SportKa MOT advisories question - oil leak

AliceBanned

Joe_Horner wrote: »

We're conditioned as a society to see cars (and most consumer goods) as essentially disposable with an unwritten "use by" date. Manufacturing relies on that to keep selling.

But if it was true in a technical sense then there would be no cars over (say) 10 - 15 years old still running. Even the "real" classics from the early days would have worn out long ago.

They all went through a long period where (in today's terms) they were nothing but "old cars fit for the scrappy" - they just did it in an era when people were less willing to throw stuff away while it still had life in it.[/QUOTE


Interesting thought. Fashion has a lot to do with it as well. I read somewhere in a moneysaving book that if your friends are embarrassed at your attitude to saving money and your different way of doing things then you're on the right track.

AliceBanned

Another £114 paid today.


She is running very well though.

AliceBanned

Hello car-loving guys/girls,


Tonight I hit a HUGE pothole and after spending so much money on my car this year and it running so well I am gutted.


I can't believe that for the third time this year I will be taking it to the garage - this time with no money left anyway but the steering is pulling and it is bound to be too dangerous to drive.


I am doing all I can to sort out my debts and then this keeps happening. It was dark and the pothole was in the middle of the road - an A road and I was travelling about 50mph. Potholes are agony in this little Ka.


I was thinking of selling it in July and going without a car for a while as I really need to make headway with my savings.


I would get another car again in a year or so and by then be financially back on my feet.


In the meantime can anyone suggest anything re the pothole? Highways Agency claim? My insurer told me they are rubbish and I won't get anywhere. My excess is £400 so I have no option but to pay for the damage, but how severe can it be from a pothole?

Joe_Horner

Wow, I really feel for you - you and that car have been a model of MSE motoring for the past 18 months or so and really don't deserve this

I don't know the Ka's suspension but, looking at photos, it looks like they have quite a thin track rod (joining the steering rack to the hub). With luck it's just bent that, in which case best case is get it tracked, worst case is replace the rod. Neither should be expensive.

The other thing it may have done is bend the wishbone (nasty pressed things on most modern cars that are weaker than tinfoil :P ). Genuine Ford part would be around £100 + fitting (about an hour labour assuming 1 hour minimum billing, might get away with 1/2 hour at a nice garage), pattern parts probably £25 or so + fitting.

Upsidedown_Bear

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/pothole-claims

AliceBanned

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Wow, I really feel for you - you and that car have been a model of MSE motoring for the past 18 months or so and really don't deserve this

I don't know the Ka's suspension but, looking at photos, it looks like they have quite a thin track rod (joining the steering rack to the hub). With luck it's just bent that, in which case best case is get it tracked, worst case is replace the rod. Neither should be expensive.

The other thing it may have done is bend the wishbone (nasty pressed things on most modern cars that are weaker than tinfoil :P ). Genuine Ford part would be around £100 + fitting (about an hour labour assuming 1 hour minimum billing, might get away with 1/2 hour at a nice garage), pattern parts probably £25 or so + fitting.

Thanks Joe.


It feels like one step forward, two steps back at the moment. It is helpful to know that it may (hopefully) not cost too much. I know people have made claims for £400plus and it was on the A41 and quite dangerous so I will be making a claim to the Highways Agency.


I will take it to the mechanic on Saturday and they may take pity on me, especially as they know it was running so well a month ago. They know this area is terrible for potholes. I hope it is nothing too bad - but I will expect to pay out another £200 and will probably need to borrow from a family member as the timing is horrendous! I will let you know what happens.

AliceBanned

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/pothole-claims

Thanks UPsidedown Bear - I discovered this section of MSE since I posted earlier and will be pursuing a claim. I wouldn't for a 'normal' pothole but it is a really bad one and could cause an accident. The damage to my car was clear, immediate and probably fairly bad.

AliceBanned

Thanks both for the moral support.


I am not crying yet but I might be when I get the bill..:mad:


Luckily I have got fairly friendly with the garage - not really surprising considering how often I'm there.

Joe_Horner

AliceBanned wrote: »

Thanks Joe.


It feels like one step forward, two steps back at the moment. It is helpful to know that it may (hopefully) not cost too much. I know people have made claims for £400plus and it was on the A41 and quite dangerous so I will be making a claim to the Highways Agency.

Just bear in mind, as it feels like throwing money at "this car" again, that the car had nothing at all to do with this one.

If you'd replaced it back when everyone was saying scrap it then you could well have hit exactly the same pothole and be facing more expensive damage on something with more expensive parts prices.

Meanwhile, all your spending over the past 18 months is probably less than you would have lost so far in depreciation alone on a replacement

Richard53

If you can, get a few photos of the pothole, and if you can include something like a ruler to show the depth, even better. A lot of authorities regard only holes of a certain depth to be 'claimable', and solid evidence of the hole's dimensions would be helpful.