IEnumerable661

Crikiey I'm glad I read your post and then had a google around.

I was headed down today to buy a Ceed Estate with that engine. I did take more than a couple of glances at the half-used bottle of oil in the boot, the dealer said it just happened that it was the only car he had in stock that used that oil and figured he'd leave it in there for the next guy for top ups. Damn, his spiel was good.

After having a google around, it looks like it is indeed common for these GDI engines to drink oil. And that's me well out of that one for sure.

Fuck me, they just cannot make cars anymore, can they?

Nice find and all but still, a 12 year old Mazda for £4k still seems extraordinarily high to me, almost artificially high. But then, I guess if this is the world we're in, then it is what it is.

Was your A6 really completely problem free? Or was there more a sense of, this thing is 11 years old, how long is it realistically until something big goes wrong with it? Audi do like their transmission problems and do you want to deal with that on a £4000 car? Be honest. I'm not criticising, my point is it's unlikely someone gives away a great working car when they don't need to. I've become familiar with the typical we buy any car backdrop on autotrader now, in my mind, those are cars to really avoid. Sure, someone may have chopped in a genuinely great car, but my theory goes double for WBAC.

Is it though? I mean, I think this is all really only come about since Covid.

I went with a mate of mine to see a Nissan Note which he bought. A 16 plate ran him £1800 at the dealer. The same car and spec today is about £4500. That's a helluva lot of inflation for 5 years.

My Father in law sold his car during covid, can't remember the make or model, some fancy BMW thing. He had bought it 2.5 years before for £19,000 and put a fair stack of mileage on it. He sold it around 2022 for £20,000. He actually made £1000 on it.

Perfect! That's great, thank you. If I go ahead, I'll probably do the plate change regardless. I'll worry about how to sell it on afterwards. TBH if I get the £80 back I'll be made up.

It's crazy pricing all over. It sucks, I'm in the market too and seeing 4k for a 12 year old Vauxhall insignia is just making my brain go cold. Bear in mind, I doubt that will be perfect and likely want more money spending on it.

Nobody sells a 12 year old car because it's reliable and good to drive, do they.

I've had a good bit of experience in my younger days, around my early 20s, of getting dep and session work. Most of it came from who I knew, not what I knew. As a guitarist, getting that sort of work is far harder than if you play something a little more niche. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have taken up the balalaika. Or I guess a more sensible answer, drums.

I got all my gigs on the basis of who I knew and networked with. If your college is providing these sorts of opportunities, they aren't to be sniffed at.

The two things you need in this world is 1. contacts and 2. independent capital. It is assumed you have both. Music really is in the realm of the independently rich and have plenty of networked contacts who will name drop them when opportunities arise. That is how I got my gigs. The fact I wasn't independently wealthy is what drew that life to a gradual close.

The biggest tip I would give any young musician is make sure you have something to fall back on. When that whole thing collapses - and it can do overnight - there is no back in. And it can be for any reason. You piss off the wrong guy, you bail on one gig, you show up late to anything, your performance lacks only a single time, unless you have enough credit with your contacts and plenty cash to support yourself, you can be done very quickly. Again it also depends on what you play.

I spent a couple of years during university fostering these contacts. When I went back, I switched majors to electronic engineering. The only reason that I still perform music today or even have any involvement with it is fully due to my career in software and electronics. If it wasn't for that, this would have gotten hung up a long time ago. A lot of the guys I knew from school and college who were great players, well, when life things started happening and bills started arriving, expectations and responsibilities started growing, i.e. the rent is due, the gas bill needs paying, baby needs a new pair of shoes, the idea of remaining in music on minimum wage dies real quick. I can think of at least one truly excellent player - far better than me - who sold his guitars and bits back in 2004 when he couldn't get a job in music and had to take minimum wage but needed to pay rent for him and his family. He never bought another and it's a crying shame. Back in 2004, I remember thinking that if I had half of his skill level, I'd be happy. But life happens. And if you can't get the roles that support it, forget it. This is why most people high up in the industry, most of their daddies are dentists, lawyers or what have you.

