Second had car tips

Lemonade_Pockets

If I had a nice sporty hatchback, and it was going to cost me a small fortune to repair, then I would offload it quickly, as would any sane member of the public.

And so the hypocritical circle of lies continues.


To the OP
1) I do not know since you have not told us the mileage etc. I'm guessing pretty high if it has a worn cylinder head...how does that even happen?
2) Don't know, don't live in bath.
3a) Knowledge is power, do your homework. That means research prices on autotrader, pistonheads, ebay, parkers, glasses guide etc. Till you know what a fair price is for such a beast. Then you can go and negotiate the price confidently knowing that what your are asking is fair and reasonable. It really needn't be anymore complicated than that.
3b) If the Honda garage has quoted you £1000 to take the car as is but £1700 running then it means they actually reckon the work will cost £700 (i assume this is the same garage that quoted you £2800 for the original repair). May i suggest getting a second opinion. Valuing a car that needs major work is not a science and you will probably find it varies dramatically from dealer to dealer.
4) There is no minimum. Most dealers will give a standard 3-6month "warranty"! But this really is rubbish as in most cases it only covers what they would be forced to cover under the SOGA. A more comprehensive warranty will cost you one way or another. Whether you want it depends on your attitude to risk.

Sorry i haven't given many specifics but hopefully these point you in the right direction.

mikey72

harveybobbles wrote: »

This is the sort of person that makes annoy me a little...

These will be the sort of people wanting everything trown in: mud flaps, full tank of fuel etc. Want money off "cos no one pays the screen price".

These are also the sort of people who will slag a dealer off for selling a "duff" car etc and at the end of the day these are the people who want to palm their !!!!!! px off to us saying "Oh its a lovely car, it has full history" which really means its knackered and i havent looked after it.

You'd be surprised at the number of cars we get in PX that have faults. Quite serious ones too...!

Rant over.

ON a more helpful note:

The CRV changed shape late 2006, so you could get a good spec one. but you will be driving around in an old shape model. Weigh up how much extra you will need to find an 07 spec new shape.

No we wouldn't, just look at all the threads were a dealer has flogged them on.
Must be a hard descision
a) do I repair it properly and ensure years of trouble free motoring.
b) can I hide it long enough for them to drive away.

bitsnbytes

Thanks More info below

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

1) I do not know since you have not told us the mileage etc. I'm guessing pretty high if it has a worn cylinder head...how does that even happen?

Mileage currently is around 87500, TBH I don't even know what a cylinder head is leave alone knowing how it would happen

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

2) Don't know, don't live in bath.

Actually I don't mind going around if it is one of the better dealers

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

3a) Knowledge is power, do your homework. That means research prices on autotrader, pistonheads, ebay, parkers, glasses guide etc. Till you know what a fair price is for such a beast. Then you can go and negotiate the price confidently knowing that what your are asking is fair and reasonable. It really needn't be anymore complicated than that.

I've been checking autotraders till now, don't really trust ebay. I'll check parkers, glasses guide etc. Get a better idea of the price I should be expecting

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

3b) If the Honda garage has quoted you £1000 to take the car as is but £1700 running then it means they actually reckon the work will cost £700 (i assume this is the same garage that quoted you £2800 for the original repair). May i suggest getting a second opinion. Valuing a car that needs major work is not a science and you will probably find it varies dramatically from dealer to dealer.

Possibly, I'll ask around for a few recommendations. So that begs another question, if this is repaired do you think it is still worth driving this car? Or still getting rid of it and purchasing a new one?

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

4) There is no minimum. Most dealers will give a standard 3-6month "warranty"! But this really is rubbish as in most cases it only covers what they would be forced to cover under the SOGA. A more comprehensive warranty will cost you one way or another. Whether you want it depends on your attitude to risk.

I was asking about warranty in a sense if something didn't work as expected so I can take it back and they sort it out free of cost. i know my friends got some warranty not sure how much though. Will check with them

Thanks for the tips :beer:

harveybobbles

bitsnbytes wrote: »

And BTW, how can the dealer not know about the issues? They generally ask for all information like service history, service records and this issue is clearly mention on the service records. So I couldn't lie if I wanted to

When I'm valuing a PX the first thing I ask is when is the MOT til... Then I ask what the service history is like. Then I ask how is it running... These are the answers....

"Oh its not long been done..."
"Oh it's fully history..."
"Oh it runs like a dream, I really don't want to get rid..."

