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VNcommodore
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27 Posts
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 Posted - 09 Nov 2006 : 07:06:40 AM
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Q1: The backlight for my gear shift options i.e P/R/N/D/1/2, etc don't light up anymore. Does anyone know how to fix this? What do I need to replace, and how much would it cost?
Q2: How do I remove my air vents and put them back in? I want to remove all my airvents and spray them red. How do I do this, and then once it's done, how do I put it back without breaking the spring thing in the sides? I managed to pull one vent out with a screwdriver, but then when trying to push it back in, I snapped part of the spring thing. So now it sits inside the vent hole pushed in all tilted and lose. LOL. Does anyone know a proper method to remove each vent and then put them back in? I'm going to go buy a replacement vent for the broken one and redo it, but I need to know how to take out the others and put them in properly first.
Q3: I want to repaint my car, but cant afford to do it professionally ($1-3G). Would it work if I simply buy those $20 car spray paints and spray the whole car black myself? My friend did that to part of his car, but the surface feels all rough. Any cheap suggestions for car painting? I just want to spend maybe 150 max.
Q4: I don't like spending too much on my car, because I heard people can break into VNs simply by jamming a flathead into the keyhole!  Is there a way to prevent this? Replace the keyhole maybe? Or remove it and rely on central locking? I dunno... any suggestions?
Q5: In my VN model, I don't have the cruise control button. If I bought the car panel that has the cruise control button (that goes near the hazard light button) from a wrecker, and replace the whole panel with that one, would it be as simple as connecting some wires to the button to get it working, or would I need a mechanic to rewire the whole car to get it (cruise control button) working?
Q6: Same question as question 5, except regarding power windows & central locking.
Q7: Is there a book or some kind of website that teaches how to remove every part of my VN and put it back together?
Please answer any of these questions. Even if it's only for one part of it, just quote the question and answer it for me. Thanks everyone. 
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Edited by - mouce on 10 Nov 2006 09:14:23 AM |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 09 Nov 2006 : 12:53:10 PM
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A1: Get your fingers under the little notch where the handbrake hole just makes the tiniest cutout in the cover, then lift gently to remove the big black chunk of plastic which sits over it all. Get a texta and mark where the gear indicator panel sits (otherwise you'll have a few issues getting it back in properly). Lift everything out of the way, and start digging around, you should be able to find where there's one or two little globes (probably 'wedge' globes). Check the condition of these (you can get a pair of them for about $3 from autobarn/repco/supercheap). Failing that, it could be a blown fuse, or even just a loose wire. Once you're in there you'll be able to work it out.
A2: Hate to say it, but pulling the little swingy bits out of the air-vents themselves is a pig of a job. It's a little easier if you pull the airvents out of the car first, and then pull them apart as much as possible (ie, pull the coloured plastic away from the black plastic, it's only a couple of clips). Then you have to use a VERY flat bladed screwdriver, I'd actually suggest trying it with a blunt knife first. Good luck with it.
A3: When it comes to spraying a car, you get what you pay for. If you get it done professionally, and it costs you $3k then it's going to look really nice, if you do it yourself in the shed at home and use $20 cans of paint, it's going to look sh!t. Simple as that. There's no way that you're going to get a good finish on the whole car for $150. For that price, you MIGHT be able to get the boot lid looking nice. Sorry, but painting cars is expensive. That said, there are a couple of ways to get the price down (though not as low as you want it). First up, if you're going to get it professionally done, then do as much of the prep work as you can, it takes a lot of time, but it saves a lot of money. Otherwise, you can always go and do a spray-painting course at TAFE (and no I'm not kidding), I have heard of several people who have done a spraying course and have been allowed to spray and bake their car for the price of the paint. That's about as cheap as you'll get it done for though. I wouldn't expect any change from $1000.
A4: People can break into ANY car by jamming a screwdriver into the barrel, not just VN's. Replacement locks are available (the brand is 'Solex'), however, I can't really see the point. A GOOD quality aftermarket alarm and immobiliser would be a much better addition to your car. And depending on your insurance company if you get one of their 'approved' alarms you'll get a discount on your premium. Let's face it, you could have fingerprint locks if you really wanted to go nuts, so that only your thumb could open the lock, but a brick through the window gets around that (sad, but true).
A5: The button is only part of it, you also need the cruise control module and actuator, that bolts onto the throttle plate so that it can lock the throttle in position. It can be done yourself, and from what I've heard it isn't too hard, so long as you're okay with tools. Getting all the pieces can be a bit tricky though. You shouldn't need a whole lot of re-wiring, but there will be a bit of work in it.
A6: For central locking, get a good alarm/immobiliser which incorporates remote locking/unlocking. For power windows, you'll need to find new door skins (unless you like the idea of having extra holes in your doors from where the winders were), and all the electrics to go in each door. Personally I'm not a fan of going for the power window mod, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That, and when it dies, you're boned...either your window is all the way up or all the way down...and it's always going to be the one that you don't want.
A7: There are a couple of good third party manuals. One produced by 'Gregory's' (which is my personal favourite), and another one produced by 'Ellery's' which quite a few people here love. If by some chance you manage to track down an original GMH Workshop manual, grab it, it'll cost a bit but they are rare as rocking horse poo. If you find more than one, buy it as well...then sell it to someone on the club (say...me perhaps).
Now that I've given you all of that to think about, hope you come up with a few more questions. There isn't a lot that we can't answer here. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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VNcommodore
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27 Posts
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Posted - 09 Nov 2006 : 3:08:06 PM
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| Thanks mouce for your detailed reply! If I have trouble while trying out your solutions, I'll PM you for more help. Thanks again! |
Edited by - VNcommodore on 09 Nov 2006 3:08:41 PM |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 09 Nov 2006 : 5:14:35 PM
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Don't PM me unless it's to ask something that is not appropriate for a public forum. The more questions that get asked on the forum, the more info there is for other people.
Ask the questions here. Remember: There's no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid answer  |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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VNcommodore
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