Car problems

Bottom line is that you always pay for servicing. On top of that with a new car you pay depreciation, with an old car you pay maintenance and in between you pay some of both! Now the body killing rust bug is pretty much an endangered species there is no real mechanical reason why almost any half decent car shouldn't do starship miles. Electronic side of things on very modern stuff is another issue entirely.

Best way I know of looking at it is to consider things in 100,000 mile chunks. Once you get up to 100,000 or a similar target mileage how much could it cost you in expected replacements over the next 100,000. Compare that to how much it will cost you to swop your bolide for another that will do another 100,000 with normal servicing and minimal maintenance. Choose the right vehicles and the answers can be very surprising. But you've gotta do your homework. Lots of cars out there with expensive weaknesses that are essentially terminal soon after 100,000. There are good reasons why the miles limit of those lease with a big balloon payment at the end (which we aren't really going to explain properly) plans are so low. If you do go for starship miles option you have to save into a fixit fund. Either to actually fix or to fund replacement.

Being a grumpy low mileage type old fart I run a late Range Rover P38. Comfortable, tough, simple reliable, easy to fix and cheap on parts if need be. At 5,000 miles a year V8 thirst worries me not.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 25/06/2017 21:02:18

we had a Fiat Punto with electric power steering. Failed after about 4 years, over £600 to get it fixed. Failed again within 12 months so I managed to get them to fit another one for free, then failed again after about another 2 or 3 years, so I traded it in. Turns out it's a well known fault, and in typical Fiat fashion if it lasts longer than the warranty they don't do anything about it. You need muscles like Charles Atlas to steer it when the power steering gives up!

When this saga comes to the end, do tell us the punch line Neil! (What was it, or last round up at the local scrapyard?)

Howard

HI Duncan

Fiat steering fault is a dry joint in the motor fix it in 20 minute with a soldering iron !!!

Tony

No doubt it's the clutch. Neighbour back from holiday today, got his advice on best place for a cheap clutch, but haven't followed it up yet.

Need to see if viable repair or off to the 'Bay

Neil

Just sold a Honda CRV with 250K on the clock and only ever replaced service items!

Wouldn't fancy doing the clutch myself on FWD cars, RWD no problem on axle stands.

Problem is the expense, without the specific engine model gonna be looking in region £600 which does seem pretty cheap for Dual Mass Flywheel. May find in that the clutch is a cheapy best left out about £80. Genuine could be around £200?

Have had a few bad experiences with pre DMF clutches especially Borg and Beck, wouldn't hold in 5th accelerating like revving in neutral.
Had a few clutches where the backing plates broke up permanently engaging, fine rev and change gear same with busted cable.

Always have doubts on current DMF clutch, can actually hear it at times and serves no purpose except far greater cost, reduced life just to get better emissions. £1k plus fitting, also a common thing on most diesels doing mileage.

Tried claiming off Staffs council for the pot holes, best of luck everything on site except their phone number or email to claim. Can report a pot hole but would be repaired quicker than they give the number out, had 4 in 6 yrs take out a wishbone, tyre and bend a tie rod £253 a chuck DIY and the inconvenience sorting.

I'm hoping the clutch never goes out on my recently purchased Toyota Corolla. You have to pull the entire engine and transmission unit out of the car as a lump before you can split them to change the clutch plate. Yikes.

Back in '81 I went on my first posting to Townsville. I had a '54MGTF at the time and my father advised me not to take it because of road conditions. He lived in Vic Barracks at the time, and I'm pretty sure all of the roads in North Queensland were better than around Moore park and Central station.

PS. Clutch change on that car - remove roof, seats and floor boards and take out through passenger door.

Edited By David Paterson 4 on 29/06/2017 06:34:23

They have not improved trust me!

Now that they are digging up most of the major roads around the CBD for the light rail the roads are nothing more than a series of potholes separated by road plates that are designed to get your vehicle air born and the person in charge of installing these roadplates needs a career change to monster truck track designer !

Remove the roof , floors and seat then take it out through the door - sounds like my old series 2 landy i used to have many years ago !

Ian.

No, they are to give refinement (low torsional vibrations) without loss of driveability (low flywheel moment of inertia and mass). Only a very tenuous link to emissions.

Like any component, there is no reason why they can't be designed to outlast the rest of the vehicle. But some vehicle manufacturers aren't very good at designing and developing their products.....

Murray

Any chance you can get an inspection camera into the bell housing through a cover to look for any debris?

I'm with John Stevenson, ie hydraulic piston stuck, exactly the same thing happened on my Focus, I just jabbed the clutch pedal a few times and it popped back out.

I think it was caused by the end stop in the pedal box being bent back, allowing the pedal to be pushed to far but I don't know, I just took a bit easier after that.

Now, lets have the truth - you were really racing the young boys in Morrisons car park and doing doughnuts in reverse.......... own up...

LOL! £640 for a plain clutch replacement as it already has the DMF removed, £700 if it needed a standard flywheel replacement and 'don't bother asking' if you want a DMF...

It's probably the highest labour of any common car.

Neil

I haven't seen roads like staffordshire's anywhere else in the UK.

They are finally closing the main road from the A38 to town for four weeks to fix it properly, there will be total chaos with lorries on Branston Road and on top of the tatenhill diversion.

They are threatening to fix the flyover at Barton under Needwood, the only road where I've seen cars regularly drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the massive potholes.

It wouldn't be so bad only past experience suggests the repairs won't last a month...

Lots of jabbing does nothing and it feels normal

If it is stuck though, how else would I unstick it?

A big hammer!

Ian S C

Neil- I have no helpful suggestions but I do feel your pain!!

Just had a response from local Citroen dealer re. Berlingo gearchange problem - replacement gearbox ! on a car just 5 weeks out of warranty and with 8000 miles on the clock!! Their charge for recovery would have been £300.00 but a very helpful local guy did it for £60.00! but there's no escaping the repair bill .. £1000.00 plus

Ah! the joys of motoring

rgds

Bill

Cornish Jack,

there is a thing in law that say's "Fit for Purpose".....don't mess with the dealer, phone Fiat Concessionares and tell if they don't fix it u'll use the the what's was called Weight and Measures / Consumer Rights Depatrment, they'll even contact Fiat, u'll find em at the Town Hall....

damm forgetting things, must be old age.....

Clogs, er I think....!!!!!!!!!!

Agree with Clogs,, that's not normal wear and tear, it suggests faulty materials or manufacture.

Neilk

Thanks Clogs and Neil - understand the principle but , at 81, I don't have the stamina I once had to deal with the bureaucrats! and I don't think Fiat would be hugely interested in Citroen incompetence!!

Just had a phone call to say it's ready for collection so, at least they can repair them even if the quality is rubbish

rgds

Bill