Expensive car repair to do or not

calleyw

Right family car is a 2010 toyota avensis diesel estate approx 190K on the clock.  On thursday had issues.  Took it to a garage to look at.  They got back to us and told us it was injectors.  Seems the job is now 4 replacement injectors and a controller (this is 2nd hand as told to me via my partner as his car) told cost was £2200 and because of lack of spare parts couldn't be completed until the end of the month.  Mot due next month and it will need 2 new tyres for starters. there is body work damage to the car because a few years ago someone reversed in to us and drove off!!!! So little to no value on the second market.  Second hand market is mental we saw a similar car to ours on 2012 plate only 70k on the clock and they want nearly 7k for it. If we buy another car it will wipe out what little savings we have as would need to put the most deposit down to even afford the finance.  What do we do???

Ebe_Scrooge

The stock answer to such questions is nearly always - spend the money on repairs.  The basic principle being - could you buy an equivalent car for £2200?  The answer to that is "maybe" - but then at that price range, you've got to expect to have to do some repairs to it in the very near future, and you could be buying a hidden and very expensive problem.

Only you can really make the decision.  190K is a high mileage, but for a well-looked-after diesel there's no reason it shouldn't go on for another 60, 70, 80 thousand miles.  Has it been well looked-after?  Do you have a niggling suspicion that some other component is on its way out?  What's the gearbox like - any signs of impending trouble?

Bodywork - if you're not too fussed about the look, you can usually make a halfway-decent job of it yourself, maybe making use of second-hand parts from a scrappie.

Bottom line - if you spend the money to get it repaired, you end up with a car that should give you years more service.  Plus you know its history - you know how it's been looked after, what's been replaced so far, you should have a fair idea of any strange noises or smells that might signal more expensive repairs in the near future.

It's always a balancing act - but if you're contemplating replacing it with another fairly old car, odds on you're better to keep the current one.

Goudy

Toyota (Denso) injectors are quite pricey, even reconditioned ones come in at £180 upwards.

I'm not sure what controller they are talking about, it's usually just a matter of programming the new/recon injectors with compensation codes to the engine ECU so they work efficiently.

Are they planning on just replacing the injectors and matching ECU with used?
I don't think I would pay £2200 for parts of unknown quality like that.

You might try talking to a local diesel specialist rather than your local garage, however trusted.
They should be able to supply, fit and code in a decent set of reconditioned injectors and warranty their work, though the price depends on the cost of the injectors and the labour.
Hopefully your injectors will be at the lower end of the price scale.

They should be good for another 100k+, but what you have to work out is, is the rest of the car?

That_Sinking_Feeling

Faced a similar situation with my car (2012 Focus, 140k on the clock) earlier this year.

It needed gearbox repairs and a new clutch/flywheel after the input shaft seized. 

The cost was £1900 (I'd only paid £5000 for the car in 2019) but until then it had been a great car and there's no way I would have got an equivalent car for £2000.

I had the repairs done and although there have been a couple of unrelated things since (mostly wear-and-tear items like bushes and a wheel bearing), the car seems to be running well* and I've no regrets at this time.

I am however saving for another car, as I do a lot of miles for work and I think this one will be better passed onto my OH as a replacement for his 2004 'Bangernomics' Vectra. 

*I was touching wood when I typed that...

Good luck, whatever you decide!

TL;DR - I faced a similar bill for my car and elected to go ahead.