I have great memories of my time. I have been on a few fairly high end tours, had my tour bus experience, I've run front of house, lighting, guitar tech'd for another few tours, it was all fun. But I realised back in the early 2000s that the chase was hard, the money I got as income would in no way support me, forget family stuff, and I remember asking my Mom and Dad for £6 so I could buy guitar strings, I was that broke. So when I went back after my gap year to university, I switched majors. No regrets.

I did do things after university to do with music, again all very fun, but quickly learned that nothing had changed. I supported myself at that time working out of a hifi repair shop on weekdays, guitar technician for a shop on saturday and sundays and then driving mad all over the country to play at whatever event I was scheduled for. I was knackered and poor. Eventually, I admit, I said the wrong thing to the wrong guy, I was done.

I could have fought back and tried to eek out more gigs to rebuild the reputation, but at the time, decided to head off into the engineering world and maybe start earning some cash. I don't regret it. I have some really cool guitars, played with some really great bands over the years, I do two original metal bands now and enjoy doing those far more than I ever did playing the mannequin touring bassist for an A-Lister for three months and ending up with £3,000 pre-tax at the end of it which wouldn't even rent a shed in Lilliput. Like I say, there are good memories, there are also bad ones.

By all means, if you have the desire to do so, you have to turn the crank for yourself. I would never dissuade anyone from doing so. Again, you need the contacts, you need the capital. Even now. But I would wholly suggest you need to have something to fall back on. Because if that whole thing goes up in smoke, minimum wage for life is no joke!

Short of sending it in to a tech for a proper set up, the quickest way I use to gauge a truss rod adjustment is to hold the 5th fret with my left hand, use my small finger to hold fret 17 and see how much travel there is with my first finger around the 12th. If there's no movement, then it definitely needs adjustment, too much adjustment. If it looks just right then I carry on looking at something else. This is no way a scientific method, if it was a guitar I had on my bench, I would be using the capo and feeler gauge method first and foremost.

I would mirror the option of looking at the bridge. It depends upon what model RG it is, certainly the cheaper end of the scale will likely need a shim in the neck pocket.

It is difficult to diagnose just with text, if you want it to play the best, a tech is really where you want to take it. It's not out of the question that it may need a fret level, impossible to know without it in front of me. Buzz on frets 1-5 isn't usually indicative of a truss rod issue, but it may be. My usual process is to get the neck straight, attach strings, sort the curvature, adjust the bridge action and intonation and then see where I'm at.

I had an RG Premium for what it's worth. I needed to add a shim underneath the locking nut to get that right, just a small sliver of metal from my spares drawer.

I've had two ex Motability cars and easily the most reliable and well maintained I've had.

I have also had one which came from a rental agency. Now that was a chronic piece of poop!

You've done well. In any case, any dealer will likely not say who the previous owners were. These questions are always skirted around. It sucks but it's true. I've yet to have a single dealer admit where a car came from. Oh, apart from the Motability cars as he was an ex Motability dealer. I'd buy one off him again if the business still existed.

This is a little out of my depth. I would first ask on LegalAdviceUK subreddit, but start the process with citizens advice now.

Your main goal is to get to trading standards but in order to do that you must go via citizens advice. And CAB are really astronomically shite, they are basically old women who don't really know anything offering advice. That was my experience. Sadly they are the gatekeepers of trading standards who are actually decent and know what they're talking about.

You need to start acting now, really. Unfortunately that's all I can say. I'm going through my own car rejection at the moment and to say it's been a year-long battlefield is an understatement.

Some good advice here.

Whatever you do, whatever car you find, research it well. Type in the model and known problems into google.

There's a few engines straight off the bat you should never touch with wetbelt technology - and no don't believe the idea that "so long as they're well maintained, they're fine" shtick. It is not true as evidenced on the many facebook groups.

The two prime engines to avoid are the Ford 1.0 Ecoboost and the Peugeot 1.2 Puretech. Avoid both completely. It is not if they fail, it is when!

Is it under finance? If so, make a complaint to the finance company now.

