Ten minute jobs that take two hours.
Discussion
Ten minute job: fit a new battery in an Audi A4.
Two hours. What demented soul would hide a clamp fastened with an Allen head bolt in an inaccessible place at arm's length from the side of the car?
The gap was too narrow for an Allen key socket so i cobbled up a tool using an Allen key, a screw driver and a pair of needle nose pliers. Heath Robinson would have been proud of me.
Fitting the new battery was fun too. It's secure up and down but, for some reason, free to slide side to side. I'm not taking it out again. I'll jam some Tupperware in the gap to stop it moving.
Next time:
"How much to supply and fit a battery to an A4?"
"Five hundred quid."
"Bargain."
Two hours. What demented soul would hide a clamp fastened with an Allen head bolt in an inaccessible place at arm's length from the side of the car?
The gap was too narrow for an Allen key socket so i cobbled up a tool using an Allen key, a screw driver and a pair of needle nose pliers. Heath Robinson would have been proud of me.
Fitting the new battery was fun too. It's secure up and down but, for some reason, free to slide side to side. I'm not taking it out again. I'll jam some Tupperware in the gap to stop it moving.
Next time:
"How much to supply and fit a battery to an A4?"
"Five hundred quid."
"Bargain."
Changing the spark plugs in a 2004 V6 Mondeo.
Rear bank is so close to the bulkhead you need to have the hands of a 4 year old or take the manifold/top end off.
Independent mechanics exclude a spark plug from a normal service on the 3.0 V6 and ST220 because it is such a huge pain in the ar*e to do.
Rear bank is so close to the bulkhead you need to have the hands of a 4 year old or take the manifold/top end off.
Independent mechanics exclude a spark plug from a normal service on the 3.0 V6 and ST220 because it is such a huge pain in the ar*e to do.
X-Type diesel, replacing the auxillary belt (which is very close to the side of the engine bay:
"Special tool"? Pah! That's for amateurs!
- 1 hour later, after skinned knuckles, wet arse and trying to bodge a tool with just about everything - I ordered the special tool.
- With the tool - genuinely less than 10 minutes, even though the tensioner has to be removed to change the belt.
(Yes, I did spend 20 minutes trying to manoeuvre the belt around it, before working out that it was indeed physically impossible to do without removing the tensioner!)
On the same car, although not quite 10 minutes the rear wheel bearings:
Remove wheel
Disconnect handbrake cable
2 bolts to remove caliper
Pull off disc
Disc seized on, add 30 minutes
Remove 4 mounting bolts
They have Torx heads, nearly completely rusted. Add 1 hour to faff about then grind flats on for a spanner. Hit self in head when spanner slips
Remove hub and bearing assembly.
Very nicely seized in place. Add about an hour of hitting, prising and soaking in plus gas
Fit replacement.
3 weeks later the other side goes!
"Special tool"? Pah! That's for amateurs!
- 1 hour later, after skinned knuckles, wet arse and trying to bodge a tool with just about everything - I ordered the special tool.
- With the tool - genuinely less than 10 minutes, even though the tensioner has to be removed to change the belt.
(Yes, I did spend 20 minutes trying to manoeuvre the belt around it, before working out that it was indeed physically impossible to do without removing the tensioner!)
On the same car, although not quite 10 minutes the rear wheel bearings:
Remove wheel
Disconnect handbrake cable
2 bolts to remove caliper
Pull off disc
Disc seized on, add 30 minutes
Remove 4 mounting bolts
They have Torx heads, nearly completely rusted. Add 1 hour to faff about then grind flats on for a spanner. Hit self in head when spanner slips
Remove hub and bearing assembly.
Very nicely seized in place. Add about an hour of hitting, prising and soaking in plus gas
Fit replacement.
3 weeks later the other side goes!
I had the opposite yesterday. Was expecting a 2hr job. Dryer making a horrendous squeal. Need to strip it down and locate a failed bearing or the like.
Pulled dryer out and the small teardrop bearing is bolted onto the rear outside of the dryer by one screw. 30 seconds to remove and no dismantling needed. Cost to replace £7.99. Thank you indesit 😁
Pulled dryer out and the small teardrop bearing is bolted onto the rear outside of the dryer by one screw. 30 seconds to remove and no dismantling needed. Cost to replace £7.99. Thank you indesit 😁
steve2 said:
Try changing headlight bulbs on an Audi A6 3.0. ??
I now get Halfords to do it for £8 ??
Been there and got the t-shirt.I now get Halfords to do it for £8 ??
Getting the little metal clip to line up and then get the spring on is like trying to thread a needle with chop sticks, in the dark.
All whilst contorted over with your arm in the wheel arch and your head looking in the front of the lamp assy thinking is this what my life has come too.
Rear 1/4 window motor on a Mitsubishi czc convertible
A really nicely put together machine (for the £)
The b
d rear window thought it was open due to the mechanism snapping, which in turn upset the front windows, which in turn made it a tt to live with as they do a start up health check etc.
Overall space was limited, but you had to get the new assembly through a tiny hole, whilst you are scrunched up squatting in the rear footwell, then line the bolts up using both hands which you’d ideally use to balance yourself
Reckon it took me 5 hours overall, but that did involve stripping the rear seats etc to get access.
Could do it in 2 hours next time
A really nicely put together machine (for the £)
The b
d rear window thought it was open due to the mechanism snapping, which in turn upset the front windows, which in turn made it a tt to live with as they do a start up health check etc.Overall space was limited, but you had to get the new assembly through a tiny hole, whilst you are scrunched up squatting in the rear footwell, then line the bolts up using both hands which you’d ideally use to balance yourself
Reckon it took me 5 hours overall, but that did involve stripping the rear seats etc to get access.
Could do it in 2 hours next time
steve2 said:
Try changing headlight bulbs on an Audi A6 3.0. ??
I now get Halfords to do it for £8 ??
When I had mine (assuming were talking A6 C6 variant) Halfords refused to do it under their fitting costs and wanted to charge an hourly rate for it.I now get Halfords to do it for £8 ??
I did them myself a few times but did it taking the bumper off and removing the headlights as my sausage fingers were no match for the teeny space between the bulb access panel and the 3.2 engine.
The first time was a whole day event for one bulb (and I foolishly didn't replace both bulbs at the same time) and within 2 weeks I had the whole bumper off again to do the other side.
By the time I moved the car on I was a dab hand at removing the bumper, swapping bulbs and putting it back together quite quickly.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff