Discussion
For a few years I have been doing a thing on my Facebook page called "Driveway CSI"
Any repairs or work I do I share with my fellow mechanically minded friends.
Today's Driveway CSI I thought I would try a different format and share with you guys as well.
Cause - Reusing a rusty jubilee clip when the radiator was replaced six months ago.
Effect - Snapped the bleed pipe.
Bodge - Super glued back on.
Repair - Replace radiator and all new jubilee clips...
...I even made sure the fan wasn't rubbing the new one.
Bodges are the Cancer of the car world. Sometimes all you can do is replace parts and start over.
This was just today's example and is nowhere near the worst I have had to deal with. Why not join in? Just a sentence to describe the cause, effect, bodge and repair with a couple of photo's.
Please try not to use this thread as an opportunity to troll or name and shame whoever did the bodge. Just how it was done wrong and how it should be done right so other forum members can read and learn from it. Also more mechanically minded forum members can have a giggle.
All the best Liquid Knight
Any repairs or work I do I share with my fellow mechanically minded friends.
Today's Driveway CSI I thought I would try a different format and share with you guys as well.
Cause - Reusing a rusty jubilee clip when the radiator was replaced six months ago.
Effect - Snapped the bleed pipe.
Bodge - Super glued back on.
Repair - Replace radiator and all new jubilee clips...
...I even made sure the fan wasn't rubbing the new one.
Bodges are the Cancer of the car world. Sometimes all you can do is replace parts and start over.
This was just today's example and is nowhere near the worst I have had to deal with. Why not join in? Just a sentence to describe the cause, effect, bodge and repair with a couple of photo's.
Please try not to use this thread as an opportunity to troll or name and shame whoever did the bodge. Just how it was done wrong and how it should be done right so other forum members can read and learn from it. Also more mechanically minded forum members can have a giggle.
All the best Liquid Knight
A few months ago I fitted brand new headlights to my mates Renault Laguna as the old ones plastic was cloudy beyond polishing.
The passenger side one was filling with condensation...
...so bad it was popping bulbs every couple of days. So an hour later...
...the bumper was off enough to get to the bottom headlight bolt and in a typical Renault fashion there was a panel gap between the lens and body big enough to get a small horse through. The plan was to get the lens off with a heat gun, put sealant all the way round and refit it. This didn't happen as the plastic started to distort before the glue holding the lens to the body showed any sign of giving up.
New plan use the head gun to evaporate as much of the water out of the headlight as possible and fill the gaps all the way round with clear silicone. Not ideal but as good as you can do with a poxy French pile of plastic.
All done and I refitted new bulbs before fitting the headlight. Last time I tried changing bulbs in a French headlight while on the car I broke two fingers. Another twenty minutes to put the front of the car back together...
"Hoi France there's this very useful stuff called Copperslip. Try it!"
...and we were done.
Something else I do with my other build and general threads is nominate a...
Tool of the Job
...this time it's this...
...bicycle dust cap I have used to seal the silicone tube. Some use screws and others don't bother but I have found this works best.
The passenger side one was filling with condensation...
...so bad it was popping bulbs every couple of days. So an hour later...
...the bumper was off enough to get to the bottom headlight bolt and in a typical Renault fashion there was a panel gap between the lens and body big enough to get a small horse through. The plan was to get the lens off with a heat gun, put sealant all the way round and refit it. This didn't happen as the plastic started to distort before the glue holding the lens to the body showed any sign of giving up.
New plan use the head gun to evaporate as much of the water out of the headlight as possible and fill the gaps all the way round with clear silicone. Not ideal but as good as you can do with a poxy French pile of plastic.
All done and I refitted new bulbs before fitting the headlight. Last time I tried changing bulbs in a French headlight while on the car I broke two fingers. Another twenty minutes to put the front of the car back together...
"Hoi France there's this very useful stuff called Copperslip. Try it!"
...and we were done.
Something else I do with my other build and general threads is nominate a...
