Save or scrap?

mcjordi

ive see the "!!!!" meganes go through auction for around 1200 thats for a 53 plate 1.9dci low mileage as well seen a 56 go for 1700 quid which was a bargain imo..

Kilty_2

LandyAndy wrote: »

Actually they do have one for £5695. Without a deposit it could be mine for just £140 per month for the next FIVE YEARS:eek::rotfl:.

:eek::eek:

Wow.

chunder

Rahbob wrote: »

Last summer I bought a Renalt Megane and had it serviced etc.

Unfortuntely at the weekend the car stopped and had to be towed back.

Having spoken to the garage apparently they think the timing belt has jumped (?), which apparently means the valves and pistons are all mangled up inside.
It will cost min £1500 to fix, but the first thing they would have to do is take the engine apart to see if the pistons are OK, so we would straightaway incur £200-300 labour. If the pistons are damaged, which is apparently pretty likely, then he says the best thing is to get a reconditioned engine which would cost around £2-3k.

In other words it looks like it would cost as much to repair the car as it did to buy it in the first place.

Am I wasting my time having it looked at or should I just cut my losses? It seems such a shame.

very unfortunate, however i think its a bit extreme that everyone is telling you to get a NEW ENGINE!!!!! (are they mechanics,or got there nvq from halfords.......!)
cambelts snap all the time and in 20 years as a mechanic have only ever had to put one or two engines in due to piston damage.
having said that taking head off and fitting new valves with belt kit and water pump will be touching the 800-1000 mark.
will also have to say that 200-300 just to see if the engine is toast is very very steep. my garage would be able to this at a fraction of the cost just by removing spark plug/glow plug/injector oh and using a bit of common sense, either way it will be a hard pill to swallow...

Inactive

chunder wrote: »

very unfortunate, however i think its a bit extreme that everyone is telling you to get a NEW ENGINE!!!!! (are they mechanics,or got there nvq from halfords.......!)
cambelts snap all the time and in 20 years as a mechanic have only ever had to put one or two engines in due to piston damage.
having said that taking head off and fitting new valves with belt kit and water pump will be touching the 800-1000 mark.
will also have to say that 200-300 just to see if the engine is toast is very very steep. my garage would be able to this at a fraction of the cost just by removing spark plug/glow plug/injector oh and using a bit of common sense, either way it will be a hard pill to swallow...

" everyone " isn't telling the OP to get a new engine.

Spending £800/£1000 on a year 2000 Megane is sheer lunacy.

jase1

I think what people are saying is that at the age being talked about, or anywhere near, a new engine might be easier, assuming a £300 bill just to check it. That's 1/3 of the cost of a new engine gone already. I agree that it is steep.

But yes, spending a grand on an 11 year old car is just not viable. And if you're going to replace the car, it might be better to consider the alternatives.

The car is worth £200 as-is. It's going to cost £200 to diagnose apparently, then perhaps another £800 to put right. There's £1200 right away towards a replacement. You can buy a 7 year old car for that much, that will most likely outlive the Megane anyway.

And if the OP does spend £1200 on getting it back on the road, it's still only an £6-700 car at the end of the day, and that's a good day.

I managed to buy a 7 year old Mitsubishi (a much better car than a Renault) with a complete service record and in great condition for a little over £1000. Would you rather have that or an 11 year old Renault with either a patched-up engine or one from a salvage yard? For the same money (best case scenario)? Because that is what is being discussed here.

mcjordi

you could have a look on copart/ebay etc for a rear ended megane for a couple of hundred and reuse that engine.

jase1

True enough -- indeed if you can find the same engine then buying a complete MOT-failed Megane with a good engine but knackered something else (gearbox, say, or terminal rust) might be your best bet. Doesn't even need to have been bashed in -- just wants a reasonable engine. You could use the opportunity to change over other bits you might need. I did this years ago on my first Cavalier that needed a bunch of bits to get through an MOT.

mcjordi

i was gonna do the same for my fiesta. it needed a new engine.. but bought a much newer fiesta for not much more than a scrap one on ebay..

birkee

Go with chunder.

You want to know whether the engine is that damaged first. It should have made horrendous noises if a piston / valve collision had occurred.
Taking off a cam cover, and seeing whether any valves are not opening and closing properly should do it. Bent valves don't lift back into their seat in the cylinder head. Or alternatively viewed, a large gap will open up between the valve stem and the camshaft when the engine is turned over by hand. (spanner) (Don't know the Renault. Is this possible?)

alcan

jase1 wrote: »

Hold on OP, your original post implied that the car was worth £2-3000. It isn't, nowhere near. As said, scrap.

Autoquake (I know, I know) regularly has 57 plate Meganes for about £3000-3500. Something like that will give you five good years (well as good as a Renault can be), and still be worth £1000 at the end.

There he goes, Autoquake's biggest fan and advertiser - though of course he is not connected....