Used car/or MoT repairs - advice needed urgently

mikey72

Not all garages are dodgy. It's still not a bad price for a years MOT, and it'll be sellable next summer. If he is trying to keep it on the road for as little as possible for you, and it was a second hand cat, maybe it does need another one. You could save money by shopping around, but remember all the people on here would be fitting it themselves, so sometimes you have to bite the bullet, and maybe pay a bit more to keep the mechanic happy.
Only you have dealt with him, you know what he's like.
(Even I have paid garage prices once or twice, they've helped me out at short notice, I've been happy to pay)

AliceBanned

mikey72 wrote: »

Not all garages are dodgy. It's still not a bad price for a years MOT, and it'll be sellable next summer. If he is trying to keep it on the road for as little as possible for you, and it was a second hand cat, maybe it does need another one. You could save money by shopping around, but remember all the people on here would be fitting it themselves, so sometimes you have to bite the bullet, and maybe pay a bit more to keep the mechanic happy.
Only you have dealt with him, you know what he's like.
(Even I have paid garage prices once or twice, they've helped me out at short notice, I've been happy to pay)

Just got it back. According to the bill I paid £60 for cat and £49 to fit it, and £120 for welding; rear suspension on both sides excessively corroded. I leave i outside the whole time, it is ancient and I can see rust on the wheel arches slightly on the outside so this sounds ok to me. Doesn't say what is included in the interim service which I would prefer, but I'm not going to quibble over that. I do just have to trust him really. Short of fitting it with a hidden camera what could I do?! My friend suggested I do a course in basic car maintenance which I guess I could but I don't have much time. It might give me peace of mind though. I know I'm paying more than necessary unless I do more myself.

AliceBanned

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

That's a valid reason to get a new car, if you can afford it.
But don't get rid of it just because it is uneconomical on fuel.

Ok thanks. I have spent quite a bit for most MOTs but nothing in between. I do hate having to refill the tank nowadays but I guess it's the same with any car to some extent, as we are stuck with needing the oil companies.

mikey72

Not bad, now you have a car that'll be on the road until you want to change, and it's cost about £100 for the service, so even if it's an oil and filter and a check of everything for winter, it's still better than trying to find a replacement at short notice, and ending up with a heap that'll break down next week.

AliceBanned

I agree. I need to take my time to find a replacement rather than rushing into it in desperation. Looking at the advisory notes there is a lot more corrosion on the way so it will probably continue to cost if I try to keep this one on the road. I don't want to anyway, it's not much fun to drive.