Hi All ..... ! So I have to fess up - I've made a bit of a boo boo this afternoon

 

A handy job that I have done at least 5 times in the last 3 years has eventually bitten me...! I change the front windows back to factory every time I NCT the car and once I have the cert I go back again.

 

Job is fairly handy and everything on the Fabia is a good fit only this time due to my own sheer carelessness, familiarity and rushing I inadvertently dropped the rear clamp of the left hand side window down into the door cavity. Instead of just loosening it off I went too far and it dropped down. I put it all together again with the front clamp only and hope that the window isn't operated ....

 

As far as I can see I will have to drill out all the rivets of the window mechanism to get it out as it seems there are no handy access holes to work with ... Then re rivet it all back again !  

 

Am I correct in this  or does any one have any suggestions that might be handier ...?  Feel like a right tool now 

 

Familiarity Breeds Contempt - How true is that one ?

 

Thanks in Advance Lads ! 

If you had a spare clamp do you reckon you could reattach it through the grommet hole? Or by making that hole bigger until you could? Or cut a hole lower down to retrieve the dropped bit through?

 

1 hour ago, VanhireBoys said:

I change the front windows back to factory every time I NCT the car and once I have the cert I go back again.

 

 

I don't get it. What do you mean?

Heavy tint that won't pass test?

Just now, Wino said:

Heavy tint that won't pass test?

 

Ah, possibly. Cheers, Pete.

Of course, you could always leave the front windows standard. I've seen police rip illegally heavy tints so the owner has to revert to standard.

12 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

Of course, you could always leave the front windows standard. I've seen police rip illegally heavy tints so the owner has to revert to standard.

 

It was the focus of an episode of the Traffic Cops or something like that if memory serves. Can land you in heaps of bother too.

Can you use one of those flexible grabbers to get at it via the grommet hole?  I have one that has got me out of lots of similar issues in the past... 

I reckon you'll need an illuminated endoscope thingy for yer phone and either the aforementioned grommet hole or whip the speaker off to get clearance to put a grabby hand thing in there.

 

If you see a bald man saying you've got five minutes.... You've entered the crystal maze.

The glass clamps themselves are available on the bay...

They're not in all the regulator repair kits, curiously, just some of them.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333540788899?fits=Model%3AFabia&hash=item4da8948aa3:g:~coAAOSwipleYlZ-

 

Good call on taking the speaker off

Try using  a magnetic telescopic reach tool

Lads - A big thanks to you all for the suggestions ! You know this forum has always come up with the info that I need and its my go to when it comes to my Fab. 

 

The grabby tool is definitely sommit I will have to get, Its really useful  - I do have an extendable magnet so I'll give it a go when I have the door cards off again !!  

 

18 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Of course, you could always leave the front windows standard. I've seen police rip illegally heavy tints so the owner has to revert to standard.

 

When I bought the car it came with Dark Smoke tinted windows all round and the previous owner gave me 2 standard windows for the front of the car "For the test". This ritual I have continued.

Well I don't go touring the town late at night anymore and my driving consists of commuting and domestic duty so the chances of getting hassle from the Garda is very slim.

 

Anyway a man of my years (50) has no business engaging in socially unsavory practices - I do like the look of the tinted windows against Diamond Silver if I am honest and if I was advised to lose them then fair enough but its easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. 

 

NCT is tomorrow morning so I've done the due diligence - Light alignment, new wiper blades, fixed an alloy, 2 new tyres and a load of kid mess taken out so we will see how she fares out.  

Not sure about the NCT, but for MOT I don't believe it's a fail if the windows don't work, just a matter of whether they open it for convenience of reaching in from outside while testing stuff, and then whether it goes back up again or not.

Best of luck tomorrow, talking of smoke, any concerns about emissions?

 

23 hours ago, Wino said:

Not sure about the NCT, but for MOT I don't believe it's a fail if the windows don't work, just a matter of whether they open it for convenience of reaching in from outside while testing stuff, and then whether it goes back up again or not.

Best of luck tomorrow, talking of smoke, any concerns about emissions?

 

 

Thanks a Mill Wino ! The drivers window has to operate but they don't check the passenger side ! 

 

Well she absolutely flew the test - clean sheet pass - no advisories and no bodywork issues so I'm really happy ! Another year 

 

Ive never had any problem with smoke or emissions - They rev the nuts off it 3 times and this makes me cringe so I leave the car with them and go elsewhere.

