gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
No, Cannon. Its been ok TBF, about 4 years old
Mend it and make do
- Thread starter Drago
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Globalti
Legendary Member
The horn button went floppy in the left hand switch cluster of my Honda CX500. A new cluster was going to cost hundreds and I couldn't find one at a scrapper. So I opened it up and found that the conical coiled copper spring behind the button had broken. Made a new one out of copper wire, heated it in a gas flame then quenched it to make it stiff and springy, refitted it and it worked perfectly. Cost of the repair £0.00.
OP
OP
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
My old CX500 was getting a bit lacy, so I sold it on. The lad that bought otmoff me built quite a smart trike out of it. When he came round to view it he arrived on a DR600 with a GSX600F engine in it, which seemed to have great difficulty keeping it's front wheel on the floor as he rode off.
Whirlpool oven - the temperature selector dial had gone crazy - you turn it and it'll go 180..185..190..195...120...150...135.. Got really frustrating trying to set the right temperature and we've lived with it for months now.
After ringing whirlpool and them giving us the hard sell for an extended warranty, I looked up the part and replaced it myself over the weekend. other than a cut finger it was pretty straightforward.
I'm no DIY person but I do get a strange satisfaction when managing to do basic repairs on white goods. Normally I'm IT guy for the family.
After ringing whirlpool and them giving us the hard sell for an extended warranty, I looked up the part and replaced it myself over the weekend. other than a cut finger it was pretty straightforward.
I'm no DIY person but I do get a strange satisfaction when managing to do basic repairs on white goods. Normally I'm IT guy for the family.
KneesUp
Guru
Our dishwasher was leaking from the drain pump, so I took it out and had a look - the seal looked fine but mucky, so I cleaned it up and put it back together. It still leaked. So I sought the correct o-ring, but lacking tools to measure it accurately, I emailed the manufacturer in China and the supplier in the UK (Currys). The Director of the pump manufacturer in China replied first, by about 4 days. However, I couldn't find the correct size o-ring anywhere, and even the importer suggested by your man in China couldn't help. However, Currys eventually replied and told me that I could get one from their parts department for about £6. £6 for an o-ring .3mm larger than the ones I can get for 40p from the hardware shop? Er, no ta. I wrapped the old one in PTFE tape and slapped it back in, and it's been fine for about 6 months so far. I've also replaced the drive belt on the tumble drier - that was tricky as again I didn't have the correct tools so I got a few cuts off sheets of metal I couldn't remove, but that's been going a few years since.
A few years back we were off camping with the massive tent, which means we needed to use the trailer I'd bought for £50 a few years earlier, because it seemed liked a bargain and the car had a tow ball. Only a few days before we left I realised that although the bike rack fits to a bracket so in theory you can tow and fit the bike rack, the trailer doesn't leave enough clearance between it and the car to fit bikes in. Bugger. So then I got to thinking about putting the bikes on the trailer, but I didn't fancy stacking them sideways. And then, leaving work one day I spotted some decent bits of timber in a skip, and an idea hatched. I cut the timber so I two pieces that stuck out over either side of the trailer, then looped ratchet straps around the, so they crossed under the trailer, so I had two bits of wood across the top of the trailer and sticking out the sides. I ratchet strapped a pallet to the top of them, which served as a way to support the kids bike vertically, and then hung the two adult bikes one per side, with them strapped to each other over and under the trailer. It looked a mess, but it worked.
A few years back we were off camping with the massive tent, which means we needed to use the trailer I'd bought for £50 a few years earlier, because it seemed liked a bargain and the car had a tow ball. Only a few days before we left I realised that although the bike rack fits to a bracket so in theory you can tow and fit the bike rack, the trailer doesn't leave enough clearance between it and the car to fit bikes in. Bugger. So then I got to thinking about putting the bikes on the trailer, but I didn't fancy stacking them sideways. And then, leaving work one day I spotted some decent bits of timber in a skip, and an idea hatched. I cut the timber so I two pieces that stuck out over either side of the trailer, then looped ratchet straps around the, so they crossed under the trailer, so I had two bits of wood across the top of the trailer and sticking out the sides. I ratchet strapped a pallet to the top of them, which served as a way to support the kids bike vertically, and then hung the two adult bikes one per side, with them strapped to each other over and under the trailer. It looked a mess, but it worked.
A chiminea was rusting away on the top so when it fell to bits I kept the bottom bit for a fire pit. Painted a dustbin lid black and used it to cover the fire pit when not in use. Looks good.
I pretty much am a womble, will reuse other people's junk too. Saves a fortune.
I pretty much am a womble, will reuse other people's junk too. Saves a fortune.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Sorry, did you mean Womble ?
Haha yes a womble. Altho I do wobble from time to time .
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
A casing screw on my Lenovo laptop kept coming out, now the captive nut has as well. It's currently held together with a wood screw.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Fitter a new door cable to my Smart. The part was £20 from Mercedes, plus about an hours swearing. Once again, the car is faultless and still providing sterling service.
Alwaysbroken
Well-Known Member
Replaced the gear box linkage on my wife’s 1997 VW transporter Caravelle today, not a fan of lying on my back in the cold but better than paying somebody to do it.
The old girl is an ongoing challenge and the VW takes a bit of fettlin as well
The old girl is an ongoing challenge and the VW takes a bit of fettlin as well
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
You can use Euro 20 cent coins in shopping trolleys. There's no danger of accidentally spending them either.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Headlight unit on a Mazda 323. The dealer wanted £200-odd for the light, and 45 minutes labour to fit it.
Ebay - £80. I took 20 minutes to make the change, and I'd never even seen under the bonnet before.
How could it take a trained techie over twice as long to do it?
And, our old Cadillac BLS came without a spare wheel. Factory spare wheels were like rocking horse poo, but pretty much any GM wheel would fit. I ended up with a spacesaver from an Astra IIRC. It looked absolutely ridiculous.
Ebay - £80. I took 20 minutes to make the change, and I'd never even seen under the bonnet before.
How could it take a trained techie over twice as long to do it?
And, our old Cadillac BLS came without a spare wheel. Factory spare wheels were like rocking horse poo, but pretty much any GM wheel would fit. I ended up with a spacesaver from an Astra IIRC. It looked absolutely ridiculous.
Last edited:
Similar threads
