Sheep waiting to be fleeced???
 

Meaning me.


Anyone got a 1999 75 cdti with 186k costing £2300? I now have.


As stated in my first post about an engine swap-over I just got the bill from the garage who finally did the work just before I sorted out trailering to Norfolk.



££500 to fit engine
plus radiator £137
glow plugs £60
21 ltrs oil £105
2 oil filters £20
Antifreeze £30
Hose clips £10
Diesel £40


VAT £172


Total £1074.
.Add engine £150



Nice prezzie for an OAP







Add the cost of the used engine, and the new clutch and front suspension systems and you see where the £2300 comes from.


I know these are great cars which attach themselves to the heartstrings, but I heartily wish I'd let it go when the clutch went. I reckon for what I've paid over the last 5 months I could have got a low mileage, later model, well cared for.


I was thinking apart from the body, interior, gearbox and odds and sods, there's not much left of the original car anyway.






WE live and learn. Well, most of us do.

I know exactly where you are coming from

I've had mine for 7 years now and on several occasions have come close to getting rid.

Instead it's had 3 clutches,rear arms,shocks, springs and associated bits.
Complete front suspension
New sills
Exhaust
Tyres
Brakes
Alternator
Blah blah blah.

I'm not going to total everything up in case the wife sees the total.

But on the other hand I have done things that I wanted to do like paint the dash , wheels and spent a bit on some nice comfy seats.

Running fine now and on 262000 miles and looking to get to 300000.

Dtan

Nah, bad idea, never mind your wife it may influence your decision to keep it. I keep receipts but never tally them up.

Last time I totalled mine up, it came to close on £40K (inc. purchase price) over the years :eek:..

Since then, it's had an engine re-build, new clutch, new tyres all round, and numerous other bits and bobs. Had to think what it would add up to now!

Cliff

I dare not tally up what I have spent on Banana over the years. But I love the car and she is worth every penny, my wallet can confirm that.

Thing is I'm not convinced the replacement engine needed flushing etc, it wasn't the one with congealed oil/waterways. likewise, I feel the rad could have been flushed easy enough, even in that state, and the glow plugs always started the old engine straight away. And an extra £40 for diesel? even in todays prices thats 5 gallons, so where were they driving for up to 200 miles?

And to twist the knfie - after 26 years of being a loyal regular loyal customer for my work vans, wife, daughter and sons cars, they added a tenner for the 5 little clips! If I was pricing over a grand, I wouldn't kick the owner in the teeth for a tenner!


When I get it back I'll put up a few pics.

I know Paul is outraged, but I didn’t think that was too bad, and the decision to change engine : what if you carried on flushing and fiddling and paying – and still had the problem and running up the bills and the frustration? sometimes you have to cut your losses.
What you could have done was scrap the car and bought another one, for about the same price but then you could have ended up with a whole other bunch of unknown problems - or you could be lucky.
If you tell your cost on this to a BMW, Audi or Merc owner they would die laughing, it could cost that to service the brakes! My friend Audi gearbox failed just out of warranty and he was quoted 7k. A google search shows: Average Car Running Costs UK. Purchase/Depreciation per year, £1,104 with fuel on top of that. With our old cars that are woth under £3000 the costs are in maintaince rather than depreciation. :D

Never mind Paul, you'll just have to give one of those OAP essentials a miss this year - the Mediterranean will always be there next year as will the cruise liners. :D


Out of interest, which Ipswich garage did you use?

And there is your problem nowa days loyalty means nothing, well it does easy to rip off that's how these guys think, it even happens with insurance, Sky, Virgin, electric, gas etc you are penalised.

Use another place in the future for your family cars vans etc.

As you say above another car costs about the same, and you would of had your old car for loads of spares.

Example not mine
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403578227...EAAOSwxVRiPKTn