Farking hell - I booked my car in for a service today...

[Dottydot]

And they've just phoned me.

As well as the service (£90), it needs:

3 new tyres - one's shot to pieces and the other two have got tons of cracks in

New brake pads and discs

A timing belt

Total bill would be over £500, so against the garage man's advice I've gone for having brake stuff and the worst tyre fixed.

We're driving to Devon on Friday and he said he hopes we're with a breakdown service

He reckons the timing belt will go any minute now - it's 7 years old and if it goes it'll be about £800....

Of course I can't afford any of this - couldn't really even afford the service...

[Dottydot]

I hate cars...

[Ledodgy]

You're seriously buggered if your timing belt breaks, the car will not work!

[SqueakyPop]

I had mine serviced last week - it cost £1600 and they had to keep the car for five days.

[Dottydot]

Was just about to google timing belts...

It'll have to wait for a few months - £200 to fix it now - can't afford it!

[davidtennantsmistress]

can you get part worn tyres at all? I managed to pick one up for £20 instead of £45 - and to be fair the amount I use the car (only around town pottering about) it will be fine for what we need.

not sure about timing belt - can you shop around for it?

[Ledodgy]

Ours broke on our other car and left us stranded on the weston express way. If it is about to go any minute I wouldn't chance using it for a holiday.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Yikes. I know nothing about cars. DH tends to fix ours with bits and pieces from scrapyards and ebay. He is currently doing something to fix the handbrake. We're off to France on Sunday...

[Dottydot]

Oh God - I feel ill. I've just phoned the garage and told them to do all the work.

£600...

[sick] (feeling ill emoticon).

Need to phone the bank and try and sort something out.

[Dottydot]

oops - that was supposed to be !

No time to shop around as we're off to Devon on Friday and it's probably 800 miles round trip.

[Ledodgy]

Cars are a nightmare aren't they. I don't drive but dp has a car and does a long commute so we're always having to pay things out on it they are so expensive!

[Chocolateteapot]

I know it is a horrendous amount of money but you've done the right thing getting them to do it.

We had much the same in January, 2 new tires, timing belt, a leaky wheel cylinder. I thought the timing belt wasn't really very important but DH & my Dad put me very straight on that so in it went.

[Dottydot]

Bless - the garage man seemed very relieved I was getting it done! I've always gone there with my car so I kind of trust they're OK and not trying to rip me off and I've been lucky I've never had to have this much work done before.

Haven't told dp - she'll be v depressed.

Just phoned building society to see if we can get a mortgage payment break for a month - fingers crossed.....

[Chocolateteapot]

Fingers crossed for you. Our car had been brilliant, the most had to pay before the big bill this year was £45 for a battery, so I know what a shock it is to get landed with a bill like that.

[LadyOfWaffle]

Our timing belt needs doing (well, we think it does as no service history with car) but it costs a fortune on our car - everytime I get in it I hold my breath! DH has taken it for it's MOT today - last time it needed tons of welding so am praying hard that this time it'll just pass. We have spent probably more than double the price of it on keeping it going the past 3 years! With our timing belt apparently if it goes, the whole engine needs replacing... Cor, sometimes don't you wish you were married to a mechanic? Am sure your car will be fine though, ours has done possibly 130,000 on it's timing belt and officially you should have changed ours twice by now. Enjoy your hols

[zippitippitoes]

you have my sympathy

i got my car back yesterday

it has been in the garage five weeks

it cost me £3033

[LIZS]

we had timing belt done last year - cost over £600 plus a major service on top but better than 2k if it goes and damages engine.

[zippitippitoes]

that was my reasoning so at 47000 miles i had my timing belt and major service done for 500 quid

then drove a 100 miles and the engione blew up

[Dottydot]

zippi...!

No payment breaks on our mortgage so I'm selling the children tomorrow - although not sure how much I'll get for ds2

Am pleased it's all done though - wouldn't have relaxed on holiday wondering whether the engine was going to blow up!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

ouch!
if its any cold comfort our 4 year car service cost £500 last week.

[charliecat]

£485 for me last week too

[BadHair]

Re timing belt - he's probably based his assumption on the mileage of your car rather than having actually physically checked the belt. It's a bugger of a thing to get to and I've never yet heard of a garage that will take everything completely to bits just on the offchance that the cambelt might need changing. I once had a Vauxhall garage insist that as my car was approaching 100K mileage it must be fitted with a new belt as part of its regular service. They only laid off when I showed them the receipt from another garage as I'd already had it done.

Having said that, timing belts generally need changing every 60 - 100k, so if yours has done more than that it would be very prudent to spend the money and get it done. I lost my old Mondeo due to a snapped timing belt as when it pinged it took the rest of the engine out with it. What should have been a £200 job turned out to be a £1k (minimum) repair - so the car had to go.