Author Topic: Car & mechanics advice thread (Read 85673 times)

outlaw_nas · « **Reply #160 on:** April 13, 2016, 04:51:30 pm »

My audi a3 2007 model,

when i start the car the radio starts but cuts off randomly first few mins. after that it works fine. but if i turn my car off and start it again the same problem occurs at the starting?

what could it be?

paddysour · « **Reply #161 on:** April 25, 2016, 10:17:31 am »

Quote from: Wigwampaddy on April 11, 2016, 01:02:09 pm

Sounds like a problem I had on a previous car of mine, turned out to be the crank shaft sensor had gone, was a bitch to get diagnosed, I kept telling the garage that I thought that was the problem, but oooooooh nooooo, they didn't think so!!

You were spot on mate. Got the sensor for £15 and a garage changed it for £20. Sorted.

It's doable to change yourself, but it's really awkward to do. In theory you just remove one nut, then switch the sensors over. But in reality you're on your back underneath the car cursing and scraping knuckles

I gave up and the mechanic done it in ten minutes with his lift.

Wigwamdelbert · « **Reply #162 on:** April 25, 2016, 11:30:05 am »

Quote from: paddysour on April 25, 2016, 10:17:31 am

You were spot on mate. Got the sensor for £15 and a garage changed it for £20. Sorted.

It's doable to change yourself, but it's really awkward to do. In theory you just remove one nut, then switch the sensors over. But in reality you're on your back underneath the car cursing and scraping knuckles

I gave up and the mechanic done it in ten minutes with his lift.

Same as me, after a week of the garage faffing about and telling me it couldn't be the sensor, I just bought one online for £15 and told them to fit it

Guz-kop · « **Reply #163 on:** June 22, 2016, 12:03:54 pm »

So I've been a massive twat and to cut a long story short damaged the right wing mirror (base broken and stuck but still attached) and had a dent/scratch in the body work of the door about 2 inches long. It's a 3 year old VW golf.

I'm useless at DIY, repairs etc. so nothing I can do myself. I'm gonna shop around a bit but received one quote this morning. They say the scratch/dent can be relatively easily fixed but the wing mirror needs totally replacing as they don't think the base is salvagable. They've quoted £140 for the mirror parts, £150 for the bodywork and total £330 for the labour. Don't think I've ever had done anything other than minor repair work/MOTs for my cars previously so lost in terms of how this might compare generally. Anyone have any thoughts? Obviously difficult without photos but any experiences appreciated. Not sure how much to shop around, currently very difficult with work to get out in the day to get it looked at. Ta

adruk87 · « **Reply #164 on:** June 22, 2016, 12:06:40 pm »

I work in a garage and sounds quite fair to me, they will have to paint the whole door. £140 for a mirror isn't too bad (A Honda Jazz mirror costs circa £300).

Guz-kop · « **Reply #165 on:** June 22, 2016, 12:21:12 pm »

Quote from: Lucky Al Moretti on June 22, 2016, 12:06:40 pm

I work in a garage and sounds quite fair to me, they will have to paint the whole door. £140 for a mirror isn't too bad (A Honda Jazz mirror costs circa £300).

Ta mate that's helpful. I think they said they can use the shell of my current mirror which will help the costs because at the time he did say a whole new mirror does cost about 300.

Pheeny · « **Reply #166 on:** June 22, 2016, 01:15:58 pm »

I'd say bring it round mine and I'd do all the work for a few beers but the cost to get to Belgium and back would be more than the labour costs...

Terry_Tibbs · « **Reply #167 on:** June 22, 2016, 04:31:36 pm »

Give Chipsaway (https://www.chipsaway.co.uk) a bell for the dent/scratch they may be able to do something about it that doesn't require a whole door being resprayed plus they come out to you to do the quote and do the repair work at a location to suit you if you decide to go ahead with them.

rob1966 · « **Reply #168 on:** September 22, 2016, 08:38:22 pm »

Quote from: Carllfc on September 22, 2016, 08:28:05 pm

Does anyone know how much roughly it usually is to replace a broken wing mirror on a car such as a fiesta? One of mine needs replacing and it seems to have lost some clips that go inside it.

