fishsponge's ongoing thread of problems!

[Mr Noisy]

are you in rac or aa fish?

you could 'break down' near home and get it recovered to birmingham?

 

[fishsponge]

good idea... I don't think Green Flag (done through my bank) would be too happy with that plan to be honest... plus, by the time they turned up and got me there, it'd be tea time!

 

[fishsponge]

Well... i've made it to the garage!! (I'm on their WiFi atm).

It's in for front-right wheel bearings & swivel ball, fluid levels (top up if necessary, or replace), grease everything (swivel balls, prop shafts, UJs, whatever else). if they don't find anything major, give it a pre-MOT check as well.

I'm not allowed in the workshop though, sadly

I could learn so much from just standing in the corner watching, but sadly i'm not allowed. I will therefore be given the keys back, job done, and me none the wiser.

I've asked if I can keep the old parts, but it's very frustrating that I can't simply shadow the guy silently. I've no idea what he'll find, nor what it'll look like, I won't learn the proper way to do these things, I won't see how he takes the caliper off (which I couldn't do), basically i'll miss everything. Rather annoying.

Plus, I suspect I won't even speak to the mechanic, because i'm dealing with the front desk, not the mechanics. I'll ask though, when it's finished, if I can speak to the guy that actually did the job. I'll even pay for his time if necessary. I need to know!!!!! What a waste, otherwise.

 

[fishsponge]

It's driving me insane!!!!!! I'm sitting up here on the Internet while I could be watching how to change a wheel bearing and swivel ball, and where all the grease points are!

Oh how depressing...

 

[davek0974]

I sympathise with you, once upon a time, the guy with the spanner would let you watch at a distance. Now its all about speed, get the job done, get the next one on the ramp, rush, rush, rush.

Hopefully will all be good news afterwards, good luck.

 

[puppysandwich]

It depends on the type of garage you use. I have always used a small garage near me for my MOTs and other jobs that I couldn't be bothered to do. In fact over the 10 years I've known them, I've become really good friends with them. I've always steered clear of the bigger commercial garages.

 

[M6SJG]

Interesting isnt it.
In the UK most garages wont let you watch - health and safety is often quoted. However, in most parts of the world you are a fool if you dont! Indeed in East Africa you usually go to the garage with the car prepared to get dirty and certainly watching whats done. You are paying them the same, but your presence keeps them honest and ensures that you get the job you want... Trust is an intersting thing when applied to motor mechanics and indeed all professionals

 

[fishsponge]

Well... it's up on the ramp now... i have a very limited view from the waiting area. it's on the farthest ramp from where I am, and facing the wrong way for me to even see the wheel taken off!

They've had a laugh about the rubber chicken stuck to the front though. Oh, and tied my CB aerial down to the roof bars to stop it hitting the ceiling.

 

[fishsponge]

well, despite the corrosion seen in the pic I uploaded into this thread a while ago (seen below), the swivel ball doesn't need doing apparently and isn't actually corroded enough to warrant replacing it!

Good news (I think).

Still very frustrating not being able to see it and understand why it's not corroded enough though

Also, apparently something was quite hard to remove and they thought i might need a new stub axle. I think that's what they said, anyway. it turns out that everything's fine though.

Does all this sound suspicious, or reasonable/sensible?

 

[fishsponge]

OK, another update!!

It's done. I saw it driven out and grabbed the mechanic for a chat before he went back in.

Transfer box fluid was a little low, so has been topped up. Both diffs are fine and full, both swivel balls are fine and full too. What looks like rust is apparently baked on dirt (wire wool will sort that).

So... no one-shots needed, no swivel ball needed, no oil needed (other than transfer box).

They had trouble getting the bearing off the "stub axle" (i think). they said it has spun on there a little bit, but it came off and cleaned up fine. I'll clarify that with them when I get my keys back in a few minutes (hopefully).

So... i'll give a more detailed update when i've had a proper discussion with them!

