Thread: Mechanical stuff, Fixing or replace ?

A couple of years ago, I purchased a watch from an Aussie company, trying to keep some money circulating here. I think it's Seiko based. It had a minor issue after 12 months (the 12 marker came unstuck) and it was repaired quickly, under warranty. No issues since and keeps good time.

To digress a little. We have a microwave oven perched above our convection oven. Am I a bit odd, in that I get annoyed when their digital time clocks are not synched? Over a month, they'll manage to disagree by 2 minutes!

Hmmmm, my watch died on a trip outback just before COVID hit .
Didn't miss it, what with time zones and daylight savings changing, it was totally unneeded.
Now it's get up time, day time, bed time or night time. Way less stress.
Cheers

Originally Posted by superquag

This started with my daily basher-watch, a 25+ years old automatic Citizen Diver. - Power reserve has dropped to around <8 hours. ( how long it reliably runs when sitting still on the bedside table...)

Bought it cheap - 'On SALE' price of circa <$200 back then, but I was not prepared for. "Around $390...?" for a Watchmaker to, overhaul & re-glaze said sundial...
Actually, not the first time I've been bitten, as 40-odd years ago, my TISSOT Seastar cost $47 for 'Service' & crystal replacement.... Paid only $42 new...

Anyway, this old Grump learned his lesson and, so far, $118. and $130. for a pair of Seiko-powered Chinese time-tellers

Word of caution.... stay away from Aliexpress or Temu. Waaaaay too much temptation, especially if you might have Pensioner's " er, 'Time on your Hands' ! - ....... and after a week, * ALL clocks are running within 90 seconds of each other .

An addiction like fixing LandRovers.. A Time-Grapher gadget is next

Wife's '05 Magna is misbehaving, so SWMBO took it to Car Hospital. ('Off Limits'. for my delicate attentions) $344 for spark plug leads... $260 for plugs, and just over the 'K'. for all parts & labour. Yet more to come, we're told... ($ 240 wasted time on replacing plugs alone... - it's a V6.).
I can see the MAF or Idle stepper motor, or TPS expiring next.

- Should I treat it like the watch - and buy a cheaper one ?

- Or a basic OBD2 Scanner. ?

Ah Well, another excuse to re-visit China's. "Amazon" ! bigwhistle]

... * a $15 K-Mart digital is The Oracle on School Bus.

Boss women here learnt years ago there wasn't a snowmans chance in hell I'd pay someone to work on a car .... Its only taken 25years ... but I think she finally.... almost ... maybe ... trusts me to work on them and not make them worse than before I started Well I didn't get much pushback when her car needed a new clutch a few months back.... Maybe she rang a poogoe dealer and got the fright of her life when they told her how much a new clutch would be

She has this weird idea if you take something somewhere and spend eye wateringly large amounts of money .... far more than I've ever spent on a car in my life ... for the simplest of tasks ... they will actually fix it "properly".

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Boss women here learnt years ago there wasn't a snowmans chance in hell I'd pay someone to work on a car .... Its only taken 25years ... but I think she finally.... almost ... maybe ... trusts me to work on them and not make them worse than before I started Well I didn't get much pushback when her car needed a new clutch a few months back.... Maybe she rang a poogoe dealer and got the fright of her life when they told her how much a new clutch would be

She has this weird idea if you take something somewhere and spend eye wateringly large amounts of money .... far more than I've ever spent on a car in my life ... for the simplest of tasks ... they will actually fix it "properly".

Understand Perfectly.... Mine 'zactly the same. Magna had been running rough, stalling on idle, occasionally... then refusing to start - was the RAC. reason for call. TWO callouts and we have. 'TPS'. and possibly MAF. codes.... then an insulated plug wire BIT. #2 RAC chappie.

So, off to mate's car repair business, ( Under new owner, ). Biggest damage was to Pride /. Ego.

NO way in hell would said new owner..... gentleman accept. eBay or other "supplied parts". over his locally sourced OEM. or $$$. ones.

All fixed, and MAF / TPS no longer throwing codes... . Looking at her driving it till failure. Again.

In the mean time, I'd sourced. 'New-Old stock plug wire set, - $61 - and a. CORRECT - Direction TPS - $116 - ... for less than half his quote,,, now a MAF. was $1400 for OEM, but Unobtainable... I've seen them for $50. to $300.. His was nearer $500 for HIS aftermarket..... You see where I'm going ?

Yep, MAF ordered to be air-bagged here, -- hidden shed till I need to replace it.

And hopefully the cheap OBD2 scanner arrives sooner AND talks to the Magna. ECU.... (Many are shy with Mitsis...?)

