It appears from the factory manual I'm looking at that the bowden cable is only released if you want to remove the lock carrier from the car - not to slide to service position - yet all the posts I see here show people disconnecting it for service position.  Which is right?

You must disconnect the cable when pulling the front otherwise there is a real risk of splitting the grommet where the cable passes through the bulkhead. This gives (yet) another rainwater leak.

 

I've seen this happen a few times folowing dealer cambelt changes (there's also usually white paint on the drive wheels following the work of these monkeys...) and it's a real menace which can do a lot of damage. As it happens later on, the dealers of course deny all knowledge.

 

Whatever you do, reconnect the cable and check the latch operation before you close the bonnet.

 

rotodiesel.

Whatever you do, reconnect the cable and check the latch operation before you close the bonnet.

 

 

There speaks the voice of experience! 

 

Gaz

Thanks guys, much appreciated - I guess you can see how the technicians make the mistake though if the factory's own manual doesn't tell you to do it (but is explicit that you should if removing the lock carrier from the car).  

 

As it happens I couldn't quite work out how to get my carrier more than 5cm or so forward - passenger side seems very tight so I need to re-read a few howtos.  I unclipped the ATF lines and the various cables; to me it seems like the intercooler and water hoses don't give much (I'm not a mechanic, so very weary of "brute force and ignorance").  Anyway, got in enough to take the snub mount cup off the front of the engine and swap the snub over.

 

I have found that I am missing all the bolts on my wheelarch liner that lock it to the undertray, and those bits of plastic make sounds suspiciously like what I hear in the car.  Just on the way to TPS now.

 

I've changed the snub mount over.  My old one is a bit perished, and measured with calipers approx 2mm squashed versus the old one.  I've fitted the factory spec and not tried to upgrade it (1.9 is a bit of a rattle machine anyway, not sure I want any more of that in the cabin).  One thing I find interesting is that the new snub mount basically completely fills the cup - however the factory manual shows that it should contact at the top of the cup and have a gap at the bottom of the cup (the reverse to manual cars).

 

Found that the carrier was very low on passenger side fixings, which no doubt explains why my headlight vibrates (it was touching the bumper).  So I've corrected that when I put it back.

It sounds as though your car has been in the caring hands of a dealer in the past...

 

One thing the manual does not include is a check of the headlamp alignment when the job is completed. What a design...

 

rotodiesel.

...Whatever you do, reconnect the cable and check the latch operation before you close the bonnet...

And check that the latch releases using a screwdriver instead of the catch.

Yes it has been lovingly cared for...  

 

I've been lazy getting the clips etc as they were mostly missing when I got the car coming up for 3 years ago (with cable ties in their place) - and at some time in the past someone has removed the cable ties without me noticing.  Luckily all the holes still locate the correct "speed fixings" positively.  Cost me £20 to replace them all including the rusted up torx x8.  I also see the intercooler air deflector is broke, the car had a little ding on that side care of the previous owners and it looks like they left that, so got one on order.

 

I'll have to have a look at the headlight alignment in it's new position tonight.  Though I would have thought that the carrier moves up and down on the front of the car perpendicular to the floor (dangerous assumption) so you'd imagine it should have minimal effect on the light alignment?

 

Car drives nicer with the new snub mount - a lot less "jolty" when accelerating and decelerating.  Hasn't fixed my clunking though.

 

Nice tip for the screwdriver, I will give it a go next time.