Wiring Repairs in Tyne and Wear

Wiring is easy to forget until it fails. Cables run through tight, hot, wet and vibrating parts of the car for years, and eventually some give up.

This page is about the repair itself: putting damaged wire and connectors back into sound condition. Finding the fault in the first place is a separate job, and we cover it elsewhere on the site.

Where wiring tends to fail

Damage usually happens where a loom bends, rubs or sits low. Door hinges, boot lids, engine bay edges and areas near the road spray are common spots. Water getting into a connector causes corrosion that raises resistance and creates faults which come and go.

• Insulation rubbed through where a loom touches metal
• Green or white corrosion inside connectors
• Heat damage near exhaust or engine components
• Chewed cables where animals have got into the engine bay
• Messy joins left by earlier accessory fitting

What a proper repair involves

First the damaged section has to be exposed and the extent of the damage checked, because a visible break often hides more damage further along. We then cut back to sound wire, rejoin it with suitable connectors or joints, and protect the repair against moisture and rubbing.

Twisting wires together and wrapping them in tape is not a repair we would want to leave in a car. It tends to come back as the next fault.

Repair or replace the section

Many faults are cured by repairing a short length. If a connector is badly corroded or a loom has been damaged in many places, replacing the connector or the section may be more sensible. The right choice depends on what we find once it is exposed.

At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn we will explain which route we recommend and why, and nothing is certain until the wiring has been inspected.

What affects the work

Cost and time depend mostly on access and extent. A single accessible wire is a different job from a damaged section buried behind the dashboard. Airbag and safety-system wiring needs particular care, and we will tell you if a fault involves those areas.

A flickering warning light, a circuit that dies after rain or a burning smell are all reasons to have it looked at promptly. Stop driving if you smell burning.