 

[davek0974]

Excellent, all souunds feasible and possible.

get a wet rag on the caked on crap and get it off, will help the seal last better.

nice one.

dave

 

[fishsponge]

OK, all done and i'm back home!

I didn't get to see any of the work that was done, frustratingly, but all they had to do in the end was replace the bearings on the front-right wheel and top up the transfer box oil.

So... the swivel ball isn't too corroded. it's mostly just surface rust with baked on dirt. Wire wool or a nylon scouring pad should solve that.

The transfer box needed 2 litres of oil. Is that a lot? It's not leaking anywhere, so I suspect it's not been topped up for years!

They mentioned a slight oil leak engine or sump. I know about that anyway, and i've not had to put any oil in it since i bought it anyway, so I guess it's minor at this stage. The previous owner told me he'd had the crank seal done (which commonly fails on the 300Tdi, i'm told). There's a fair bit of oil around the rocker box cover too, so I actually suspect it's finding it's way down from there. Let's hope so, anyway.

They also checked the levels on the entire underside of the car. this, i guess, included the diffs, swivel balls, transfer box. Presumably that's it. The auto gearbox and engine are done from up top, and I know they're fine. They also greased everything that they could grease. As I don't have a grease gun, and don't know when any of the prop shafts, UJs etc... were greased, I asked them to do all that too.

They also gave it a pre-MOT check over and said everything looked fine and the Landy was in "good shape"!

They did point out that my rear brake pads are low and my O/S/F side lamp is broken, but the bulb should be 5 minutes, and the brake pads around 15, maybe?

Anyway... the old bearings were knackered. The outer bearing was OK, but the inner bearing had pretty much disintegrated, hence the squeaking. My adjustment attempt was perfect, I was told, and that I'd done it exactly as it should be done. I was, however, nipping up a disintegrated bearing, so not ideal. Here's a few pics of the old bearings (which I asked to have back!)...

Overall, it was 2 hours work for just under £220. A lot of money, but I know the vehicle is happy now.

So... thanks for all the help, people!! Next time this needs doing, I'll know how to do the adjustment, at least, and can also teach someone else now!

 

[fishsponge]

Oh, and to remove the brake caliper, you don't need to undo the two bolts in the top, apparently, you just undo the two down the side and it comes off.

Does that mean they bent the rigid brake pipe to get the caliper off??

 

[thebiglad]

I don't care a jot what the garage said, that swivel ball is completed ****ed!! So the large oil seal will be as well and because it's so dry looking there is a better than even chance that is no oil or grease in there.

The reason why more and more Disco owners to their own work is that so many garages have proved themselves to be unworthy of trust.

There you go - I said my bit and I'm off.

 

[fishsponge]

well that's kinda what I thought, but the garage I went to does have a very good reputation, I've heard, for doing very good work. Yes, they are pricey, but they do a good job.

The mechanic was the one who told me it was fine, and showed me a part of it where he had taken it back down to shiny chrome. He said either a nylon scourer or wire wool would get that back to normal again.

How would they check the levels in the swivel balls, anyway? Do they just open the filler cap and stick a screwdriver in there or something?

I'm suspicious now that they might have bodged it

They said they checked all the levels and the diffs & swivel balls were fine and didn't need any grease or oil whatsoever. Trouble is, the first opportunity I'm going to have to check them myself now is at the weekend, by which time they will claim it could have been lost over the coming week.

So what do i do now? I can't phone them up, because they'll say "we checked it and it was fine". I could take it somewhere else at the weekend, but I could also check it myself at the weekend. Either way, it's too late, and I have wasted money that I don't have yet again...

And I definitely have plans for this weekend. I can't put stuff off for a third week in a row

I think step 1 (which will have to be at the weekend again, sadly) is to try and clean up the visible part of the swivel ball with a scourer and see if it really is dirt or deep corrosion.

The garage said the oil seal around the swivel ball was fine too, but did they just base that on the fact that nothing was leaking through it? How did they check the levels?

