Clicking Relay Switch Driving Me Crazy ! Is It Possible To Silence It At All ?

[Fastlife91]

I have a 2006 mk2 focus sport 1.8 diesel.

I got my car back from my mechanic friend after he repalced the EGR valve on my car which took him 3 days as he said it's a big job on this car and I saw him working on it for hours,

After getting my car back I immediately notice a loud clicking sound coming from under glove box every time I press demister button, turn headlights and high beams on, activate wipers, turn key in ignition .

I mention it to him and he says it's just the relay switch, I tell him the noise wasn't there before and he treats me like I'm stupid saying it was but I must have not noticed it before, I told him again it wasn't there before

I am very sure , about 95 % sure that the noise wasn't noticeable before he did the EGR valve, why can I hear it after having the EGR valve replaced, is it possible he has knocked something?

As I say it's not just a quiet click, it's actually rather loud

Is it possible in any way to silence this clicking relay switch or whatever it is ?

thanks

[Stoney871]

Relays are supposed to click.

Is it possible someone has removed a cover from the footwell fusebox thusaking the relay sound more noticeable?

Also 3 days for an EGR swsp? More like 2 hours tops.

Its one scuttle panel, 2 wiper arms, couple of wires and a half dozen bolts at most.

How much did they charge for that job?

[Fastlife91]

Relays are supposed to click.

Is it possible someone has removed a cover from the footwell fusebox thusaking the relay sound more noticeable?

Also 3 days for an EGR swsp? More like 2 hours tops.

Its one scuttle panel, 2 wiper arms, couple of wires and a half dozen bolts at most.

How much did they charge for that job?

Thank you for replying.

Not sure, I'll have a look and see, does my car even have a fuse box by the foootwell?

Yeah, it took him about 3 days to do the job, I kept going back and forwards to check on my car, often staying several hours to hand him tools e.t.c

It may not have been 3 days solid but certainly a few hours per day as he works from home doing his mechanics job and always seems to be flitting around everywhere, sometimes working on 3 cars at a time which I find annoying. From start to finish I think it took him over 12 hours but he had my car over a 3 day period, probably a bit longer actually.

When I got my car back, 2 days later I had to abondon my car near the shopping centre because my turbo oil feed pipe had split and drained my car of all its oil. Had my car towed to his house and it took him 8 days to return car, ( he was working on like 10 cars at a time)

Finally got my car back, drove it 4 miles and then the exact same thing happened , it split again draining my car of oil, I was very lucky to have noticed it and I think there should be no future damage resulting from it, again I abondoned my car and had it towed to his house and I must have waited for another 8 days again to get it back

When I got my car back I noticed after about an hour it was overheating, had to keep topping up water, went back to him next day he looks and says its the heater hose is leaking so he does a slight repair and for now I am just topping up coolant every day. I am ordering the part from a shop this week.

The other day he was looking at something under my bonnet and said your turbo oil feed pipe still has a slight leak,

It's only a slight leak but I am going to have it replaced soon anyway along with the heater hose which will probably cost me £80 for the 2 parts, is it possible that he has damaged either/both pipes during working on my car?

Anyway when he finally gives me the bill, for the replacement of the EGR valve, and ''repairing '' turbo oil pipe '' and botching up heater hose ( which still needs replacing asap) he says he wants £300, he says he also that he done a few other little jobs that he won't charge me for because he says he knows I have had some bad luck with it, I have not got a clue what the other jobs are and he shouldn't have done them without consulting me first anyway.

I asked him if he wanted the £300 or my previous car instead, 2003 diesel xsara ( not Picasso) as it needed slight attention, ( fuel pump I think) he was more than happy to take my Citroen as payment which he later sold on at a profit.

Sorry for the long rant ( and it took ages tapping it out on my tablet!) Is there any way to silence the relay , can sound dampening material be used?

Many thanks

[simcor]

It sounds like you need a new mechanic, working from home flitting between jobs on cars and taking days to do simple jobs, sorry but he sounds like a right prize plonker.

I replaced the EGR valve on my car took me a couple of hours or so maybe 4 at most.

I also replaced my turbo in less time than he too to do your EGR valve.

Go elsewhere in future.

[Fastlife91]

It sounds like you need a new mechanic, working from home flitting between jobs on cars and taking days to do simple jobs, sorry but he sounds like a right prize plonker.

I replaced the EGR valve on my car took me a couple of hours or so maybe 4 at most.

I also replaced my turbo in less time than he too to do your EGR valve.

Go elsewhere in future]

.

I know other good mechanics but some are older and giving up on repairing cars' and fixing only their own now instead, another mechanic friend of mine is really good on cars but has recently become a carer for his Mum and can't dedicate as much time on car repairs as he once could.

I don't want to start going to garages again as I have been ripped off and lied to so many times that I have been put off goung to any. I'm sure there are some decent honest competent garages out there, its just finding them and knowing who I can trust.

The guy I currently go to for repairs seems okay but he has made some mistakes on other people's car and probably even on mine too. However he is convenient for me as he is always around 24\7 so if I need any help e.t.c on my car he is available, just that it could mean hours of waiting around for what could be a half hour job.

He also does a full diagnostics test for free involving his laptops that would usually cost £45 + at a garage. Last time he did a diagnostics test I went to and from him house about 15 times before he finally got round to it, he would give me a time to go up, I'd go up and he be on another car and after waiting for too long I just went home, he did it eventually.

He is also not bad on his labor charges but sometimes I have thought he has been charging a bit much, for example £300 to replace EGR Valve and manifold.

When you replaced your EGR did you replace the manifold too?

Is there any way to silence a noisy relay switch and how hard or how long should it fake to replace an EGR '' gasket''. If I wanted it changed?

Huge thanks

[iantt]

Egr on 1.8 is part of inlet manifold, and to remove that requires exhaust manifold and turbo off, so not quite a 1.6tdci 4 bolts and off job,

But 1.8 not 3 days :)

[simcor]

Egr on 1.8 is part of inlet manifold, and to remove that requires exhaust manifold and turbo off, so not quite a 1.6tdci 4 bolts and off job,

But 1.8 not 3 days :)

That explains a bit but still as you say not 3 days to do it.

As for the OP, the clicking relay will always have been clicking, if it is suddenly more noticeable then something must have been removed like the lower trim panel and hasn't been out back for it to increase in volume.

[iantt]

Just checked and egr should take 2.9 hrs.

[Fastlife91]

Egr on 1.8 is part of inlet manifold, and to remove that requires exhaust manifold and turbo off, so not quite a 1.6tdci 4 bolts and off job,

But 1.8 not 3 days :)

If I wanted to replace the gasket on my EGR valve, how difficult /long should that take ?

[Fastlife91]

That explains a bit but still as you say not 3 days to do it.

As for the OP, the clicking relay will always have been clicking, if it is suddenly more noticeable then something must have been removed like the lower trim panel and hasn't been out back for it to increase in volume.

No, I am 99.9 % sure the noise was not noticeable before.

What is the lower trim panel please, and where can I locate it?

Thanks