Car D.I.Y.

[97_CAH]

Think yourself lucky it isn't a Merc with LED lights - that's a £1600 headlight unit and 2 1/2 hrs to fit, plus coding on a MB computer. Don't ask me how I know

Its why I prefer to keep a slightly older fleet of vehicles. Theres nothing on the van that I cant fix myself. Even on the Nissan Leaf, Its fairly user friendly and Im confident I can fix most problems.

Mrs97 has a 2025 Peugeot 5008 Hybrid. If it wasnt under warranty a headlight would have been £1,715 + VAT and the multimedia screen would have been £3,615 + VAT. We only got it so that we didnt have to pay to go into Bristol Clean Air Zone every day but now we dont have to, we will be getting rid of it next year and replacing it with something simpler.

 

[johnnyb47]

I had a couple of new tyres fitted around a month back and I've noticed one of them has been going soft.
Took it back to the tyre garage today thinking that maybe either the valve was leaking or the tyre was not properly sealed against the rim.
It turned out there was dirty big screw had embedded itself into it.
All sorted now, thankfully it was a straight forward plug to seal it up

 

[DRM]

I had a couple of new tyres fitted around a month back and I've noticed one of them has been going soft.
Took it back to the tyre garage today thinking that maybe either the valve was leaking or the tyre was not properly sealed against the rim.
It turned out there was dirty big screw had embedded itself into it.
All sorted now, thankfully it was a straight forward plug to seal it up

that's a good result, I've found they usually claim it's unrepairable, sell you a new tyre, then plug your punctured one and sell it to a mate/fit it to their car, especially if it's a leased vehicle

 

[johnnyb47]

There good bunch of lads at the tyre depot I take my car to.
The screw was perfectly stuck into the tyre at 90 degrees right into the centre of it.Ive been doing a lot of traveling lately so I'm counting my lucky stars it didn't let go suddenly in the middle of nowhere

 

[Profpointy]

@Bristolian - I just bought a whole car for less than half of that. And it came with two headlights.

My car's headlights cost the same amount each ! The rest of the car was free though

 

[DCLane]

But ... you probably have a bonnet strut. Despite the previous owner buying mats / go faster stripes (anyone want spare 'go faster stripes') / stick-on lights rather than replace the interior light bulb / stick-on protectors / a stick-on bonnet emblem it doesn't have a bonnet strut. Just a threaded metal pole in the boot.

So at least you'll have one of those.

 

[Solocle]

The most recent bit of Car DIY I did was changing the battery. Bit of a bar steward of a job.

 

[gbb]

Just brought me a Topdon AD500, fairly modest level reader £109 off their (topdon) accredited Ebay outlet.
I dont feel the need for anything too high spec, but a bit better than a £30 reader. Gonna have a play later...

 

[CXRAndy]

Just brought me a Topdon AD500, fairly modest level reader £109 off their (topdon) accredited Ebay outlet.
I dont feel the need for anything too high spec, but a bit better than a £30 reader. Gonna have a play later...

Is this the one which looks like a Bluetooth dongle?

Ive seen a few reviews and its got lots of features matching the dedicated units with built in screen.

A nice tablet for a screen and its like having a top end diagnostic scanner

 

[gbb]

Is this the one which looks like a Bluetooth dongle?

Ive seen a few reviews and its got lots of features matching the dedicated units with built in screen.

A nice tablet for a screen and its like having a top end diagnostic scanner

That might be the 600 or 800. The 500 is a straight forward plug in tablet type. It seems intuitive, easy enough to navigate. Not bi directional, but theres a good library of error codes, potential causes and fixes, TPMS, SRS, maintenence operations /resets etc.
As always, you kinda think...ooh, I with i'd gone one level up but then I never needed one before, so what's the point ? It's a bit of interest, insurance if something does go away etc etc

Edited to add. I said it wasn't bi directional, its is of course but only with maintenance resets, EPB parking release, oil life resets etc, stuff like that.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Several weeks ago I replaced the track control arms on my car (A Fiesta based Quantum kit car). It was a bit of a fiddly job, and part way through I noticed oil was pouring out of the gearbox - One of the driveshafts had fallen out! I completed the job, replacing the driveshaft. You've probably guessed the next instalment...... when I added new gearbox oil, it also leaked out. I thought I might not 'get away with it'.
Today, with the forecast of dry weather, I decided to sort it. I removed the brake caliper and disc, disconnected the steering track rod end and removed the driveshaft complete with hub. All good so far, the old oil seal was a struggle to remove, the new one was put on place and the driveshaft reconnected. Parts were put back, and it was then I thought I may as well put on the new brake discs and pads. I bought these about 6 years ago from Mr Auto, and went for the Ferodo parts. Before I fitted the disc I ensured the diameter and bolt holes were correct (should have done that when I received them of course). On it went, and the pads were put in the caliper and the caliper was bolted on. Hmm - it wouldn't turn! What have I done wrong? It turned out I'd done nothing wrong, but the disc was scraping on the caliper! Careful examination and measurement confirmed the offset of the disc was 2mm different to the old disc I'd removed. Fortunately, as the fixing bolts were long enough, I put a 2mm washer on both of the bolts, between the hub and the caliper, and all was ok. Not a problem I'd anticipated, or ever encountered before.