Ok, so for reasons best not dwelt on, a new door mirror has arrived this morning to replace the escaped one from the Qashqai. I'm not entirely or even slightly convinced that it's a real one as it came from a certain jungle based Internet site. However it was only £52.
Would you, or more pertinently, should I, attempt to fit it, or get 'a man' to do it?
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There are a number of questions in life such that the mere asking only highlights that the answer is known, and this is surely one of them.
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I strongly suspect you are right Crankcase, really I do, but there's a small, residual part of my remaining self-esteem that wants to try. However, as I currently occupy the moral high ground on all of this I can foresee a potential pitfall looming...
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Do it yourself. I had to do one on my Ford Galaxy, it was a piece of cake.
(I had managed to swipe the original off with a wheelie bin.)
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An empty one, I presume, or you'd have done well to lift it that high.
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Nope, it was full and I think it was the weight of the thing that did for the mirror. I must have been pulling it at a fairly acute angle. Missus.
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The long term solution, if you have the nerve, is to print out a set of instructions and give Mrs Runfer a tool box and mirror and tell her to fit it.
She won't do it again.
Pat
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Or she'll use a screwdriver to locate where Runfer's keys might be, mentioned in another thread.
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That's unless she finds the gland nut pliers* first.
No, I don't know either, but someone here does and they sound horrific.
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>> Would you, or more pertinently, should I, attempt to fit it, or get 'a man'
>> to do it?
Two more options would be to either leave it in the box - the safest option for the mirror or chuck it straight in the bin and "cut out the middle man" !
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Good suggestion Skip, I might put that to her. ( over the phone, next time I'm out of the country )
;-)
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>> Would you,
I would
>> or more pertinently, should I,
If you have to ask, the answer is almost certainly no.
The real answer of course isi the dependencies. . It depends on whats broken, it depends on what you bought, and it depends on how easy it is to fit.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 16 Dec 15 at 16:46
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And whether or not special tools are required.
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Wish I lived near Ed China. He'd know what to do.
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>> Wish I lived near Ed China. He'd know what to do.
>>
"Paul"
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>> Wish I lived near Ed China. He'd know what to do.
>>
If you did, you could use his garage service.
www.greasejunkie.com/
I do, and I don't.
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What a shockingly bad website, with few products and little service detail.
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>> What a shockingly bad website, with few products and little service detail.
>>
It looks very German. Basic and tells you nothing, not even when they are open.
The Germans have only just caught on to the fact you can maybe tell people when you are open and actually invite them in to buy stuff. But that would mean being nice, better to offer online shopping...yes, that sounds more Germanic.
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>> What a shockingly bad website, with few products and little service detail.
IIRC, his Cummfy banana one wasn't much better.
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>> And whether or not special tools are required.
"special" tools?
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>> "special" tools?
>>
Yes.
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>> >> "special" tools?
>> >>
>>
>> Yes.
Whats your definition of a special tool?
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One that's longer than might reasonably be expected?
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>> Whats your definition of a special tool?
Will this suffice, by way of an example?
tinyurl.com/pxqxdbq
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>> Will this suffice, by way of an example?
>>
>> tinyurl.com/pxqxdbq
Nuffink special about them, nothing that can't be replaced with intelligent use of a screwdriver.
Has to be said however, I do have a set of trim removal tools, quite a few years old, used when I changed speakers on company cars - invariably the first thing I did.
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That all looks quite hard Clk Sec. A 'man' I think...
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"Whats your definition of a special tool?"
A bigger hammer than the one you've got?
Why? Because many years ago driving to Greece, I managed to hit a truck. No, not my fault, which was proved after a night in some dreadful police cell in Montenegro, Yugoslavia (as it was) or somewhere.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we got to Greece but rear wheel arch was catching on tyre at every bump (that's about every yard in Montenegro) so I went to a Greek garage - very cheerful and helpful Greek mechanic said it could be fixed and proceeded to bring me a 2lb (or Greek equivalent) lump hammer and waved his arms signifying I should give it a good whack with hammer. I tried, but it didn't work. Went back to mechanic and he said (in very broken English) "OK, I have special tool".
