Coolant leak - repair or trade in?

Jumbojumbo

Hi,

I have a 53 plate ford fiesta with 91k on the clock. Bought 2 years ago for £1k thinking it had no problems and changed the cam belt. Someone before me has sheared a bolt on the coolant housing hence the ongoing leak. The garage has fixed this short term using a sealant and this actually lasted a year but it is now leaking again. They are quoting £300 to drill out the bolt and repair. Would you do the repair OR as per the garages advice trade it in? Have no knowledge about cars and reluctant to get rid so soon after changing the cambelt and worried about buying another car that could have even worse hidden faults.

forgotmyname

Depends what the rest of the car is like. What if your replacement has the same issue. And just used sealant to get it sold.

Over the winter the sealant shrinks a bit like yours and leaks.

gardner1

if the car runs fine try the sealant again

Jumbojumbo

Thanks for the replies, rest of the car is smashing runs great with no probs. The garage tried to discourage me from using sealant again as they said there is no guarantee how long it will last.

foxy-stoat

Take it to another garage for a quote, get it repaired properly.

TuppenceWorth

Approx £300 to have a car of which you know the history and runs well seems the way to go IMO.

Jackmydad

foxy-stoat wrote: »

Take it to another garage for a quote, get it repaired properly.

Is the correct answer.
£300 sounds a lot to me for drilling out a snapped bolt.

martinthebandit

Jackmydad wrote: »

Is the correct answer.
£300 sounds a lot to me for drilling out a snapped bolt.

I agree

....and OP the money saving option is nearly always to have the car you already own repaired rather than buy another.

Jumbojumbo

Just updating for some more advice. Taken the car around some more garages and they have said the position of where the sheared bolt is the engine HAS to be taken out. One garage refused to touch it and said I am opening up a can of worms. A full days labour looking at around a grand.

I am at a loss at what to do.

I could trade in and buy another used car but I am scared about getting conned again. The dealer obviously knew the car had this problem and ripped me off.

A friend has advised K - seal which I may well try. Or maybe go back to the sealant but I am wary of this as I am throwing my money away.

What would you do?

LandyAndy

Jumbojumbo wrote: »

Just updating for some more advice. Taken the car around some more garages and they have said the position of where the sheared bolt is the engine HAS to be taken out. One garage refused to touch it and said I am opening up a can of worms. A full days labour looking at around a grand.

I am at a loss at what to do.

I could trade in and buy another used car but I am scared about getting conned again. The dealer obviously knew the car had this problem and ripped me off.

A friend has advised K - seal which I may well try. Or maybe go back to the sealant but I am wary of this as I am throwing my money away.

What would you do?

I'd accept that I'd had two years motoring for a grand which isnt bad.

Then Id carry on driving on and carry a couple of gallons of coolant with me.

And if that proved too inconvenient I'd get rid.

System

Need to find a competent garage, one which has a right angle drill. Sounds like the ones you've been to don't want the job because its a bit of effort and a bit awkward to do. Sadly most garages today are staffed by what we used to call fitters, people who fit parts they're told to by actual mechanics and can't actually diagnose or do proper repairs. In todays world it is the computer telling them what to fit.