Holiday Blues

[Coffin Dodger]

I want to know why is it that, every year without fail, come holiday time, my Fabia gets sick? I don't care particularly but it drives Swmbo around the bend. She's cursing my car upside down but the weird thing is that this year she's been the only one driving it so, she can't blame me directly, only by association. Due to health issues I've not been able to drive since February and so she's been giving it a run every week to ten days just to keep it turning over.

We went shopping the other day and God it was hot, so, when we got out of the shop and got into the car I rolled down my window, it got to half way down stopped, went sproinggggg!!!! then the window dropped into the door, fortunately without smashing. Bloody marvelous, classic regulator wire breaking, so we start to drive home and she says "why's the battery warning light just come on?" FECK, FECK, FECK!!! what next? There was absolutely no warning at all, no strange noises, nothing. So I tell her just to drive home and "for God's sake don't stall it girl"

We make it home and I get her to drive it straight into the garage where, upon inspection, I discover that the alternator belt has snapped. Bloody thing had only done 34K and was replaced three years ago (at holiday time funnily enough, when the alternator and pulley went on the blink), the belt looked as though it had done 136K, lol, it was all cracks and little tears, weird, 'cos the pulley wheels all appeared to be in good condition and run smoothly when checked, very strange!

I got the bits I needed and did the belt first this morning, a relatively straight forward job, took about an hour all in.

The regulator was not quite as easy sadly, however, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Tech1e for his guide, 'Removing the ancillaries' it helped enormously, the pictures were invalueable.

I had originally decided to get one of the regulator repair kits off of e-bay but thought I'd wait until I'd stripped it just to be on the safe side and boy was I glad I did. I had to totally destroy the old backing plate and the window guides to get the window out, bummer.

When the window fell down it left the release bolts completely unaccessable, I had to drill out every rivet on the support panel and take it too bits piece by piece. The only good bit was at least I managed to rescue the glass and I only broke two of the door card clips which luckily I had some spare, result. 

The thing that buggered me up was that the local motor factor didn't have the regulator in stock, even ECP were out out. I had to end up getting an O.E. one from TPS. Thank goodness my mate still works there and he got me it at a good price, whew!!

When I was doing the rebuild if it could go wrong it went wrong, lol. If it was fiddly, I had to f*** about with it. It turned a 2-3 hour job into a 5 hour one and I'm still not finished.

Eventually I had to stop because the rivet gun I had didn't have a big enough nozzle diameter for the special rivets shaft. I've got it all held it place with cable ties and tomorrow I'll fit and check the motor and then put the window in as well as the big speaker before I rivet it up. My mate said as soon as he finds it I can borrow his lazy tong rivet gun, so, all being well I'll have it finished tomorrow. (Hopefully, lol).

Ah, the joys of motoring!   

Does this holiday misadventure happen to anyone else, or is it just me?  :wonder:  

[TMB]

I've always thought it utterly ridiculous that they riveted the door ancillary carriers on. I'm lucky in that my model has the earlier bolted carriers. Makes it so much easier.

[sepulchrave]

My window reg. broke just before going to the Isle of Wight, it was hot too, luckily a folded beermat held it up and the aircon still worked.

[Coffin Dodger]

I've always thought it utterly ridiculous that they riveted the door ancillary carriers on. I'm lucky in that my model has the earlier bolted carriers. Makes it so much easier.

 

Agreed 100%. The most stupid design feature I've ever encountered, the person who thought this was a good idea needs a good kicking, my hands and arms are cut to shreds removing the old support plate. The electrical engineer who designed the door lock power supply also needs a swift kick in the chuckies, the access is a joke. You need hands and arms the size of a dolls to get in there.

Edited 21 July, 2016 by Coffin Dodger

[TMB]

I've heard it said that they changed to rivets in an attempt to get a more precise pressure and better seal but I don't buy that at all. Probably more like a penny-pinching exercise, and a very stupid one.