Brill, I thought, until he appeared with a huge sledge hammer.
However, it worked - was able to lever wheel arch clear away from tyre using hammer arm.
Ever since, "special tool" has meant to me, great big sledge hammer. Not far wrong usually either!
P
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>> A bigger hammer than the one you've got?
AKA a "Sunderland Screwdriver".
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My engineering friend, who worked for Nissan at Sunderland, would take great exception to that. He worked to very high tolerances, and is now employed in the aviation spares industry.
Only joking of course ....but standards are very high in his particular line of work. Thankfully.
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Wouldn't very low tolerances be a thing to be more proud of?
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Correcto WdB. It's been a long day. Buckets of beer, wine , G & Ts topped off with a bottle of nice local plonk accompanying a RibEye away from the hordes. Proper linen tablecloths, silverware and attentive staff all for less than 30 euros.
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...and all the "wife beaters" and "snot monkeys" are now on forums complaining about drunken tired and emotional Yorkshiremen.
;-)
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Not so. They are still at the bar throwing alcohol down their necks in the 22 minutes remaining before they have to start paying for it.
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>>It's been a long day. Buckets of beer, wine , G & Ts topped off with a bottle of nice local plonk
Must be from Lanzarote then.
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...I have, somewhere in my possession, an engineering drawing for a 1970's British Rail cheese sandwich. (really!)
I doubt he worked to greater precision than that, where the thickness of the cheese was measured down to a couple of thou'.
(and don't ask about the "uncontrollable sausage")
;-)
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>> ...I have, somewhere in my possession, an engineering drawing for a 1970's British Rail cheese
>> sandwich. (really!)
>>
>> I doubt he worked to greater precision than that, where the thickness of the cheese
>> was measured down to a couple of thou'.
The cheese was laid down in a specific manner, so the diagonal cut appeared to show two slices of cheese in each half - There wasn't of course. Every sandwich varied no more than 3mm in size from any other, it was a masterclass in standardisation.
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I swapped a mirror on my project Puma. It was three bolts (and a multi-plug if it had had electric mirrors which mine hasn't)
If only Ford hadn't mounted the door card directly over the lowest of the three bolts, meaning that all had to come off as well, it would have been 2 minutes. As it was, it was nearer 20.
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Sounds tempting DP. Thanks !
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You come across as an intelligent fellow, for a Scot. Why not give it a go. You know, from previous experience, that once you get stuck into it, you'll wonder why you were so trepidacious about doing the job.
You have nothing to lose, or loose, as Z would say.
:}
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Or, depending how it goes, you may replace the words 'were so trepidacious about doing' with 'ever started'.
But I do like the word 'trepidacious'.
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If you do it yourself and fit it perfectly and nothing *ever* goes wrong with that mirror or anything near it then you will have acheived acceptable adequacy.
That is the highest possible level you can attain.
If, on the other hand, anything does ever happen it will be your fault.
You have nothing to gain.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 17 Dec 15 at 12:12
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>> If you do it yourself and fit it perfectly and nothing *ever* goes wrong with............
anything does ever happen it will be your fault.
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>> You have nothing to gain.
>>
A good summary of the married man's guide to DIY
Especially when your late F in L could do any house & garden DIY better than many tradesmen
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>> But I do like the word 'trepidacious'.
...it's almost as good a description of his feelings before the event as Schadenfreude will be of ours afterwards........
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>> You have nothing to lose
Only screws and trim clips.
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>> >> You have nothing to lose
>>
>> Only screws and trim clips.
Not if special tools are used...
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>>Not if special tools are used...
Reminds me of back in the early 80's when I was doing a Velox PB with the 6 cylinder injun for a spade down in Waterloo.
I had to change the inlet manifold b'cos the old one had become porous and, I was having trouble removing it.
Geezer said "you haven't got instrument" .. Even now 30+ years on I still occasionally use that expression when I'm undertaking a semi-difficult job.
Last edited by: Dog on Thu 17 Dec 15 at 13:57
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>> I swapped a mirror on my project Puma. It was three bolts (and a multi-plug
>> if it had had electric mirrors which mine hasn't)
what happened to project Alfa?