Prefer carby and points and coils and, - even a LUCAS, Ign. module !!!

Nah, scratch that, make it a BIM-40 BOSCH.

Originally Posted by Saitch

A couple of years ago, I purchased a watch from an Aussie company, trying to keep some money circulating here. I think it's Seiko based. It had a minor issue after 12 months (the 12 marker came unstuck) and it was repaired quickly, under warranty. No issues since and keeps good time.

To digress a little. We have a microwave oven perched above our convection oven. Am I a bit odd, in that I get annoyed when their digital time clocks are not synched? Over a month, they'll manage to disagree by 2 minutes!

But..., just now, I stumble over. THIS... Add $5 worth of more basic tools and it's way less $. as what. I've subsequently wasted... (but enjoyed doing it !!!) - The old lume is still better than modern Chinese watches .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12716887...q-1bQP3YtFa9Oi

Same with replacement SEIKO. movements which are used in endless boutique brands.

Originally Posted by Saitch

.....

To digress a little. We have a microwave oven perched above our convection oven. Am I a bit odd, in that I get annoyed when their digital time clocks are not synched? Over a month, they'll manage to disagree by 2 minutes!

This can be normal.
It depends on if the device is mainly made for 50 or 60 Hz electrical systems.
My oven is a gaggenau, and is made for 60Hz systems, so time is generally fairly good(accurate enough) but my old Kmart cheapo combi grill/radiation oven used to lose time, and I couldn't work out why either.
Then, when trying to work out some features on the Gaggenau oven I discovered a small tidbit of info in the user manual stating that the clock can lose time when used in 50Hz countries.

Originally Posted by superquag

....

And hopefully the cheap OBD2 scanner arrives sooner AND talks to the Magna. ECU.... (Many are shy with Mitsis...?)

......

Found out the hard way that here in Aus, we didnt' get mandated OBD until 2006.
I got myself a medium high end scanner, for use on the Peugeots, and sister had some issues on her Rav4, so hooked it up to find faults.
Some stuff 'worked', with the caveat that some stuff was totally wrong tho, but couldn't work out why it didn't have much communicability.
Turned out because it was an '04, and that kept it in the Toyota scanner ecosystem only.

So if you get no love on the Magna, it's not the Mits' fault, nor the scanners' fault, it's that we were late to the "gotta have OBD" party.

And even if the car was made for "gotta have OBD" markets, still no guarantee that it will communicate fully.
My Autel is fully compatible with the 307HDi in the UK, but not here. Turns out that UK mainly use a Seimens ECU(sorry can't recall the ECU code), and here in Aus this particular model year used a Bosch EDC, and the Autel isn't programmed for the Bosch!
We had the issue of the DPF fluid bag finished up, so I bought a DPF fluid kit, refilled said bag, but couldn't communicate back to the ECU to tell it it's now full.
But for other stuff it can communicate back, where later on the fuel pressure sensor packed it in, scanner told me so, replaced sensor and still no good. Had to program whatever ECU section that fuel sensor communicated with to tell it was new, and all good again.

Autel works fully(that I've discovered so far) on the 3008, which is an '12 model.

So it comes back to the 2006 dilemma here is Aus, where it may work, it may not, it probably will for some things, but not others.

Originally Posted by superquag

This started with my daily basher-watch, a 25+ years old automatic Citizen Diver. - .................

About 15 years ago I bought a Citizen 'high end' divers watch. Not something the size of an alarm clock but something that wouldn't catch on things.

Was half price, about $270.

All was good for awhile then one of the hands came adrift......not unheard of.

On recommendation I took it to the 'guy in the mall' (GITM) who fixed it overnight for $50.

All good for an hour or so then it stopped. Went back and he changed the battery, still stopped. Says it needs a service..... $100, or could be munted I'll think it over.

I needed a watch for a job on the ocean I was doing so bought a cheaper version for $110 with a bit of easy haggling.

All good for awhile then the glass got smashed, so I bought another the same coz I needed it while away working.

Glass on that got smashed also. Not as thick as the exxy first one and not as recessed into the frame.

Got back and took one off them into the 'GITM'. Glass fixed overnight for $50. Lo and behold it was alll good for an hour or so then it stopped. Went back and he changed the battery, still stopped. Says it needs a service..... $100. I'll think it over.

Went home and took the battery out of the first exxy nice watch, bought a new battery after a bit of a search and put it in...........away it goes, and it's still running fine more than 10 years later.

My temperament excludes me from discussing this 'lesson' with the 'GITM'.

DL