A simple 10 minute job...

wine~o · Post by **wine~o** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:39 pm

Sorta follows on from Someone-else's thread about getting ripped off by garages... Anyrode, my car went in for it's annual service/MOT with an independent mechanic that is really good.
Major service ( new cambelt, brake fluid needs changing, a couple of brake pipes corroded, gearbox oil needs changing, A/C needs recharging and lots of other stuff...)

I also asked him to check the battery as it's been a bit sluggish on turnover, turned out to be slightly dodgy.

So I thought I'd save a few £££'s by fitting a battery myself (His price fitted £ 85. I can get an equivalent for £ 55) Coz I'm not loaded...

Anyway ordered a battery from here https://advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/ who I can recommend, second time I've used them. Sure enough the battery turned up at 3PM , so at 3.30 yesterday I started to replace the battery, a simple 10 minute job

Sooo first remove the bracket that holds the battery to the tray, awkward to get at but with a socket set and 2 x 100 mm extenders could reach it, removed, sorted.

Disconnected battery connections, remove old battery, all going well.

Slide new battery in, go to replace the bracket... drop the bolt that holds the bracket down. Remove battery, look for bolt. Spot it. Wee bit tight to get my hand in between the battery tray /engine block / air filter housing. Manage to grab it out and try again.

Drop it again...

This time I can hear it rattle all the way down to the undertray, *unclips undertray and inserts hand to find bolt*

Hand now covered in all sorts of crap oil and god knows...

Starts again. Just as I think I'm getting there the "socket" drops off the extension... and disappears god knows where, can't see it and not in the under tray.

Remove battery tray and wiring clipped to battery tray, can now see socket but can't reach it.

Remove air filter housing... find where the missing socket is. Retrieve ...

Re-assemble air filter housing, battery tray. Attempt to replace battery.

Drop bolt that holds the mounting plate AGAIN

(well it is inaccessible)

Remove battery tray and associated wiring, swear a lot. Find and remove said bolt and summat else that shouldn't have been there.

Anyway that 10 minute job (replacing a Battery) took 1 hour and 40 minutes,

I think I'll leave it to my mechanic next time

Bob225 · Post by **Bob225** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:22 pm

Murphys law, I did a vanos valve on 07 Mini, Dropped the M5 bolt removing it, but managed to find it, changed the valve And dropped the bolt twice more the last time it dropped down the back of a cast bracket never to be seen again 20 min trip to get a M5x16 bolt

But the outcome was a happy owner, a card with a bonus in it, turns out 3 shops and £450 later didn't diagnosed it as a £30 part and a blown fuse (one of them being a mini 'specialist', The car was going to be scrapped otherwise

ps. the Mini has a super tight engine bay especially with the 16 valve

ayjay · Post by **ayjay** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:23 pm

Get a grip wine~o!

Have you had any problems with your Carpal Tunnels? Lack of a grip is a symptom, although it's usually quite advanced at that stage and you should have noticed other symptoms prior to that.

Dave54 · Post by **Dave54** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:31 pm

Been there. "Just a five minute job"

One thing I have got, that makes things a bit easier when you drop stuff is one of those Lidl bendy inspection cameras. Bought for something else a while back, it's been endlessly useful for all sorts.
Last time I did something to the car, I dropped a bolt, and sure enough it rattled down to the pan. Couldn't see it. Couple of minutes with the camera with the pick up magnet attached retrieved it.
Anyway my battery's getting a touch low after a few days. 12.4 V IIRC. Starts alright, but I noticed last year that it was just a tad sluggish when it was really cold.
I'll take it in I think!

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 6:50 pm

Cheap battery, replace often is my motto.
In my car replacing the battery really is a simple affair (as long as I don't drop anything! lol) in my mothers car it takes much longer and requires remove several bits of engine cover, bloody thing.

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:23 pm

In the difficult bolt situation I stick the bolt onto the socket with masking tape not too thick that it will not break out once it is turning.

DWD

Bob225 · Post by **Bob225** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 11:21 am

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:23 pm In the difficult bolt situation I stick the bolt onto the socket with masking tape not too thick that it will not break out once it is turning.

DWD

The only way to get at is with a shallow socket and a 2" extension bar, its a pig of a job the rear valve it even worse - but that's French engines for ya.