Tool of the Job
...this time it's this...
...bicycle dust cap I have used to seal the silicone tube. Some use screws and others don't bother but I have found this works best.
Previously on Driveway CSI
I was working on my car until about half eleven when a local and his Mrs were walking their dog.
"Why don't you take it to a garage and pay someone to do it?"
Why pay a prostitute for a hand job when you can rub one out yourself?
"Have you been seeing prostitutes again? After last time? You F£$%&*g B@#$&d!"...
....off into the distance.
Sorry. I had no idea and was just paraphrasing.
I was working on my car until about half eleven when a local and his Mrs were walking their dog.
"Why don't you take it to a garage and pay someone to do it?"
Why pay a prostitute for a hand job when you can rub one out yourself?
"Have you been seeing prostitutes again? After last time? You F£$%&*g B@#$&d!"...
....off into the distance.
Sorry. I had no idea and was just paraphrasing.
I've been working on my bike this week.
As a driver I find it irritating when cyclists have those Cre LED 1,000 Lumen lights dazzling people because they don't pencil properly. I have one myself and as a cyclist they are simply brilliant. As my commute is a 50/50 split of unlit country lanes and domestic town roads having a decent set of lights is essential.
Get an ice cream tub lid. I chose this one as it was very nice and is black inside.
Use the template to cut a section out, graphic side up.
Test fit and...
...mark the rim of the light where it needs to be stuck later.
Cover the printed side with double sided tape and trim a lolly pop stick to fit to the outer edge.
Peel off the tape backing and stick Aluminium or Tin foil to the printed side of the template leaving an 8mm gap on the inner edge and staple the stick to the outer edge.
Stick this to the rim of the light and use a heat gun to make the plastic more malleable and the tape stick better. Hold in place with a cable tie, refit to the bike and you're ready to go.
Decent pencil beam so I no longer dazzle oncoming traffic and the centre of the beam is still there so I can tilt it up and have a good view ahead when there is no traffic.
As a driver I find it irritating when cyclists have those Cre LED 1,000 Lumen lights dazzling people because they don't pencil properly. I have one myself and as a cyclist they are simply brilliant. As my commute is a 50/50 split of unlit country lanes and domestic town roads having a decent set of lights is essential.
Get an ice cream tub lid. I chose this one as it was very nice and is black inside.
Use the template to cut a section out, graphic side up.
Test fit and...
...mark the rim of the light where it needs to be stuck later.
Cover the printed side with double sided tape and trim a lolly pop stick to fit to the outer edge.
Peel off the tape backing and stick Aluminium or Tin foil to the printed side of the template leaving an 8mm gap on the inner edge and staple the stick to the outer edge.
Stick this to the rim of the light and use a heat gun to make the plastic more malleable and the tape stick better. Hold in place with a cable tie, refit to the bike and you're ready to go.
Decent pencil beam so I no longer dazzle oncoming traffic and the centre of the beam is still there so I can tilt it up and have a good view ahead when there is no traffic.
Market it? How much Ice Cream would I have to eat? 
I like to cycle to the same standard as I drive. I check my vehicles over regularly and if anything is wrong I fix it before I go anywhere. Nothing irritates me more than seeing vehicles especially on my commute every day for weeks sometimes months with the same fault. This week every morning I have seen a Ford Fiesta van with only one functional headlight cluster. We've had fog, clear skies with ice and heavy rain and at no point has this idiot ever thought...
"Hmmm, I'd better buy a fuse and some light bulbs".
...chances are it's a company vehicle and the operator doesn't feel it's his responsibility. Last year every day on the same bit of road and roughly the same time (on my bike) I was overtaken by a Vauxhall Corsa that from March to October only had one tail light. Both of these vehicles have dash warning lights to tell you something is wrong. There is simply no excuse.
Sorry.
My current set up on my bike, both front and two rear lights come to roughly £70 and those twunts and many, many others simply can't be bothered to buy a £6.99 bulb.
