As it says in the topic, the luggage cover in my Combi has stopped retracting all of a sudden. Anyone else had this happen to them and what was the solution?

 

I'll take a poke at it tomorrow anyway, but any pointers in advance would be welcome especially tips on how to dismantle the retracting mechanism at each side. A quick look earlier didn't reveal any obvious screws or clips holding it together.

They are sealed I'm afraid...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/339010-retractable-luggage-cover/

*sigh*

 

Time to get creative so

As it says in the topic, the luggage cover in my Combi has stopped retracting all of a sudden. Anyone else had this happen to them and what was the solution?

 

I'll take a poke at it tomorrow anyway, but any pointers in advance would be welcome especially tips on how to dismantle the retracting mechanism at each side. A quick look earlier didn't reveal any obvious screws or clips holding it together.

The unit can be taken apart, it is not 'sealed'. You need to remove the end caps. To do this I slid a terminal screwdriver up each side to access and release the clips and the spring and tube inside can then be removed. The end of the spring had snapped on mine which is bent into a loop so I just made a new loop and retensioned. It is a bit fiddly but only took about 45 minutes. Retensioning the spring correctly can be frustrating but a few attempts got it set OK.

If your up to have a go, it can be fixed.

I got this fixed today.

 

It took a little work to get the covers off the ends until I figured out where the clips were.

 

It uses a long coil spring along the length of the reel to retract the cover. This spring had gotten tangled around itself, stopping the cover from retracting.

 

The fix involved cutting off the damaged portion of the spring and refixing it to its mount. I also inserted a length of 10 mm steel tubing inside the spring to prevent it tangling up again. Reassembly was a bit of a faff, and I've ended up with it being a little too tight. It retracts a bit faster than I'd like but I can live with that.

 

I'll post some pictures later when I've had a chance to download them from the phone.

Leaving this here for anyone else who runs into this problem.

 

Getting the ends off: the awl and allen key are pulling the clips away from where the latch on. They're slightly hooked so push in on the end as you work your tools in to open it up.

 

This was the mess I found inside. The spring had gotten twisted up on itself and jammed up. If you ever played with a slinky as a kid, you'll have an idea of what happened here.

 

Part of the solution: the long bit is a piece of 10 mm OD steel tubing (8 mm ID). It's just wide enough to be a snug fit onto the end of the plastic fitting that secures the spring. I cut it so it runs inside the full length of the spring. The idea is that the spring is now coiled around it, so it can't twist around itself any more.

 

All reassembled. I cut off the damaged bit of the spring (lost a few centimetres of it as a result). Twisted a new securing loop onto it and fitted the end onto it, now with the steel tube inside it.

 

The final part of the job was twisting the spring to preload it. That was tedious and fiddly. You will probably do it three or four times because you will lose concentration at some point and let go of the end, at which point it'll unwind and you'll have to start again. I didn't take a picture of it (I should have) but the plastic end cap has a keyed shaft that the spring holder fits around. This is what allows it to roll in and out. That end cap is a convenient tool to wind up the spring before you fit everything back together.

This is excellent. I was just about to buy a replacement off Fleabay for around £200. Thank you @chimaera and @Kevlock

 

To add to this:

1. Take of the ends as described
2. Under these is the "sealed unit". One end is the spring end.
3. You can easily unclip this and fix as Chimaera describes
4. Be careful not to let the spring fly back in. I did when I tried to answer my phone, and I had to get a loop of wire to drag out the spring. Really arse. 
5. Then put it back together and wind it up. Don't over wind or it will break again. As I found out. The hard way. About 10 to 15 full turns.

Works a dream. Thanks again. 

Had to join the forum just to say thanks  to Chimaera and kevlock

 

Repaired my luggage cover in 45 mins after two years of frustration and refusal to pay extortionate prices even on ebay .

 

The only bits of extra instruction needed are : which end to dismantle . In my case the right end was the wrong end and the left end was the right end .

                                                                               : after removing outer end cover and shiny spring there are 3 press in clips holding 2nd end cover 

                                                                                : and not to remove the fabric liner cos its a pig to reinstall . 

Had to use 17 turns to tension spring ---lost count 3 times. 

Used some teflon cycle chain lubricant on the slides to assist retraction 

 

relatively easy job with enough screwdrivers and extra hands .

 

thanks.

 

 

Great Post thanks guys

Managed to sort mine, had been broken eversince I've had the car....not anymore! 

Happy to find this post: thanks!
However: the main part of my spring is a total mess - and stuck around the middle of the tube (with the metal/Alu end part). Haven't succeeded in pulling it out, or pushing it (either way).
Any suggestions?

scrap yard for the spring?

Thank you for the guide. The wife and me fixed ours this weekend 🙂