I have a Brava ELX that has a problem with the drivers door. It 'clicks' when opening/closing. I've looked at it and it's the bottom pin that wearing and moving when the door is used. I can see that pretty soon it's going to snap and i'll be in trouble!
Questions. Is it easy to do yourself (limited car knowledge) and what would it cost for a new pin? What would it cost to have a garage/dealer do it?
Anyone had any experience of this and could advise me of the above, it would be most appreciated.
Just to end, I've had the Brava months now and it's one of the (maybe THE) best I've had plus it's an LPG conversion and saves loads on fuel costs.
This may be of some use to you - I have had a look at the FIAT parts catalogue and the door hinge is similar to the Punto one which I replaced several weeks ago. The is not a pin as such, but a bolt that hold to halves of the hinge together. If this bolt works lose, it appears that the hinge is badly worn, but put a 10 mm spanner and tighen, and all is OK again.
If the hinge part is worn, then you need to replace it - about £15 from the dealer. The smaller half is welded to the door, the main part is bolted to the A frame. Remove the single central bolt from the top and bottom hinge and remove the pin from the middle strap assembly. The door should simply lift off.
Replace your hinge by removing the allen bolts but make sure you use a marker to outline the position of the old hinge to guide you when you tighten the new one into position. Then, lift the door back into position (a two man/woman job) and insert the two fixing bolts. If the door does not close smoothly then adjust the striker on the B pillar. This will work if small adjustment is only needed.
FIAT in their wisdom obviously adjust the door before fitting the front wing - no good to the home mechanic useless you want to disturb this panel. It is possible to reach the hinge bolts if you remove the protective plastic wing guards around the wheel arch, but you need some sort of long Allen key to get at the bolts. However, you will not need to go to this trouble if you mark the old hinge carefully. Believe it or not, its not as bad as it seems.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.