Car repair or replace -WWYD?

[99problemsandthecatis1]

We have a 7yo (13 plate) Zafira - the one that spontaneously combusts, but that bit has been fixed.

Went to get it MOTd today and to get it to pass it needs:

new brake discs and pads and new brake fluid- £400
new exhaust - £460
And a handful of maintenance type things - £150

BUT in addition to this it will also need, in the next 3 or so months.

aircon condenser unit - £500
timing belt - £580

Total cost of repairs is £2200.

We buy any car would give us roughly £800, we might get £1000 if we sold it privately, but that would obviously take more time.

We don't currently have the cash available for the repairs, so it would have to go on a credit card - we are therefore limited by what garages we can use. We'd be able to pay off the credit card in a month or 2 as our household income is about to go up about £15k pa as I've just got a new job and DH is due a reasonable pay rise (currently in negotiations).

The car has done almost 100k miles as it is.

WWYD - repair or replace? Replace would likely be a car around £3.5 - 5k.

Replace if newer. I’m in the same position and planning to replace this year, car is older than yours and is on its way out, getting more and more expensive every time to sort out.

Replace,you don't know what else could go wrong after spending all that money.

Those prices seem extortionate. Do you go to the main dealer? We use a local garage and their prices are a lot lower than that.

Do you trust the garage? I'd probably get a second opinion first or at least some other quotes for the work Are they all fails or are some advisories? If all of the work definitely needs doing, sell and buy a Japanese or German make

We've only had the car a year, got it very cheap off PIL last year (they didn't knowingly sell us a doozy!) I've only had german and japanese cars previously but they've always had vauxhalls.

That's our local garage (who we trust, they've often told me work I think needs doing doesn't) but we can't have it done there because they don't take credit cards. I've got it booked in to another garage Friday for a second opinion and cost but that garage does take cards.

This is what puts me off 'mid range' cars. New cars are under warranty, older, by which I mean 12+YO, if you're faced with a bill of that size, you're happy to scrap the car as fairly worthless.

But in between, it costs a few thousand to buy and hoping that it doesn't cost that much in repairs while you have it, otherwise you might as well have bought new. I'd expect a 7 YO car to be worth a bit more than £800 and I wouldn't expect big bills like that for it as it shouldn't be old and knackered really. The brakes and exhaust especially sound very expensive for those jobs.

I would be tempted to replace it to be honest, because unless having the repairs done gives you at least a couple more years of cheap motoring, it's going to be good money after bad. Hopefully if you take the £2k you've saved by not having repairs done, plus whatever else you can add, you can get something that won't cost much in the short term.

Ah cross posted. As you got it 'very cheap' I'd be tempted to just get rid.

You are seriously being ripped off with those prices op...

BarbaraofSeville we paid £1100 for it, so it's a cheap car for us. It's been run a bit ragged due to where PIL live and has high mileage for it's age hence it's current value. WBAC website says £1700 but I know from experience they knock you down a lot once you get it there. With the transaction fee I would consider £1k lucky.

Flutteringsatlast how do you come to that conclusion? I have looked around and they seem about right for the model parts plus labour on top. Unfortunately it's one of those models where the parts cost a fair bit.

Replace

Hi!
Sorry to hear about your car trouble. I live in london and just had an amazing price and service from a mechanic called M 'n' F motors. They're based in north london and they even picked my car up and delivered it back to me free of charge. Maybe worth a shot if you're in or around london. Good luck with whatever you decide!

game over, I think - with older cars most repairs cost more than the car is worth but there comes a time when you have to give up.

you don't need aircon but you would need a timing belt. And I agree that some of those prices are frightening for a car that isn't actually that old, sounds like it may be a bit of a lemon.

trouble is you now need to replace it in a hurry but again, that's the deal. Plenty of better options around.

Jesus Christ those prices are extortionate. New discs and pads for a zaffy are about £80. They shouldn’t need to change the brake fluid at all!
Depending on which bit of the exhaust is gone your looking at £20-£170.
The air on condenser unit is unlikely to have failed-but if it has don’t replace it-how often do you use ac anyway. And timing belt kit is around £200.

You aren’t near Birmingham are you? I could help if you are.

Oh and it’s not a lemon....all of those things are fairly standard items to change on a used car.

And it’s not old! I had a 2002 zaffy last year-now that was old. Some people have slightly warped views on things

If I were you OP, I'd ring Halfords or Kwik Fit and they will give you a price over the phone for the pads & exhaust being replaced- see if you are being ripped off or not. Those prices seem absolutely extortionate.

Halfords or Kwik Fit are likely to give similarly high prices, so just because they agree with what the OP has been quoted, doesn't make them reasonable.

Yes, timing belts, brakes and exhausts do need changing on older cars, but when they're all due together, you got the car cheap and you are thinking of changing, it's probably sensible to question whether to do the work. Even if you can do without the air con repair doing, I'd really question whether it's worth spending the money.

However, if the garage that doesn't take credit cards is signficantly cheaper and the OP says they can pay the bill within a couple of months, I'd look at doing a money transfer or cash withdrawal from the credit card (or get a new one with a cheap offer) and get the brakes, exhaust and timing belt done all in one go at the cheaper garage, do without the air con and hope that the car lasts a couple more years at least, while saving for a better car, or at least some savings that can be used for car repairs as needed.

My prices are not guesses. They’re based on previous prices I’ve paid. My husband is in the trade.

Sorry pressed post too soon.

What I would say op is if you choose not to repair-DONT sell it to WBAC. Shove it on Facebook market place as MOT failure-you’ll get a reasonable amount for it.

I'd ask prices from a good mobile mechanic. If not I'd be spending on something newer, that's a lot of money.
You've had a year out of it and can get back over half.
Brake discs and pads quote is stupid money.

I'd get further opinions on the cost of repairs. They sound expensive to me too. Ask on Facebook for recommendations of good independent local mechanics/garages.

TBH none of those are what I would call major repairs, brakes and exhausts are like tyres IMO. We had to do similar repairs on one of ours, it cost £££ but the car went on for years after that so it was worthwhile.
Timing belt is important, don't put that off - but the aircon can wait until your finances are better.

I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago, with a zafira. I replaced. I really liked my zafira. Another factor in my decision was that I no longer needed such a big car. I was sorry to see it go.

Quick question, if we were part exchanging it for a newer car, would an MOT fail show up? If the current MOT is valid? Wondering whether to take it to a cheaper trusted garage for the it or just get rid?

The current MOT is only valid if you’ve carried out the repairs as it’s been shown to be unroadworthy. You would be wise not to take it on the road.

Could you take it in for an extensive service? They changed all the fluids inc brake fluid, did the spark plugs, overhauled the brakes and changed a belt of some description as part of the service when I took mine for one. Then see what still needs doing.

You can check what MOT history is visible for your car at:

www.gov.uk/check-mot-history