[Rant] Buying used cars [/Rant]

[wafter]

The Volvo forums are dire. The UK one is so argumentative that even Regulator would break out in a cold sweat if he visited, and the US one is very, very civilised but its all business, technical talk with no joshing or discussion about anything else.

So I don't bother.

Way back when when Mrs D had a CRV I found the US Honda owners forum quite a nice mix of technical discussion and chat about other stuff.



Absolutely! I never understand when people say "ooh, I've sold the car because it needed 600 sheets spending for the M.O.T.", and then saddle themselves with either spending thousands to buy something decent, or £££'s a month in repayments. It is almost always cheaper to fix the damn thing.

Thanks - I'll take a look, although I find non-domestic forums can be a pain for technical info due to regional variations. Surprises me that there are no decent UK-based forums though.. I did think it was possibly due to the rise of facebook but one of the old VW forums I used to be a regular on still has a steady stream of regular traffic.

Your last point is key. The base vehicle does need to be good enough to be worth spending on for major repairs. "worth it" in this sense doesn't mean resale cash value greater than the repair cost but "good enough" to keep going for a while linger. I have in the past fixed a couple of cars I should probably have scrapped, but still, was satisfying to rebuild an engine, and. not that expensive (an A-series in a metro) only my own time

Indeed and absolutely. Tbh so far I've quite enjoyed the challenge / associated achievements of sorting this one out on the cheap, although it's now overshadowed by the constant reminder of finite life that is the rumbling gearbox.. not sure how I managed to miss that on the test drive

That brings me to another good point about stuff that's worth repairing - in principal I love Jap stuff for its perceived competance and reliability and tbh really like this Civic for what it is, however significant design flaws such as the gearbox issue are another reason to avoid throwing money at certain models if you're unable to take steps to mitigate such issues becoming a source or repeated outlay.

Sadly in our increasingly disposible and mercenary consumptive culture it's becoming harder and harder to maintain modern vehicles in a financially viable manner

 

[MarkF]

It's funny, the guy who I bought the FR-V off lied and lied, I recall him grabbing my hand as I went to insert the key in the door, a normal action for me as I'd lost the remote for my last car. "No, like this" he said using the remote, it was only a couple of days later that I found out the key doesn't work in the lock............... ​

 

[wafter]

It's funny, the guy who I bought the FR-V off lied and lied, I recall him grabbing my hand as I went to insert the key in the door, a normal action for me as I'd lost the remote for my last car. "No, like this" he said using the remote, it was only a couple of days later that I found out the key doesn't work in any lock............... ​

Oh dear - best not let the battery run flat then! I was discussing this sort of thing with some mates the other night; the seemingly inocuous actions of the seller at the time, that with hindsight were an obvious act of deceit

How do you reckon your situation has come about - it's had a new ignition barrel? Does it have a separate transponder or is it integrated into the key itself?

I recall many years ago I re-tumbled a door lock on an old Fiesta after some scumbag wrecked the original while nicking it.. perhaps the same could be done in your case although I doubt it'd be a straightforward or quick job..

 

[MarkF]

Oh dear - best not let the battery run flat then! I was discussing this sort of thing with some mates the other night; the seemingly inocuous actions of the seller at the time, that with hindsight were an obvious act of deceit

How do you reckon your situation has come about - it's had a new ignition barrel? Does it have a separate transponder or is it integrated into the key itself?

I recall many years ago I re-tumbled a door lock on an old Fiesta after some scumbag wrecked the original while nicking it.. perhaps the same could be done in your case although I doubt it'd be a straightforward or quick job..

Push button Honda key, I don't know why it is but know that I need another couple quick as I am sure to lose it. It's no big deal of course as long as I have a functioning remote.

 

[wafter]

Push button Honda key, I don't know why it is but know that I need another couple quick as I am sure to lose it. It's no big deal of course as long as I have a functioning remote.

Ahh, OK - that explains it. Perhaps the immobiliser went tits up and was replaced en-bloc with another key..? I bet getting them coded isn't cheap

 

[Deleted member 26715]

We've had our Rav4 coming up 7 years, only cost us a pair of tyres, new pads, discs all round & a pair of droplinks on the back, but noticed a damp patch on the floor yesterday by the nearside back wheel, wiped & smelt it was diesel. The filler neck comes down the inner wheel arch behind a panel, they corrode, so called Toyota today £252.17p for a steel pipe about 18 inch long! I can't complain as stated cost us virtually nothing to maintain so far, but was a bit unscrupulous & about to sell it, would many spend that amount of money?

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I'd be seeing what aftermarket options exist.

 

[tyred]

We've had our Rav4 coming up 7 years, only cost us a pair of tyres, new pads, discs all round & a pair of droplinks on the back, but noticed a damp patch on the floor yesterday by the nearside back wheel, wiped & smelt it was diesel. The filler neck comes down the inner wheel arch behind a panel, they corrode, so called Toyota today £252.17p for a steel pipe about 18 inch long! I can't complain as stated cost us virtually nothing to maintain so far, but was a bit unscrupulous & about to sell it, would many spend that amount of money?

If it is a steel pipe I would just take it off and get someone to braze it.

 

[Moodyman]

Bangernomics is brilliant if you're competent with a spanner.

I find £550-£800 cars the sweet spot. Once you get under £500, there are sufficient and severe enough faults to make it uneconomical to repair.

Avoid crusty ones and there is no reason why you can't get many years of cheap motoring.

