Easy and bastard jobs

[Station]

I've just changed the pads on my Mazda.

The fronts were 5 - 10 mins each side. The calipers have those pins which were completely unseuzed and the pads slid out front and back. Putting a little crowbar in and pressing the pistons back and put new ones in! So simple! Id been putting this off all week!

 

 

 

[xtriple]

Bastard job... I once changed the gearbox in a Renault 19 diesel on the drive. Massive fun!

[Tamworthbay]

Speedo drive on a mini when the engine and box are fitted is always fun.

[AMC Rebel]

Every single job on my ZT-T is a total and utter bastard from start to end.

[saucedoctor]

Timing belt on a mark 1 Scenic diesel. Took me a whole day. Horrid.

 

X Type V6 spark plug change looks a 'mare on paper, but was actually pretty easy.

[Bren]

Timing cover on SD1 V8.

Remove bonnet.

Remove rad.

Snap lots of bolts.

[tooSavvy]

Mr Station....M8

 

I have posted B4 that an old gadggie walked past me, whilst doing brakes on my old Savv, and commented "Aye, No one fixes their own car these days/anymore...".

 

I like to feel it a "Good job, Jobbed!"

 

* Getting my MOT man to quote fitting the 4x Dampers & bushes/droplinks.... I am, however, doing my own 10W40 + WIX WL7131 Filter!!

 

 

TS

[83C]

Rover 2.5 V6 Thermostat change. Not designed to be done by anyone with large hands.

[Negative Creep]

Bastard jobs - anything I attempt which invariably takes hours and removes half the skin from my knuckles

[sporty-shite]

Alfa 147/156 bottom front suspension arms. Total, complete and utter bastard.

[strangeangel]

Replacing the clutch in my old Renault Master camper brought out pretty much all of my dear departed old chap's very finest profanities. That was a bastard of a weekend, let me tell you.

[andy18s]

Alternator on a V6 Cougar

Conveniently positioned just behind the drivers front wheel

All mounting bolts can only be accessed from the passenger wheel well......

[warren t claim]

Any rear brakes that require the car being plugged into a computer to wind the calipers back.

[PhillipM]

Replacing the clutch in my old Renault Master camper brought out pretty much all of my dear departed old chap's very finest profanities. That was a bastard of a weekend, let me tell you.

The transaxle one?

I use that 'box in the racer and it's still a bastard even without 2 tons of van-shite on top!

[Squire_Dawson]

By-pass hose or water pump on a Morris Minor - a shit job.

[sierraman]

BMW X5 battery swap. Fuck about! Spare wheel out, reinforcing brace out, air pump out... So on...

[I_am_Diesel]

Rear cross member on a Defender. I thought it would take me just a weekend. Three more like and whilst trying to get the new one to line up with the Land Rover up on lifts it fell off and hit me in the face. Hopefully be at least another 17 years before I have to replace this one.

[Stanky]

Gearbox and Clutch in a 1392cc Almera is less hideous then you'd imagine. In fact any engine work is actually not too bad on one of these.

 

Starter motor on a Mk3 Mondeo TDCI which has advanced DMF is a complete barsteward of a job without major dismantling. It can be done, its just not any fun to do.

 

HG on a Volvo 340 1.4DL isn't too bad, job completed on the side of a public road in a day in sunny Southsea.

[Cleon-Fonte]

Virtually everything under the bonnet of a PSA car with a transversely mounted diesel. The jobs themselves are usually easy but getting to them requires nerves of steel and Mr. Tickle's arms.

 

I still have nightmares when I remember helping a friend change their MkII Clio's droplinks. Certainly not a job to be attempted by a DIY mechanic with only a driveway and trolley jack on which to do it.

 

An honourary mention must also go to Daihatsu Sirion auxiliary belts, which are virtually impossible to tension if you don't fancy removing the engine first.

[DodgeRover]

Easy job change oil and filter on MGZT turbo diesel which invariably sooner or later leads to:

Hard job

Change alternator on MGZT which has failed due to oil ingress caused by stupid positioning of components being removed during an oil change.

[Asimo]

Easy job: timing belt on an O series Princess / Ambassador.

 

Bastard job: timing belt on anything else with a transverse engine.

[cort16]

Alternator on a 100hp panda . Don't , just don't

[Tetleysmooth]

An easy job which normally turns out to be a bastard is fitting a stat to a phase 1 V70.

Torx bolts seized in the stat housing. More often than not the torx part of the bolt chews up, then it's very gently with the hammer and chisel. Got to do one this week. Oh joy.

[Pillock]

Clutch on a Mk2 Astra vs Clutch on a Mk1 Mondeo. The former is half an hour, the latter is how ever long it takes CarTakeBack to turn up.

 

Also easy - clutch release bearing on a VW 020 gearbox, cos it's on the end behind a little pop-off cover. Don't even need to jack the car up, jut bang it on full lock.

[Richard]

Easy- N/S track rod end on 205.

 

Bastard- O/S track rod end on 205.

[Jazoli]

Easy: Thermostat housing on a 2.0L Alfa 147 (20 mins)

 

Bastard: Thermostat housing on a mk2 1.6 focus (3 hours and lots of skin)

[sierraman]

Clutch on a Mk2 Astra vs Clutch on a Mk1 Mondeo. The former is half an hour, the latter is how ever long it takes CarTakeBack to turn up.

 

Also easy - clutch release bearing on a VW 020 gearbox, cos it's on the end behind a little pop-off cover. Don't even need to jack the car up, jut bang it on full lock.

Swings and roundabouts. I had 120k out of a mk1 Mondeo clutch. I wouldn't attempt it though. Certainly not on the driveway. Someone used to doing them though would do it for probably £300-350 cash. Faced with that I wouldn't fuck about at home.

[omegod]

Coil pack change on an early Omega V6, you need 3 wrist joints and 2 elbows to get near the fucking bolts. I've been offered decent money to do one, I am skint and still don't want to change the fucker 

[purplebargeken]

Easiest job in the universe...... thermostat change on a 1300 Toledo.

[twosmoke300]

Christ where do I start ?

Recently - my ducato head gasket . So many fucking parts that have to go on in the exact right order

T4 2.4 gearbox - 6 hour book time my fat Arse

Scenic 2 dci clutch fuck my life

 

Easy - hmm

I find the tdi pd engines easy for clutches and cambelts (fwd anyway )

Hi lux mechanicals are lovely to work on . Just as well as I look after 12 of them