damsal in distress

worried123

I wonder whether anyone who knows about cars could give me some advice please. I do have a mechanic that I use for servicing and repairs but even so....I always get very insecure when my car has problems as I know nothing about hw cars work etc......and want to know that I am not being ripped off in any way.My car is very not well......It is a small corsa sxi which i have had from new 2003 - done 51,000 miles and should be traded in by now but I cannot afford it right now and I need my car for my job so it is really important to me.In Feb I had a full service.....it needed new break pads, a couple of tyres and electrics for the head lights needed mending.....cost me £500 and I though that would keep me on the road for the next year.Everything now seems to be going wrong with my car - air con has gone - regassing did not help....it was checked for leaks....but apparently it needs a new compressor - but i have decided not to have this done as it is too expensive and we only have a few weeks of hot weather left............Then my car kept overheating - as soon as i put the engine on the fan would come on............I checked my coolant only to find that it was empty - filled up.....but by the next day empty again......litre of mixed coolant in two days...........Asked my mechanic to have a look......he said that he has tried to seal a leak but that I probably will need an inlet manual gasket.......he said something like £800 or maybe even a new engine!!!Past couple of weeks I have been keeping the coolant topped up - it still goes down but not as fast.......and today my oil light kept coming on every time that I put my foot on the brake at lights etc......however, my oil is not low.......car goes to 90 degrees quite quickly and i feel the engine gets hot - over my feet.....but perhaps that is because of the hot weather and not have air con...........Quite a few people i know use my mechanic - guy on his own - and he is a nice chap and i have been told that he would never ever rip anyone off.....and i do feel that too....However, when i needed a new clutch a year ago he was going to charge me £5oo but i got it done elsewhere for half that price...........I really need my car for work and have to have it mended.......can anybody here advise me.......does it sound like it needs an inlet mounted gasket (i think it is mounted that he has written) or should i just have a new engine.....or do i need both!!!!!Really worried about all of this.....in the mantime, do you think my car will be okay as long as i make sure that i keep coolant topped up....and why on earth is the oil light coming on....I had this problem a while back and mechanic fixed it - cannot recall exactly what the problem was..............I just dont trust mechanics.....the garage that regassed my car and charged me £50 for doing so...even though it did not work....said the problem was the front panel (where the buttons are with your air con etc) and it needed a new panel and connector button...he did not even look at it to check what the prob was........but my mechanic then diagnosed that it was the compressor and said he has no idea why the other chap was saying it needed a new panel - and no doubt he would have charged me for the panel and button and putting it in even if it did not work afterwards along with the charge for the regassing that didnt work.........I just dont trust mechanics....after it was regassed it all went wrong.......the coolant and now the oil light thing.......Also, I know this sounds paranoid but one thing after the other is going wrong with my car - and to save you from a long story - can i just ask whether you feel these problems could be caused by somebody tampering with my car....it is parked in a communal area.....apologies for such a long post I would be grateful for any advice pleaseMany thanks

Sandoval

Why on Earth don't you put a few paragraphs into your post instead of posting one massive lump of text so that people can read it more easily?

missile

I found this difficult to read and lost interest. Try editing your post into sentences. Don't tell me you are blonde secretary?

sassy_one

You may have a radiator leak - fill it up and then leave it parked on level ground over night with a bit of paper underneath.

If you do have a leak, there are a few things that can be done which will not cost you a huge bill, but you first need to find out if you have a leak, and if so, where too.

With regards the gasket, are you talking about a HEADGASKET? as this is the only time a engine would need replacing or the gasket replacing!

sassy_one

Space bar is your friend
As well as Enter

Sandoval

Sassy slogged through it at least!

You're a trooper Sassy!

sassy_one

Sandoval wrote: »

Sassy slogged through it at least!

You're a trooper Sassy!

Why thank you

Basil has said there is no room at the Inn, so were out of luck
:rotfl:

Strider590

I tried to read..... Let me just say, thats WAY too many problems for ANY 2003 car. Something really stinks about this!!
A 7 year old car should not have cost that much to keep, not if it's been serviced properly. By properly I mean that on my car I make 100% sure that the work has actually been done!!

My cars a 2004 Vauxhall Vectra with 75k on the clock, ive had it since 2008 and it's gone wrong, let me see..... Oh yeah the heater blower went last month and I fixed it for 80 pence...... It's had 3 tyre's and a new heatlight bulb.

worried123

Sassy - thank you very much.......Hey guys, I absolutely absolutely do put in paragraphs and sentences....full stops and the whole sherbang but whenever I post on this site it ends up in one massive clump........sorry - it isnt intentional...not sure why this happens.....Thank you Sassy....however, I think that my mechanic might have already checked the radiator.Here we come.......one big clump comingup again.

worried123

Strider hiWhat do you mean.....I do agree that it should not have so many problems......could somebody have tampered with it then do you suppose......thank youBig clump coming up!!!!!

goldspanners

worried123 wrote: »

In Feb I had a full service.....it needed new break pads, a couple of tyres and electrics for the head lights needed mending.....cost me £500


..........Asked my mechanic to have a look......he said that he has tried to seal a leak but that I probably will need an inlet manual gasket.......he said something like £800 or maybe even a new engine!!!


However, when i needed a new clutch a year ago he was going to charge me £5oo but i got it done elsewhere for half that price...........

£500 to do a clutch on a corsa is far too much.

£500 for a service,brakes and tyres is too much on a corsa,as for electrics in the headlights? what has gone so badly wrong to justify this price? did he re wire the whole car?

and again £800 to do a head gasket is crazy money,you could buy a replacement engine for less than this and still get it fitted and have change from your £800. heres and engine,assuming its a 1.2

your mechanic is ripping you and your mates off. head gasket including timing belt,water pump and a head skim should be no more than £450 absoloute max.

your mechanic is obviously too busy and trying to price himself out of the market.