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Feb 21, 2011 17:39:17 GMT
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So it just took me over half an hour to change a light bulb on my Smart forFour, due to some genius deciding that access to the headlight should be through a flap in the wheel arch which means you can't see what the hell you are doing if your car isn't up on a ramp. This joyous half hour reminded me of changing the spark plugs in my Alfa 33 which seemed to require at least 3 arms and some spark plug pullers that rotated at various angles that they don't rotate at. On the spark plug note my old '72 VW Type 2 Camper had the Type4 engine, which is designed to be accessed from the top, handily all VWs that came with a Type4 engine had an access hatch,... unless you happened to have a '72 Type2 cross over model which had the pre-facelift design goodness and the newer engine,... but no top engine flap. The back two sparkplugs were troublesome, to say least. I hear the Fiat Coupe needs the engine removing to change the cambelt... what other needlessly difficult jobs are out there??  |
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Last Edit: Feb 21, 2011 17:39:31 GMT by HoTWire
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Feb 21, 2011 17:41:48 GMT
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which manufacturer is responsible for the Smart forFour?
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Someone just shot the elephant in the room. |
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Feb 21, 2011 17:46:29 GMT
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changing the discs on a citroen DS supposedly takes about two days as they are inboard... Never had to do it though so not sure... Was warned though.
Same car requires removal of the front wing to change the headlight. Which requires removal of alot of rods and wires too if you have the PALLAS with swivelling up and down / directional headlights...
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Feb 21, 2011 17:47:28 GMT
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For four its a Mitsubishi.
Fiat engine removal is just hearsay, it is doable without removing the engine.
Subaru cam cover seals are a right PITA to do, plugs aren't that bad if you have the right combination of extensions.
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Feb 21, 2011 17:48:28 GMT
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which manufacturer is responsible for the Smart forFour? Running gear is Colt,.. Diesel engine is Mercedes and body work is Smart... so I'm blaming them for my light difficulties. |
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Feb 21, 2011 17:54:26 GMT
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My friends corsa to change the passanger side headlamps you needed to take the whole bumper off and varius other things!
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www.dicedustcaps.co.uk1992 polo breadvan 1988 polo breadvan 1986 Mk1 caddy 1989 Mk1 caddy 1999 Passat estate 1982 Mk1 Golf Cabby
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Feb 21, 2011 17:59:36 GMT
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Headlamp bulbs are hard to change on lots of modern stuff, its the pedestrian safety regs that are to blame, the fronts have all been redesigned and access is less important than a spongy front end.
Difficult jobs i remember include sparkplugs on a fuel injected V12 jag, you need to take quite a lot of stuff apart to get at them.
Doing the points on a Mini Van (the grill is pressed into the body on the vans so you cant take it off for access to the front of the engine)
handbrake adjustment on an E type Jag.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Feb 21, 2011 18:04:28 GMT
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If you think headlights are bad, try getting the heater out of anything remotely modern.
Favorite classic bad job - sprite/midget clutch slave cylinder change.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in |
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Feb 21, 2011 18:05:20 GMT
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Oil filter on a mk1 MX5 isn't easy (especially if it hasn't been changed in a while)
Fiat Coupe / Bravo HGT cambelt according to Fiat is an engine out job (wanted £800) but it is just possible to do it with the engine in.
Gave up trying to follow the owners handbook for changing the bulb on a newer shape Chrysler Neon and even the garage said it was tricky!
