As some of u know i have been trying to get the gearbox out of my 1.2 fabia. This morning after a long struggle yesterday i discover that the drive shaft bolts are rounded out. i manage to get four of the nearside drive shaft undone but cant do the other two or any on the off side driveshaft. In the end because i was on a deadline i called out a mobile mechanic because i was compleatly stuck. he came at around 2.20 this afternoon i showed him the prob with the drive shafts and explained i was on a tight shedule. he got the driveshafts out in about 10 mins. I asked him if i was paying for an hour or if he would charge for the time with a little for his travel etc. he said no it was an hour flat rate. so i asked if he would mind helping me with the rest of the work as i could see a few snaggs up ahead and was panicking about time. he agreed but wanted to get on with the work himself (health and safty etc) i was around outside pottering at one point i asked if he wanted me to move all my tools out the way he said no it was fine. 3.15 comes and he has the box out on the floor. im all happy and pay him the money for an hour. I did ask where he had put the bolts and he said in piles on the floor. I just been in there as i had to go do some shopping for dinner etc and found all the bolts he took off are in one big pile the mount was in one place so i have no idea what goes where.... the dogbone mount in another cant find 3 of the drive shaft bolts at all (the other three were in the driveshaft still. on top of all that when i got under the car to see if i could find anymore bolts i realised when he had put my jack under the engine he hadnt put it on the sump like he said he had... he had it jamed between the sump and the flyheel housing but mainly the whole weight of the car was resting on the cat. the wire like mesh around the cat is compleatly pulled out at both ends and ripped in the middle. needless to say im madder than a march hare but have no proof he did this so cant do anything about it.

a friend is coming tomorrow night to help me put the new box back in but he wont want to bugger about with what bolt goes where.

can anyone shed some light onto which bolts go where ie size of head etc

coop

The bottom of the engine is the sump!!

huh i didnt say anything about the bottom of the engine i said it was between the sump and the flywheel housing!!

As some of u know i have been trying to get the gearbox out of my 1.2 fabia. This morning after a long struggle yesterday i discover that the drive shaft bolts are rounded out. i manage to get four of the nearside drive shaft undone but cant do the other two or any on the off side driveshaft. In the end because i was on a deadline i called out a mobile mechanic because i was compleatly stuck. he came at around 2.20 this afternoon i showed him the prob with the drive shafts and explained i was on a tight shedule. he got the driveshafts out in about 10 mins. I asked him if i was paying for an hour or if he would charge for the time with a little for his travel etc. he said no it was an hour flat rate. so i asked if he would mind helping me with the rest of the work as i could see a few snaggs up ahead and was panicking about time. he agreed but wanted to get on with the work himself (health and safty etc) i was around outside pottering at one point i asked if he wanted me to move all my tools out the way he said no it was fine. 3.15 comes and he has the box out on the floor. im all happy and pay him the money for an hour. I did ask where he had put the bolts and he said in piles on the floor. I just been in there as i had to go do some shopping for dinner etc and found all the bolts he took off are in one big pile the mount was in one place so i have no idea what goes where.... the dogbone mount in another cant find 3 of the drive shaft bolts at all (the other three were in the driveshaft still. on top of all that when i got under the car to see if i could find anymore bolts i realised when he had put my jack under the engine he hadnt put it on the sump like he said he had... he had it jamed between the sump and the flyheel housing but mainly the whole weight of the car was resting on the cat. the wire like mesh around the cat is compleatly pulled out at both ends and ripped in the middle. needless to say im madder than a march hare but have no proof he did this so cant do anything about it.

a friend is coming tomorrow night to help me put the new box back in but he wont want to bugger about with what bolt goes where.

can anyone shed some light onto which bolts go where ie size of head etc

coop

The bottom of the engine is the sump!!

huh i didnt say anything about the bottom of the engine i said it was between the sump and the flywheel housing!!

sorry i guess my grammer is a little off what witht he continuation dots and all however if u read the whole part.... he had put my jack under the engine he hadnt put it on the sump like he said he had... he had it jamed between the sump and the flyheel housing but mainly the whole weight of the car was resting on the cat

sorry i guess my grammer is a little off what witht he continuation dots and all however if u read the whole part.... he had put my jack under the engine he hadnt put it on the sump like he said he had... he had it jamed between the sump and the flyheel housing but mainly the whole weight of the car was resting on the cat

Ring him up and tell him you not happy then.

Surely it's only 3-4 hours work at a local garage to do the work. I've made this mistake before doing a clutch. Took alweekend and my local garage charged £70 + vat to change it. I cried when I found that out.

Otherwise sign up to vagcat and that may help. Look at parts catalogue and that may shed some light.

my local garage wanted 5 hours to drop the box and another 5 to fit it at 60 quid an hour plus they wanted to send my box off for repair rather than fit a reconditioned one. so that would of been 600 quid labour plus 200 quid for the gearbox specalist to look at it plus what ever parts and thier labour.

my problem is im a weakling i have no upper body strength thats my main issue plus i am used to proper british engineering (rover) and as the car was an ex disability car i assumed that it would have been serviced and maintained by proper mechanics... not a bunch of monkeys scratching on the floor for left over peanuts once the elephants have run through.

i shall call the mobile mechanic back up once the car is up and running see what damage has been done to the cat internaly.

coop

plus i am used to proper british engineering (rover)

Blimey. Would have thought you'd manage easily then The last Over I worked on was awful.

maybe i was lucky my rover was owned for the first few years of its life by a local sales rep well maintained and looked after.