maintenance just to keep them working properly and looking good. You will need to either get familiar with household plumbing and electrical work, as well as finish carpentary, painting, and sundry other handyman skills, or expect to be paying an average of a couple of hundred dollars a month on service calls. I enjoy doing DIY projects, and I used to joke that my house wasn't just a home, it's a hobby too.
But after almost fourteen years, and with no end in sight to the relentless stream of tasks, the joke is wearing a bit thin.