Car D.I.Y.

[gbb]

I reported up thread I'd repaired a screw in a rear tyre with one of those plug kits, worked a treat.
But, while it's borderline ok, 1/2 inch from the sidewall...the tyre is quite old so safety first, changed the wheel the other day. I have a spare set I've been slowly (very slowly) refurbishing by hand.
So wheels on the rear changed, good condition Yokohamas on them.

 

[Gunk]

Is there such a thing as a reputable garage

Yes there are but they are difficult to find, I’ve been using one for about 10 years now, ex Skoda main dealer now an independent VAG specialist.

 

[Profpointy]

Is there such a thing as a reputable garage? the stories i here since getting the camper van and going on a few motoring forums, They seem few and far between.

Yes there is. My local Saab specialist seem fine, and I've been going to them for the 12 years since I bought the car off them in the first place. Costs seem fair enough, and each time it needs something a bit dearer than a service, such as suspension parts, it handles a lot better when I get it back. They even questioned if it was worth it when I got them to replace the engine - which cost a bit more than I paid them for the car originally - but I reasoned that £2500 was a fair price to pay for a car with a newly-rebuilt engine was a better deal than buying some random car for the same price.

Many years ago I went to get an MoT (for my old banger Cortina) from a convenient local garage which was also happened to be a Lotus dealer. Walked into the workshop which was tiled like a swimming pool, and each spacious work bay had a big red Snap-on tool chest and all the cars awaiting work were covered in dust sheets. I queried if they did ordinary cars, expecting at least a bit of snobbishness, but on the contrary they were happy for me to bring it in, despite it considerably lowering the tone as it were. Did an impeccable job priced perfectly reasonably. I supposed it was so easy to work on compared to a mid-engined Lotus supercar that it was a bit of an easy gig for them

On the other hand the BL main agent I took my Metro to were pretty useless

 

[Gunk]

Yes there is. My local Saab specialist seem fine, and I've been going to them for the 12 years since I bought the car off them in the first place. Costs seem fair enough, and each time it needs something a bit dearer than a service, such as suspension parts, it handles a lot better when I get it back. They even questioned if it was worth it when I got them to replace the engine - which cost a bit more than I paid them for the car originally - but I reasoned that £2500 was a fair price to pay for a car with a newly-rebuilt engine was a better deal than buying some random car for the same price.

Many years ago I went to get an MoT (for my old banger Cortina) from a convenient local garage which was also happened to be a Lotus dealer. Walked into the workshop which was tiled like a swimming pool, and each spacious work bay had a big red Snap-on tool chest and all the cars awaiting work were covered in dust sheets. I queried if they did ordinary cars, expecting at least a bit of snobbishness, but on the contrary they were happy for me to bring it in, despite it considerably lowering the tone as it were. Did an impeccable job priced perfectly reasonably. I supposed it was so easy to work on compared to a mid-engined Lotus supercar that it was a bit of an easy gig for them

On the other hand the BL main agent I took my Metro to were pretty useless

We had my wife's Peugeot 206 repaired about 20 years ago (parking dent in the passenger door) and used a bodyshop we were recommeded which repaired and restored high end classic cars, when I popped in to see how progress was going it was parked in the shop next to Ferrari 250 SWB, they ended up doing a first class repair and from memory the price was completely reasonable.

 

[Drago]

Oddly, the local Volvo dealer is very good. It's a bit soulless, shiny mirrored glass and the like, but the service has always been first class and the coffee is nice.

Even more oddly, it's no more expensive than either of the two nearby independent marque specialists.

Not only that, the annual service gives a years free Volvo Assist (Volvo branded RAC cover), and all parts they fit have a lifetime warranty (wear and tear items excepted.)

That being the case I keep taking the C70 there, and at 20 years old it's probably one of the few with a full dealer history from new.

 

[DRM]

Notice the simple job which has probably contributed to long engine life - oil change at 6k miles.

None of this 10-15k mile service intervals on little capacity sumps

Work van is 25,000 mile service interval, there's a heck of a lot can go wrong in 25,000 miles per service

 

[Profpointy]

A friend's local independant garage was teasing him, "we charge £50 an hour but the main dealer charges £100 .... and we only take twice as long"

 

[johnnyb47]

I had a good day down at the local scrap yard.I found a once cherished Peugeot 206 cc down there and it was the same spec and colour as mine.
I spent the afternoon taking it apart to squirrel away some of its parts.
I had a perfect front wing as mine has a very very slight dint on the wheel arch and I'm a little OCD ,a good spare alloy wheel and tyre as I don't like the get you home foam kits that come as standard.
I also got hold of the optional upgrade chrome crash protection hoops to replace the standard black ones on mine plus a load of bits and pieces (well you never know when you will need them).
I paid the princely sum of £80.
I took the scrap car parts off with care to learn and understand how it's bolted together and help when the time comes to fit them to mine.
I quite enjoyed the day doing it and learning how the car is bolted together

 

[Fastpedaller]

I had a good day down at the local scrap yard.I found a once cherished Peugeot 206 cc down there and it was the same spec and colour as mine.
I spent the afternoon taking it apart to squirrel away some of its parts.
I had a perfect front wing as mine has a very very slight dint on the wheel arch and I'm a little OCD ,a good spare alloy wheel and tyre as I don't like the get you home foam kits that come as standard.
I also got hold of the optional upgrade chrome crash protection hoops to replace the standard black ones on mine plus a load of bits and pieces (well you never know when you will need them).
I paid the princely sum of £80.
I took the scrap car parts off with care to learn and understand how it's bolted together and help when the time comes to fit them to mine.
I quite enjoyed the day doing it and learning how the car is bolted together

Crikey, have we just gone back in time by 30 years? Even in rural Norfolk we can't enter the scrap yard!

 

[johnnyb47]

There's not many of them about nowadays.
I can't imagine there being any when EV cars become mainstream

 

[Drago]

Actually "owning" a car is fast becoming a minority passtime, and that's striking the death knell for the scrappie.

 

[CXRAndy]

Work van is 25,000 mile service interval, there's a heck of a lot can go wrong in 25,000 miles per service

Some of these vans have very large capacity oil sumps. I think the Merc Sprinter has 11 litres oil capacity, for a 2 litre diesel engine. This is what extends their service intervals

 

[Drago]

Aye, that and long life oil.

My van has 7,5 litre oil capacity for a 2 litre engine. On regular oil it's 1 year/10k miles, but on the long life oil the service comes when the vans brain decides it is required.

For what little it costs I'll stick to the former.

 

[Gunk]

Aye, that and long life oil.

My van has 7,5 litre oil capacity for a 2 litre engine. On regular oil it's 1 year/10k miles, but on the long life oil the service comes when the vans brain decides it is required.

For what little it costs I'll stick to the former.

I‘m not a fan of long life service regimes, a lot can go wrong in 12 months, I have mine serviced every year regardless of the mileage.

 

[Drago]

Aye, I wouldn't be happy with any vehicle without getting it in the air annually for at least a visual inspection.