This'll Give You A Laugh

[Guest Rockdoctor]

I left our MkII Galaxy with my wife in Germany while I came back to earn some money.

When I went back after three weeks, I immediately noticed a foul smell after we drove back from the airport.

My wife said - "yeah I noticed that three weeks ago, just after you left, but I forgot to mention it to you".

 

My first thought was that one of the brakes was binding and overheating the pads - so I got the front wheel off and had a look - but all was fine - the wheel ran freely.

 

While scrabbling around I noticed it was worse at the front of the car, so I popped the bonnet.... and got a faceful of rotting dead bird smells.

 

As far as I could make out, a bird had got into the engine bay, either a young one straight from the nest, or one got swept up under the car while my wife was driving it.

Then as the heat and noise terrified it, the bird ripped the insulating pad under the bonnet to bits, then died horribly on the hot block.

 

When I got to it, there was shredded insulation, feathers, yellow dribbles of bird fat, dried burned blood, and fried maggots, all over the engine and down the sides.

 

Cleaning it out was quite the most disgusting job I've ever done under the bonnet.

 

I asked my wife why she hadn't looked under the bonnet (I had assumed she had - until I asked) and she said she meant to ask me how to open it but never remembered when I phoned.

 

 

Now I have a huge hole torn in the under-bonnet insulating pad, which needs replacing. Any idea what it's called and where I should get one (I'm assuming parts like that are very expensive from Ford). Are there any online breakers with a good reputation that anyone here can recommend?

[stevie m]

Try ebay and ask breakers on there. I would think that to go to frauds would be expensive.

[POMPEYFAITH]

Try the parts gateway ive used them before to track down parts before. I found them very good you can even upload a photo of the part you require.

 

http://www.partsgateway.co.uk/

[Guest Rockdoctor]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give them a try.

 

Ford just quoted me

[Guest Rockdoctor]

Hmm, I tried numerous breaker sites, but they keep coming back with "part not in stock" suspiciously quickly - as if it is an automatic response.

 

I wonder if they have a computer matching the words in the part description - and when it can't make a match it says the part isn't available.

 

Or maybe the breakers only sell the insulating pad as a piece with the bonnet?

 

Can anyone tell me what the official Ford name for the part is?

Grateful in advance.

[gregers]

im wondering whether it might be cheaper trying to see if anyones got a complete bonnet for sale on ebay,hopefully it will come with the sound insulation you require,could be a lot cheaper then buying new from the stealers.