Why is nothing ever simple?

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

You put your car into a garage for them to change your rear engine mount and you expect to pick the car up and it all to be okay don't you? But noooooooo, not with me.

I pick the car up and wahey, the vibration has gone and the car felt 'nice' again. I didn't have to worry about pulling away from junctions & accelerating gently so it didn't vibrate etc, I could just drive the car normally for a change. But then I noticed my indicators weren't self cancelling (as you all probably know). At first I thought fuck it, I'll sort it out another time. But it's just SO annoying, I couldn't put up with it, and the garage fucked it up so why should I have to sort it out? So I phoned 'em up, they said fine bring it in and they'd sort it out.

So I bring it in. Again, expecting to pick the car up and everything be okay on it. But again, nooooooooooo, that would be far too simple Rolling Eyes

So I start the car and think that it sounds strangely loud for some reason. The only way I can describe it was as if there was a hole in the car that I could hear the engine through. So anyway, I think to myself I'll worry about that another time. So I pull out of the garage and I notice the indicator self cancels straight away and so I think wahey it's sorted. I then get to a roundabout and start turning and there is a horrible squeel from the steering wheel. As if it's rubbing on something. After a bit of looking around, I realised what it was. It was the gaitor (or whatever it's called) where the steering column goes out of the floor of the car. It was creased up to fuckery like somebody had just rammed it in there, and the column was rubbing against it when I turned the wheel, and makin a squeeking noise.

Here it is after I managed to un-crease it from the mess they'd left it in.

Good innit. I really wonder what goes through the garages mind. They must have been like "ahh fuck it, he'll never notice" sorta thing. Like for fuck sake.

So yeah, I moved it outta the way a bit more..........

.......and the noise there is really loud. My exhaust is blowing on the down-pipe to cat join, which is basically right by there somewhere. So no wonder I thought the car sounded louder than usual! Fuckin sounds awful.

So I've been trying to fit this fuckin piece of shit rubber back where it's meant to be, but I am fuckin buggered if I can find how it fits. It's got 4 bits comin off it with holes in, as if they're meant to clip onto something on the car body to hold 'em in place. But there doesn't seem to be anything like that down there, and it won't stretch over the hole that it needs to cover at all. I really dunno what's happened to it. Right mess.

Also, on the top of it, there was a bit of plastic hanging out, which when I investigated further was some kinda collar that was in 2 pieces. Here it is.......

At first I thought it was snapped, but now thinking about it, it's probably meant to be like that? So you can actually get it around the steering column? I dunno. But yeah, that wasn't on properly either.

So basically, if I'd have gone to Bristol Zoo and asked a random selection of animals to change my rear mount for me, I reckon they'd have done a better job!!

So do I phone the garage again and get them to sort this out? Or struggle and try and do it meself. Really dunno if I can be arsed goin over there and leaving my car with 'em to fuck something else up on it y'know. But I also dunno if I can be arsed to try and sort something out that they've just fucked up cuz they're a lazy set of twats.

Rolling Eyes

Rant over

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

get them to do it and ask to watch!

ta da!

also how did the mess up the self cancle?

steering wheel came off for what reason?

didnt think you could mess that up by just chaning a mount
Confused

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Well they were quite confused when I phoned 'em to say about it cuz they didn't reckon they'd been anywhere near the steering column. But after they'd done it, they said the steering column had dropped about 1mm and so it was missing the self cancel mechanism or something. God knows how a steering column can just drop tho? I got no idea!

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

ok, those bits of plastic fit inside the top of the gaitor and the lugs at the bottom of the gaitor are meant to be inside the engine bay and join to the top of the steering rack gaitor

they are a bugger to get in, belive me i know from when i changed out the column on mine, they also need to be tie wrapped in place

as mine is

and u can see the lugs of the gaitor in this pic, when i was bolting mine all back together

someone is gonna have fun sorting that out.

and yes the column can drop, it has 4 bolts holding it on inside the cockpit, where u adjust it, the internals of the column can slide in and out you see of the boxy part at the top

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

the moral of the story again:

if you take your car a garage, they will fuck it up

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

use a screwdriver to force the gaiter through the floor, its not that tricky.

The collar is in 2 bits, slide the orange ball thingy up put the bits in the gaiter then slide the ball bit back down and cable tie it.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Cheers for your help guys, I'm still a bit confused as to how the hell it should end up like. Has anyone got any pics of theirs from in the car & also possibly underneath, just so I can see how it's actually meant to end up? That would help me a LOT!

I've just looked at the haynes, and I don't think I should've cuz that's confused me even more!! Doh.

I'm determined to do this myself cuz I don't wannt put it back in that garage. They'll sort it but like fuck up something else while they're doing it. Just can't be arsed.

I spoze the main thing that's confusing me is once I've rammed it through into the engine bay like Chris said (even tho that seems impossible!).........what do I do with it then? I assume those 4 bits with holes in are meant to clip into something?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

neos pic shows it, it doesn't clip to anything, it just goes in the hole in the floor.

theres a slight groove in the rubber, thats meant to slot into the lip.

Its quiote crap in fact as its not a very good seal at all.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Oh so Neo's pic is where it's meant to end up? Sorry I thought that was a work-in-progress pic

Cheeerrrs Very Happy

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

nope thats how it is, pish.

The non ps racks are much better, 1 gaiter and it seals properly.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

So, sorry to be thick, but if I ram it through the hole like you said, then do I have to get under the car and do anything to it? Spoze I do otherwise it might be catching on things or something.

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

it is a WIP pic, of the whole job, bolting in the pas rack etc but like Chris says, all u do is pull the gaitor thru the hole in the floor, it does have a slight groove in it where its meant to seal around the hole in the floor.
you should not have to go underneath, just push it thru from the cockpit.

you will find it easier to fit the plastic collar inside the top of the gaitor first thou.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

I've just been out to the car now and I have given up before I've started really. Like if I push it through from the cockpit, it ain't never gonna end up like in ur pic Si. It'll just be stickin out all over the damn place. And I can't jack the car up to have a look cuz it appears that somebody has stolen my jacking points! Confused

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

stolen your jacking points ?

jack it up on the chassis rail, thats how i jack mine up, i simply dont trust the jacking points on the car, make sure u have it on axle stands before going under the car.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Well I've just pointed my camera down the hole in the cockpit and I got this.........

Now this has confused me even MORE! I'm VERY SO FRIKKIN confused right now. I was expecting to be able to see the floor through there, but instead, it seems to be 'sealed'?!?

Like how the hell to I ram that gaitor from the cockpit into the engine bay like in Neo's pic, if there is no bloody gap?!?!

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

that is the steering column to steering rack joint.

it looks sealed because the big gaitor on the steering rack is up against the bottom of the hole

get your column gaitor put on at the top with the 2 plastic collars and tiewrap, then push it down to the floor so the lugs can be grabbed from under the car.
get under the car, pull the rack gaitor downwards, grab the lugs of the column gaitor and pull it thru.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Well I just figured out what was confusing me so much! I thought the bit in your pic (that looks like it's been turned inside-out) was the same bit as the gaitor I was trying to push through, but now I've realised they're 2 different bits Rolling Eyes

lol. Dear oh dear

So yeah, dumbass moment over and me & my dad have now solved it!

Out of curiosity, is anyone else's sound proofing been cut away as much as mine has? Like all around the top of the gaitor? I'm assuming that's not 'standard'? It doesn't look it!

Cheers for your help by the way guys Wink

legend