Depends on what type of mirror it is and if you want new or S/hand. mirror glass only or the whole unit. The heated, electric folding ones are going to be around £200 - £250 from a dealer. Fitting is easy, you will need to remove the door cards and the any plastic trim, unplug the old one and unbolt it then fitting is the reverse.

outlaw_nas · « **Reply #169 on:** September 25, 2016, 08:54:49 pm »

Try your local Motorfactors, should be able to get it a lot cheaper than the dealers.

paulrazor · « **Reply #170 on:** October 14, 2016, 07:15:08 am »

I'm Fucked
Car ran out of oil last night.

No warning light nothing.

Had topped it up with fully syth oil in July after a service. Went bang on way home last night. Had to be towed to garage. Lying awake worried now

My uncle died the other night and this probably means I won't be able to fly over to his funeral.

I'm meant to be in Brussels tomorrow for my sisters 50th. I'm sick

surfer. Fuck you generator. · « **Reply #171 on:** October 14, 2016, 11:06:05 am »

Quote from: Hellrazor on October 14, 2016, 07:15:08 am

I'm Fucked
Car ran out of oil last night.

No warning light nothing.

Had topped it up with fully syth oil in July after a service. Went bang on way home last night. Had to be towed to garage. Lying awake worried now

My uncle died the other night and this probably means I won't be able to fly over to his funeral.

I'm meant to be in Brussels tomorrow for my sisters 50th. I'm sick

Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

Surely you've popped the hood a few times since July to do the regular checks on battery, coolant etc. The odour of leaking engine oil / oil residue is unmissable, nor the sticky patches they leave overnight on your porch.

paulrazor · « **Reply #172 on:** October 14, 2016, 11:41:41 am »

No leak on driveway.

Though there was one since it broke down. No warning prior as I said. A light came on last year and I topped up.

Lights come on about bulbs going out, low fuel, low wash fluid. Nothing here.

rob1966 · « **Reply #173 on:** October 14, 2016, 01:29:57 pm »

Quote from: Hellrazor on October 14, 2016, 11:41:41 am

No leak on driveway.

Though there was one since it broke down. No warning prior as I said. A light came on last year and I topped up.

Lights come on about bulbs going out, low fuel, low wash fluid. Nothing here.

Has it ran low on oil as it could just be mechanical failure? The oil warning lights tend to come on way before it becomes an issue, we have got slight leak on wife's Astra, light came on, still oil on dipstick.

paulrazor · « **Reply #174 on:** October 14, 2016, 02:01:13 pm »

None of my dipstick

Got a call there so its bad. Its exactly the same as the top story here
http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?72085-VW-Audi-BXE-engine-failures

TheTeflonJohn · « **Reply #175 on:** October 14, 2016, 07:07:51 pm »

Anyone ever bought a Cat C or D vehicle before?

Djimigotamedal · « **Reply #176 on:** October 14, 2016, 08:08:15 pm »

Just got charged £136 for changing two hoses that go into heater, that where leaking on my Vauxhall Astra.
Have i been ripped off ?

rob1966 · « **Reply #177 on:** October 14, 2016, 10:45:52 pm »

Quote from: TheTeflonJohn on October 14, 2016, 07:07:51 pm

Anyone ever bought a Cat C or D vehicle before?

I bought a 5 yr old, 63,000 mile Mondeo back in 2004, cat D due to front end damage. Repaired it myself and ran it til 2009 putting 80,000 miles on it, then sold it to my brother who put another 40,000 on it.

paulrazor · « **Reply #178 on:** October 15, 2016, 03:54:31 am »

Quoted around 850. New engine And labour.

TheTeflonJohn · « **Reply #179 on:** October 15, 2016, 07:48:52 am »

Quote from: rob1966 on October 14, 2016, 10:45:52 pm

I bought a 5 yr old, 63,000 mile Mondeo back in 2004, cat D due to front end damage. Repaired it myself and ran it til 2009 putting 80,000 miles on it, then sold it to my brother who put another 40,000 on it.

