Car advice

[alta-pete]

£187 to replace the brake cables and labour. I feel robbed??

Go and get some premises. Employ some staff. Buys lots of tools. Get insured. Take time to quote a job. Take on the risk that it might not go as smoothly as first quoted. Buy the parts. Commit the time. Try and turn £20/£30 profit out it so you can feed yourself.

£187? Sounds a bargain to me.

[Stellaboz]

I've no idea how much this should cost. Did a fucking great job though, it's now tighter than Scrooge McDuck.

[Joe Terrapin]

4 hours ago, Thistle_do_nicely said:

I bought a 15 plate petrol Astra Sports Tourer around July 2016 - straight cash plus a trade-in on the old Clio I owned after my grandma's flat was sold and the cash divided up between the grandkids. 21000 miles when I got it, now up to about 30400.

Had absolutely no issues with it so far barring the usual wear and tear on brake pads, tyres etc. and, while I'm largely the type of person who will pop open the bonnet on a breakdown and go "oh yeah, that's right, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing" before haplessly trudging back into the car, a close friend is a time-served mechanic who can help me out with any minor issues I get. Parts are very reasonable for the model I've got too, imo.

I'm toying with the idea of looking at a newer car once it hits 50000 miles or so and seeing what I can get on a trade-in (also depends how much free cash I've got what I'd be looking at, although I quite fancy a Mazda 6 saloon) but if I have to run it into the ground I'd be okay with that.

Leasing is fine too - iirc there were some terrific Ford deals available not too long ago, probably still are. I may well have been better off taking that money and committing to a 4 yr lease but I quite like owning the car and having the option of keeping it, trying to sell it privately or using it in a trade in for the future.

What engines in it? I've got a 1.6 petrol 13 plate with 73000 on the clock (I've done 70000 of them) Only issues I've had is the thermostatic housing and a new coil pack. Sourced and fitted both myself at a cost of about £200. I'm looking at getting rid and have been offered about £4000 trade in. Could probably get £5000 if I sold privately.

[Thistle_do_nicely]

2 minutes ago, Joe Terrapin said:

What engines in it? I've got a 1.6 petrol 13 plate with 73000 on the clock (I've done 70000 of them) Only issues I've had is the thermostatic housing and a new coil pack. Sourced and fitted both myself at a cost of about £200. I'm looking at getting rid and have been offered about £4000 trade in. Could probably get £5000 if I sold privately.

Exactly the same, 1.6 petrol (think its about 115 bhp, no turbo sadly but its juuuuust about got enough pace for me to be happy with it).

I think mine had the coil pack done just prior to me buying it right enough.

Older brother had an Astra and warned me the M32 gearbox can be a pain in the arse (whatever that means), but like I say I've not had any problems so far. I think he's still got an 08 plate Astra 3dr 1.7 CDTi that he got offered nearly £3000 for last year!

[RandomGuy.]

5 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

I've no idea how much this should cost. Did a fucking great job though, it's now tighter than Scrooge McDuck.

What car have you got? 

Handbrake cables on a Volvo Xc90 can take up to six hours.. 

[Stellaboz]

What car have you got? 
Handbrake cables on a Volvo Xc90 can take up to six hours.. 

56 Fiesta

[welshbairn]

14 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

 

56 Fiesta

 

You should go back and give them a tip you miserable skinflint. Either that or threaten them with a bad reputation on social media unless you get a discount.

[invergowrie arab]

You would be lucky to get a mechanic to sit and have a coffee with you for under 200 quid.

[RandomGuy.]

9 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

 

56 Fiesta

 

And what garage did you use? 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

14 hours ago, alta-pete said:

Go and get some premises. Employ some staff. Buys lots of tools. Get insured. Take time to quote a job. Take on the risk that it might not go as smoothly as first quoted. Buy the parts. Commit the time. Try and turn £20/£30 profit out it so you can feed yourself.

 

[Stellaboz]

Bridgeway, Crossgates

[Shandon Par]

49 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Bridgeway, Crossgates

You're such a jetsetter. Have you ever posted from the same time zone twice? Have you looked out for your Fiesta this morning? No? Is that it crumpled against the wall at the bottom of that steep hill? 

[Rugster]

4 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

 Is that it crumpled against the wall at the bottom of that steep hill? 

Why? Did he let your missus borrow it?

[Stellaboz]

You're such a jetsetter. Have you ever posted from the same time zone twice? Have you looked out for your Fiesta this morning? No? Is that it crumpled against the wall at the bottom of that steep hill? 

I am
Yes
Not yet
As above
I hope not

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

Took my car to a garage as it had a warning light on the dash and there was clearly an issue with it. They ran the diagnostics and said 'we don't really know what's wrong with it' and tried to charge  me £100 or whatever it was.

I should own a garage. Just charge folk for me not actually doing anything. 'Yeah sorry, no idea, £100 please'.  Definitely in the wrong business.

[welshbairn]

5 minutes ago, Bonksy+HisChristianParade said:

Took my car to a garage as it had a warning light on the dash and there was clearly an issue with it. They ran the diagnostics and said 'we don't really know what's wrong with it' and tried to charge  me £100 or whatever it was.

I should own a garage. Just charge folk for me not actually doing anything. 'Yeah sorry, no idea, £100 please'.  Definitely in the wrong business.

You should be able to check the error code without taking it to a garage. I googled how to do it with my last car and all it needed was bunging a paperclip in the fuse panel and counting the flashes on the dash display.

[thistledo]

13 hours ago, Bonksy+HisChristianParade said:

Took my car to a garage as it had a warning light on the dash and there was clearly an issue with it. They ran the diagnostics and said 'we don't really know what's wrong with it' and tried to charge  me £100 or whatever it was.

I should own a garage. Just charge folk for me not actually doing anything. 'Yeah sorry, no idea, £100 please'.  Definitely in the wrong business.

What garage was this? 

13 hours ago, welshbairn said:

You should be able to check the error code without taking it to a garage. I googled how to do it with my last car and all it needed was bunging a paperclip in the fuse panel and counting the flashes on the dash display.

Could buy an OBD2 reader fairly cheap, find and reset the fault. Although if it's genuinely a fault it will just keep coming back. Can even get ones that output to an app on your phone now. 

[welshbairn]

8 minutes ago, thistledo said:

 

Could buy an OBD2 reader fairly cheap, find and reset the fault. Although if it's genuinely a fault it will just keep coming back. Can even get ones that output to an app on your phone now. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/XTRONS-ELM327-Bluetooth-OBD2-II-V2-2-Android-Car-Auto-Diagnostic-Scanner-Tool-Torque/1442054158

[throbber]

Going to test drive a 2013 Renault Clio on Saturday, it’s only got about 30k on clock and is £6k. My friends have said I’d be mad to go for one of them over a Focus but this is surely just their opinions. Does anyone have anything to add on this debate?

[Chicken Wing]

Going to test drive a 2013 Renault Clio on Saturday, it’s only got about 30k on clock and is £6k. My friends have said I’d be mad to go for one of them over a Focus but this is surely just their opinions. Does anyone have anything to add on this debate?

Your friends are right. Avoid Renault!