What should I do with my car?

Hoping I’m not too late to the thread.

I feel you OP. Did you make a decision yet? If so how’s that been?

I’m in the exact same situation, so found this when googling😬 my auto gearbox went and I have 3k left on my loan, for now I’m getting a lift to work but it’s not forever

Nissan quoted me 3.6k
so we tried someone we knew, that was 3k

it’s really a gamble, we could get the new gearbox have a few more years in my car but then I’ve got basically 6k to pay off

or I could scrap it for next to nothing, get a car which could have the same issue and I’m back to square one.

ive looked into leasing but higher mileage is more expensive and I wouldn’t like to be constantly worried about little dinks in it as I work up a remote area up a country lane etc

It is really shit I completely feel you,

Your options look like:

#1: spend potentially £3k fixing up a car with 90k miles on it

#2: spend £3k buying another car with full service history, 12 months mot, lower mileage etc which may be less likely to break down (eg Honda Jazz, which tend to have had older own ers who look after their cars well) & see what money you can get back for yours on webuyanycar or similar

The £3k finance is a write off either way.

Sell or part ex it and get a cheap car that will do for a couple of years while you're paying off the existing finance

DSG gearboxes are common. VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat. Where on earth do you live?

Most, if not all garages can do DSG transmissions, they arent that special and fairly common in some cars for a great number of years now. DP is a mechanic at a small independent and has done loads.

The DSG is hardly a rarity, I find it very unlikely you can’t find a garage who works on them within 200 miles, unless you live in the outer hebrides.

Check how much a recon gearbox would cost and then get quotes for fitting it. May or may not work out cheaper than 2 grand.

I'd be amazed if there aren't businesses closer that could fit it.

This happened to us years ago. If you really can’t get say a recon box in from somewhere I would spend the £1k on a banger. Run it for a year while paying off the £3k (if you can) then part ex the banger in for a new one once your old loan is clear.

Or pay for it and run it into the ground if you’re not bothered, how old is it? Could it potentially have years left or are there other problems? The scrape isn’t really that relevant if it works. I spent £1k on work to my Land Rover but got another 4 years so overall it ended up way cheaper than a loan.

The other option could be get a loan for your new car plus a bit extra to pay off the old one.

It’d awful I know, but it’s only a car 🙂

My local mechanic sent my gearbox away to be rebuilt is that not an option?

Don't throw good money on a car that's not worth it.

Dsg is VW group? You don't have VW dealer within 200km?

Have you asked for a settlement figure? Depending on your agreement once you've paid more than 50% you can hand the car back, worth investigating

Realistically your options are

Insurance fraud - although it is damaged so technically not fraud but if it can't be driven then not an option
Selling to we buy any car
Fixing it

DSG is not some rare unicorn. I see no reason why you have to go 200 miles to get this fixed unless you live 200 miles from everyone.

Honest John warns against buying a high mileage car with dsg gearbox, particularly if it has not been well maintained. Depending on the problem, repair/replacement can cost £2k - cut your losses and get rid of the car. Don't throw good money after bad.

In order to offer proper advice, we need to know the make and model of the car, and where you are located @Azurehawker

You say you "don't think it will get to the garage". Is it driveable? Do you have breakdown cover? Could you start off and, if it dies, get the breakdown vehicle to transport it the rest of the way?

Have you tried posting on owners forum's. People may know garages without websites that fix the problem.

Is the gearbox being repaired or is it possible to replace with a second hand one?

Sympathies, Op. I've had to bite the bullet and cut my losses with my automatic. Have you tried asking for advice on the Pistonheads forum?

I was going to suggest putting the car for sale/auction with the faults declared but if you have outstanding finance I don't think that you can just sell it unless with their agreement and you can settle the finance.

I think speak to the finance people. See what they suggest in the circumstances. I wonder if it might be possible to borrow more and get a new car absorbing the existing finance into a new agreement.

If not "bangernomics" spend 2-5k on something with 12 months MOT and a clean bill of health on it's MOT history.
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history
Look for cars that have passed MOTs or failed on a light bulb etc and not corrosion etc.

If you don't have the money (as you need a car for work) I suggest you buy it on a 0% purchases offer credit card or a normal credit card then balance transfer to a 0% balance transfer credit card offer
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/

I think you will still have to pay off the finance unless there is any insurance against it becoming unusable and uneconomic to repair.

Where do you live that it’s 200 miles to the nearest place that can replace a DSG gearbox?

Automatic transmissions are always very expensive to repair. And in my experience repairs don’t work in the long run. My advice (not knowing anything about your finances) is to start looking for a new car.

I say this as a person that had a transmission repaired twice on a beloved SUV, but finally gave up when it blew for a third time. The root cause was too much power/torque and was ultimately a design flaw.

I'd get myself onto one of the forums for that make of car and ask for ideas/help on there.

Lots of small garages have mechanics trained/experienced on lots of models.

My local workshop can do most mainstream ranges as well as a few high end models.

Rather than repair, could a local garage source and fit a replacement reconditioned gearbox?

If it came down to it and you had to cut your losses, how much cash do you have on hand to buy a replacement car? Second hand car prices have been mad for a few years now but non-ULEZ compliant cars are notably cheaper than ULEZ-compliant ones. Depending on where you live that might not be a problem.

Try looking for a new (second hand) car at places like cazoo or cinch or auto trader and type in your cars details as a PX and state the issues. You won’t get much for it but you could get rid before you spend anymore on it and replace it with another for a similar monthly amount.

And if you're found out you would possibly get a conviction for fraud