Which usually translates to...

It has about 3 weeks MOT left...
It has history from the first 3 years where it was a lease car
And it runs like a bag of spanners and oooh that noise has only just developed this morning mate...

andygb

bitsnbytes wrote: »

This was quoted by the Honda garage, they always charge a bit more. Not sure how much this work should cost

I've had bad experiences with local garages (including me selling my previous motah for £50 to a local garage) and I've had no complaints with the Honda service although I agree they are overpriced.

Do you think I should get another quote? How much do estimate it should cost?

I think the garage needs to be more specific, when they say the cylinder head is worn out. Have they compression tested it? Is oil getting past the valve seals? Is the head cracked? Is the head gasket blown?
If the head gasket is OK (not blown), then a good cylinder head overhaul (de coke), thorough clean, regrind the valves and seats, check for air leaks. The head should not need skimming unless warped (because the head gasket has blown).
You need to factor in a head gasket set, new timing belt(s?). If you could do some of the easy donkey work, then I would be surprised if it came to more than £500, and you would probably have a very sweet running car after.
What is the mileage?

Andy

andygb

OK i have just seen the mileage is 87500, that is really not very high, and does not say much about either:
Honda reliability
The previous servicing
Whether or not the garage is telling the truth

bitsnbytes

andygb wrote: »

I think the garage needs to be more specific, when they say the cylinder head is worn out. Have they compression tested it? Is oil getting past the valve seals? Is the head cracked? Is the head gasket blown?
If the head gasket is OK (not blown), then a good cylinder head overhaul (de coke), thorough clean, regrind the valves and seats, check for air leaks. The head should not need skimming unless warped (because the head gasket has blown).

Thanks for the info Andy, I think the fault is partly mine, since I don't understand very much of cars, I don't generally ask the info. I called the Honda garage and this is the info they gave me.
They haven't done any compression testing on it since they have seen this problem before on other cars and know the extent of the damage.
The head they say is not cracked yet but has a hairline fracture.
I spoke to the front desk at the Honda garage and couldn't speak to the mechanic since he was out for lunch. He said he would ask the mechanic to call and confirm the points above and also the error code.
Lastly, I asked for the reason this happened and he said that this is a manufacturer problem not anything to do with the driving or lack of maintenance.

andygb wrote: »

You need to factor in a head gasket set, new timing belt(s?). If you could do some of the easy donkey work, then I would be surprised if it came to more than £500, and you would probably have a very sweet running car after.
What is the mileage?
Andy

TBH, I know nothing about cars to be comfortable with any of this work. It's something I'd rather not dabble in I plan to get a second opinion though and see how much another garage would cost to fix.

So are you saying if this is fixed it should be good for another couple of years?

Thanks for the help :T

bitsnbytes

harveybobbles wrote: »

When I'm valuing a PX the first thing I ask is when is the MOT til... Then I ask what the service history is like. Then I ask how is it running... These are the answers....

"Oh its not long been done..."
"Oh it's fully history..."
"Oh it runs like a dream, I really don't want to get rid..."

Which usually translates to...

It has about 3 weeks MOT left...
It has history from the first 3 years where it was a lease car
And it runs like a bag of spanners and oooh that noise has only just developed this morning mate...

So are you saying you take the customers word for everything he says? In that case, I'll say my car has just rolled off the showroom and ask for £10,000 in part exchange

Inactive

harveybobbles wrote: »

When I'm valuing a PX the first thing I ask is when is the MOT til... Then I ask what the service history is like. Then I ask how is it running... These are the answers....

"Oh its not long been done..."
"Oh it's fully history..."
"Oh it runs like a dream, I really don't want to get rid..."

Which usually translates to...

It has about 3 weeks MOT left...
It has history from the first 3 years where it was a lease car
And it runs like a bag of spanners and oooh that noise has only just developed this morning mate...

So why bother asking, it sounds like " Dealer Speak " to me, poor old motor dealer ..

andygb

I would say that a hairline fracture is a crack, and usually something which will only show up when the cylinder head has been removed and stripped down. A special dye is used to coat the cylinder head, and it will clearly show any cracks (fractures).
An aluminum cylinder head can be quite sensitive to incorrect/insufficient coolant, particularly in the winter months when temperatures drop below freezing.
Before the service did you notice any loss of power, or any coolant loss, or did the temperature gauge show the car running hot? Was there a lot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust, or did you notice a creamy substance on the inside of the oil filler cap?

Andy