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+--- Thread: Day of Fail (/showthread.php?tid=4072)
Day of Fail - C.A.R. - 10-06-2012
Do you ever get those days when you just feel that, despite your best efforts, any attempt at getting anything done is futile?
Today I set about replacing the front bumper on the F*cking-Focus. What a hateful, hateful car to work on.
The first thing was to jack the car up, simple enough, the standard suspension should make this easy.
Oh no, the jack won't reach under the cills. So scissor jack first (didn't have anything to drive onto) making the process twice as long.
Stage 1 complete, wheels removed. 30 bloody minutes later.
Next up, I need to remove the arch liners, just so I can remove the headlights. Painful exercise let me tell you, as you reach into the front bumper from the arch, feeling for a 10mm bolt securing the headlights. Once this is done you need to simply unclip the headlight unit from the loom.
Even this, simple, 2-second-at-the-most task took a good 5 minutes faffing around with the plug because a tab had broken off and the headlamp had decided that it didn't want to be parted with the car.
Headlights now off. Moving on.
Grille comes off, piece of piss. Finally some respite.
Bumper now, Haynes says this is the easy bit, "simply remove the 3 bolts securing the bumper to each wing"
"simply" was a poor use of literature. Whilst modern Fords are losing their image of being rust-buckets the bolts holding them together still maintain the moniker, with every one of the 6 I needed to remove an absolute b*stardisation of the bolt that it once represented. Rusted. To. F*ck.
Access to each bolt head was of course, absolutely crap. With a lot of swearing I had finally removed my old knackered bumper some 2 hours before starting. I never want to hear you moan about working on your 306s again, because bumper removal on those is a doddle compared to this bullsh*t.
At this point it would be nice to be able to say "reassembly was simply a reverse of the above steps" but oh no, it was a real pain in the arse.
A front lower splitter on most regular cars is, at the very least, bolted on. Or screwed on. Or bonded on.
On a Focus, it f*cking clips on. But the force you need to apply to 'clip' it to the front bumper is equivalent to that of forcing an elephant into a porta-loo. It ain't gonna happen.
After 7 and a half hours on the Focus, it was all finished. I was too depressed to take a "yay look I've finished" picture so just have this one from halfway through.
![[Image: 194ec4c5.jpg]](http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq25/chris_rx71/194ec4c5.jpg)
I hate this car.
Re: Day of Fail - Niall - 10-06-2012
Shouldn't of bought a ford
Re: Day of Fail - Toms306 - 10-06-2012
The answer to your first question.....YES I have those days every single day....and people wonder why I moan so much.
Good to know its not just me though.
Re: Day of Fail - Eeyore - 10-06-2012
dw mate. I hate it too! nah just kidding... well i had my own fail today... painted my brakes and whilst they were drying decided to redo my fuel line as it was leaking... new jubilee clips on and it started pissing everywhere so i took it off and poured petrol all over my hands and into my cuts that i managed to make whilst removing the brakes. Then it started to rain... so i was in the rain and found that the old jubilee clips had cut through the pipe and i didnt have any spare pipe! D: So cut the cut ends off the old pipe and thank god it fitted and i found a decent jubilee clip that did up just right. Came in soaked
Re: Day of Fail - C.A.R. - 10-06-2012
Niall Wrote:Shouldn't of bought a ford
All the time I was doing it I was imagining doing all the same processes on my 306. And how much easier those processes were.
The Ford isn't even any more complicated though! It's just bloody stupid!
Re: Day of Fail - mark_airey - 10-06-2012
Has to be said that I told you so...............but as usual you knew better, they are a great car clearly!
At least they put the problem in a blue circle for you at both ends of the car!
Re: Day of Fail - procta - 10-06-2012
car never expect jobs like that to be simple! the amount of times i have had to leave a job due to things not going right have been pure silly!
i havent took my 306 to bits as i havent needed to but the metro i have.
jobs that should have been an hrs work has turned into a day or twos work!
the ones that i have expected to be a nightmere have gone really well.
the haynes manual is a bit of a waste of time tbh, good as a bit of a guide thats it.
Re: Day of Fail - THE_Liam - 10-06-2012
It's the same working on the Skoda, just needlessly, pointlessly, obstructively complicated. 306s are easy to work on, compared to most cars...
I would love a Capri. No PAS, no electric "conveniences", no EFI, no electronic ignition, no traction control, no ABS, no immobiliser, no MAF, no lambda, no TPS.... Bliss
Re: Day of Fail - procta - 10-06-2012
THE_Liam Wrote:It's the same working on the Skoda, just needlessly, pointlessly, obstructively complicated. 306s are easy to work on, compared to most cars...
I would love a Capri. No PAS, no electric "conveniences", no EFI, no electronic ignition, no traction control, no ABS, no immobiliser, no MAF, no lambda, no TPS.... Bliss
old fords are the best!
Re: Day of Fail - Eeyore - 10-06-2012
I always wanted a capri as my first car but parents said the bonnet was too long to learn to drive in. Im allowed one now though
Re: Day of Fail - swampy - 10-06-2012
It's not just the focus that is harder to work on it is all cars!!!
Due to ru rules it's getting harder and harder for an every day person to work on a car!!!
Not just due to glow complex they are but due to a new never ending array of special tools you need even to do a simple job!!!
Mondeo tdci ckutch, you have to remove the lower subframe , easy enough but you need s jig to realign it correctly!!!
Re: Day of Fail - swampy - 10-06-2012
It's not just the focus that is harder to work on it is all cars!!!
Due to EU rules it's getting harder and harder for an every day person to work on a car!!!
Not just due to glow complex they are but due to a new never ending array of special tools you need even to do a simple job!!!
Mondeo tdci ckutch, you have to remove the lower subframe , easy enough but you need s jig to realign it correctly!!!
Re: Day of Fail - Eeyore - 10-06-2012
double post! D:
Re: Day of Fail - Dum-Dum - 11-06-2012
If you want to be annoyed I could tell you that I dont even need to jack the car up to remove the BMWs front bumper. 10 min job, if that. It might as well have wing nuts and save me actually using any tools lol.
Day of Fail - THE_Liam - 11-06-2012
SRowell Wrote:I always wanted a capri as my first car but parents said the bonnet was too long to learn to drive in. Im allowed one now though
I got one before I passed, a black A-reg 1600 LS with a 4-speed box and a 2.8i Recaro interior. Welded up a few rusty bits, fitted a 5-speed out of a Sierra and chucked the shitty Ford carb for a Weber 32/36. Got my license and no-one would insure me so I had to sell it, I nearly cried with disappointment. Made a decent profit though
