C5 Parcel Shelf Load Cover

[Guest iandickens]

the rear parcel shelf load cover on my c5 estate no longer retracts by itself. does anyone know if there is a fix for this as i have been told to replace this part would cost over £300.

[Big Al]

the rear parcel shelf load cover on my c5 estate no longer retracts by itself. does anyone know if there is a fix for this as i have been told to replace this part would cost over £300.

 

Hi Ian, your question is an amazing coincidence as tonight I will be fixing my load cover again!

 

The first fix lasted quite a while but the other day the spring lost its tension for the second time causing the cover to not retract. I have a hunch that it tends to happen in cold weather. To be honest I can't remember exactly what I did, but will hopefully figure it out and will post the results here. Like you I couldn't stomach a £300 bill for a new one, and they seem to be non-existent at breakers.

 

Best,

 

Al

[Guest iandickens]

hi al

thanks for getting back to me so quickly i will look out for your future post

ian

[Big Al]

Hi Ian, I did the fix and it seems successful. I've not had time to write up what I did yet but will do it soon. Al

[Big Al]

hi al

thanks for getting back to me so quickly i will look out for your future post

ian

 

Assuming the cause of your problem is the same as mine (tensioning spring slipping on its mounting) then this is the method I used to fix it:

 

 

Lay the load cover upside down on a table. Remove the six Torx T10 screws that attach the roller to the panel. With the roller handle facing you locate the left hand white plastic insert that fits into the end of the tube. This contains the spring assembly (as far as I can tell there is only a single spring assembly) and will almost certainly need to be removed from the roller tube*

 

You can make sure you are working on the correct end by checking that there is spring resistance if you push and turning the black end cap. The other end will just rotate freely if you press and turn it. The spring assembly end piece slots into the tube and is held in place by tabs. It needs to be gently prised out without breaking it – take care here.

 

Once the spring assembly is removed the spring can be re-tensioned. In the case of mine it appeared to be the outer end of the spring that had slipped on its tapered fitting. I permanently remedied this by pulling the spring away from the tapered part, applying Loctite to the taper and then pushing the spring back into position. More Loctite was then applied to the end coils of the spring. The spring may hold in position without the Loctite, but in my experience it will slip again if not glued (especially in cold weather).

 

Of course, it may be the other end of the spring that has slipped, but that end (the inner end) appears to grip the plastic end fitting better and so it is the outer end that is likely to be the source of the problem. Hopefully you will be able to see what is happening. Don’t glue both ends! If you do, you won’t be able to re-tension the spring. If you do use glue, then it’s best to leave it a while to set (I left it overnight to be sure).

 

You can now re-tension the spring. Assuming you have glued the outer end of the spring you will do this by winding the spring on its inner plastic fitting. It will only go one way, and with a little practice is not too hard to do. There is some trial and error required here as regards how much tension to put on. I tensioned mine until the spring started to buckle a little on its shaft – not too many turns are required for this.

 

Now put the spring unit to one side and rewind the cover onto its roller, turning the remaining black end cap as required so that the material feeds through the slot in the end cap. Leave a few inches of material off the roller. Re-insert the spring assembly into the roller making sure the black plastic end cap lines up with the one on the opposite end. It doesn’t matter if the white plastic insert doesn’t snap back in tightly – it is held in place by spring pressure when fully re-assembled.

 

Now the roller assembly can be re-fitted to the rigid panel. Offer it up and as you push the black plastic end caps into position against their springs, the part of the cover that is not wound onto the roller should wind on, showing that there is correct tension in the system.

 

Put in just 2 screws and check the operation. There does not need to be too much tension, but enough to securely rewind the cover. If all is ok, fit the remaining 4 screws and put the load cover back in the car.

 

Job done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*it may be possible to re-tension the spring with the spring assembly in situ, but I was not able to do this.

 

 

 

Good luck!

 

Al