Would they have had to remove the diff guards to check the diff levels?

I'm wondering if they did anything at all now. I know they did the bearings, but did they bother checking the levels at all?

To be honest, this whole thing sucks now. I thought they'd done a good job, but it looks like at least part of their work is crap.

 

[njh2]

Hi......I think that ten minutes under the car with a torch will tell you if the garage has been and done what it says it has...........firstly, they've done the bearing, so thats sorted (and if you want you can check it by giving it a gentle pull top to bottom to keep an eye on it over the next week or so).

There should be evidence of grease/lubrication on the swivels if they've topped it up, there will be grease around the grease nipples on the prop shafts and around the points that it has been thrown out as the shafts spin, spattering the body work underneath.......if you can't see what may look like damp patches in line with where the grease comes out then it's unlikely that it's been done but.........they may have not put as much in as they should.....

Don't panic, keep calm and carry on...........now the cars mobile maybe you can pop to some one on here who is local to help......and as your willing to have a go it's only going to get cheaper and easier.....

Nick.

 

[fishsponge]

This has actually now made me doubt all their work. Maybe my £214 has just been thrown down the drain. Maybe he spent 20 mins putting a new bearing in and 1hr 40 mins doing nothing.

Basically, I asked them to do the swivel ball unless they thought it was fine. Were they honest and somehow it is fine & full of grease, or did they just throw work away despite me being booked in and now I'm left with the same car I had before, just with less money to enable me to keep owning it?

 

[fishsponge]

Hi......I think that ten minutes under the car with a torch will tell you if the garage has been and done what it says it has...........firstly, they've done the bearing, so thats sorted (and if you want you can check it by giving it a gentle pull top to bottom to keep an eye on it over the next week or so).

There should be evidence of grease/lubrication on the swivels if they've topped it up, there will be grease around the grease nipples on the prop shafts and around the points that it has been thrown out as the shafts spin, spattering the body work underneath.......if you can't see what may look like damp patches in line with where the grease comes out then it's unlikely that it's been done but.........they may have not put as much in as they should.....

Don't panic, keep calm and carry on...........now the cars mobile maybe you can pop to some one on here who is local to help......and as your willing to have a go it's only going to get cheaper and easier.....

Nick.

Thanks for the advice, nick. They should have greased the prop shafts & UJs... There's nothing else to put a grease gun onto, is there? Why would they not put enough in though? Is grease really that expensive?!?

They're possibly the best indy LR dealer & garage around here too, hence why I trusted them.

As for the swivel balls they didn't top them up because they said they were fine, but again - I said id pay for a new swivel ball (that's half of what it was booked in for!) and the one-shots of grease, so why would they not do it? It doesn't make sense ...............unless the swivel ball is actually fine, the oil seal is fine & they somehow checked the levels in there!

What a complete pain in the arse though - £214 down & a day's annual leave, and they might have just not done a great deal of what I asked them to!

It's more frustrating than anything.........

 

[Mr Noisy]

Well fish, you can't be sure until youre sure - so try not to stress out I guess.

It's difficult to say 100% without touching it, bit looking at that swivel ball pic makes me 99% sure it's completely shagged.

They used to be chrome plated, now they're teflon coated, but either way the principle is that they have to be bang on smooth.

Baked on dirt sounds a bit silly to me, and any corrosion is too much corrosion.

If you inspect that swivel ball and its got proper rust on it (which it definitely looks like) then it's ****ed.

I'd be very surprised if that's got grease in there cos if it did it would be all over the ball, the rust patches would be wet with grease.

I'm afraid it's a big 'hmmmmm' for me so far.

Very odd you weren't allowed to watch, i mean yeah ok there is the H&S aspect which is worth trying to enforce, but of they wouldn't show you anything at all I'd be pretty suspicious/peeved.

Sorry mate, not confident over here...

 

[paul_c]

There must be evidence of them undoing and retightening the fill/level plugs in the swivels, if they've looked at them?