[Alexandru]

See? It's better to work 365 days per year. Not really, I was joking. What was the manufacturer of that belt ? Mine is a Continental and has about the same age and mileage as yours, but it looks brand new. Other than that, you are lucky. My curse is that whenever something gets wrong, I fix it, but immediately something else occurs .. so I have to permanently fix it. I don't complain, soon it will no longer be a teen though. Why do you need a vacation ? You can never get bored with a mk1 Fabia. Not to mention if it's an MPI...those are the ultimate fun machines,

[Coffin Dodger]

See? It's better to work 365 days per year. Not really, I was joking. What was the manufacturer of that belt ? Mine is a Continental and has about the same age and mileage as yours, but it looks brand new. Other than that, you are lucky. My curse is that whenever something gets wrong, I fix it, but immediately something else occurs .. so I have to permanently fix it. I don't complain, soon it will no longer be a teen though. Why do you need a vacation ? You can never get bored with a mk1 Fabia. Not to mention if it's an MPI...those are the ultimate fun machines,

 

Everyone needs a holiday Alexandru, if only for a change of pace, plus it gives you something to talk about with your friends and colleague's, stops you getting boring, lol.

 

I was stunned that it was a Gates belt that snapped, and with the wear rate evident. Gates usually do good quality gear, they are O.E. suppliers of alternator and timing belt kits to almost everybody, including the VW Group. To say I was stunned would be an understatement, tbh it almost looks as though the belt had never been changed when the alternator died three years ago even though I supplied a new one and paid for it to be done.

 

I must admit I had a couple of issues with the garage that done it for me over other things so, it wouldn't surprise me, no wonder I no longer use them. If I'd had the time I would have done it myself but, I had to work that day and needed the car to get home so, was caught between a rock and a hard place as they say.

 

Like you I suffer from the, if one thing breaks as soon as you fix it something else goes soon after, my cycle usually goes in three's and most often it's just before the holiday trip when you need the car. I suppose I shouldn't complain as it gets me to work every day I need it.

 

Agreed that you never get bored with the MK1 Fabia, I find my vRS very entertaining even though it is twelve years old now, it still pulls like a train.

Edited 23 July, 2016 by Coffin Dodger

[Coffin Dodger]

Mucho swear words, my mate's lazy tongs were no use, they were quite a small set and didn't have a big enough nozzle (6.4) and I had to go and buy a set to finish the regulator job, bugger! £40 I hadn't budgeted for and for the sake of 10 rivets in all, feck, feck, feck! The worst thing is I'll probably never use them again. It breaks my tight fisted Scottish heart.   

Oh well, at least the jobs done now. If I can figure out how I'll put up a piccy of the sealant job I've done on the new regulator, just to be on the safe side. Sure as fate if I didn't the bugger would leak! No point in having to do the job twice, lol.

 

 

 

[Tech1e]

I've heard it said that they changed to rivets in an attempt to get a more precise pressure and better seal but I don't buy that at all. Probably more like a penny-pinching exercise, and a very stupid one.

Nope that is the exact reason. A bolt can be left loose or over tightened. A pop rivet has a pre determined break off point so will all be done up evenly.

[Breezy_Pete]

I've no doubt that's what Skoda told their employees, but why believe it?

 

The problem with leaky carrier seals was still there after the change to rivets, so even if they believed it themselves, they were kidding themselves that the issue was uneven tightening of bolts.

[Tech1e]

I've never been an employee of Skoda. I believe it as being an engineer and dealing with rivets and bodywork the theory is sound. It doesn't work, but that doesn't mean that wasn't the intention. It is also quicker to install during production.

[Breezy_Pete]

fair play.

[TMB]

Nope that is the exact reason. A bolt can be left loose or over tightened. A pop rivet has a pre determined break off point so will all be done up evenly.

 

Fair enough but I don't agree. Let's leave it there.