Good morning to all from Portugal.

We have a 2003 Mk 1 Fabia hatchback with 335000km on it - probably the most honest little car I have had. It is amazing, owes us nothing and we look after it in the hope that it soldiers on awhile longer.

About a year ago, whilst I was away, HerLoveliness opened the hatchback, and then closed it, during which process the right hand side gas strut parted company from its lower securing point and....smashed the rear glass.

Big Drama!

During the glass replacement, my guess is the service guy either removed and refitted the screw-in nipple, or tightened it and stripped the thread.

Otherwise, we suspect the car was possibly repaired after some accident before we bought it and something went awry during that repair process.

Whatever, the result is that the damn thing comes away from the body occasionally and the strut comes loose again etc.

Luckily we haven't smashed another piece of glass.

I initially tried a Loc-tite fix, which didn't last.

Then I actually bogged the nipple in with epoxy, which lasted a good while but once the summer began and the black car (why does anyone make a car black?) stood in the Portuguese sun a bit, the high temperature caused the epoxy to let go (that particular epoxy lets go around 85degrees C).

Luckily no smashed glass.

Now, before I move onto the next repair attempt (possibly a drill, tap and M8 Helicoil, or else a higher temp epoxy putty plug and drill and tap for M8) it occurred to me to ask - is this a thing on these cars?

Are these mountings known for coming undone?

Is there some simple 'get-a-this and do-a-that' commonly known repair?

Thoughts, recommendations, suggestions all appreciated.

Thanks to everyone, and have a superb weekend!

Hi Jiggz, welcome to the forum.

Bit of a coincidence, but there has been a recent post with a similar problem - using a blind M8 Rivnut has been suggested.

Edited Saturday at 14:555 days by Warrior193
typo

Rivnut or Threadsert should sort it for you.

Rivnut.

I would’ve used one when my mk1 Octavia shed a hatch strut, except when it failed it stretched/ bent the metal around the mounting point.

I just measured a stick to use as a prop until I traded in the car 🤣

Thank you for the suggestions, everyone.

Very, very much appreciated.

The Rivnut makes sense. I have never used one before which is why it never occurred to me, I guess.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

15 hours ago, mac11irl said:

Rivnut.

I would’ve used one when my mk1 Octavia shed a hatch strut, except when it failed it stretched/ bent the metal around the mounting point.

I just measured a stick to use as a prop until I traded in the car 🤣

Yep, there is bamboo in my boot right now! ;)

If possible, splash out a bit for the two-handed type of rivnut setter, rather than the type that looks like a regular pop riveter. You really want the rivnut to be 'set hard' so that there's less likelyhood of it rotating in the hole.

The rivnuts have splines up the side to help prevent this, close hole size is important.

Just now, Warrior193 said:

If possible, splash out a bit for the two-handed type of rivnut setter, rather than the type that looks like a regular pop riveter. You really want the rivnut to be 'set hard' so that there's less likelyhood of it rotating in the hole.

The rivnuts have splines up the side to help prevent this, close hole size is important.

As a purchaser of the one-handed nut setting tool I can support this recommendation. Think "pop rivet pliers" on steroids!

Another possibility if you don't expect to use a Rivnut tool in the future is a manual version - just a nut and bolt and some grunt power (a long handled wrench is helpful).

Here's an M6 one on aliexpress for example: https://www.aliexpress.com/ssr/300000512/BundleDeals2?productIds=1005012182413869%3A12000057813458459&pha_manifest=ssr&_immersiveMode=true&disableNav=YES&sourceName=SEARCHProduct&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005012182413869%7C_p_origin_prod%3A&pvid=c1abb190-ef27-476f-a373-90befdcb3ef6

Edited Sunday at 09:434 days by MikeTheThinker
typo

Well, thanks to all the clever folks here, and Amazon - job done.

I looked at the tool to set the Rivnut, but worried a little about being able to get its head into the gap between the sheetmetal of the bodypanel and the folded lip for the boot seal, so I resorted to the wee toolie that came with the baggie of M8 Rivnuts off Amazon (basically the bolt and nut idea but with a roller bearing thrust washer and some hardened steel washers each side of that ).

I did a bit of incremental drilling until I could fit the Rivnut into the hole (interestingly the hole seems to have some backing material because I was unable to get the hole to just a hole in a steel sheet).

I tweaked it pretty tight, put it all together and so far so good.

I issued some very stern instructions to HerLoveliness about controlling and regulating the travel of the boot lid up and down, with the bullet points

One - if you hear a clack at anytime, STOP! or be prepared for glass everywhere; and

Two - if this lets go, we throw the car away and she can buy the replacement.

Hidden in my back pocket are still

One - removing the rear inside plastic trim panel and removing whatever forms the backing material and thus reducing the hole the Rivnut sits in to a piece of sheet steel, and

Two - using another of the Rivnuts from the Amazon baggie and tweaking it much harder and thus tighter.

Let's see....thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated.

The car passed the Portuguese equivalent of the annual MOT yesterday with a small note about oil leaks, and so it lives to drive another year.

The oil leak - I replaced the injector wiring harness a few months ago and maybe I pinched the new rocker cover gasket on the back edge somehow. Otherwise I have to begin looking for it whilst hoping hard that it isn't a main seal.

It somewhere on the back side/firewall side of the motor I think - turbo/inlet manifold side.

I hope....

The front is clean and dry.

What a superb little car - it often gets 20km/litre, we bought it for 3500 Euro shortly after arriving in the country with not as much as most immigrants five years ago, we have spent a bit on it but not much because I can do the work myself....it owes us absolutely nothing.

Thanks again, people......much appreciated.