Problem with your car?

[Handyman]

Re: Problem with your car?

Like I mentioned in a round about way on my thread the other day, youngsters don't do the practical things that our parents or even us to some extent did.

Modern cars have so much electronics that you need an electronics and programming degree to repair them.

OK so suspension bushes are not that bad to replace either you just have to be prepared to get greasy and use some old fashioned brute force. But things like Oil, Air, Fuel filters are cheap and easy to replace yourself. As long as you are physically able to jack one side of the car up (most cases you don't even need to remove a wheel). You can do your own oil change.

I suppose in some ways I was lucky that 4 out of the gang of 6 I hung out with at school became mechanics, I already knew most of it because Dad was a Mechanical Fitter and had a part time car repair business. By the time I was 10 I could do a head gasket and de-coke on a Jaguar Mk 7.

Different these day's though with things like limp home mode on the ecu and injector coding. If you don't know what the heck I'm on about join the club Time was when you had a misfire on a cylinder you change a spark plug, now you plug in a computer to analyse the fault codes.

Enough of doing my Grumpy Old Git routine, to anyone willing to try to do a basic service well done and just think of the money you have saved.

Air, Oil Filter, Oil Flush and new Synthetic Oil for my old car
£45.00 time taken (not including adding the Engine Flush and Running for 1/2 an hour) 20 minutes. Add on another 15 minutes to check lights, tyres and fluid levels and to go round the hinges and locks with WD40 and you have the basis of an intermediate service. What my local garage charges £120.00 for.

Makes sense doesn't it?

Regards, Handy

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Fully agree Handy. If I know what I am doing (with the help of Haynes if needed) I am pretty good.

Lets face it, plugs, filters (oil, air and fuel) oil change is simple. Brakes might take a little more.

But as you say, its all the electronics and "improvements" that cause issues.

Not so long ago (probably on this thread) I had a fuel/air/misfire issue. I got told it was plugs, fuel rail, injectors, coil pack or stepper motor amongst others.

Luckily, all I bought was a coil pack from the scrappie and a can of carburettor spray to clean the stepper motor.

After replacing the coil pack, and cleaning the stepper motor, I looked again. It turned out to be the ECU temp sensor (Google search luck rather than test) - £20 cost. God knows what a diagnostic plus parts plus labour (as was intermittent fault) would have cost.

[cymruambyth]

Re: Problem with your car?

Trouble is, some people never learn ..... My oh tried to save money by fitting his own spotlights and then had to pay for a new rediator

[alland]

Re: Problem with your car?

Enough of doing my Grumpy Old Git routine, to anyone willing to try to do a basic service well done and just think of the money you have saved.

Air, Oil Filter, Oil Flush and new Synthetic Oil for my old car
£45.00 time taken (not including adding the Engine Flush and Running for 1/2 an hour) 20 minutes. Add on another 15 minutes to check lights, tyres and fluid levels and to go round the hinges and locks with WD40 and you have the basis of an intermediate service. What my local garage charges £120.00 for.

Makes sense doesn't it?

Regards, Handy

Yes it does make sense Handy if you are confident about doing the job to save yourself some money, but fortunately for my business, there are folk still out there who are happy to let the "Professionals" do the work on their cars.... and I would add, for a £120.00 service it is a little more than drop the oil & filter, give the locks a bit of a spray with QD40, and check the lights work
And not forgetting of course the obligatory kick to the tyres to check pressures ! ...Oh yes you see I know all the old tricks of the trade...

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Right. After an opinion.

Pretty much been confirmed that the Crankshaft oil seal is on its way (1.4 306 97 plate) - I know Allan hates French shit (and so do I now), but after costs and opinions.

Seal I know is about £10. As someone pointed out to me (fairly good with cars) as need to crack/split the box, I may as well replace the clutch at the same time - which has begun to whine anyway (wondering if thats linked to the oil leak - fluid getting onto clutch??) so looking at £50-£60? for a kit.

Of course I am going to also remove the drive shaft etc. I am not overly confident of doing all this myself, probably a bit over my head. What would be a reasonable price for the job, with parts supplied? I have a ball park figure in my head already.

What I am wondering is, should I just take it for the MOT get shot?? (assuming it passes) MOT is due in 8 weeks or so, so can take it in four, and it already has a blow from the exhaust, but not sure where.