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Feb 21, 2011 18:17:52 GMT
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Was in Halfords recently and one of the staff was talking about changing an indicator bulb on a Honda Civic (the plastic front one that looks like a space ship) a woman had just bought the bulb for it, he knocked the job back as it required drilling out rivets on the splash shield etc  I once attempted to fit front brake pads to an Alfasud (inboard discs with the handbrake working on them), that was a three day nightmare. Clutch on a Lancia Thema Turbo I.E, proper way to do it is drop the whole front subframe, box off engine, replace clutch then whole lot back in, we tried to do it by just pulling the box back, managed to get it done but was a swine of a job. That was years ago though, apparently it's necessary to drop the whole front end out of most moderns to replace a clutch. |
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72 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400. 95 BMW E34 525i Manual. 80 Lotus Elite, sold  86 Mk4 Escort RWD V8, sold |
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Feb 21, 2011 18:21:05 GMT
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If you think headlights are bad, try getting the heater out of anything remotely modern. Favorite classic bad job - sprite/midget clutch slave cylinder change. That reminds me, I changed the clutch master cylinder on an Audi Coupe GT, three hours upside down in the drivers footwell, felt like my head was going to burst, in the end it was the clutch itself at fault, not the master cylinder |
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72 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400. 95 BMW E34 525i Manual. 80 Lotus Elite, sold 86 Mk4 Escort RWD V8, sold |
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Feb 21, 2011 18:28:36 GMT
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On the spark plug note my old '72 VW Type 2 Camper had the Type4 engine, which is designed to be accessed from the top, handily all VWs that came with a Type4 engine had an access hatch,... unless you happened to have a '72 Type2 cross over model which had the pre-facelift design goodness and the newer engine,... but no top engine flap. The back two sparkplugs were troublesome, to say least. I thought anything to do with engine removal on a type 2 was a pig to do,having spent ages trying to do up fiddly top engine mount bolts and attempting to thread acc cable through the tiny little hole at the back of the tinware on a mates,i swore then id never buy one and stick to my nice,easily accessible t25 |
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1984 Subaru GLF Hatch
1983 Skoda 120LE Super estelle
1977 Subaru DL Wagon
1978 Datsun 120Y Coupe
1995 Skoda favorit estate
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Feb 21, 2011 18:33:33 GMT
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clutch cable on a diesel xantia:( absolute bumhole of a job
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Lets clear up car terms:
"Understeer" is when you hit the fence with the front of the car.
"Oversteer" is when you hit the fence with the rear of the car.
"Horsepower" is how fast you hit the fence.
"Torque" is how far you take the fence with you.
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Feb 21, 2011 18:44:02 GMT
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Renault Modus head light bulb, bumper must be removed (no access from under the bonnet or through the wheel arch) proper bummer ;D clutch cable on a diesel xantia:( absolute bumhole of a job Citroen Saxo VTS and Peugeot 306 Dturbo both due to engine related clearance issue are both a pig to change the cable on. |
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Feb 21, 2011 18:49:40 GMT
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Timing chain on a Granada Scorpio.
Another engine out job, according to the ford training video I saw 15 years ago ;D
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Feb 21, 2011 18:55:34 GMT
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Water pump on a Volvo 440 1.8. It's held on by about 150 11mm bolts and there's no room to swing a spanner.
Mini balljoints, which always seem to need a shim slightly bigger or smaller than the ones you've got.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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bmw156
Part of things
Posts: 796
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Feb 21, 2011 18:59:15 GMT
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cambelt on a fat  megane. engine in. not good. golf mk4 suspension - the shocks cant be removed with out lowering the subframe! and even then they are stuck solid into the upright. |
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Feb 21, 2011 19:01:14 GMT
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Rover 100 thermostat. What a lovely position to put it in. Below the inlet manifold, infront of the bulkhead. Glorious.
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring. |
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Feb 21, 2011 19:04:59 GMT
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1970s Aston Martin V8 - Rear discs are inboard so anything brakey is diff out which isn't too bad however the propshaft also cannot be removed without taking the diff out due to no removable crossmember. Even if the gearbox is out, the hole in the chassis the prop runs through is just too small to fit the UJ through so it's still diff out to change / rebuild / balance the prop! By the '80s they'd made the crossmember removable however you still have to remove the diff framework...
DB7s all have leaky air con evaporators and it's dash out to repair at around 3 days
Virage have vacuum pipes which are important to running connected to the plenum in the V. If one splits it's many hours to dismantle the plenum
Supercharged Vantage - Spark plugs located beneath the suparchargers so they have to be removed to access the plugs!
In contrast, Datsun 100A clutch centre plate is about 1/2 hour to change! (and it's FWD)
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Feb 21, 2011 19:22:04 GMT
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Was in Halfords recently and one of the staff was talking about changing an indicator bulb on a Honda Civic (the plastic front one that looks like a space ship) a woman had just bought the bulb for it, he knocked the job back as it required drilling out rivets on the splash shield etc Uh-oh, I think I need new headlights on my civic (of that shape). They are HID bulbs and flick off for a split second randomly. Lewis |
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