 

[Drago]

We've had our Rav4 coming up 7 years, only cost us a pair of tyres, new pads, discs all round & a pair of droplinks on the back, but noticed a damp patch on the floor yesterday by the nearside back wheel, wiped & smelt it was diesel. The filler neck comes down the inner wheel arch behind a panel, they corrode, so called Toyota today £252.17p for a steel pipe about 18 inch long! I can't complain as stated cost us virtually nothing to maintain so far, but was a bit unscrupulous & about to sell it, would many spend that amount of money?

I think that must be a fairly common issue - I had to replace the same item on my SiL's Rav4 a few years back. A simply job, albeit a bit messy.

 

[screenman]

We've had our Rav4 coming up 7 years, only cost us a pair of tyres, new pads, discs all round & a pair of droplinks on the back, but noticed a damp patch on the floor yesterday by the nearside back wheel, wiped & smelt it was diesel. The filler neck comes down the inner wheel arch behind a panel, they corrode, so called Toyota today £252.17p for a steel pipe about 18 inch long! I can't complain as stated cost us virtually nothing to maintain so far, but was a bit unscrupulous & about to sell it, would many spend that amount of money?

Around £60 on fleabay.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Around £60 on fleabay.

Yes I had a rush of blood, unlike me, I didn't expect there to be a pattern part, but heyho they card has been flex'd now so no going back.

 

[wafter]

Did a bit more today..

Yesterday's ride home and back yielded a modified thread-chaser bolt and an M12x1.25 tap I didn't know I had. Today I got my scally on in the road again and stripped the front D/side brakes once more. I tried winding the chaser bolt into the cross-threaded hole in the caliper carrier from the (undamaged) rear, but as feared the crust present wouldn't let it start.

Conversely the tap ran in beautifully; satisfyingly cracking off the rust and crap with ease. Once I got to the damaged portion of thread I withdrew the tap and stuck the chaser bolt in again as I wanted to reform the thread rather than cut it out. After copious amounts of oil and winding the bolt in half a turn and out a quarter repeatedly, I eventually ended up with a nicely reformed thread that I could wind any of the bolts into by hand

That immensely satisfying job sorted the whole lot was reassembled ready for the arrival of the new discs and pads.


Enthused by my unusual success I decided to have a crack at the back brakes too. The consumable components are in better nick than those on the front (tatty but not excessively worn) however again the pads were seized solid in the carriers. One side at a time the calipers were removed, then the pads and carriers. Key bits were cleaned and it all went back together with lashings of copper grease. One of the rubber boots on the passenger side slider has a small split in it and I have a horrible feeling the P/side caliper might be seized; might try to wind it in when I do the front discs and pads and have access to my mate's piston tool (because as usual I can't find my own).


The handbrake is still crap but at least I know the pads are now free and that everything will come to bits easily next time (disc retaining screws notwithstanding). I also now know what type of rear calipers I have, if the car lasts long enough to need new pads on the rear. Will be interesting to see if the rust gets scrubbed from the disc surfaces next time I drive it.

Anyway, here's a pic because nobody likes a wall of text on its own

I feel like I deserve a beer, but it never agrees with me so it's probably a blessing that the new larger co-op down the road is now screwed down to a 4pm Sunday close curfew..

 

[Gunk]

Did a bit more today..

Yesterday's ride home and back yielded a modified thread-chaser bolt and an M12x1.25 tap I didn't know I had. Today I got my scally on in the road again and stripped the front D/side brakes once more. I tried winding the chaser bolt into the cross-threaded hole in the caliper carrier from the (undamaged) rear, but as feared the crust present wouldn't let it start.

Conversely the tap ran in beautifully; satisfyingly cracking off the rust and crap with ease. Once I got to the damaged portion of thread I withdrew the tap and stuck the chaser bolt in again as I wanted to reform the thread rather than cut it out. After copious amounts of oil and winding the bolt in half a turn and out a quarter repeatedly, I eventually ended up with a nicely reformed thread that I could wind any of the bolts into by hand

That immensely satisfying job sorted the whole lot was reassembled ready for the arrival of the new discs and pads.


Enthused by my unusual success I decided to have a crack at the back brakes too. The consumable components are in better nick than those on the front (tatty but not excessively worn) however again the pads were seized solid in the carriers. One side at a time the calipers were removed, then the pads and carriers. Key bits were cleaned and it all went back together with lashings of copper grease. One of the rubber boots on the passenger side slider has a small split in it and I have a horrible feeling the P/side caliper might be seized; might try to wind it in when I do the front discs and pads and have access to my mate's piston tool (because as usual I can't find my own).


The handbrake is still crap but at least I know the pads are now free and that everything will come to bits easily next time (disc retaining screws notwithstanding). I also now know what type of rear calipers I have, if the car lasts long enough to need new pads on the rear. Will be interesting to see if the rust gets scrubbed from the disc surfaces next time I drive it.

Anyway, here's a pic because nobody likes a wall of text on its own

View attachment 536995

I feel like I deserve a beer, but it never agrees with me so it's probably a blessing that the new larger co-op down the road is now screwed down to a 4pm Sunday close curfew..

if you’re talking about the new Botley Coop, it’s amazing, looks like Fortnum and Mason foodhall

 

[wafter]

if you’re talking about the new Botley Coop, it’s amazing, look like Fortnum and Mason foodhall

Indeed - can't argue with the aesthetic and stock (have you tried the sourdough?) but for those who turn up past 16:01 on a Sunday that all suddenly becomes irrelevant!