The problem I`ve got is I`m shite with cars, good at driving them but know next fuck all about the mechanical side. I`m looking at second hand cars on Auto Trader at the moment for around 5 grand.

I want to get an Insignia as they are good on the fuel consumption and I will be doing a lot of motorway mileage next year. For 5 grand I can get a decent 10 plate with 60-70,000 miles.

Then you`ve got Cat C/D being offered, 13 plate with 30-40,000 miles and better spec car for similar figures.

rob1966 · « **Reply #180 on:** October 16, 2016, 02:55:59 pm »

Quote from: TheTeflonJohn on October 15, 2016, 07:48:52 am

The problem I`ve got is I`m shite with cars, good at driving them but know next fuck all about the mechanical side. I`m looking at second hand cars on Auto Trader at the moment for around 5 grand.

I want to get an Insignia as they are good on the fuel consumption and I will be doing a lot of motorway mileage next year. For 5 grand I can get a decent 10 plate with 60-70,000 miles.

Then you`ve got Cat C/D being offered, 13 plate with 30-40,000 miles and better spec car for similar figures.

While you are going to save potentially save a lot, it all depends on how reputable the repairers are, so I'd be looking at a vehicle check by someone I trust. It doesn't take much to make a car uneconomical to repair from an insurance point of view and it'll have been done with used or pattern parts, but so long as its been done properly you won't have issues. Anyone buying a Cat C or D wants to spend as little as possible on parts to get the car back on the road, so the temptation is there to not do thing as you would want them done. My mate used to have a garage and bought, repaired and sold Cat C and D Corsa's (easy to fix and sell) and he always made sure they were done properly but as cheaply as he was able, this is the kind of place you need to be looking for. Its worth remembering that an undamaged 10 plate could still be a piece of shit if its not been looked after properly.

As I was repairing the Mondeo for myself with no intention of selling on, I cut some corners, nothing to do with safety, just stuff that made it so you could tell it had been in an accident but didn't bother me, like rather then replace the slam panel (where the bonnet locates) I just tied it to my mates Range Rover and then raised his car on a 4 post ramp to drag is straight enough for the bonnet to close and lock properly.

boots · « **Reply #181 on:** October 17, 2016, 09:39:55 am »

Quote from: TheTeflonJohn on October 15, 2016, 07:48:52 am

The problem I`ve got is I`m shite with cars, good at driving them but know next fuck all about the mechanical side. I`m looking at second hand cars on Auto Trader at the moment for around 5 grand.

I want to get an Insignia as they are good on the fuel consumption and I will be doing a lot of motorway mileage next year. For 5 grand I can get a decent 10 plate with 60-70,000 miles.

Then you`ve got Cat C/D being offered, 13 plate with 30-40,000 miles and better spec car for similar figures.

Have a look at Saabs.

TheTeflonJohn · « **Reply #182 on:** October 22, 2016, 07:59:18 am »

Quote from: rob1966 on October 16, 2016, 02:55:59 pm

While you are going to save potentially save a lot, it all depends on how reputable the repairers are, so I'd be looking at a vehicle check by someone I trust. It doesn't take much to make a car uneconomical to repair from an insurance point of view and it'll have been done with used or pattern parts, but so long as its been done properly you won't have issues. Anyone buying a Cat C or D wants to spend as little as possible on parts to get the car back on the road, so the temptation is there to not do thing as you would want them done. My mate used to have a garage and bought, repaired and sold Cat C and D Corsa's (easy to fix and sell) and he always made sure they were done properly but as cheaply as he was able, this is the kind of place you need to be looking for. Its worth remembering that an undamaged 10 plate could still be a piece of shit if its not been looked after properly.