Back on topic. When they come up on my Facebook "On this Day" feed I'll post Driveway CSI's from the past.
I like to cycle to the same standard as I drive. I check my vehicles over regularly and if anything is wrong I fix it before I go anywhere. Nothing irritates me more than seeing vehicles especially on my commute every day for weeks sometimes months with the same fault. This week every morning I have seen a Ford Fiesta van with only one functional headlight cluster. We've had fog, clear skies with ice and heavy rain and at no point has this idiot ever thought...
"Hmmm, I'd better buy a fuse and some light bulbs".
...chances are it's a company vehicle and the operator doesn't feel it's his responsibility. Last year every day on the same bit of road and roughly the same time (on my bike) I was overtaken by a Vauxhall Corsa that from March to October only had one tail light. Both of these vehicles have dash warning lights to tell you something is wrong. There is simply no excuse.
Sorry.
My current set up on my bike, both front and two rear lights come to roughly £70 and those twunts and many, many others simply can't be bothered to buy a £6.99 bulb.
"vehicle operator" as neither deserve to be described as a "driver"
Back on topic. When they come up on my Facebook "On this Day" feed I'll post Driveway CSI's from the past.
So I am a bit of an insomniac and have been doing night shifts. The last two days I have taken apart the suspension on a donor Bravo for my Bravo and today the plan was to rest and rebuild.
Driveway CSI became concrete pad in a field CSI when I forgot the lower wishbone pin bolt.
An hour later I was home again. A little cosmetic wing damage, smashed ABS sensor and slashed steering rack gaiter. Very, very; very lucky.
I'm going to take some herbal sleeping tabs and fix what I broke in the morning.
So today's top tip. Make sure you've had more than two hours sleep in three days if you'e doing anything serious to the car.
Driveway CSI became concrete pad in a field CSI when I forgot the lower wishbone pin bolt.
An hour later I was home again. A little cosmetic wing damage, smashed ABS sensor and slashed steering rack gaiter. Very, very; very lucky.
I'm going to take some herbal sleeping tabs and fix what I broke in the morning.
So today's top tip. Make sure you've had more than two hours sleep in three days if you'e doing anything serious to the car.
No photo's today as it wasn't my car I didn't ask.
A neighbors Vauxhall Corsa had split it's exhaust in half on a speed ramp. First I had to put a strap between the doors to stop the front section dragging on the floor to get to the ramps. The exhaust had come apart at the join just past the cat' and middle section. This was because the clamp was right at the end of the slots. No washers and rusted in place. So I refitted it and put another clamp in place.
I think I ruined it as the car sounded like a cross between a Subaru and a tank when it arrived and a sowing machine whn it left.
A neighbors Vauxhall Corsa had split it's exhaust in half on a speed ramp. First I had to put a strap between the doors to stop the front section dragging on the floor to get to the ramps. The exhaust had come apart at the join just past the cat' and middle section. This was because the clamp was right at the end of the slots. No washers and rusted in place. So I refitted it and put another clamp in place.
I think I ruined it as the car sounded like a cross between a Subaru and a tank when it arrived and a sowing machine whn it left.
Irony is a cruel mistress. The day after I admit my mistake this...
"Driveway CSI today. The owner of this Ford Ka watched a few episodes of Wheeler Dealers and thought "I can do that".
I politely disagreed".
...came up on my history feed.
Yes that's a galvanised M10 coach bolt where a 17mm high tensile one was supposed to be. The wishbone came free from the hub while we were pushing it on to a trailer. The original plan was to drive it home.
"Driveway CSI today. The owner of this Ford Ka watched a few episodes of Wheeler Dealers and thought "I can do that".
I politely disagreed".
...came up on my history feed.
Yes that's a galvanised M10 coach bolt where a 17mm high tensile one was supposed to be. The wishbone came free from the hub while we were pushing it on to a trailer. The original plan was to drive it home.