 

I got a figure of 0.100 /m and due to her being of a certain age Euro 3 I'm allowed 2.50/m - what this actually means i haven't a clue ! My car doesn't smoke too bad, the only time is a cold start but there does be a trace on the bumper and tailgate if I don't wash it for a long time.

 

I'm setting about the window job tomorrow and I'll take the speaker out and use the extendable magnet - otherwise I will have to turn her on her nose and shake her till it falls out 😅

 

I'm not great at taking pictures but I will do tomorrow and let yous know how I get on !! Thank again Lads for the advice !!

Its to do with how far the smoke goes out of the tail pipe I think. So if theres a big ream of smoke going more than 2.5m from the tailpipe its a fail. Stupid metric but they can't test diesels for emissions so they just use smoke instead.

A straight piped car would pass on smoke easily unless it has a smoke map or what have you. Not sure if they can fail for a catalyst being missing if it still passes on smoke.

4 hours ago, DieselMonte said:

Its to do with how far the smoke goes out of the tail pipe I think. So if theres a big ream of smoke going more than 2.5m from the tailpipe its a fail. Stupid metric but they can't test diesels for emissions so they just use smoke instead.

A straight piped car would pass on smoke easily unless it has a smoke map or what have you. Not sure if they can fail for a catalyst being missing if it still passes on smoke.

 

Well now - its a smart pup that educates the dog ! Thanks for that DM ! That makes perfect sense - AppLus the NCT private operator are not going to invest a big wad of cash to equip all the test centres with proper equipment so its a testers estimation in meters ! Its seems the Irish way of doing things is alive and well !! 

 

There will be no problem with the vRSDi when you take her up for the smoke test !

Well I changed the glass again back to the tinted ones ! 

 

With the glass out of the door and looking in the gap at the top. I could see the clamp - By getting the extendable magnet down in and picking up the clamp then pushing the loom aside with a welding rod with my other hand it came out the top of the door

 

The picture below is what it looks like ! so I knocked it out rather than loosening it too much ! I got hold of one from a 04 Leon but it was totally different.  

 

It had come out of the plastic piece which is driven by the cable along the runner - A quick check of HatBoy Harvey confirmed 

 

I can see where it has to go but you cant get a right grip of it to reinstall it in the clip - So a lot of swearing and blinding and chat about drilling out the rivets of the window mechanism again!

 

So I again put the glass in the front clip[ as kids had to be collected !

 

I have ordered a very long set of pliers with a 90deg tip so I can reinstate the clamp in the clip

 

Im getting quite prolific at taking the door cards off😄

It's impossible for that part to just fall out which suggests the plastic runner has broken so I'm afraid you're going to need to take it all apart to fix it properly otherwise it will probably jam and break your regulator.

^ Interesting (though a tad depressing for the OP).  

 

The driver's side reg on ours made a loud noise a while back that the missus thought might be a problem; but it's been working OK since. I've been slow to investigate out in the cold, especially as it's a rivetted on assembly carrier, of course. 

I guess that noise was probably one of these plastic brackets giving way. Either the front half or the rear half of the window might be able to be jiggled up/down more easily by hand than the other half, if there's a broken runner, as a diagnostic?

1 hour ago, sepulchrave said:

It's impossible for that part to just fall out which suggests the plastic runner has broken so I'm afraid you're going to need to take it all apart to fix it properly otherwise it will probably jam and break your regulator.

 

Was just going to say the same - been there done that!  I'd be getting the runners changed before it all gets too late and the whole mechanism gets knarled up.

No need for a diagnostic, that little triangular indentation in the clamp is the detent, in order to remove the clamp you would normally have to shove a screwdriver into the plastic runner to lift it over that triangular detent.

Lads - Thanks a million for all the replies and sep for that very clear picture of the runner and clamp - There's deffo no way that can come out without the plastic getting broken ! 

 

From working with classics I'd guess that the plastic has got brittle over time.

 

Ahhh well I have to resign myself to the simple fact that I will be replacing the carrier and drilling out the rivets - I will replace with tech screws and I'll do both sides !!

 

I did replace the red-light on the drivers side door which was always missing ! 😆

 

Im going to have to gather up the new carriers and I'll do this when the car goes in for a bit of a tidy up - Getting a few bodywork jobs done soon, not for cosmetic reasons but just to keep on top of a few spots that are starting here and there ! 

 

As I said before my car is no show pony but a good work horse and because of you lads there is no guesswork - Thanks again 

51 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

No need for a diagnostic, that little triangular indentation in the clamp is the detent, in order to remove the clamp you would normally have to shove a screwdriver into the plastic runner to lift it over that triangular detent.

Diagnostic for ours, not his.