u/cactusplants

I'm wondering about parts compatibility of some rear wheel arch liners/splash guards for a 2010 tdci fiesta. Found some but they're saying 2013-2016. Would they still be compatible?

Is there anything stopping me from transplanting batteries from more affordable units (incl all the circuitry) to my old dead housing?

Bulk of my tools use a 18650 battery pack that's semi expensive. I was wondering if I could buy a competitors tools that have the same cells and swap them over.

I have 3 batteries that are dead due to a fault and I wanted to replace the innards with some parkside ones.

My only logical concern is making sure the correct polarity on the battery is maintained. Logically all the circuitry and over charge circuit and BMS would be on the parkside system and logically would be able to be compatible with my tools current charger right?

It's a 1/3rd cheaper to do it this way.

So Ill soon be doing a little welding ahead of next year's mot as it's likely to need doing.

I'm gonna get under and try to help prevent further rust, but this does confuse me a little.

I have BH hydrate 80, UB and some etch primer and that raptor stone chip paint.

I was wondering what steps I should undertake? For rustier areas, I'll brush off rust and assess if it's structural or surface, and the. What? I know my sub frame will need some tlc as will my arches.

If anyone could fire me some pointers, I'd be very appreciative!

So I've helped my mum set up a new policy and they're asking for a NCB.

Turns out they seem to expire.

Mum had 16 years in 2022, with direct line, but they had an error and never sent it nor were able to see shed ever had a policy with them. Finally managed to get it all sorted. Now she didn't drive much if at all between 2022 and 2025 but was put as a named driver on my policy until getting a new policy with 1stcentral. They have sent the NCB of 1 year.

Is there any possibility that I could somehow retain the NCB or will it be completely lost as she was just a named driver on my policy?

I've seen a lot of conflicting information regarding issues like this, but would be greatly appreciated if someone can point towards a way that might work? Is it worth contacting the current insurers to state the situation?

So Ive decided to go welding a go as my car needed a tiny bit of patching with 1-1.5mm steel.

I've never welded before and this is a hobby/budget scenario. I will practice before doing my patches.

I've picked up a 140a mig welder from dirty pro tools as it was cheap and I had heard alright stuff about them if you're just using it a few times a year etc.

Anyhow it has a gas barb on the back and can do gassless and gas mig. I've opted to use gas mig. Though I've ran into a few problems and have some questions.

So it's all budget stuff, I've picked up a draper regulator that screws onto my disposable bottle of argon co2 (86/14). The issue is the regulator uses a 4mm OD pipe push fit. The barb on the back of the welder shows up as 8mm when using my calipers. What is the best way to hook the regulator up to the welder? And will a 4mm OD pneumatic pipe be sufficient for gas flow for stitch welding?

Also with the lack of needing flux core wire, should I step down to 0.6mm wire and get a 0.6mm welding tip instead of the 0.8mm I have now? From what I gather the thinner wire is much better for thinner panels.

Will the 86/14 argon co2 mix be ok?

Are there any further bits of information I should know?

Thanks everyone!

EDIT: Being as it's a 50 amp minimum machine, logically it would make more sense to stay with the 0.8 wire right? I will be stitch/tack welding so hopefully I can get by not blowing through.

I've now also ordered 1/8 bsp 8mm push fit and hose to avoid having to use adapters and different hose otherwise

Hi all.

Not asking for me, but for someone else. It's regarding DSA + student loans.

I've been trying to assist someone in finding out what their disability was that entitled them to have DSA. (They know, but just need hard evidence of what it was for use in an employment discrimination case)

The person has a learning difficulty but there is no evidence of this disability held with their GP. They were awarded DSA, but it seems impossible to figure out for what it was awarded for and to find info regarding assessment.

This was back in the early 2000s.

Would be very appreciative of any help or leads that you may be able to provide!

So my partner's grandparents have moved out and are staying at her parents as they are in their 90s. My partner also cares for grandparents on a daily basis as well as her work.

The grandparents house is basically ideal, it's a very decently located place, quiet. But also with incredibly good links, decently sized with a garage and garden. It's just the kind of place we would love.

The biggest issue is that we're broke (I earn 30k gross and partner earns about 25k gross) I probably wouldn't be up for any pay rises or progression due to the nature of my job, though my partner is in the NHS so that's possible to climb in her area.

Partners parents do want to sell the house for some extra money to spend. There is also an uncle who is willed for 40% of the property. But grandparents are still alive so I'm not sure how that works. I don't get involved in the family politics for the most part.

I'm guessing there are no ways to work around being able to buy the house as we couldn't get a mortgage to cover £350k on our wages. And we only have about 20k saved. We wondered if there was a way we could get a smaller mortgage to pay off the uncle and then pay a "rent" to her parents for the remainder alongside the mortgage (without interest would lessen the burden) is this even legal/possible? It's been sat empty for over 3 years and we would have loved to move in and rented it off the parents.

I know many of you are highly versed in this sphere, but we have little idea about anything to do with it.

Would there be anything that could be done or worked around?

Happy to try and provide more information if needed and hopefully you can be of some help.

Have some hawksmore beef skewers that need to be cooked and realised I've no briquettes left for my knock-off smokey Joe.

I've had a look and the only three choices that seem viable are Argos and the range. Either 8kg of webber briquettes or the red 5kg bag of big k lumpwood.

Big k is 9 quid, Webber is 22ish

Or the blue bag of premium restaurant charcoal is 27 with some wood ball firelighters for 12kg. (Down to my last few wood ball thingies)

Briquettes were top pick because smokey Joe is smaller than a normal Webber/kettle style BBQ.

But I guess I could also break up the lumpwood should I need smaller bits?

Are there any other options I could go grab likely from b&q, supermarket, range, or Argos etc?

I hate the hose kinking and getting caught. I've gotten a spinning connector on both ends tk help with that, but those hose is so rigid. I love the way silicone cables lay and flop about and wondered if there are any affordable/budget hoses that you'd recommend for a infrequent hobbyist detailer

Hi all.

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I'm a complete welding novice, so please bare with.

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Needing to weld some new metal into some rusted sills on my car and have a few questions regarding it. It's an older car so I can't justify both for ages and the cost of spending more than it's worth to have it professionally done. I'm pretty competent with stuff like this, so I'd like to give it a go. (I will practice first ofc)

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1. What size mild steel should I go about? I was looking at perhaps 1.5mm

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2. Prepping the area (this might be a bit off topic) but once I've shaped the steel to the body contour of the sill and cut out the old blown through rust hole, what is the objectively best way to prep the area? I've got some bilt hamber hydrate 80 and some electrox. I'd thought I'd wire wheel on the grinder to get rid of most of the surface rust and then apply some kind of treatment? But what and how?

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3. What grinding wheel attachments do I need? I've never actually known what wheels are used when I see people both strip the welding areas and when welds are smoothed down.

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4. I'm wanting to use a gasless mig and was looking at a cheap machine. Ideally was going to get a parkside inverter mig, but they're not in Lidl at the moment. My next pick was for a dirty pro tools 3 in 1. For if I ever need to use gas. Though I'm doubtful I'll need to really use the welder much again.

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5. I take it I want the thinnest flux core wire to weld with, are there any budget shouts of decent wire?

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6. Are there any things I should watch out for?

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Thanks all!

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Ok so here goes.

There was a track I heard I think on Spotify, though it could have been on radio 1 in the later years in the 10s.

The start of the song had a tannoy announcement in an airport. I recall it announcing a gate and I want to say something about easyJet and a domestic flight, but that may be a red herring. Though it was definitely a British airport with a British accent on the tannoy. I don't recall any lyrics in the track.

I feel it was a chiller electronic track, but again, that might be a false positive as I'm honestly a bit stuck with this.

I would be so damn thankful if someone could name it. It's been several years of pain trying to remember what it was called!