Does anyone else spend a couple of hours fettling / going over a new car when they get it home?
I put my hand up, I'm a fettling addict ... I'm not happy until I've had the bonnet up, engine cover off and gone round all the hoses, clips etc to make sure all joins and connections are snug, secure and properly joined.
Mind you, it has been worth it ... I've often found vacuum hoses and the like to be badly routed or kinked, or only half-pushed onto connection stubs.
In fact, the jubilee clip holding the inlet hose from airbox to turbo on my new Ford diesel was so badly fitted, that I wouldn't have been surprised if it was leaking.
What explorations do you all do?
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I read the handbook cover-to-cover and try everything.
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I like flicking through the handbook whilst parked up waiting for wife to buy shoes.
I personally wouldn't choose to open the bonnet till it was three years old, but whenever I take a new car round to the old man he'll spend thirty minutes crawling around in the engine bay.
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A number of cars I have bought have had misaligned or badly-latched doors, bonnets, tailgates and so on, and I have gone around adjusting the locks to make the car look better. The difference can be amazing.
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Never look under the bonnet.
Won't read the manual until I have tried everything out and only resort to the manual when I am stuck.
However will keep manual in car and read it occasionally like when SWMBO is at the shops and I am in the car listening to the footie on the radio!
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I have to admit when the 535d arrived I parked it in the garage and played with its toys whilst out of sight.
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try everything.
>>
Yup, you can't be happy unless you've made sure the airbags work...
:o}
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I look under the bonnet for cables or hoses that touch other items (and are therefore likely to chafe when the engine moves) and I wrap PVC tape around at the vulnerable points.
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does going round and.......engine...check....wheels...1..2..3..4....check, count as fettling LOL
Edited by welshlad on 02/04/2008 at 11:22
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Same as BobbyG.
Anyway, I would n't know a kinked hose if it leapt out of the engine bay and bit me.
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I remove alloy wheels and put graphite grease on the mounting faces to prevent the wheels seizing on due to corrosion. At one time I used to put graphite grease on sparking plug threads.
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>> try everything. >> Yup you can't be happy unless you've made sure the airbags work... :o}
Some people like to test the crumple zones too.
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I read the manual end to end , find the tools, check the jacking points.
I despair of modern radios- still struggling with the Hyundai's.
And the climate control does not automatically demist like the Passat did.
Air con only comes on when the sun is out. Unless over ridden.
Must firkle again.
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If new, I just go over the car to see all is ok & familiarise myself with the controls etc - may even read the 'destruction manual' at some point!
If 2nd hand - I go over it from bumper to bumber and check strip and reassemble (as you have no idea what state the brakes etc are in) to ensure that what I am driving around in has not been bodged by some amature home mechanic with just a Haynes manual to work from.
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Not just cars, for any new gadgets, I read the entire manual and then examine all feasible features :)
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Tron, do I detect a hint of criticism of Haynes ....wash your mouth out.
Edited by Webmaster on 02/04/2008 at 21:13
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For me the first hours of ownership are for: driving it; familiarisation with internal controls, tuning radio etc.; taking friends/family for a trip round the block if they?re interested. The first evening is spent studying the owners manual.
For me a cursory look at the engine is compulsory when taking possession of any car (inc. courtesy cars etc.). I think I have a bit of an engine fetish, it disappoints me when cars are listed on eBay without a photo of the engine!
If its my own car I would check all fluid levels; but I don?t check all hoses and bolts; would only do that if I see or hear something untoward.
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Pretty much exactly the same as you. I am from the aircraft industry, where a loose hose clip can be life threatening, so I think it is quite normal to check in the engine bay in this way.
IN FACT, I once bought a new Vauxhall Astra 1.3 and noticed that there was a slight whistling sound coming from the carb with the air-filter removed.
I looked down into the carb with a torch and with both butterflies open, and there was a small hose clip (just like the one on the fuel pipe) stuck down in there !
I gave it some thought, and as it was so easy to remove the carb I did it myself even though the car was only 3 days old, on account of the fact that if the car had been driven further it may have been sucked into the engine.