My problem is, being a current "dole bum" I dont really have the cash to buy another run about, but think all the work is likely to be expensive if I cant find a mate to help (which is a slight possibility).

[alland]

Re: Problem with your car?

Oscar, Ok, first of all removing the gearbox to access the crankshaft bearing is not a major operation, but you do need some basic equipment to attempt the job at home.
1. Trolley jack
2. Axle stands
3. Engine support (you need this as once the box is out the engine will only be suspended on one mounting !)
4. A decent set of metric spanners & sockets
5. Oil catch tray, you will loose the gearbox oil when you remove the drive shafts.
6 Someone to help you(the gearbox is not lightweight!)
7. Clutch re-alignment tool (to fit the new clutch assembly)

Once you have got the box out, then you need to remove the clutch assembly and the flywheel, this will give you access to the rear crankshaft oil seal, seal is easy to pry out with a screwdriver, but take care when pressing the new one into position !
The whine you have from the bellousing area is a problem to identify without hearing it, I doubt very much that oil leaking onto the clutch would cause a "whine", firstly does it come and go as you depress & release the clutch pedal ? if it does then it is likely to be the clutch release bearing which is not expensive to buy (in fact most new clutch kits come with a new bearing in the kit) If the whine does not alter when depressing the clutch pedal, then I would suggest it is wear on either a internal gearbox bearing or even on one of the actual gears in the box or the diff crownwheel and pinon.

In which case it will be expensive to fix as it means a gearbox strip and rebuild !

As a price guide for doing just the crankshaft oil seal, Our data on repair time required shows around 4 hrs for the gearbox removal & refit, then add on cost of removing & refitting the clutch & flywheel to do the oil seal another 1hr. So 5 hrs @ £40.00 = £200, +vat then on top of the labour you have your parts cost, which will vary depending on which motor factor supplies the parts.

Of course if you go to a smaller non vat registered garage, there is a chance their labour rates could be less than ours, plus you would not be charged vat either.

Good Luck.

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Cheers Allan, I have all the above I think bar the engine support (but possibly know someone with one) Dont have the tray, but they only couple of quid.

Labour is spot on where I thought it would be (unfortunately).

I didnt think gearboxes were all that heavy, just that the weight distribution makes it awkward to hold. As for the whine, I suppose there are essentially two. There is the clutch one, which as you say, comes and goes when depressing the clutch (can also here it if you move right towrds fifth without pressing the clutch - and not attempting to engage) and there is "another" whine which is there when travelling, obviously more pronounced at higher speeds - so again, had already gathered more than likely diff. bearing. Dont actually know if I need the clutch, but its probably coated in oil if the seal has gone.

Given the above, and the blow on the exhaust, am tempted to sell S&R as the MOT is due in 6 weeks.

Already looking at £90 for parts, £30/40 for exhaust piece, £50 for MOT, quickly followed by £90 for tax. - £270 ..... and thats assuming I do the work myslef and dont find anything else wrong.

Anybody want to buy a nice little 306 - nothing wrong with it, honest

[Handyman]

Re: Problem with your car?

Don't ask me how but I seem to have ended up with a duplicate post Cor that scrumpy was strong tonight
So I deleted the first load of twaddle. One of me is enough.

[Handyman]

Re: Problem with your car?

Yes it does make sense Handy if you are confident about doing the job to save yourself some money, but fortunately for my business, there are folk still out there who are happy to let the "Professionals" do the work on their cars.... and I would add, for a £120.00 service it is a little more than drop the oil & filter, give the locks a bit of a spray with QD40, and check the lights work
And not forgetting of course the obligatory kick to the tyres to check pressures ! ...Oh yes you see I know all the old tricks of the trade...

Hi Allan, please understand I'm not knocking the Professionals, the real ones at least .

Yes our local garage does a cheap service, the bare minimum, it won't get you a stamp in a service book. As the owner of the garage says, times are hard. At least if you go for the cheap option your car is "lubed" and checked over and you are advised honestly about any developing problems.

If you want a full service with them depending on your make of car it's the going rate. As I know well the cost of say Automatic gearbox oil these days can add £'s to the bill.

