A few tidbits before I go!

[Daniel Hussey <GY3WSX@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU>]

     Hey y'all,

         I have under two weeks of school left here, so I had a few small quest
ions I wanted to ask before I go back home.  BTW, The car is a 5000CSTQ.  I wil
l be doing a lot of work on my car once I'm back home and have my garage to wor
k in and some good (Craftsman) tools to work with!  So, I was hoping y'all coul
d give me some help with the following things:

         1. Sunroof cleaning and lube.

            I had my sunroof open in the tilt (or vent) position the other day
and I noticed the little fastners to the sunroof looked sooty or dirty.  I reac
hed my hand up and swiped it with my finger.  Yuk!  It was covered with crap.
So, this got me thinking....I should probably do an annual cleaning and relubri
cating of the sunroof (which I neglected to do last year), but I really don't k
now how it's done.  I figure it is not to hard taking the sunroof off, and then
I need to clean the tracks and fasners real well.  But, with what?  What cleane
r should I use for this?  And, when I'm done cleaning it, what type of lubrican
t should I use?  Is it some special OEM stuff or what?  And, do y'all have any
tips I might need to know for removal or reinstalation of the sunroof?  TIA.
I'd apprciate any helpful info.

         2. Sound insulation inside hood.

            The last time I was under the hood, I noticed that the sound insula
tion on the underside of the hood was sagging down, and not attached like it pr
eviously had been.  It is held on by fastners, and what appears to be some sort
of high-heat resistant glue or epoxy.  The glue apparently isn't holding it wel
l anymore (looks like it dried up), and I was wondering what should I use to re
attach it with?  Some sort of high strenght heat-resistant epoxy I would think.
Any reccomendations?

         3. Cigarette lighter bulb.

            I think my cig lighter bulb is out, but it occasionaly comes back o
n again, so I need to check the wiring as well.  Sounds simple enough, but how
do I get in there?  Does the whole cig lighter thing come out, or do I have to
start tearing apart the dash to get to it?  Sorry I have to ask simple question
s, but I don't have the Bentley (yet...saving up my pennies).

         4. Headliner cleaning or replacement.

            Can anyone reccomend a good, safe headliner cleaner?  Any comments
on how to use it safely as well would be helpful.  Too many mechanics reaching
up there for stuff! ;)  Also, I am thinking about replacing the headliner strip
where the sunroof is (just that small sunroof strip) and was wondering how much
that piece of fabric would cost.

         5. Break squeal.

            I replaced my brakes (pads, rotors, fluid, etc), last year, and rec
ently they have been squeaking kinda bad.  The pads are Repco MetalMasters and
the brakes work extremely well, but the squeaking is getting very annoying!  I
have heard several listmembers talk of adding some sort of gel or spray stuff t
o the back of the pads, but I have also heard that they do not last long.  Any
comments on this?  And, someone on this list (I believe it was Mike LaRosa) men
tioned something about metal backing plates for the brakes, which solved the sq
eaky brake problem on his car.  Well, any info or advice on this would be much
apprciated.


            I unfortunately will not be on the list much longer since I am leav
ing school to go home for the summer.  I have gotten a lot of help and usefull
information from this list and I hope y'all feel like I have contributed to thi
s list as well.  Take care.

                                                             Later,
                                                             Dan