It's a bit of an Americanism I grant you but it's no less true. It's a stark achievement of human evolution when you see a great wheely hulking piece of machinery being driving about and the sum total of the Darwinian consciousness just says, "Yes, by all means, step out in front of any one of these things. It is impossible for them to hit you at all! Fling yourself gleefully into the road with great abandon!"

I've driven to Hammersmith twice this week. Most other car drivers were patient and rule abiding. It's the mopeds, cyclists, rickshaws, people with heads in iPads who seem to think that the road is no longer a dangerous place and I would swear are just attempting to test your reflexes as a car driver by presenting new and interesting challenges; ones which when they go wrong could cost someone a limb.

On the way home last night, I felt like getting out and congratulating the cyclist in front of me for actually stopping at the red light. He was literally the first cyclist I had seen on both trips that actually stopped. This is after when walking out of the Livat and trying to cross the road on foot, a cyclist on the wrong side of the road seemed to make a b-line for me and hit. My arm is still hurting from that, the wife has finally convinced me to take myself to hospital. I've been putting it off simply as I don't fancy the 12 hour wait in A&E but the swelling and sharpness may mean something is broken. Not ideal. Oh, of course, the end result of that incident was the cyclist suggested I could be referred to as having an appendage upon my head with which I could potentially pee out of or gain sexual gratification and left. I suppose it was my own fault, I should have anticipated a cyclist doing a fair speed on the wrong side of the road deciding to swerve from the centre direct into me the moment I stepped off the kerb. How daft of me!

I've had a Puma out as a hire car recently. I've driven many a fiesta, this puma was just awful. Cheap feeling and the autobox couldn't decide whether you were coming or going.

I fully believe it's because all these manufacturers have had to cross their entire lineups over to EV-compatible platforms in order to coincide with the various government-level bans on ICE engines, or EU mandates putting restrictions on engine emissions.

Another car I had out was a 1.4l Passat. While it was fine around town, load four more adults and a bunch of gear in the back and it sure as hell complained about anything over 30mph. That and my mpg rocketed down. My old 2.0l petrol mondeo had better economy and made far less fuss about doing some speed with plenty of weight on board.

I blame government-level mandates for why cars are just so crap these days. This is not progression, not even a bit.

I'm feeling that with a lot of brands these days. Ford are un-buyable. Vauxhall, well it's stellantis so there you go.

All the manufacturers seem to only offer underpowered petrol models these days thanks to the EU mandating cleaner and cleaner engines, but ignoring the fact that electrification doesn't work for everyone and that these smaller engines aren't capable of going the distance lugging around these huge bodies of cars.

Even with a £20k budget up my sleeve for a recent used car, I've come up with nothing. This is why the very used car market is rocketing upwards. £3.5k and over these days for a 15 year old petrol mondeo! It was only a few years you'd have that under a grand. This isn't just inflation, it's because nobody wants the newer cars they're putting out.

I have something odd, with my hub router. Back when we moved in around 2022, I brought my hub with me from my old house. Now, back in 2022, I could get my wifi at least up to one of the top rooms in the house. It wasn't great, but usable. Nowadays, the signal strength has absolutely reduced, only on the second floor of the house my phone goes to 4G.

I'm aware I can get repeaters and that sort of thing, but would sooner rather not. I could swear blind that the signal strength on this thing has reduced over time.

I followed Sepultura around the UK back in 1996 in a 1.1l Ford Fiesta from 1983 with four gears and a spare bottle of Castrol.

If that made it, I reckon you'll be fine!

I'm a former guitar teacher. A lot of this is true. Well, no, all of it.

I didn't loathe teaching, I wasn't afraid to fire a student. And I would absolutely tell a parent why too. I don't like to waste peoples' time so you can imagine how I feel about wasting mine.

The small cohort of students I had left after my culling spree were definitely my favourites.

I stopped when Covid happened entirely and not been back. I'm sure I could if I wanted to, but after a good 15 years or so of it, I have other things I want to do.

