Just getting warmed up from the perishing cold outside today, and yesterday and a bit to do tomorrow.
I did post on technical but i'll give a brief outline here.
My sons 01 Seat toledo 110 tdi started playing up the other day, the temperature would rise and the heater would blow cold.
Well we grabbed a new thermostat to rule that out, it wasn't that, next we thought it could be that daft plastic water pump problem, but no neither of those it started to leak water inside from the heater matrix ...aaarrggh, wish it had been the water pump.
Anyway, he got a heater matrix and new radiator (very slight seepage so do that as well) from one of the 2 very usual good sources and he set about the job on Friday and i joined him in the afternoon, and today, and final reassembly tomorrow.
Sorry to go on so long....to get to the heater matrix he had to virtually dismantle the whole interior, upper and lower dash board, all instruments and heater/climate controls, glovebox, passenger airbag, all panels, lower steering column and loosen the massive cross member that goes across the dash which forms a strong structure for everything to bolt to. EDIT, and of course remove the centre consol to enable dash removal.
Wipers off, bulkhead underbonnet extras off to get to the various mounting points, separate the 2 systems, aircon and heating and eventually remove the cowling that held the matrix.
To get to the radiator, the whole front of the car had to come off, bumper, front panel, headlights etc, as the rad is clamped between the fans and the aircon radiator.
To say the job has been hell is the understatement of the year, and i dread to think how much this would have cost at the dealership, probably scrapping the car.
I promise i haven't in the least exaggerated things, i'm just dumbstruck at quite how difficult a relatively simple job as this could be, a rad change was so simple a few years ago apart from BL FWD's when one had to be a contortionist.
The PD engine may be a fine motor, but he's no longer sure he would replace with another.
Are all cars now so difficult to work on, we wondered for example how quickly we could have done the same jobs on his Subaru or my old MB W124.
Edited by gordonbennet on 22/11/2008 at 21:21
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Korean cars.
Seriously. All that old-school is making ever more sense in light of current over-complexity.
Four wheels, simple suspension, old-fashioned engineering, basic and well-proven electrics.
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gb
You were taking your time weren't you? It's only a 2.9 hr book-time job for the matrix and 1.3 for the rad.....
So I'm afraid you can only get paid 4.2 hrs bonus for that job - as there were two of you on it, you should have had it parked back out the front after 2hrs 6 mins....
Still; you'll be quicker the next time....
Edited by Screwloose on 22/11/2008 at 21:38
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SL, i have no excuses why it took us so long, it would have been well worth getting the dealer to do the job, 4.4hrs at £50 an hour, we were silly to do it ourselves...
I wouldn't like to try and do the matrix in that time on a 7 year old car, and i'd like to see the mechanic do it..
Jase's suggestion of Korean makes sense, and i should imagine my lads 10 year old subaru being similarly simple, but are the current Korean cars made in Easern Europe as simple as their older counterparts, which weren't always simple by a long chalk.
The lad had a Hyundai coupe before and changing the front discs was an expensive difficult job as they were mounted from inside which meant the whole suspension leg had to come out, and the wheel bearings pressed out which breaks them up, so new discs equals new bearings x 4 which have to be pressed in.
To be fair apart from that the car was completely reliable and stood his treatment which is saying something.;)
I thought wistfully today of how nice it would have been to have done those jobs on a mk2 cortina.
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Yeah the Coupe for some unfathomable reason does seem to be more complex than most -- it's only an Elantra under the skin so what happened I dunno.
Changed the discs on an Accent -- took a mate and I 20 minutes a side despite us being a couple of incompetents ;)
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Funny that you should mention Hy-an-dri Coupes. I recall taking the dash loom out of one to trace a wiring short in the ECU feed. 3 days work IIRC....
Book times sometimes look silly; but someone did it in that time. [Practiced for 3 weeks first...]
Book for an Espace matrix is 3.2 hours - even the dealers have never managed it in less than 14.
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Even I managed to change discs on the Yaris in 30 minutes a side..
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Oh dear GB, and it has been so cold today hasn't it? May I suggest a drop of Scottish nectar to compensate?
We never learn do we? Jobs which are confidently approached with a view to finishing before the kettle has boiled inevitably stretch themselves over enrtire weekends and cost, on average three times as much as we initially estimate. Still, at least you will have lungs full of good crisp air and may even have invented some new words along the way, so all is not lost.......
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I reckon that the heater matrix on nearly every car is the first component, that everything else is built around.
Other than oldie air-cooled antiquities.
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Land-Rovers have got it right - it's in the engine bay. 2 hoses - 2 screws.
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- it's in the engine bay. 2 hoses - 2screws.
And due to constant use never sieze..;)
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No; the screws vibrated out before the first service and it's been held by a bit of sticky foam rubber ever since.
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Tee-hee .....memories !
I had a Land Rover 90 V8 at a time when I needed such a thing and your comments do ring true. In its defence though, it never actually failed to complete a journey. Bits of it would reasonably regularly make a bid for freedom but most of the time a combination of a hammer, a large screwdriver, some cable ties or twisted wire and gaffa tape would see it right for a while.
I sometimes sort of miss it but I don't think I could live with its drink problem at modern prices.
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It does make you wonder. Classic one of course is the oft-discussed problem of headlight bulbs on some cars.
Manufacturers must spend thousands of pounds in their R & D departments just making cars "owner-proof"; remember those splined bolts on a Mk. 3 Cortina head, I've still got the tool for that in me workshop!
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Whenever I am confronted with one of the "Simple" tasks on a modern car I can get all nostalgic for my first, a Reliant Regal. Three of the spark plugs, the distributer and the carb were all removable while sitting in the drivers seat.
Bit noisey with only a thin cover seperating the engine from your knees, but it had it's compensations.
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As ever people hark back to a non existant golden age. There have always been some carp jobs on some cars, and there probably always will be.
Starter motor on a Chevette anyone?
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Just remembered, my lads mate was recalling a friend of his who had a battery replaced on a Vauxhall MPV i assume the sintra.
The friend reported that he was unable to find the battery and in fact the engine had to be removed to fit the replacement.
Someone please tell me this lunacy is an urban myth, if not it must be the most idiotic design of all time.
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The friend reported that he was unable to find the battery and in fact the engine had to be removed to fit the replacement. Someone please tell me this lunacy is an urban myth if not it must be the most idiotic design of all time.
Im sure that is an urban myth... BUT to change the spark plugs on a Merc SLR requires the engine to be taken out - about 2 days I believe!
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Three of the spark plugsthe distributer and the carb were all removable while sitting in the drivers seat.
I changed the clutch on my Rover P4 whilst sitting comfortably on the front bench seat, though doubtless the passage of time has greyed the nasty bits of the job out.
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My TR7 failed its 25th MoT - no braking n/s rear and iffy light switch.
Hammer and pan scourer [plastic not metal] to seized drum brake pistons. Side/headlight switch easily removed and dismantled. [beautifully designed - I wonder by whom] Corrosion removed and copper terminals cleaned - good as new. Partial retest passed.
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