Edited by Liquid Knight on Thursday 17th November 22:21
Alfa Romeo, built with passion not common sense.
"I know let's put the loom in the way of the clutch slave bleed nipple".
"Is that the best you can do? I've put the master cylinder pipe someone you can not get to without taking the inlet side of the engine apart".
So thing got desperate and I thought I would try this...
...before welding it together but it didn't work because the way the bulkhead recessed.
This is a common problem with cars that are engineered. The hydraulic system was put in place on the assembly line before the engine and gearbox was.
Four hours later. I had removed the sound proofing from the bulkhead, tied the loom to the inlet manifold and I just managed to get a 13mm spanner in there to undo the pipe.
Inside some tosspot had used a jubilee clip to hold the reservoir pipe to the top of the cylinder. I had to chisel the plastic pipe of as the screw was facing the inside of the cylinder.
Only to discover...
...my local shop had supplied me with the wrong faffing part!
I took it back this morning and even explained as a result of them not supplying the right part I've missed a charity track day. No word of apology at all and the new correct part won't be here before Monday so I'v had to cancel a trip to Derby tomorrow. Grrrrrrrrr!
"I know let's put the loom in the way of the clutch slave bleed nipple".
"Is that the best you can do? I've put the master cylinder pipe someone you can not get to without taking the inlet side of the engine apart".
So thing got desperate and I thought I would try this...
...before welding it together but it didn't work because the way the bulkhead recessed.
This is a common problem with cars that are engineered. The hydraulic system was put in place on the assembly line before the engine and gearbox was.
Four hours later. I had removed the sound proofing from the bulkhead, tied the loom to the inlet manifold and I just managed to get a 13mm spanner in there to undo the pipe.
Inside some tosspot had used a jubilee clip to hold the reservoir pipe to the top of the cylinder. I had to chisel the plastic pipe of as the screw was facing the inside of the cylinder.
Only to discover...
...my local shop had supplied me with the wrong faffing part!
I took it back this morning and even explained as a result of them not supplying the right part I've missed a charity track day. No word of apology at all and the new correct part won't be here before Monday so I'v had to cancel a trip to Derby tomorrow. Grrrrrrrrr!
Well I finally have the right master cylinder for my Alfa Spider but because there's a rounded off jubilee clip on the reservoir pipe I'm at yet another dead end.
Can't get to it with a screw driver, round so I can't use a small socket and impossible to get to with a set of bolt cutters.
I will meet whoever put that thing there in Hell.
Can't get to it with a screw driver, round so I can't use a small socket and impossible to get to with a set of bolt cutters.
I will meet whoever put that thing there in Hell.
julian64 said:
Why would a rusty jubilee clips snap a bleed pipe.
I could understand how a hamfisted mechanic could bust a bleed pipe doing the jubilee clips up too tight, but not how the jubilee clips is responsible
It's on the top pipe to the master cylinder. The one that feeds fluid to the cylinder from the reservoir on the bulkhead. I could understand how a hamfisted mechanic could bust a bleed pipe doing the jubilee clips up too tight, but not how the jubilee clips is responsible
It's a bodge that makes silicone exhaust gaskets look like it was done in a McLaren factory.
Forty minutes later and she's back on the road.
Some people don't get the whole "into cars" thing but driving my Spider after a straight forward job that turned into a complete pain in the faff is a bit like having a pint with an old mate after you've had an argument about something stupid.
I no longer want to kill the bodger. We all make mistakes (as I have proven many times) and rest assured the pipe is being held on properly now.
Hmmmm. Pint. Now there's an idea.
Some people don't get the whole "into cars" thing but driving my Spider after a straight forward job that turned into a complete pain in the faff is a bit like having a pint with an old mate after you've had an argument about something stupid.
I no longer want to kill the bodger. We all make mistakes (as I have proven many times) and rest assured the pipe is being held on properly now.
Hmmmm. Pint. Now there's an idea.
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