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>>
>> what happened to project Alfa?
>>
A sad tale involving one of the three of us involved getting a new job and becoming unobtainably busy, resulting in the car languishing unloved in a bush for 18 months, and then having sills and a floorpan turn out to be so rotten when investigated that they were effectively beyond economical repair.
Just to make us feel extra guilty, we put jump leads on it after the 18 month lay up and it started first go and dragged itself out of the bush, flat tyres and all.
Puma needed a clutch and some bushes, but otherwise all done and together. Much cheaper and easier proposition, but miss the Busso V6. :-(
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Project Alfa was a brave try, but as this thread has shown, in married life you just can't beta.
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When its go to go its Zagato go
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Here's my economic theory fwiw Humph...
I understand that you are a very busy person who earns money by selling sandals. So when you have an ounce of free time you share your wealth by paying a mirror installer to install the mirror.
This is how the economy is supposed to work isn't it?! Recirculation of wealth? And you're not stealing food from the mouths of the mirror installer's family! Imagine if any old Tom or Dick became a sandal seller and started eating your lunch :-)
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You can't make much money selling sandals can you? They're dirt cheap here on Tenner Iffy. Flop flips even cheaper...I've just paid €2.95 for a pair of haveabananas. Even the 'proper' ones in Intersport are only €12.95. Unless they are expensive knockoff ones!
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Well, double whammy brownie points !
Heh heh !
This morning, "she" mentioned that her car needed petrol but that she hadn't got time to go and fill it because she was doing stuff involving dusters, vacuum cleaners and various cleaning fluids upstairs. I don't interfere in those matters.
So I volunteered to go and put petrol in her car.
I took a detour via a small garage we've used before and threw myself on his mercy re the door mirror. 20 minutes later he'd done it and only wanted a fiver ( I gave him ten and wished him a happy Christmas ) glad I didn't attempt it myself given that it required a fairly major dismantling of the interior door trim. None of which looked all that difficult but he did indeed use a "special" tool in the form of a flat two pronged fork type thing to get some of the trim off.
Anyway, I returned home to note that "she" was still upstairs and unaware that I'd been out. So what can a man do other than to announce that he has "filled your car up and I've also popped that new door mirror on for you darling"...
She is delighted on both counts and I can spend at least a short while basking in the admiration.
All good really.
;-)
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>> She is delighted on both counts and I can spend at least a short while
>> basking in the admiration.
>>
>> All good really.
I just texted her to reveal your lying cheating sneaky duplicity.
She seemed strangely unsurprised.
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I've checked, she hasn't received any messages from strange old men today. One can only conclude that you have inadvertently texted Mrs Z instead...
;-)
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She'll only expect you to do the same again next time Runfer, only then she may be standing over your shoulder to admire your manly DiY skills.
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On a roll today, just put the chav lights up outside the house, I can't bear the things but "she" likes them...
I love it when a plan goes well..
;-)
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Yule be 'in luck' tonight then Runfer ;)
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Oh I dunno, there's still about 12 hours of potential upsetting time to go before any chickens can be counted.
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Do the decent thing and take your weight on your elbows. :-0)
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>> he did indeed use a "special" tool in the form of a flat two pronged fork type thing to get some of the trim off.
Thank you kindly, Sir...
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The interior of car doors is no place for the faint-hearted or easily damaged. Full of sharp edges and finger traps, bottomless holes down which screws may drop never to be seen again, but heard rattling around ever afterwards every time the car goes over the slightest bump.
A former girlfriend managed to knock the nearside mirror off her Saxo; my fault of course because I'd moved it two feet to the left on the drive so as to get one of the bikes out, and hadn't bothered to either put the damn car back where it was or move the fence panel out of the way so that she wouldn't hit it.
Bought a replacement mirror (under protest) spent two hours cutting my hands to ribbons fitting the damn thing; then she went and did the same thing again a fortnight later. Garage fixed it this time at her expense.
Should add that she was of the school of thought which eschews the use of mirrors for reversing, preferring instead to look through the back window.
