R33 - Broken Climate Control Button

[chicane]

Hi All,

So a button on the the Climate Control in my R33 has broken (AUTO).. and now looks like this..

So i decided to take it out of the car and have a go at opening it, which is done by levering up the tabs as indicated by the green arrows (both sides):

Now the problem here is the button was floating around pretty much, as the two broken hinges which hold the button in place have broken - The off button shows how it should be. The button is actually connected only at the top 2 points, and when the button is pushed in the 'tactile feel' of the button is from the white switch underneath.

(The broken button)

Now what needs to be done is somehow for the button to be re attached (using the button to the left as a guide) with some form of bridge where the orange arrows are.

Previously, I have put a dob of Araldite on the top of the white switch directly so it held it in place, but that wasnt strong enough and didn't last too long. On the weekend I'm going to try and fix it properly.. anyone tried fixing it before?

I'll post back with how i go

[Bozz]

Go down to jaycar and buy a small roll of solder wick

Cut it to size so it overlaps both plastic bits and bend it to the right shape

Using a shitty old soldering iron that you dont care about the tip, melt the solder wick lightly into the surface of the plastic button hinges.

The wick will make it stronger than new and just as flexible.

Its a common method of repairing poorly designed and built buttons just like that.

[chicane]

Go down to jaycar and buy a small roll of solder wick

Cut it to size  so it overlaps both plastic bits and bend it to the right shape

Using a shitty old soldering iron that you dont care about the tip, melt the solder wick lightly into the surface of the plastic button hinges.

The wick will make it stronger than new and just as flexible.

Its a common method of repairing poorly designed and built buttons just like that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats a good idea Bozz! Thanks for that, ill give that a try this weekend.

An idea i had so i dont stuff up my iron (i only have 1) is to wrap the tip in aluminium foil.

[Leon.T]

I was gonna buy another climate control ...I think I'll save $80 and try fixing it myself lol.

Edited November 11, 2005 by Leon.T

[chicane]

Fixed up the button tonight (took a bit of time!) however I did it, and now its as good as new. Here is the tutorial solution on how to fix a busted button!

I used some soldering braid Size #4, its about 3mm wide. Just used a normal soldering iron and wiped the tip clean (no problems) with a wet cloth afterwards.

Hope this helps someone else!

cheers

chicane

[crack]

my "off" button has done the sams thing. thanks for the tutorial

[POOMBAH]

maybe u should post that up i the DIY section if you haven't already

I might need it should my buttons ever go on the fritz

[Bozz]

Good to know it worked

Cheers

[Bozz]

Just for reference

is the correct way it should have been repaired. That way you have the entire length of the solder wick that doesn't have any plastic melted through it to act as the flexible part.

When you fill the entire length with plastic, it may create a weak point somewhere that has less plastic than another part, resulting in a much smaller area that can flex leading to the copper breaking quicker.

I've had a few sometimes come off and the reason almost always was I didn't leave enough plain copper to allow flex.

About the soldering iron, I reckon wrapping it in al.foil will probably do the trick. Melting plastics with a copper soldering iron tip can kill it quickly by eating away at the tip coating and creating pits and holes in the tip.

I have a professional weller soldering station and have numerous tips for different purposes and one old crap one just for plastic melting. If you're only using a $20 soldering iron then I wouldn't even worry about damaging the tip with the plastic, odds are it'll last for years if only used 2-3 times a year.

If you have used a good tip to melt plastic, immediately wipe it off on a wet sponge and put fresh solder on the tip to help wash away any residual plastic. You may find the solder wont adhere to some parts of the tip, they're the damaged parts. Sometimes you can keep applying the solder and the flux in the solder may clean out the damaged parts and fix it. Never leave molten plastic on a soldering iron tip if you care about it!

[chicane]

Just for reference

is the correct way it should have been repaired. That way you have the entire length of the solder wick that doesn't have any plastic melted through it to act as the flexible part.

When you fill the entire length with plastic, it may create a weak point somewhere that has less plastic than another part, resulting in a much smaller area that can flex leading to the copper breaking quicker.

I've had a few sometimes come off and the reason almost always was I didn't leave enough plain copper to allow flex.

Yep agreed.. I think the key is a good balance between allowing the braid to have plain copper so it allows flex (and doesn't break), and enough plastic in there so the button remains at the right height and doesn't sag.

Cheers

chicane

[RicKDoG]

thanx chicane ill do that i think seems like its worked well