what have you done to your car today ?

Rich.T

Active Member
Feb 15, 2020
1,609
932
Not so much, what did i do to my car. More what did it do to itself!!!!
Driving to work at 5am thismorning i heard the screen crack.
Not a stone chip as there wasn't anything around to flick a stone up.
So waiting for a reply from my insurance no to find out if its covered.
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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
Thanks everyone for the tips on sorting my headlamps out - will be giving it a go over the next week. I might be able to clean the insiders out using long pokey things soaked in IPA or something, so that'll hopefully sort it.

Spent most of today putting my door card back together with Araldite. It would probably have been easier if I had some deeper clamps so I wouldn't have to hold the rivets in place for twenty minutes while the glue dried.

When I drove home today I had the card still off the back door, and that knocking sound was really obvious and I'm about 80% sure it's coming from inside the door. Before I put the card back on I'll be opening the door skin to see if anything is loose in there. I can handle most things, but knocks, creaks and squeaks absolutely do my head in - especially when they're random.


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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
I had a look behind the door skin before putting my door card back on and I think it's another episode of 'f**king garages'

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It's been so long I can't even remember what garage did the lock on this door, but I know for sure that cars don't come stock with duct tape over the window regulator. The rails for the cables are bent as well.

I need to change the lock on this door because the switch doesn't work so the light doesn't come on, the alarm goes off if it's the only door open etc. so my plan is probably to take the whole thing out, replace it with either a skin from a breaker or just try to replace the window mechanism, and put a new lock in at the same time.

Any advice on what would be best course of action would be much appreciated!


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MoToJoJo

Active Member
Mar 25, 2014
823
653
Northants
Replace the whole panel would be my preference, easy enough to find replacements and way easier than trying to replace the mechanism

But hey, if it works then there's no need to replace it just yet
 

Nam-uk

Active Member
May 11, 2011
1,177
350
lancashire.
window regulators hardly go wrong as well unless the bracket for the guide roller is cracked at the fixing point, might be an easy fix though as some plastics glue well using a hard plastics glue but you don't no until you use it on the plastic , i bet Thai has a few of them regulators, only thing i did when swapping out the locks was silicon spray the regulator as they were both stiff.
 

smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
373
188
If you are replacing the lock due to the lock not telling the alarm whether the door is open or closed, there was a brilliant fix posted a few years ago.
You need a magnetic door alarm switch.
The difficult part is that the switch needs to be open (off) with a magnet & closed (on) without. These are a bit harder to find.
Tank cut a suitable hole near the red/white courtesy light under the door, connect brown light wire to switch, (all reachable through the hole for the light). Earth the other pole of switch, glue small magnet on door shut.
Replace the festoon lights with cheap chinesium LEDs to reduce the load that the switch deals with.
Voila. It all works without the usual three hour swearfest. Four if you have to faff around resealing the door panel.

Attached a screenshot from a VAG forum, from before photof*ckit screwed everybody, including themselves.
 

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MoToJoJo

Active Member
Mar 25, 2014
823
653
Northants
Nothing exciting, just a couple of bolts and washers from an X5.

The buying experience was very different from VAG tho, no "Oh that'll be 3-5 days", this time it was "By 12 on Monday"
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,784
1,172
This weekend I learnt that you could put the horseshoe clips on the boost pipes before you put the rubber pipes back in. The pipes just click into place, rather than having to muck about with a screwdriver or something to try and get it seated.

I'm probably the only person on this forum who didn't know this, but thought I'd share my idiocy with you all even if it doesn't turn out to be a top tip...
 
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