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>> >> he did indeed use a "special" tool in the form of a flat two
>> pronged fork type thing to get some of the trim off.
>>
>> Thank you kindly, Sir...
A screwdriver does that job just as well.
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>> A screwdriver does that job just as well.
>>
I thought it might.
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>> >> A screwdriver does that job just as well.
>> >>
>>
>> I thought it might.
It does however take skill, dexterity and touch to turn a screwdriver from an injurious bloodletting weapon into a multi faceted tool.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 19 Dec 15 at 15:24
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>> It does however take skill, dexterity and touch to turn a screwdriver from an injurious bloodletting weapon into a multi faceted tool.
And to lever trim off with it without doing any peripheral damage to the paint.
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>> I took a detour via a small garage we've used before and threw myself on
>> his mercy re the door mirror. 20 minutes later he'd done it and only wanted
>> a fiver ( I gave him ten and wished him a happy Christmas )
>>
>>
You get pocket money to do with as you please ? Still, a bit of a waste of beer tokens with the big man due at the end of the week how are you going to top today ? You may have peaked too early.
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S'like anything to do with cars. When yoos done it once it will be easier next time (experience is the best skool)
While I've not had to replace a door mirror, I have had the door trim orf a few times to replace door window glass.
What I like to do when I have a job which requires getting out of my high-back office chair, is to check out exactly how it is done before I make an attempt at it.
Fortunately, these days, help is ofen just a click away: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyML-268ciU
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It was going a bit too well, now that it's darker, it is apparent that about a third of the chain of outside Christmas lights aren't working.
Now it seems I have go and buy some more, take down the faulty ones...
Sheesh !
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.....or head outside with a "special tool".........
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...One of Runfers selection of shoe horns, perhaps?
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...something for assisting with light brogues (b)rogue lights?......
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£17 for a string of red flipping berries. Jeez.
They'll be a fiver this time next week too...
:-(
( 8 sequence options though apparently, whoopy blinking do. )
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>> ( 8 sequence options though apparently, whoopy blinking do. )
...red followed by red followed by red.....
or red followed by red followed by red.....
or red followed by red followed by red.....
....
??!
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I know tdm, the suspense is killing me, I'll report tomorrow once the exciting deed is done...
( never mind, it'll soon be over )
;-)
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>>She is delighted on both counts and I can spend at least a short while basking in the admiration.
Something is going to go wrong either with the mirror, the door or something close enough to them for her to consider that blaming you is a viable course of action.
Do [will] you choose...
1) Its not my fault, I didn't fix the mirror, even though I pretended to.
2) Its not my fault, its not connected to the mirror I fixed.
3) Sorry dear, I am worthless and will pay for this mistake for years to come as you continually raise it again and again as proof of your tolerance.
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>> Do [will] you choose...
>>
>> 1) Its not my fault,
YES IT IS
>> 2) Its not my fault,
YES IT IS
>>
>> 3) Sorry dear, I am worthless and will pay for this mistake for years to
>> come as you continually raise it again and again as proof of your tolerance.
I really really really advise you accept the outcome of 1 or 2 and do not consider 3 as a viable response.
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>> >>She is delighted on both counts and I can spend at least a short while
>> >>basking in the admiration.
>>
>> Something is going to go wrong either with the mirror, the door or something close
>> enough to them for her to consider that blaming you is a viable course of
>> action.
>>
Don't sweat it, the garage man is a competent chap. I'd be more concerned about a salesman playing with outdoor lighting electrickery.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 19 Dec 15 at 19:13
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I don't put up any decorations at Xmas. Zilch, nada, rien, nowt. If I want to look at Christmas frippery there is some hanging over the bar in both my locals. Previously I used to put up a huge run of small white lights in a tree outside the ex's. Cut my hands to ribbons both putting them up and taking them down, and when the curtains were shut you didn't know they were there.
There is a lovely tree in my hotel reception area. Small brilliant white LED lights. Looking at it now. Had a wonderful afternoon sunning myself on t'beach and lots of swimming in the sea. Has the rain stopped yet in Blighty? Gotta fly home tomorrow... Will Jet2 allow me to bring my Tenner iffy camel on board as hand luggage?