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Before I buy a car, the controls have to be intuitively obvious.. so reading the manual is a no-no. As for checking under the bonnet, that's waht a new car warranty is for.. I do check everything works BEFORE I take delivery tho':-)
As for testing hoses etc nope. Altho one Audi spilled all its coolant on the M6 south when I was doing 70 in the 3rd lane...and a Rover 800 lost its turbo air intake hose at 60... and a BMW started leaking coolant from a heater hose...
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i got a call tonight my new car is ready for me to pick up friday morning so i may attempt to lose my fettling virginity and actually look at something other then the outside LOL.........just out of intrest where do you find that engine thing of which you speak
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Open the lid at the front or back of the car - a long jemmy, astutely placed, is the best way to do this - and look inside.
If you don't see a lot of filthy pipes and stuff, you may have opened the wrong end. But if there's a further plastic cover inside, smash it or wrench it out without delay. Some modern cars try to trick you with these things.
If there are any wheels and belts and so on visible inside, hold one of them firmly and get a helper to start the car. That should help determine whether you have found the engine or not.
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something other then the outside LOL.........
And the award for the largest amount of lol's used in one day goes to......
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I go over it with a fine tooth comb. Change the oil and filter at around 500 miles to Mobil 1, ( If the specs covered) brush waterproof grease on the subframes and brake pipes...
Meticulously maintain the engine bay with WD 40 from new on all metal injector pipes and fittings. I keep that gleaming along with underbonnet paint.
( I never bother with polishing the exterior bodywork though, just washing every 3 weeks or so)
Having said that, I always have a quick rinse underneath If its been out on a salted road.
I service it myself except for the first service at the dealers, doing 6 month/6,000 mile oil and filter changes myself, before and after that.
If its been problem free, I typically do the second service myself, abandoning the `dealer warranty` that covers the third year.
That`s to avoid anyone else working on my vehicles, sometimes when forced into the first dealer service to keep the main warranty, I have done it all again myself on getting it home, regarding the dealer job as an engine flush.
Doing this, not long since, I found they had used an obscure oil filter with seemingly inadequate pleating, when contrasted with the marque branded Purflux, purchased from parts at the same dealer.
Its little things like this over the years that drives my DIY with new cars and also shapes my choice on whether that`s possible still.
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I even went into the attic to dig out the three cassette tapes that I couldn't bear to bin when we had a clear out, just to try the cassette deck in the Volvo. Much to the amusement of SWMBO who was on the phone to her mate at the time and proceeded to take the mickey for about 10 minutes! They had a good laugh at my expense. "You won't believe what my sad husband is doing" etc etc...
It's the first time I've had the means to play cassettes for about six years, and it was a feature that had to be tested. Perfectly reasonable in my book.
Oh, and it reminded me within minutes why this horrible format died out! :-) Carp sound quality and what's this rewind and fast forward nonsense??
Otherwise, yes I had a play with the various toys and had a good nose under the bonnet. I also read the manual pretty much cover to cover.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 03/04/2008 at 08:30
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"I go over it with a fine tooth comb"
Would I be able to get one of these at Halfords?
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"Would I be able to get one of these at Halfords?"
Sadly I think not ;) , I think its a personality `attribute`, although SWMBO would challenge that.. ;)
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What you need DP is a cassette adaptor for your MP3/ipod. Much better than those FM transmitter things. I know of one person who had a tape based stereo fitted specially in a reasonably new Saab for precisely this purpose.
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fettle and Furtle - never heard that saying till I moved to Shropshire. SWMBO bought a 18 month old two door coupe from a well know japanese car dealer - she picked it up on Friday night and Sat lunch time I fettled and furtled - pulled dip stick out and not a drop of oil on it.
The sales manager asked me to stop swearing - he is lucky he didn't have to remove his head from his rear end - - saying all that the car never ever failed although it did use oil in varying amounts over the years she had it - but i hate to think what would have happened as she raced down M5 to see her mother and the engine said enough is enough. - i now furtle with a fine tooth comb before I leave rob dogs -oops sorry dealers.
