Productive Saturday, but not on the Saab!!

[Steve McF]

Following a long time of harsh thumping through the floor when you suddenly put your foot down or lifted off, and after consulting the oracles on the Nissan Qashqai Facebook group, I decided to buy myself a bottom gearbox mount, as that was a likely suspect.

The part was only about £17, was a bit bigger than expected, but features two bushes. It arrived on Thursday, and as we weren't doing much this weekend, I decided to fit this myself!!

Well, it's 3 bolts, two that hold one end in a bracket onto the gearbox, and one that holds the other end into the rear of the subframe.

With the front end of the Qashqai up on ramps, I crawled underneath and began to slacken the bolts on the gearbox end. Those loosened quite easily, but the one into the subframe was rock solid. Although after much effing and jeffing, I managed to get it out.

I managed to pull the old mount out, and as you can see from the photo, the larger bush in the subframe end was truly knackered and torn. Hey presto, I made the right call, and the job was relatively straight forward.

While I was at it, I also replaced a broken bit of exterior trim in the corner of the screen on the driver's side, which had been missing for a while.

All in all, well pleased with myself.

I was going to get the back wheels off the 107, to clean up and paint the drums.....but I decided to rest on.my laurels.....that's a job for tomorrow!! Maybe!!!

[carrera]

Oooh, someone else with a 107, we may have to swap notes as I'm just doing another rescue car. Quite strange only buying 3 spark plugs 

[Steve McF]

Oooh, someone else with a 107, we may have to swap notes as I'm just doing another rescue car. Quite strange only buying 3 spark plugs 

Yes, the 107 is the one car that I have had the longest out of any car I've ever had!! It is a 58 plate that I bought when it was 2.5 years old and with 21k on the clock. Now it is 14 years old, with about 78k on the clock, and my daughter has just passed her driving test in it, before she went off to uni

[carrera]

Seems like you are just a few years ahead of me. Bought in advance of 17th birthday, it's an 06.

Only running on 2 cylinders..... a new set of plugs sorted that, then the power steering warning came on, so cue contortions under the dash & a reflow of the ECU

I'm somewhat shocked by the price of s/h spares, steel wheels for £40+, parcel shelves anything up to £90. Makes Saab bits appear very good value

Any tips or tricks, other than more regular oil changes than scheduled?

[Steve McF]

To be honest, in all the years I've had it, not much has gone wrong really. Worst was the clutch disintegrating at 40k miles. Not my driving (honest guv!), but a design flaw on the earlier cars that had a smaller clutch plate. This was upgraded somewhere along the way in 2008, so mine must have been one of the last ones with the smaller original clutch plates. I believe now you can only get the larger version.

I had an electric window regulator/motor go on the passenger door, and last year the original battery gave up the ghost, but that is probably all in the 10 years I've had the car. Other than that, only the usual tyres and exhaust back boxes, but I haven't had to do those very often!!!

I replaced the hazard warning light switch as it had got all cracked, and early on I got some grey/silvery Citroen C1 light clusters to replace the red ones that the 107 came with, as I thought they looked better on a black car.

Even the aircon gas has never had to be refilled!!! Only real thing to watch is the oil consumption. It does seem to use it over a few months - maybe it is the kind of trips I make??