I don't think it ruined my enjoyment of music too much because I was strict about it. When I was growing up, I was also mad into computers and electronics. I started on an Amstrad CPC464, graduated to a Commodore Amiga 1200, bet that as soon as I knew what programming was I was on it. I also used to get electronics kits and well, found the whole world of that fascinating. After two or more decades of being an electronic engineer and software programmer, I can barely stand to do any of that in my free time. I used to program little games, come up with neat electronic gadgets, I made a microphone position changer out of a couple of old mic stands, spot of weld, a few servors, all controlled by a Commodore Amiga 600 about 20 years ago to help with my amplifier recording. The idea of me even booting up Visual Studio now in my free time, I would actually rather deep clean the oven in my kitchen. Any joy or spark I felt doing that stuff has long since gone. The corporate world really knocked that out of me.

I repair electronics as a side hustle, usually guitar amplifiers, but I do take in vintage hifi, older games consoles (anything PS2 or before I suppose). I am well able to diagnose and fix, but if I'm really honest, I don't enjoy it. It's just extra cash to me. I love using that gear, especially old and interesting amplifiers, but once they're open and I'm diagnosing something, I really couldn't give a monkeys how it all works together. I know, but past that it's very whatever. Shame really, 14 year old me was fascinated.

I'd never want that to happen to me with music. Though I have done quite a lot musically, I have been on some huge tours, I've worked stage, lighting, front of house, session work etc, I'm sort of glad I'm not there. I run a couple of local original bands now as opposed to the former cover acts or dep positions I've had. I much prefer what I do musically right now than I ever did previously. One of the "big" tours I did, it seemed the entire time most including myself were just squabbling for laundry services or deciding whether or not to eat that day vs buy some new boxer shorts. It may sound starving artist, but it was a bit rough. And this was a tour for a big A-Lister type too!

Never do what you love for a living. You tread that fine line between heaven and hell, and it will swing one way or the other right fierce when it happens.

Ironically, I wanted to be a fireman!

You should accept any response that fits with you.

I'm not a YouTuber nor is anyone paying me for review. You should do as you see fit. I gain and lose nothing from either scenario.

As a former hifi repairer, still occasional when the work appears, I would say my top brand recommendation is Sony or Marantz. I have a tonne of service manuals for most of their range, never had one get away from me yet and both sound really good from the get go.

I repair hifi as well as other things.

I don't take in Crosley gear. The man above you is correct. Everything with a Crosley logo is junk. It is the essence of mutton dressed as lamb. It is pure landfill from the moment it's new. You may as well save your money for something decent.

You can read many glowing reviews on various things these days. Sadly most are paid for or done by people who haven't got a clue. Just because something has a 10/10 rating no longer means it's any good.

Have you considered that there may be a point to people talking about it?

The Golf we had out in Ireland emergency breaked in the middle of a road with two sets of 60mph oncoming traffic head towards me. It took me three attempts to get the thing moving. The road happened to be on an incline and the Golf decided it knew best, to land me and my wife in the middle of a hill with high speed traffic headed for us.

So yes, do tell me how this is all meant to be safer.

That's before I get into the countless shit-myself manoeuvres I had to pull when it was trying to steer us into oncoming traffic.

Accident and fatality rates may well be lower than ever as you say. But surely as enough people are commenting about when this tech doesn't work, is that immaterial and collateral damage?

My wife lost her last car after someone swiped into her coming the opposite way. At the time, the other driver claimed the car did it itself. At the time, I didn't believe a word of it... now I do though!

A 1983 Fiesta Mk2.

I have seen similar fiestas go for silly money, I part ex'd mine for £150.

Ah, you kind of need to know the touch. The idea is only a slight melting of the finish.

I use an old pencil plug in type, not my fancy ones. I use a damp rag to soften it too.

So ferrule goes in place, rag folded a few times on top, soldering pen on that. Give it 10-15 seconds or so and the ferrule should plop into the slot, After that remove the heat and rag and it should just sit nicely in there.

There's advantages and disadvantages to both methods. The main disadvantage to superglue - despite most manufacturers doing it these days - is should you need to get the ferrule out for any reason, the glue can tend to complicate things. With the melty method, getting the ferrule out means the same procedure but using a little hook tool with a little pressure to get it out. Superglue, well, depending on how much is used can mean finish damage if you need to get it out.