Opinions on a few options

Loopy_Girl

Hammyman wrote: »

Most Micras I see are driven by old men...

Oooh now that's harsh!!! I think Micra's are braw wee cars...I used to love my old one (and I am neither old nor a man;):D)

Loopy_Girl

Thanks for all the comments - they really are helping I promise you!!!

Glad the Clio is coming out well

Am I still to stay away from the Ka's then?!!!!:D:rotfl:

Am away to check out what a Lacetti looks like;)

Lum

On an older car, where you don't know the service history, surely a cam chain is to be avoided?

Sure, if properly maintained, with regular oil changes, they will last the lifetime of the car, but if the previous owner has skipped a few oil changes then the chain could very well be knackered and will be very expensive to fix.

A cambelt should only be an hour or two's labour* and something like 50 quid for the part. Just change it as part of the inital service when you get the car and forget about it for the next 60,000 miles.


* assuming you don't go to a dodgy garage who think "ooh a young woman, women know nothing about cars so we'll tell her it's a 10 hour job that involves taking the engine out". Unfortunately this is quite common.

Loopy_Girl

Well considering I don't know what a cam belt/chain is and what it does:o, the chances of it are pretty high I think...I've no doubt at all I've been ripped off in the past hence why I want to get more savvy;)

Lum

All you really need to know is that if it snaps then the pistons in your engine (big, heavy, expensive, difficult to access) will likely smash into the valves (small, fiddly, expensive, difficult to access) and ruin them. Given that you're looking at the likes of 10 year old Corsas, it would be cheaper to buy a new car than to fix this.

A cambelt is literally just a rubber belt, like you would find in a record player or a washing machine, it will eventually stretch and snap which is why the manufacturer will recommend replacing it regularly. Every 60,000 miles is common. It's relatively easy to do as it's stuck on the outside of the engine under a plastic cover held on by a few bolts.

A cam chain is more like the chain on a bike, however to keep it oiled it's on the inside of the engine where the oil is. In theory it should last forever, but if the car has been run low on oil then a chain can wear and snap. Replacing the chain is a much bigger and more expensive job, however, and not something you want to be shelling out for just as a precaution.

Oh and even if you do get more savvy the garages will still try it on. My GF knows a hell of a lot more about car engines than I do and used to regularly call out mechanics on their bull**** until she found someone who doesn't try to rip her off.