SOT (as not DIY): car question

I'm guessing if the insured event was a fire, there would be questions to be answered.

Indeed. My heavily modified Triumph Spitfire with a massive steel exhaust manifild still boiled the petrol in the carburettors at idle after a fast run even with the heat shield

Sounds like an application for a stud welder to me...

Thomas Prufer

I think you need a better garage?

A bit of improvisation should be within the scope of any decent garage.

Tim

Not M10 on to floor panel thickness though.

It's often worth looking for 'classic car' garages, because they're more used to thinking out of the box on things like this. Kwik Fit type places are run on the computer: type in the job and the reg, parts arrive from distributor, fit parts, job done. Anything that's not swapping a part over is something out of their comfort zone. Whereas classic garages will think nothing of fabricating a bit of metal where one is needed.

Theo

Some years ago the radiator cooling fan on my Ford Fusion wouldn't stop, even though the ignition was off and the key was out. The only way I could stop it was to pull the lead off the fan. I took it into the local Ford dealer and said I thought the contacts on the fan relay had welded. 24 hours later they rang me and said they needed another day as nothing was showing up on the computer. The following day they said they'd at last found the problem - the fan relay contacts had welded!

If it's not showing on the computer they're absolutely stumped, especially if they're young lads with little experience or nouse.

I had similar with a well-known tyre and automotive chain. One tyre went flat and was destroyed. I took the car in. They said the rim was corroded and would need to be rubbed down before a new tyre was fitted. This was done. Two weeks later, a second tyre started to deflate. I took it in and they removed the tyre, rubbed down the rim and refitted.

I booked the car in to get the other two tyres checked.

When I got there the guy at the desk asked if the tyres were deflating. I said they were not but I wanted them checked. He said if they were not deflating they did not need to be checked. I said all the wheels were the same age and if two had failed it would be sensible to check the other two, adding that if two wheels on a train failed, would ScotRail (a) check all the wheels, or (b) just wait and see what happened next? He asked what I wanted him to do. I said he should take the tyres off, check the wheels, rub down if needed and refit the tyres.

He said he would put the wheel in water but he would not be taking any tyres off as there was no need.

I went for a coffee. Five minutes later, phone rang: 'Mr S, it's Halfords here. Just to let you know there is corrosion on the rim of two wheels and we will need to take the tyres off and rub down the rims. Do you want us to go ahead?'

I think that merits a red card :-)

Alloy wheels, presumably. Shouldn't they really be re-lacquered locally after rubbing down? The fitting/sealing grease may help reduce corrosion a bit (that's assuming they bother to use it).

A decent tyre place should sort it properly (expect to pay slightly more).

I had this problem years ago. Not corrosion, but the lacquer was flaking. After two tyres, I got the rest done.

I think the lacquer was flaking because of corrosion underneath it (but we're agreeing that the lacquer matters).

No - steel wheels. They said they would be using sealing grease.

Yes, I thought that too as I drank my flat white :-)