As I was repairing the Mondeo for myself with no intention of selling on, I cut some corners, nothing to do with safety, just stuff that made it so you could tell it had been in an accident but didn't bother me, like rather then replace the slam panel (where the bonnet locates) I just tied it to my mates Range Rover and then raised his car on a 4 post ramp to drag is straight enough for the bonnet to close and lock properly.

Sorry Rob, forgot to respond to this, I have a mate who is a mechanic so will take him along to have a look at a few for me.

Quote from: boots on October 17, 2016, 09:39:55 am

Have a look at Saabs.

Why mate?

paddysour · « **Reply #183 on:** December 6, 2016, 12:09:44 pm »

My dads car broke down driving home. It wouldn't start with a jump either. He used one of those external battery chargers to charge his up. After a night of charging the little indicator wasn't green so he bought a new battery. Now the car fires up for a few seconds then dies again.

Anyone know what the problem would be there?

Ziltoid · « **Reply #184 on:** December 13, 2016, 10:34:40 am »

Well £1400 for a new fuel pump for the car (Audi A4 Estate 2.5 on an 06 plate - just short of a 100,000 miles), plus the £290 for new tyre and coil spring to pass MOT. I've cancelled Christmas!

To be fair that's the first thing that's really gone wrong with it.

paulrazor · « **Reply #185 on:** December 13, 2016, 11:05:47 am »

Quote from: Ziltoid on December 13, 2016, 10:34:40 am

Well £1400 for a new fuel pump for the car (Audi A4 Estate 2.5 on an 06 plate - just short of a 100,000 miles), plus the £290 for new tyre and coil spring to pass MOT. I've cancelled Christmas!

To be fair that's the first thing that's really gone wrong with it.

rotten timing

i share your pain

one of my bosses here too had the engine go in his ford mondeo. 2000 euro

he said someone in his sports club had the same problem in the same make.

boots · « **Reply #186 on:** December 13, 2016, 02:18:14 pm »

The reason I recommended Saabs are that they are cheap now, come 5star crash dummy rated, are generally loaded, are reliable as hell and are understated amongst all the german nazi cars. Plus they are cheeeeeeeaaaaap and built like tanks. Sorry for delay in answer.

bigbonedrawky · « **Reply #187 on:** December 13, 2016, 05:10:45 pm »

Quote from: Ziltoid on December 13, 2016, 10:34:40 am

Well £1400 for a new fuel pump for the car (Audi A4 Estate 2.5 on an 06 plate - just short of a 100,000 miles), plus the £290 for new tyre and coil spring to pass MOT. I've cancelled Christmas!

To be fair that's the first thing that's really gone wrong with it.

DO NOT PAY £1400 for a fuel pump.
http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/fuel-pump/audi-a4-8d2-b5-2-6-150hp_v4616_g458.html
http://www.eurocarparts.com/fuel-pump
If it was my mechanic I'd be expecting a bill of 5- 600 for the whole lot including pump, springs tyre and labour.

paulrazor · « **Reply #188 on:** December 13, 2016, 05:17:34 pm »

Quote from: bigbonedrawky on December 13, 2016, 05:10:45 pm

DO NOT PAY £1400 for a fuel pump.
http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/fuel-pump/audi-a4-8d2-b5-2-6-150hp_v4616_g458.html
http://www.eurocarparts.com/fuel-pump
If it was my mechanic I'd be expecting a bill of 5- 600 for the whole lot including pump, springs tyre and labour.

just read the second part

coil spring and tyre is nearly 300?

why?

bigbonedrawky · « **Reply #189 on:** December 13, 2016, 06:04:13 pm »

Quote from: Hellrazor on December 13, 2016, 05:17:34 pm

just read the second part

coil spring and tyre is nearly 300?

why?