I saw your post about VAT today. Ouch this is the killer to most folk, because after what can be quite a reasonable labour and parts charge you get hit by the chancellors 20%

Would you agree that we are going to see more unsafe cars on the road as folk try to spread the budget further? With Modern Technology Tax and MOT dodging are becoming things of the past, but an MOT only counts on one day a year.

Great advice to Oscar, now if only there was a better than virtual way to help out.

The way I look at it is if those of us with a little practical knowledge can save folks a few quid then we have done our bit.

Regards all, Handy

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Great advice to Oscar, now if only there was a better than virtual way to help out.

I would have hoped he would have come down and done it for me given hes only an hour or so up the road

I have tea, and plenty of chocolate digestives ......

[alland]

Re: Problem with your car?

Hi Allan, please understand I'm not knocking the Professionals, the real ones at least .

Yes our local garage does a cheap service, the bare minimum, it won't get you a stamp in a service book. As the owner of the garage says, times are hard. At least if you go for the cheap option your car is "lubed" and checked over and you are advised honestly about any developing problems.

If you want a full service with them depending on your make of car it's the going rate. As I know well the cost of say Automatic gearbox oil these days can add £'s to the bill.

I saw your post about VAT today. Ouch this is the killer to most folk, because after what can be quite a reasonable labour and parts charge you get hit by the chancellors 20%

Would you agree that we are going to see more unsafe cars on the road as folk try to spread the budget further? With Modern Technology Tax and MOT dodging are becoming things of the past, but an MOT only counts on one day a year.

Great advice to Oscar, now if only there was a better than virtual way to help out.

The way I look at it is if those of us with a little practical knowledge can save folks a few quid then we have done our bit.

Regards all, Handy

Don't worry Handy I understand where you are coming from mate,and yes there are Professionals and self appointed "Professionals" out there !

I have always been against vat being added on to the final bill for general consumers, I mean 20% and for what to prop up the mismanagement of the government. But lets not go there that's a whole debate in itself !

As a specialist operation, we don't get a great deal of everyday run of the mill vehicles through our workshops, but we are finding even the owners of higher end of the market vehicles are now stretching the service schedules out instead of just having them in on a regular basis that they used to do. We now see that come MOT time many vehicles need more attention to get through the test.

As for garage charges, something else that is now in the mix, instead of like the old days where a waste oil company would come along and pay you to take away the used oils,you now get charged for disposal, and old tyres, we get charged £2.00 per old tyre to have them collected and disposed of. All this has to be absorbed into the charges. I don't think anyone is making a fortune in the motor trade these days. I think many independent garage owners would get out of the job tomorrow if they could.

I'm glad I only have a couple of years left before I wave goodbye to the job if my plans work out ok. My Son who now runs the operation in my increasing absences will be hoping things will carry on and continue to give him a reasonable living, but you can't stay still, you have to keep up with the times and invest in the latest equipment such as electronics diagnostics which evolve faster than we can keep up, and of course most important you need to keep your customers happy to survive out there these days, and my hunch is, things are going to get a whole lot tougher before they get better in the UK.

Bugger now I really feel depressed....

[alland]

Re: Problem with your car?

I would have hoped he would have come down and done it for me given hes only an hour or so up the road

I have tea, and plenty of chocolate digestives ......

Dream on Oscar, the days of getting my mits dirty messing with cars are long gone, these days I am more your "leaning over your shoulder,telling you how it should be done" type of mechanic

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Dream on Oscar, the days of getting my mits dirty messing with cars are long gone, these days I am more your "leaning over your shoulder,telling you how it should be done" type of mechanic

Thats my dad and brother with mechanics as well.

How about if I throw in a donner kebab as well??

[alland]

Re: Problem with your car?

Thats my dad and brother with mechanics as well.

How about if I throw in a donner kebab as well??

Donner Kebab ?.... Now that is a tempting offer that is hard to resist...

Although if you can erect a pole dancers stage (along with a couple of suitabley attired dancers) in your garage that may clinch the deal.....

[oscar]

Re: Problem with your car?

Donner Kebab ?.... Now that is a tempting offer that is hard to resist...

Although if you can erect a pole dancers stage (along with a couple of suitabley attired dancers) in your garage that may clinch the deal.....

Garage?? Could manage one of those pop up sideless gazebo things .... pole dancers here arnt up to much (actually, the women arnt up to much!)