xantia doors
Moderator: RichardW
xantia doors
The drivers side door on my xantia has dropped by about an inch and is really difficult to close, how do we remedy this?. Non technical Pete.
Pete, is your car an estate by any chance?
If so follow the searches (top right corner of screen) and pick up the info from there. It is a recognised problem with the estate that there is a fault or weakness with the lower hinge on the drivers door.
Replacing the hinge pins may help but it is not a cure for the lower hinge problem.
This usually needs a welding repair.
Robin
If so follow the searches (top right corner of screen) and pick up the info from there. It is a recognised problem with the estate that there is a fault or weakness with the lower hinge on the drivers door.
Replacing the hinge pins may help but it is not a cure for the lower hinge problem.
This usually needs a welding repair.
Robin
Pete, have a look at the lower hinge anyway. If you lift the door when it is only open about a foot or so you will see which hinge is flexing where it is attached to the door pillar. The lower one is the usual culprit.
Hinge pins do wear but this is a fault that takes a long period to come to light. If yours has happened quickly then it is almost certainly a weld failure. Sorry no simple repair here. Costs seem to vary from a £100 to £200 but check out the other postings on this site for few ideas. Good luck, Robin
Hinge pins do wear but this is a fault that takes a long period to come to light. If yours has happened quickly then it is almost certainly a weld failure. Sorry no simple repair here. Costs seem to vary from a £100 to £200 but check out the other postings on this site for few ideas. Good luck, Robin
Yes, the hinge comes loose - no longer connected to the interenal strengtheners inside the pillar.
Having read Robin's other post, I started to take the door off - but
the lower hinge pin sheared and I'm left with the lower half of it only, so now I can't get the door off.
So, Instead, I took off the door trim and drilled an 8mm hole right through the hinge & various layers of metal, right into the car, having first moved the carpet, sound proofing & wiring out of the way inside & put a pieve of wood there for safety's sake. Then I cut a piece of M8 studding and poked it in, put a nut on the outside of the hinge, a humungous washer on the inside, tightened it all up and BINGO - problem solved!
So don't even try top take off the door, just take off the outside trim & drill through the hole. Needs a long drill, though - I started with a 6mm drill (smaller drills weren't long enough for the pilot hole, enlarged the hole with an ordinary 8mm drill, but it wasn't long enough to go right through. I had a long 8mm masonry drill in the shed so used that (slowly, they don't like getting hot!) to go right thriugh two more layers of thin steel.
Apart from the abortive attrempt at removing the door, total job time was about an hour.
Only thing is, I've now only got half a hinge pin in my lower hinge........ Will be fun if that breaks too - better keep it well oiled!
Thanks a lot for your information in Andyspares - a really useful forum!
Having read Robin's other post, I started to take the door off - but
the lower hinge pin sheared and I'm left with the lower half of it only, so now I can't get the door off.
So, Instead, I took off the door trim and drilled an 8mm hole right through the hinge & various layers of metal, right into the car, having first moved the carpet, sound proofing & wiring out of the way inside & put a pieve of wood there for safety's sake. Then I cut a piece of M8 studding and poked it in, put a nut on the outside of the hinge, a humungous washer on the inside, tightened it all up and BINGO - problem solved!
So don't even try top take off the door, just take off the outside trim & drill through the hole. Needs a long drill, though - I started with a 6mm drill (smaller drills weren't long enough for the pilot hole, enlarged the hole with an ordinary 8mm drill, but it wasn't long enough to go right through. I had a long 8mm masonry drill in the shed so used that (slowly, they don't like getting hot!) to go right thriugh two more layers of thin steel.
Apart from the abortive attrempt at removing the door, total job time was about an hour.
Only thing is, I've now only got half a hinge pin in my lower hinge........ Will be fun if that breaks too - better keep it well oiled!
Thanks a lot for your information in Andyspares - a really useful forum!