I have just spent the last two days working on cars. Nearly two weeks ago my wife bought another Renault 5. It is almost identical to the one she already owns - except that the latter has nearly 80,000 miles on the clock and the new one has less than 28,000. So we decided it would be a good idea to take all the best bits off the old one and transfer them to the new one.
Now I am not a mechanic. But I have a little book which tells me exactly what to do and how to do it.
Now I am not a mechanic. But I have a little book which tells me exactly what to do and how to do it.
Tailgate gas struts - a doddle.
Swap the back bumpers - no problem.
Wheel trims - a piece of cake.
Swap the radios - OK, I went about it the wrong way. The sensible way, as I realised halfway through the job, was just to swap the whole console. But by that time I had managed - via various sweats and swearwords - to strip out one radio! Ah well, shit happens!
Change the windscreen wiper motors. Well, the book shows you the complete sequence of operations for taking out the windscreen wiper assembly so that should be easy! The book, however, does not allow for the fact that not everything is exactly like the book. So, it says remove the bonnet seals - done. It says remove the windscreen washer reservoir - after some shoving and pushing and a lot of swearing, again done. Remove the windscreen wiper arms - no problem. Unscrew the bolt of the motor mounting bracket - it won't unscrew! The locking nut doesn't lock - it just turns with the nut you're trying to undo! Decided that I can't do that and have to reassemble all the bits I'd taken out just to make a working wiper again. Several hours of wasted labour, not to mention wasted breath swearing at said wiper assembly.
On the whole, though, a reasonable job done. We can live with the fact that the wipers don't self-park. I even washed the new car (that's probably the first and last time it gets washed!).
Several hours work over several days has made me realise that I will never make a motor mechanic.
As I said before - shit happens!
Swap the back bumpers - no problem.
Wheel trims - a piece of cake.
Swap the radios - OK, I went about it the wrong way. The sensible way, as I realised halfway through the job, was just to swap the whole console. But by that time I had managed - via various sweats and swearwords - to strip out one radio! Ah well, shit happens!
Change the windscreen wiper motors. Well, the book shows you the complete sequence of operations for taking out the windscreen wiper assembly so that should be easy! The book, however, does not allow for the fact that not everything is exactly like the book. So, it says remove the bonnet seals - done. It says remove the windscreen washer reservoir - after some shoving and pushing and a lot of swearing, again done. Remove the windscreen wiper arms - no problem. Unscrew the bolt of the motor mounting bracket - it won't unscrew! The locking nut doesn't lock - it just turns with the nut you're trying to undo! Decided that I can't do that and have to reassemble all the bits I'd taken out just to make a working wiper again. Several hours of wasted labour, not to mention wasted breath swearing at said wiper assembly.
On the whole, though, a reasonable job done. We can live with the fact that the wipers don't self-park. I even washed the new car (that's probably the first and last time it gets washed!).
Several hours work over several days has made me realise that I will never make a motor mechanic.
As I said before - shit happens!
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