Simple DIY jobs that take forever

[The Wookie]

Two hours, two fking hours to replace a pair of sidelight bulbs on a 2006 Range Rover with a bullbar. Every bolt was seized, including the ones on the grille which needed to be removed, none of the clips wanted to come undone, and there were two bolts that were concealed by the bullbar so I spent most of the time fumbling around the back with a pair of pliers and an allen key with screw headed socket fitting shoved on it and covered with double sided tape as it kept falling out. Managed to free off one, but ended up bending the bracket on the other side because the damn thing wouldn't budge for love, money, heat, anti-seize spray, you name it.

Every single bolt was a cross-head screw as well. Why, why for the love of god would you use the most easily rounded fittings in a position in a car where it's guaranteed to get pelted with salt and crap for its entire life.

Utter, utter fking ball-ache, I'm going to need counselling for the fear of ever having to do it again. Next time I'll pay Halfords £2.99 so I can stand and laugh while the work experience lad fights with it.

Does anyone else have any stories of embarrassingly protracted minor jobs?

Edited by The Wookie on Friday 13th February 15:59

[Krikkit]

Not as bad that, sounds horrendous!

[IanMorewood]

Replacing bulbs is a pain on many cars these days. Taillights bulb failed? Oh that's a remove the carpet from the boot to release the whole light figment, or of course take it to your dealer as it suggests in the handbook.

[Trevor450]

The front brakes on my new to me 10 year old X-Trail took the best part of a day rather than the hour or so it should have done. I suspect it was on its original discs and nobody had ever removed the caliper carrier before. I resorted to a scaffolding pole to get them undone.

The new pads wouldn't fit due to corrosion of the carriers so they required cleaning and my dremel battery was predictably discharged.

I like doing bits on my cars but only if it goes well.

[Conscript]

2006 MX5 NC (2.0l)
Thermostat required replacement.
Thermostat location? Pretty much the bottom of the engine block.

Took 3 hours.

2005 Nissan X-Trail (2.2DCi)
OS Track rod end replacement.

Took several hours and a trip to a motor factors to buy a ball joint splitter as even several whacks with a lump hammer wouldn't free the pin from the hub. Then it took a blow lamp and much swearing to actually undo the thing from the inner track rod.