Your Most Embarrassing DIY Cockup?
Discussion
Being a professional motor mechanic since 1980, I could write a book on the subject of cockups.
The latest one: My sister and me were restoring my dad's very last car back to mint. A K12 Micra which some kids had thought it was okay to vandalise after the most inept thief broke a door glass. He (I later caught him...) initially tried to PRISE the rear door open with a little screwdriver.
Anyway, it needed loads of new body panels, including a tailgate. When we came to refitting the tailgate struts, I tried to compress them to fit. Between us, we struggled, inventing new ways to shorten them to make them fit.
After twenty minutes, I realised I was trying to fit one end to the ball where the Parcel Shelf STRING attaches to the Tailgate.
I Did Think it was a bit too flimsy & wobbly for the job in hand...
Obviously tailgate struts do not require compressing.
In my defence we'd worked 36 hours solid to get it done in time for the MOT, which it passed!
Pathetic!
Another was on a Citroen BX 4x4 1.9 head gasket job. I had lost my contact lenses, was working for a main dealership that I hated, was going through some serious personal problems and this turned into the job from HELL.
It simply wouldn't allow itself to be fixed...
The second attempt, I put the head gasket on upside-down. Same engine as Peugeot 1.9 GTi, btw.
Upon starting, the smoke from the engine filled the workshop. Filled everywhere outside. Closed the nearby M6... Motorway for a while. Really. All from less than 20 seconds running. This is true and not an exaggeration. Amazing!
Luckily, I was on a course the day after. When I returned, the car was still there. Waiting to be fixed.
It was a blessing as I was rushed to hospital with renal failure. I subsequently left, bought new contact lenses and started up working for myself. Happy!
Can you beat these examples?
The latest one: My sister and me were restoring my dad's very last car back to mint. A K12 Micra which some kids had thought it was okay to vandalise after the most inept thief broke a door glass. He (I later caught him...) initially tried to PRISE the rear door open with a little screwdriver.
Anyway, it needed loads of new body panels, including a tailgate. When we came to refitting the tailgate struts, I tried to compress them to fit. Between us, we struggled, inventing new ways to shorten them to make them fit.
After twenty minutes, I realised I was trying to fit one end to the ball where the Parcel Shelf STRING attaches to the Tailgate.
I Did Think it was a bit too flimsy & wobbly for the job in hand...
Obviously tailgate struts do not require compressing.
In my defence we'd worked 36 hours solid to get it done in time for the MOT, which it passed!
Pathetic!
Another was on a Citroen BX 4x4 1.9 head gasket job. I had lost my contact lenses, was working for a main dealership that I hated, was going through some serious personal problems and this turned into the job from HELL.
It simply wouldn't allow itself to be fixed...
The second attempt, I put the head gasket on upside-down. Same engine as Peugeot 1.9 GTi, btw.
Upon starting, the smoke from the engine filled the workshop. Filled everywhere outside. Closed the nearby M6... Motorway for a while. Really. All from less than 20 seconds running. This is true and not an exaggeration. Amazing!
Luckily, I was on a course the day after. When I returned, the car was still there. Waiting to be fixed.
It was a blessing as I was rushed to hospital with renal failure. I subsequently left, bought new contact lenses and started up working for myself. Happy!
Can you beat these examples?
I had a nice MG ZT-T 190 years ago, which took us to the south of France amongst other places, and was a great car. If suffered, however, from dodgy variable intake flap motors (VIS) so I picked up a new intake manifold on eBay and set about swapping it out. All went well, and I headed off to work on the Monday enjoying the better fuel economy and smoother power delivery.
Until a faint waft of petrol started coming through the vents, getting increasingly stronger. I pulled up at a pub and, leaving the engine running, popped the bonnet to find fuel spraying out like some kind of severed artery.
Lesson: reattach fuel line securely.
Having been towed home by a mate, I continued my commute in an infinitely more reliable TVR.
Until a faint waft of petrol started coming through the vents, getting increasingly stronger. I pulled up at a pub and, leaving the engine running, popped the bonnet to find fuel spraying out like some kind of severed artery.
Lesson: reattach fuel line securely.
Having been towed home by a mate, I continued my commute in an infinitely more reliable TVR.
I had a Triumph Acclaim - It broke down. Breakdown recovery man and my friends told me that the fuel pump needed to be replaced.
4 days, £30, and some bruised/scraped knuckles went by and I had purchased and fitted a replacement - The Acclaim still refused to start.
The next day I replaced a £1.50 fuel filter and all was well with the car.
4 days, £30, and some bruised/scraped knuckles went by and I had purchased and fitted a replacement - The Acclaim still refused to start.
The next day I replaced a £1.50 fuel filter and all was well with the car.
Will need to think because there's been a few!
I do remember trying to remove the oil filter on my 190 Merc. I was trying to avoid smashing a screwdriver through it because it was on top of the engine facing downwards and I wanted to avoid serious mess. I had several filter removal tools and tried them all. Despite getting the filter to spin round at least 1.5 times, I still couldn't get it off. It was at that point a friend walked up my drive, looked at the veins popping from my head and suggested I was actually doing it up... It came off quite easily after that.
Another I remember is stripping down a Volvo door to fit a window motor. Once completed and everything was back together (never doing that again before a test), said test resulted in it still not working. After stripping the door back down, various tests and checks ensued, but alas....
Approx 45 minutes later, I realised I had refitted the old motor. Don't ask...
I do remember trying to remove the oil filter on my 190 Merc. I was trying to avoid smashing a screwdriver through it because it was on top of the engine facing downwards and I wanted to avoid serious mess. I had several filter removal tools and tried them all. Despite getting the filter to spin round at least 1.5 times, I still couldn't get it off. It was at that point a friend walked up my drive, looked at the veins popping from my head and suggested I was actually doing it up... It came off quite easily after that.
Another I remember is stripping down a Volvo door to fit a window motor. Once completed and everything was back together (never doing that again before a test), said test resulted in it still not working. After stripping the door back down, various tests and checks ensued, but alas....
Approx 45 minutes later, I realised I had refitted the old motor. Don't ask...
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