You know how it is - getting on a bit - feeling the heat and cold more. You think all the best DIY savings were in your youth 40+ years ago...
Then a quote from a Fiat dealer - £340 to fit new locks. because Fiat don`t supply single locks and you have to buy a `lock set`. Then there`s labour - and this is cheap, up North labour.
What to do? So back to the scrapyard that`s been there since youth and you still strip parts yourself. You start to strip a passenger door - wanting that side for the likely pristine tumbers..
The heat (yes this week) is on your head, you feel a shiver too - as you do these days as a draught blows by.
Yes, reluctant to admit it but frailer... frailer than doing this aged 17yrs and the body shudders at recollections of ageing clients being admitted to residential and nursing homes. How much longer.. can you do this?
Then, back to the reality of today and flat on your back as the pliers let go of the leverage on the circlip.
It`s off. Charged only £3 by the Gentleman in charge - as lock without key - or perhaps out of pity..
I`m going to leave the detail out here - about how I caressed the tumblers of a passenger side lock with tools and assembled a working lock to the cars existing key and fitted to barrel and sheath on the drivers side... Smooth as silk - the original having worn out (despite oiling) due to 50 door locking/unlocking a day - Home Care duties.
Up and down, crawling around the doors - scrapyard and drive.. I literally had to lay on the sofa most of the next day...
But only £3 cost - following a £340 quote or £130 (approx forgot) for parts... or even £7 for another scrapyard lock with a key (but different key and worn drivers side tumblers)
So what`s your own biggest percentage saving DIY?
Regards
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It's not just the money, it's knowing it was done properly and by someone who cares about the result.
I loathe garages from the bottom of my boots to the top of my ( now) fairly hairless head. I draw teh line at lying in the snow bleeding brakes as I did when a 20 year old.
I mended my Skoda Felicia door lock recently with an old Belgian 10F coin ( I keep them for this purpose) so it was a very cheap mend as the coins are now worthless- were then I suppose.
Saved me a fair bit , but I did not get a quote first. It is central locking and still works BTW.
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I remember taking the tumblers out of a scrapyard lock to fit to a car. The theory being, no-one would notice you could turn it with a screwdriver unles you tried.
The guy that bought it off me certainly didn't.
I also recall getting a head off an Austin Somerset, with ice around. Found it was cracked like the one it was replacing. Wouldn't do it today.
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im in the trade so i have to do things on a needs must basis
fiat punto door locks are easy to build up
fords are harder
some vauxhalls are impossible
citoens are a joke
can i say all that
oh and i hate going to a scrapyard on a cold november morning for something thats going to draw blood
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Would it not have been easier from day one to buy a car with remote C/L or even fitting remote c/l as an aftermarket kit? It would stop the tumblers wearing out and make life a loit easier.....
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It has just occurred to me that I haven't put a key in a car door lock for years! In fact, I've had the Volvo for a year, and if the key didn't actually fit the doorlocks, I wouldn't know!
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..haven't put a key in a car door lock for years!...
On t'other hand, we have a small fleet of vans at work doing daily multi-drops.
A few years ago, the transport manager decided to replace the Transits with Toyota vans of the same size.
Every ignition lock on the Toyotas failed after a few months and the replacements kept on failing - the mechanism couldn't hack the key being taken in and out all the time.
Needless to say, our little fleet is now composed of Fords again.
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the mechanism couldn't hack the key being taken in and out all the time.
I remember on older cars I've owned where the well worn key would operate the well worn drivers door, boot, and ignition locks, but would struggle with the virtually unused passenger door and glovebox locks. Ditto, virgin replacement keys would have the opposite problem.
I have an old Kawasaki ZZR600 motorbike with an original (14 yr old??), visibly worn Kawasaki key which works fine, and a virtually new copy which struggles to take the ignition lock off, but works fine for the helmet lock (never used) and the seat lock
This old, low tech stuff isn't infallible. ;-)
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fitting remote c/l as an aftermarket kit? It would stop the tumblers wearing out and make life a loit easier.....
Which is exactly what I did,cost £70 though.
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My father would part-break his scrappers for starters, dynamos, etc and would then be able to find a decent set of brushes, for example, to get the current £25 car going.
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>So what`s your own biggest percentage saving DIY?
97%
Quoted £68 by Peugeot dealer to replace washer motor on 106, bought one (off a Sierra) from a scrapyard for £2.
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