Help with a car purchase (lemon) please

NickWarren_2

Never trust a fast fit garage, worse than the stealers.

goldspanners

thevinternet wrote: »

Ok, thankyou. Do you mean that the *ahem* 'SLOW' fit garages (I shouldn't think that I can use the trade name on here) are unreliable too? Sheesh...the mechanics industry is like a minefield!!

you can say kwik fit if you like, plenty of others do.

as mollycat suggested find a local independant with a good reputation. don't use the major chains for anything other than tyres and at most exhausts,but compare prices.

angeltreats

Why don't you see if your local college runs a beginner car maintenance course?

Even if you never do any work on your own car, you'll be a lot more clued up for future trips to the garage which can only be a good thing.

thevinternet

mollycat wrote: »

Next time your in a taxi, (or EVERY time your in a taxi!), ask the driver where he takes his car for servicing etc.....thats your answer!! :rotfl:

Now THAT is a genius idea!!

Not that I can afford to take a taxi right now....or probably ever again, lol xx

thevinternet

angeltreats wrote: »

Why don't you see if your local college runs a beginner car maintenance course?

Even if you never do any work on your own car, you'll be a lot more clued up for future trips to the garage which can only be a good thing.

I was thinking about doing that very thing, great minds obviously think alike

anewman

angeltreats wrote: »

Why don't you see if your local college runs a beginner car maintenance course?

Even if you never do any work on your own car, you'll be a lot more clued up for future trips to the garage which can only be a good thing.

Good point. I bought a Fabia Haynes manual recently and the cheapest I could find it was at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petrol-Diesel-Service-Repair-Manual/dp/1844253767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264630425&sr=8-1 £12/59 delivered. Even if you never do any work, if you've read and understood some of it, you can sound more knowledgeable at a garage and are less likely to be ripped off. It's also often worth asking about any specific problems you're having with the car on a forum, either here or one for your brand of car like http://www.briskoda.net before going to a garage so you have an idea what could be wrong.

thevinternet

anewman wrote: »

Good point. I bought a Fabia Haynes manual recently and the cheapest I could find it was at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petrol-Diesel-Service-Repair-Manual/dp/1844253767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264630425&sr=8-1 £12/59 delivered. Even if you never do any work, if you've read and understood some of it, you can sound more knowledgeable at a garage and are less likely to be ripped off. It's also often worth asking about any specific problems you're having with the car on a forum, either here or one for your brand of car like http://www.briskoda.net before going to a garage so you have an idea what could be wrong.

Thankyou for that, I shall purchase one then. Are they quite easy to read, ie aimed at beginners?

anewman

thevinternet wrote: »

Thankyou for that, I shall purchase one then. Are they quite easy to read, ie aimed at beginners?

I guess the most confusing thing about the manual is it covers a wide range of engines. If you know the exact type you have then you will know which bits apply.

I find them ok to read. I guess there's a chance that if you don't have a mechanical sort of mind it will all go over your head. Probably the most useful bit for you would be the section detailing what is done on a service, how often it is done, and how it is done.

There is a "fault finding" section at the back of the manual, but I've never been too impressed with it (seems like they copy that bit from manual to manual irrespective of the car).

Paul_the_Painter

Lot of people said a lot of things, but you absolutly need to remember a couple of things.

1. Yeah you paid a bit much for the car - but so far it seems to have been reliable, and up until you had to spend some cash on it you were happy.

2. Yeah, you could have the work done for less cash - but the work did need to be done.

3. So now you have a car that you know has just been through a major service and cambelt change at a main dealer. It's a good car to drive, you like it!

4. Look on this as a learning experience, but don't feel too bad, it's happened to us all in one way or another.

MAJOR POINT

Lots of people I know get rid of a car because "it cost a lot of money to keep going". When you actually look at what they've spent, it's on "service" items like yours, or on a single unlikely failure (head gasket, an obscure bracket, etc). What you've got now is a decent car, with a lot of life left in it, get it properly serviced once a year, with an oil and filter change every 6 months (Quik fit type place £35 ish)(at this time in a cars life ignore the service intervals reccomended, got to remember they are trying to sell cars when they set service intervals, not look after the owner 10 years down the line)

Basically, look in your local paper, or ask a friend, find an independant in around 5-6 months, let them know that you just want an oil and oil filter change, if they treat you OK, have them do the next service at around this time next year.

You like your car, look after it, it will look after you, and they love oil changes!