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>> swimming in the sea. Has the rain stopped yet in Blighty?
It was warmer here last night than it was there.
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Tis constantly warmer at night in LC than it is anywhere in Blighty during el dia.
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74 here at the moment.
My lined up G & Ts (x4 cos free drinks finish at 23:00) considerably cooler
Bet it's cooler than that in not so sunny N Yorks.
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Want my margarita recipe?
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Yes.
I haven't had a decent margarita since the last time I was in California. I had several last night which was a testament to my persistence rather than to their quality.
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We drink out of jam jars.
Keep jam jars v cold in fridge. Then quarter cheap tequila ( no point using good stuff) quarter triple sec, half sweet & sour mix ( or diluted lime juice if you cannot buy sweet n sour ready mix). Invert glass onto sea salt so rim is covered, ice cubes in first ( not crushed ice) then add the three ingredients. Slices of lime around the edges. Drink with or without straw. Preferably outside around a fire pit filled with sugar pine cones, which give off amazing colours. Alternate margeritas with Pacifico, Modelo to taste.
Enjoy.
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Off camping next week, that recipe will be coming with me. Thank you.
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Car camping I assume. Wish I could dehydrate the stuff!
Enjoy the camping trip.... Tentatively planning walking the CA section of the PCT next year, N to S so I'm facing the sun. Will meet lots of thru hikers heading N from the Mexican border.
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Yup. SUV into a forest, not far, about 10 miles from the road I should think. There won't be anybody else within miles.
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Lucky sod. Hope no flying insects.
Bears?
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No mosquitoes, no bears, no snakes, plenty of llamas, horses and big a*** spiders.
Fair amount of things that are like large gerbils.
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>> the CA section of the PCT next year
The PCT is supposed to be one of the best. Tahoe down?
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>> Will meet lots of thru hikers heading
>> N from the Mexican border.
Not if Donald Trump gets his way you wont
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I said hikers, not wet backs!
Might sneak into Oregon to include Crater Lake NP & the Cascades.
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"She" wants some new Venetian blinds putting up today. Of course, none of them are exactly the right size and will need to be cut to fit.
I can't get out of doing it any longer having run out of reasons why it's not a convenient time/day/year/decade/weather to do it.
This will end in tears I just know it will. However, the drill thingy is on charge and I will soon embark on what should be a half hour job.
Better just locate the First Aid kit ( and swear box ) in advance...
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sat 9 Jan 16 at 12:52
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>> "She" wants some new Venetian blinds putting up today. Of course, none of them are
>> exactly the right size and will need to be cut to fit.
You'll need a good hacksaw and a sharp craft knife. A drop of paint, too.
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>> You'll need a good hacksaw and a sharp craft knife.
To cut the slats?
I used one of these last time I fitted blinds. Made the job very easy.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/160892096922
Obviously though you'll still need a hacksaw to cut the mechanism bar and bottom weight to the correct length.
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>> I used one of these last time I fitted blinds. Made the job very easy.
A slat cutter. Nice one, Dave. :-)
I'd recommend this lot. Reasonably priced and good quality:
www.blinds-2go.co.uk/
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Dunno if it's a Star cutter but there is a special cutter for those aluminium slats. Takes ages but does a fair if less-than-perfect job. The great risk is cutting one too short when you haven't got a spare. There's a settable measuring device but you have to use it properly. Not difficult, but tiresome and boring. A big element of cobbling too...
Can't imagine how I used to do all that sort of stuff. I let the young or a bloke do it these days.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 9 Jan 16 at 18:16
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Anyway, mission accomplished, I'm quite drained by it all, not least by the fact that the plaster of my 14 year old house appears to be made of soft cheese layered about half an inch thick onto something impenetrable.
"She" is temporarily at least, pleased.
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.. made of soft cheese layered about half an inch thick onto something impenetrable.
>>
...a lintel...?
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>> "She" is temporarily at least, pleased.
Et c'est ça l'important, hmmmm?
You're right though, temporarily is about the size of it. And I take the point about cheese over granite, hard to hang anything much on that.
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Will it end well? - Crankcase
