[racsaxen]

On a lazy Saturday morning what normal people do - drink tea, take nap, watch television etc, what BHPians do - DIY.

And the idea for the DIY comes after reading so many topics on this wonderful forum and after getting stupid replies from ASS. My Tata Vista 2012 model has completed around 65000 kms so far. Apart from few minor issues the car is serving me well and has never betrayed me. So last week I had sent my vehicle to TASS in Meerut, UP. Issues I reported to them were clutch being hard and rear power windows on the driver side panel stopped working. The buttons for front power windows were working absolutely fine but rear ones were giving troubles as the window would roll down but won't roll up. To close the rear windows I had to use the buttons on the rear door itself.

Service advisor called me up in the afternoon that the clutch has been replaced and the complete panel of the power window buttons has to be changed as it is not working. The cost he mentioned was around 4000/- for the panel. I refused and mentioned that I will get replaced on the next visit. So today morning while cleaning the car I thought why not try some DIY.

And here are the pics-

Removing the panel



Side View of the complete panel after removing from the housing. Broke one of the clips though. and for all the Sherlock Holmes - Yes I do keep my Shaver and Pass Pass (mouth freshener) in my car.


Connector removed


Buttons housing separated from the main housing.


Side view of the buttons housing. Marked in the red are the clips that are to be opened.


Buttons completely removed



Circuit plate front & Back (forgot to take before and after pics)


The closing is simply reversing the steps. As they say carbon on the circuit which I cleaned using an old tooth brush and after shave lotion. The complete thing took only around 20 minutes right from opening to reassembling and the buttons are working fine now.

[latentpotential]

This is a very simple and lucid DIY. Reminds me of the time we would had to clean our CRT TV remote on a regular basis for similar reasons. One suggestion, after shave will leave residue, so consider using IPA solution the next time.

[sushantr5]

My Vista required this job every two years. The reason = the super shady quality of PCB which is a rust magnet.

[BPS_93]

My 2010 Hyundai Accent’s power window button started malfunctioning yesterday for the first time ever. Much need DIY. :cheering:

[condor]

Nice !

The A.S.S would not have done this. Mostly likely They would have just replaced it, and thrown away the old part. Hence the charges for replacement.

[Irish]

I think almost all the TATA vehicle's driver side panel are prone to dust. I had to get the panel cleaned twice in four years of ownership of my Safari. The A.S.S. claimed more than 5k for a replacement.

I would have loved to do it but I got them cleaned for around Rs. 300 in a local market of Bhopal. You have explained the whole process perfectly and made doable by so many readers of the forum.

Cheers!
Irish

[Jeroen]

Good job! This is another good example where this is seen as electronic problems. Nothing electronic about it. Just some dirt on an electrical contact.

As mentioned, most workshops will simply rip and replace when these sort of problems occur. Whereas sometimes the solution is very simple and doesnt take that much more time either.

Jeroen

[sparky@home]

Thats a job well done. I normally get these jobs done thru my local workshaop not the TASS as their charges are exorbitant at times. Basically they dont do any repairs, they just swap the parts with a new one. The charges are very nominal at the workshop.

[amit_shimla]

Wonderful tips for a perfect DIY. However, this is something I learnt in my child hood when the remote controller of my video game stopped working back in the 90's and I cleaned the circuit board with petrol to fix it and afterward it kept working seamlessly for a long time. Recently I also fixed the controller of my car locking system which was super expensive to be replaced by Maruti. I am sure this technique will be helpful to all the members here.

[filcord]

I did this to my 2005 Baleno, sprayed it with wd40. Solved the issue until I sold the car two years later.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by amit_shimla

Wonderful tips for a perfect DIY. However, this is something I learnt in my child hood when the remote controller of my video game stopped working back in the 90's and I cleaned the circuit board with petrol to fix it and afterward it kept working seamlessly for a long time. Recently I also fixed the controller of my car locking system which was super expensive to be replaced by Maruti. I am sure this technique will be helpful to all the members here.

I think petrol disolves some plastics, so beware! IPA may be a safer thing to use.

I use DeOxit contact cleaner. It is magic, and, although expensive it pays for itself! Mind you, people have told me that cheaper contact cleaners are just as good.

[hok kolorob]

Thanks a lot for posting this great DIY. Just when my power window switches giving trouble sometimes. Sometimes one or a couple of them simply do not work but starts working after a while.

It is possible the issue is related to something else but it is worth giving a shot, what you did. Thanks again.

[amit_shimla]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I think petrol disolves some plastics, so beware! IPA may be a safer thing to use.

I use DeOxit contact cleaner. It is magic, and, although expensive it pays for itself! Mind you, people have told me that cheaper contact cleaners are just as good.

I never had any issues with petrol till now. May be it can dissolve some plastics but works for me.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by amit_shimla

I never had any issues with petrol till now. May be it can dissolve some plastics but works for me.

Well, as pointed out, it can and it will over time. So as long as you wipe it clean after using it, it should be ok.

Actually, I have found the same with some electrical contact spray as well.
Always better check the label and look for cautions on it's use.

Especially when cleaning PCBs you need to be carefull as the board protective layer(s) or even some of it's components and or wiring are easily damaged by using inappropiate cleaners.

But it's also how you use/apply it. Are you dousing it, or just using a little piece or cloth, or a brush dipped in cleaner that makes a big difference of course. Better safe then sorry, try and apply it only there where needed. Sometimes that is just not possible, in such case it make sense to be a bit more dilligent.

Rule of Thumb; the more modern the electronics, the more susceptible it is likely to be to inappropiate handling. Take my old Bosch Jetronic ECU. These were introduced somewhere late 70's/early 80s on many cars (Mercedes, Alfa, BMW etc). I can more or less hose down with water and it would still work. Dont try this with any current ECU's


Jeroen

[amit_shimla]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Well, as pointed out, it can and it will over time. So as long as you wipe it clean after using it, it should be ok.

I never tried petrol with expensive electronics but only on cheaper ones and I even tried alcohol once and it worked. Still, thanks for the update.