What should I do? (Bangernomics)

BaconandEggs

Hi all,

My wife has a T reg Ford Fiesta which is due an MOT at the end of the month.

It has not long had a service at a local garage, during which a number of things have been flagged up as being required before the MOT:
New tyres x 4 due to age and cracking @ £42 each
New discs and pads £90
Rear brake pipes £34
Back box which is blowing £40
NSF droplink, which is bent £20

In addition to this, we need to pay for the MOT. We usually go to the council test centre = £48.

Therefore, we are looking at just under £400.

As far as we are aware, it is in otherwise good condition and has just had a new battery.

I'm not sure what to do:

The options are:
1) Get the recommended work done then sort MOT, continue to run car.
2) Take car for MOT test and then get required work done based on failures.
3) Trade in (or scrap -whatever gives us more money) for newer car.

In terms of 1), we have used the garage where we had the service done a number of times and trust them.

The advantage of 2) would be that we are not getting anything done that is not absolutely necessary and if the MOT flag anything major, we can consider option 3 without having spent £350.

Option 3 appeals to me purely because the car is a 3 door, with a boot that struggles to fit in our baby's pram, so my wife might find it easier with a larger 5-door car like a Focus (plus, how safe are those old Fiesta's? I crashed an old D reg and it wasn't a pretty sight). Of course, it means spending a fair amount to get something like an 02 reg focus with less than 80k on the clock (maybe just over £2000?), which we could do with saving at the moment. Additionally, the work required on the Fiesta doesn't appear major, and there is not guaranteeing a new car would not need work doing on it that would come to the same amount or more.

Would really appreciate people's advice about this, as I'm really sleep deprived, can't quite think straight, don't know a huge amount about cars and would like to get this sorted before MOT is up.

Cheers,

BnE

worried_jim

2) Take car for MOT test and then get required work done based on failures.

This will only cost you £40 then you'll know exactly where you stand.

Good luck.

s_b

worried_jim wrote: »

2) Take car for MOT test and then get required work done based on failures.

This will only cost you £40 then you'll know exactly where you stand.

Good luck.

totally agree
remember other issues might appear like rear voided bushes sill corrosion etc etc
it would be madness to fix the broken then enter for an mot on a t reg and anyway a focus at 2g could have many issues
better the devil you know
kylie told me that one

YoungBusinessman

As Jim said take it for an MOT, ignore what the service came up with!

BaconandEggs

Thank you everyone.
I will go with option 2 and try to let you know how it goes.

droopsnoot

Look on the bright side, though, if you've managed to make the tyres last until they're failing for age, it means you can't be sticking enough mileage on to actually wear them out. If the sidewalls are cracking though I'd be checking pressures to see if they're a little low.

Remember though even if the MOT doesn't fail (or advise) on the tyres and brakes, you've already had someone you trust tell you they're in need of attention so you should look them anyway for safety's sake. I'm sure you'd already thought of that, with pram etc.

TrickyWicky

worried_jim wrote: »

2) Take car for MOT test and then get required work done based on failures.

This will only cost you £40 then you'll know exactly where you stand.

+1.

As long as there is nothing seriously wrong with the car that you're not aware of (eg the chassis being so badly rusted the car is about to break in half) then use the MOT to diagnose what needs fixing / spending on. It could be more / less than you thought.

At the end of the day, a T reg isn't that old so you should still be able to get a bit more life out of it if you want.

skivenov

BaconandEggs wrote: »

Hi all,

My wife has a T reg Ford Fiesta which is due an MOT at the end of the month.

It has not long had a service at a local garage, during which a number of things have been flagged up as being required before the MOT:
New tyres x 4 due to age and cracking @ £42 each
New discs and pads £90
Rear brake pipes £34
Back box which is blowing £40
NSF droplink, which is bent £20

In addition to this, we need to pay for the MOT. We usually go to the council test centre = £48.

If it ain't rusty - keep it. Older Fiestas are great bangernomics cars.

Assuming the garage is tell the truth:

Got four part worns (£10-15 ea).

DIY the discs and pads (easy on fiestas). Check the disc thickness though, they might just need a lip filing off. Europarts list the discs from £13-£24 ea. Pads between £12 and £30.

DIY the droplink. £8, two bolts

DIY the backbox. £20

If you're not 100% confident, pay someone to do the brake lines and rebleed/change the brake fluid.