Spamlet wrote:

Well split pins kept wheels on for centuries that way, so I'd say you
were in with a good chance if you had the tools to make the hole.
(And if you lost the original retainer, that obviously wasn't a very
good method in the first place.)

There was no retainer in the first place. This is the linkage that connects
the wiper blade to the wiper motor on a Fiat Punto. It's just a push fit,
with nothing to hold it on. As it wears, the linkage eventually falls apart,
and the wipers stop working. Puntos are notorious for this. It's a simply
awful piece of design. Fiat's solution is to sell a complete wiper motor and
linkages (for about £250). My bodge was cheaper, and I have resolved never
to buy a Fiat again. This car has only done 30k miles, and many things have
gone wrong.



Here it is, if you are interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16204359@N05/5164699072/