I reckon it's because Zilty is dead posh and wears a monocle " Awfully sorry to bother you my good man but be a good chap and tell me how much does one charge, for one's fuel pump to be replaced, on one's Audi A4 Estate"

Ziltoid · « **Reply #190 on:** December 13, 2016, 07:45:35 pm »

Quote from: bigbonedrawky on December 13, 2016, 06:04:13 pm

I reckon it's because Zilty is dead posh and wears a monocle " Awfully sorry to bother you my good man but be a good chap and tell me how much does one charge, for one's fuel pump to be replaced, on one's Audi A4 Estate"

Continental Sport tyres which are a tad expensive. Bought with similar on and tried others that were shite. Ill get the breakdown when I get the receipt. They are a specialist diesel outfit but cheaper than going to Audi direct. Car needs fixing asap and im not fucking about taking to different mechanics as lad I used to go to has gone elsewhere.

paulrazor · « **Reply #191 on:** December 13, 2016, 08:28:39 pm »

Lololololol

Ziltoid · « **Reply #192 on:** December 15, 2016, 10:56:11 pm »

Ended up being £920, @mazing what a monocle does.

paulrazor · « **Reply #193 on:** July 21, 2017, 02:27:04 pm »

anybody got recommendations for scratches?

there was bird shit on my car, i rubbed it hard as i could as the fucking stuff was welded on

used my nails ive scratched the roof, relatively new car so not good.

any good scratch removers out there? looking online at halfords and most seem to be pants

rob1966 · « **Reply #194 on:** July 21, 2017, 02:34:36 pm »

Quote from: Hellrazor on July 21, 2017, 02:27:04 pm

anybody got recommendations for scratches?

there was bird shit on my car, i rubbed it hard as i could as the fucking stuff was welded on

used my nails ive scratched the roof, relatively new car so not good.

any good scratch removers out there? looking online at halfords and most seem to be pants

Try a gentle application of T Cut, I did that on the wife's car and worked a treat. If not, go ask a local bodyshop, they should either be able to sort it or recommend someone. I've got scratches on my Jag, across the bonnet and down the wing and door from some c*nts fucking cat sliding off the car, I'm ready to kill both the cat and the owner if I find the fuckers.

paulrazor · « **Reply #195 on:** July 21, 2017, 02:39:53 pm »

Quote from: rob1966 on July 21, 2017, 02:34:36 pm

Try a gentle application of T Cut, I did that on the wife's car and worked a treat. If not, go ask a local bodyshop, they should either be able to sort it or recommend someone. I've got scratches on my Jag, across the bonnet and down the wing and door from some c*nts fucking cat sliding off the car, I'm ready to kill both the cat and the owner if I find the fuckers.

cheers

father in law might have some

thanks

RJ320 · « **Reply #196 on:** July 26, 2017, 06:30:21 pm »

Quote from: SamAteTheRedAcid on July 14, 2014, 01:47:03 am

Fucking hell, some crap advice here. Have you not tried putting bonjella on it

That's crap advice too. What he needs to do is put it in some rice, should sort the problem.

Sat1 · « **Reply #197 on:** July 26, 2017, 10:01:45 pm »

Need a bit of advice. BMW 5 Series, 16 plate keeps saying coolant level low after 50-100 miles. Topped it up and shown it a garage but couldnt find no leaks or stains. Any idea what it could be?

rob1966 · « **Reply #198 on:** July 26, 2017, 10:10:12 pm »

Few things to check - is the exhaust smoking with white smoke? If so its losing coolant into the cylinders, so suggests head gasket. Check the oil, is it milky white? If so this suggests its leaking into the oil somewhere internally, If none of these and there's no water under the car, then you could have a leak in the heater matrix leaking into the car interior.

However, as its a 16 plate, and its still under warranty, I'd be getting it into the BMW dealer and getting them to find it and get it sorted under warranty.

paddysour · « **Reply #199 on:** July 27, 2017, 11:40:17 am »

Quote from: Sat1 on July 26, 2017, 10:01:45 pm

Need a bit of advice. BMW 5 Series, 16 plate keeps saying coolant level low after 50-100 miles. Topped it up and shown it a garage but couldnt find no leaks or stains. Any idea what it could be?

I've heard of a dodgy expansion cap causing this. Few quid for a new one so that would be my first try. If it's not sealing properly it'll leak steam out.