On 09/06/2019 09:38, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
"Brian Gaff" wrote in message
...
One thing to be very wary of is offering to repair anything powered by
clockwork.
Gramophone motors are notorious for giving people lacerations if the
spring breaks free or indeed just breaks. I once narrowly avoided injury
from an old meccano clockwork motor when the hooked bend retaining it
broke and it shot out like some demented rattle snake.
Brian

I compressed my mercedes front spring once prior to replacing it and feck me
one leg of the compressor sheared and the spring flew down the other end of
the garage....very dangerous .......very lucky I was

Just changed a rear spring on my Zafira yesterday. I was very pleased
that it was no more than jack up car, support on axle stands, support
suspension arm on jack, remove lower shock bolt, lower jack, swap spring
and reassemble in reverse order. I hate and fear spring compressors!

The downside was that having taken it for an MOT on Friday and finding
the spring snapped, I couldn't do it in the afternoon, as I was due at
the dentist. So I did it on Saturday morning and took it back in at
12:45, only to to find them shut - despite the signs inside and out
saying that there are open 'til 16:00 on a Saturday. Shut today and I've
got to take my son to a hospital appointment first thing tomorrow
morning, and then start a new job, so I can't take any more time off in
the week to get it retested and my wife is currently medically unable to
drive, so she can't take it. Grrrr.

Okay, I can use her car in the meantime, but a Matiz is not brilliant
for a family of 5 and shopping!

I should have taken mine in earlier (MOT ran out on Saturday), but with
my wife unable to work and me being out of work for 2-1/2 months, I was
holding off 'til I knew some money was coming in. A month of the wait
has been waiting for security clearance to come through.

SteveW