Damage to the car - Guess how it happened...

[sigarland1987]

Be careful, being a vauxhall it's probably glued on with egg white

 

The use both the white and the yolk now, QA has improved 2 fold

[KenONeill]

Seriously, I'd expect the issue to be with cars built using a particular batch of glue rather than with $make.

[tamiyaandy]

I Had a Vauxhall meriva 06 plate a few years back, and the drivers mirror glass just fell out onto the road at the time, I was only doing 30mph ( top speed in a 1.4 meriva ) so no damage occurred, but no warning either.... just fell out!!  LOL

[Richf]

The wife was driving my Superb when a lorry knocked the wing mirror off when going around a roundabout , he didnt stop so she (and a witness luckily) gave chase the whole time the whole mirror assy was flapping against the door held only by the cable. New mirror fitted and sprayed came to about £500 but the scratches all just polished out

Edited 11 February, 2015 by Richf

[Outofthi5world]

I'll bear that in mind thanks as I don't want this to happen again.  Bad luck I guess on this occasion and kind of reassuring that it's not the curse of Vauxhall build quality.

At least your car isn't an Astra VXR, they have plastic 6th gear. Yeah, a plastic gear pushing a car around. Crazy hey?

[Ootohere]

They do not really have a plastic or even a chocolate gear do they?

But they did have a bearing not up to the job though.

[Outofthi5world]

They do not really have a plastic or even a chocolate gear do they?

But they did have a bearing not up to the job though.

Just looked this up and you're right, it's the bearing that's plastic. like this one: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=25669

[nickguzzi]

And still wrong!  It's the bearing CAGE which is plastic, not any of the rolling elements or bearing tracks.

[KenONeill]

And still wrong!  It's the bearing CAGE which is plastic, not any of the rolling elements or bearing tracks.

Does that somehow make it stronger?

[nickguzzi]

Does that somehow make it stronger?

 

Not at all, it makes it cheaper.   But there is a world of difference between a plastic bearing and a plastic bearing cage.  

A roller or ball bearing* has to have the cage work as part of the bearing, keeping the rolling elements apart and stopping them from skiddiing, scuffing or, particularly in the case of roller types from skewing.   If the cage get worn or damaged, then failure is not far away.

I'm not a fan, and they are banned on my bike because it has turned out some gear oils can have incompatibility problems.

They "should" be adequately durable.  Provided they are specced and fitted correctly.

 

This is how totally erroneous internet stories get spread,  a quick skim down a thread, notice some "fact", which then gets repeated as gospel, and we're off. 

Just re-read the thread, the initial error was a plastic gear.  How far will that run?

 

 

* There used to be crowded rolling element bearings - no cage at all.  Vincent big ends or old Jag (Moss gearboxes) layshafts spring to mind as particularly horrid examples I worked on.

[KenONeill]

Not at all, it makes it cheaper.   But there is a world of difference between a plastic bearing and a plastic bearing cage.  

A roller or ball bearing* has to have the cage work as part of the bearing, keeping the rolling elements apart and stopping them from skiddiing, scuffing or, particularly in the case of roller types from skewing.   If the cage get worn or damaged, then failure is not far away.

I'm not a fan, and they are banned on my bike because it has turned out some gear oils can have incompatibility problems.

They "should" be adequately durable.  Provided they are specced and fitted correctly.

 

This is how totally erroneous internet stories get spread,  a quick skim down a thread, notice some "fact", which then gets repeated as gospel, and we're off. 

Just re-read the thread, the initial error was a plastic gear.  How far will that run?

 

 

* There used to be crowded rolling element bearings - no cage at all.  Vincent big ends or old Jag (Moss gearboxes) layshafts spring to mind as particularly horrid examples I worked on.

Exactly; I read #33 as meaning that a plastic bearing cage was a good idea although a plastic bearing or race wasn't.