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And the award for the largest amount of lol's used in one day goes to......
Probably a Harrovian don't you think DD? They tend to go in for energetic guffawing.
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Reading the handbook (or at least some of it) is a must unless you are already familiar with the vehicle. You really should know how to operate all of the controls. What would you do when a warning light comes on and you don't know what it is when you're on the motorway?
Also, you should regularly be doing a POW(D)ER check on any car. I open my bonnet every week to check fluids, and to look for any obvious faults. You should not leave the bonnet closed between services on any car.
POWDER
Petrol - got enough?
Oil - Engine oil, gearbox oil, brake fluid, p/steering fluid etc.
Water - Coolant, screenwash
Damage - particularly on a new car, or a hire car
Electrics - Lights etc.
Rubber - tyres (condition, tread depth, and pressures), wipers, hoses
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Like a lot of Backroomers I fettle with a new (or newish)car.I usually check such things as cable and pipe runs.It`s amazing how many times I`ve come accross one of these too close to something hot like the exhaust manifold etc. or rubbing against the gearchange mechanism.
Everything that moves is sprayed with white silicone grease.This includes door and boot hinges. Having owned a lot of Italian cars over the years I have learnt it`s good practice to spray all the elecrical connectors with a product called "Damp Start". Despite it`s name,this is a formulation that forms a plastic skin over aforementioned connectors,rendering them proof against water ingress.
This routine does not end with a one off,I will do this on a regular basis of about once every six months.
I have also found it good practice to check the car over if it`s been to the dealer(dear me,I nearly typed "dearer" there;must be a Freudian slip)
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the whole point of having a new motor is to explore it, i'm not happy 'till i've stroked it poked it felt it and smelt it!
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Does anyone not feel though that if you investigate too closely eg bodypanels/alignments/trim fit that suddenly you find something slightly not perfect and then immediately feel "oh it's not quite level/true/perfect" and then get annoyed wondering if you should take it further rather than just enjoying the car as it is.
I tend to find I do get stressed and annoyed that I've made a bad purchase if I find at home that some slight blemish or misalignment is present that I did not see in the shop/the display model...I'm thinking things like appliances/gadgets as have not had a car for 15 yrs. Never bought a new one as I'd think the process would be too stressful given the expenditure.
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Does anyone not feel though that if you investigate too closely eg bodypanels/alignments/trim fit that suddenly you find something slightly not perfect and then immediately feel "oh it's not quite level/true/perfect" and then get annoyed wondering if you should take it further rather than just enjoying the car as it is.
If it isn't right then you will want to get it fixed during the warranty period, not in 5 years time, when you can't do anything about it, and when the problem could be a lot worse.
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Well I suppose I'd get less stressed if I found an imperfection a few months down the line when there's a bit of grime/signs of use about it...rather than finding on day one that your perfect car is not quite so - I'm talking here about smallish trim defects eg the odd scratch/something just a teensy bit not level/aligned. Almost everything I've bought eg appliances/gadgets always seems to have some small thing that you and just you notice eg the fit of doors etc.
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a lot of Italian cars over the years I have learnt it`s good practice to spray all the elecrical connectors with a product called "Damp Start". Despite it`s name this is a formulation that forms a plastic skin
Yes piggy... had an Arna that hated the damp cold Sussex woodland until I used that stuff. It's terrific. The thing never got the Italian sniffles again.
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Can you still get that stuff? I'd completely forgotten about it ... I use ACF50 on electrical bits now (which is an excellent product by the way, I used it on my Suzuki 380 to protect the chrome against winter salt. One application, ridden frequently on salty roads, not washed until last weekend, not a spot of rust anywhere)
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Yes, I always give any new car a thorough going over and read the whole handbook several times over (which with a Merc is not disimilar to reading War & Peace!).
But modern car design conspires against us fettlers. Too many undertrays and engine covers to have a caual glance at things. The worst by far was my Boxster. To even see the engine required quite considerable disassembly - not the sort of thing you could do in an idle 5 minutes.
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