Help! What to do if your car dies

[Puppupandaway]

So, my 2011 C1 has died. The clutch seems to have gone. I cannot get a bite on it. I considered upgrading the car in the summer, had a quote of £250 part ex. It's a really basic car, no electric windows no central locking etc.

I'm guessing a new clutch would be more than the cars worth. So my question is....what the hell do I do now??

Always part ex cars, never had a car that cannot be driven off the drive to sell it.

What do I do??

various options

• repair and sell/part exchange
• repair and keep
• sell for scraps
• ask council to scrap for you

You could still part exchange. They would just have to factor in collection (which would cost a garage far less than it would cost you), so I would leave the car where it is and take some photos for the part-exchange deal. Our old car died, and it was uneconomical for us to fix it, but I saw the car mechanics daughter driving round in it for several years after!

We have had a couple like this. You just arrange to have it taken away.

Google “scrap car collection”

e.g. Compare Scrapping and Salvage Quotes For Your Vehicle.

If it's a really basic car it may well be an easy fix and parts likely to be available at a scrap yard etc or online.

I'd ring some garages, they may have someone who can come to the house to fix it or use a tow truck to take it to the garage either for you or you can see it them to fix or if it can't be fixed call a scrap yard and theyll come and pick it up

I had to replace a clutch at the end of summer (my car is a 2012 reg) and it cost just over £1,000. It was worth it as the car is built to last and had done 135k miles on the original part - should keep going until 200k miles before I seriously need to think about replacing the car. You can part ex even with a declared fault - it just means you won’t get as favourable terms. You need to decide whether or not it’s more viable for you to replace the car or the clutch, it’s that simple really.

I'd still look into using it as part exchange.

An expensive repair for you is an entirely different circumstance for a workshop.

Last time I had a car completely die on me, I did some searching online and found a company called Sell Your Problem Car dot Com. I'm not sure they still exist, but there are several similar ones doing the same thing. Gave me a quote, transferred the payment, collected the car on a trailer. Very easy.

I would get a garage to look at it though. Whilst a new clutch is going to be £600+, a clutch kit to repair your existing clutch is going to be c.£100 plus fitting. It depends what the car is worth to you and how its condition is generally. You might find a garage can get you back on the road for £500 - if it's worth that to you.

Thank you everyone.

My dad has driven round some local garages and asked their advice. One has offered to come to the house to look at the car and see what is wrong with it. I'm hopeful it's a fix rather than a brand new clutch.

Thanks again.

It's definitely worth having a diagnosis done first to see what position you're in.

Hope it's not as bad as you think

What matters is how much THAT car is worth to you to keep it on the road, not how much it's worth if you PX'd it.

If it's going to cost you a few thousand to buy a replacement car, compared with a few hundred to get your existing car running again for a few years, then it's a no brainer just to get it repaired.

You also have to consider the car itself, it's mileage, condition, etc., as to whether a replacement clutch will keep it on the road for a few years more, or whether it's likely something else will fail in the short term. I.e. that comes back to mileage, service history, general wear and tear, etc.

I'd worry that the clutch has gone to be honest. That suggests to me that it's not had a "good" life so far as a clutch won't fail unless it's done a lot of mileage, and I mean a lot, not just a bit over average, or been driven badly. Exceptions may be if a previous owner had lived on a steep hill I suppose so clutch may have gone simply due to number of hill starts rather than bad driving.

Is it OK in other respects? Does it usually pass it's MOT without major problems? Does it have a full service history before you bought it and are you having it regularly serviced by a decent garage?

Fixing will be less than buying a new one.
A new one is a world of 'unknown', particularly if you are on a budget.
If the rest of your current car is OK, get the clutch fixed. In a wee car like a C1 it will not be that much - in the hundreds, not a thousand as someone else suggested.
Stick with what you have.

To be fair, I said exactly what it cost me. Clutches are not cheap regardless, mind is not a C1 but an Audi Q3. Wanted to give a ballpark for replacement, wasn’t trying to be misleading. Also not all clutches can be fixed, more often than not you need a full replacement, especially on a 13 year old car (particularly if it has high mileage). Was trying to be helpful…

Our local garage has offered to fit a new clutch, plus tow it to the garage, for £500 all in. He's going to look at it on Monday and assess if it a new clutch job or something different.

I only do about 1000 miles a year, but my little car gets me to the supermarket, to my parents, picking up after school clubs twice a week etc. It has always passed its mot, but things are starting to be picked up due to its age. I had new brake discs and pads this summer, two new tyres.

I'm hopeful it will be limited to a £500 loss which will at least keep me on the road for another 12 months then I can do part exchange and upgrade.

It has less than 50,000 miles on the clock as it only does local journeys. It is 13 years old, basic model.

Thanks for the update, real shame that the clutch went so soon. My car is of a similar age but I travel with work and drive on some harsh terrain so was a case of if rather than when with mine. I got stuck on the side of a mountain and was so grateful to the chap who went out in hailstones to collect it at 9pm at night - don’t think I would have slept otherwise! They are such a lifeline aren’t they? Hoping that the resolution is swift, not too costly and gets you back on the road soon. :)

I found it's cheaper to replace a clutch than get another car.

Feels well weird when you get a new one in.

Sounds ideal just to get the clutch replaced and then it's probably good for another few years. Tyres and brakes are just consumables so even a replacement car a few years old would likely need those within a few years, so that fact you've have them done is also good for a few more years.

£500 including recovery sounds very fair to me.

Have you had a quote for repair? I work at a small independent dealer and I have been surprised a few times how cheap clutches can be on some cars. I mean yes it might be as much as the car is worth BUT if it's been a reliable car and well maintained it might be worth it. For example if you know it has 4 good tyres, the electrics all work, it has a decent length MOT, brake discs and pads won't need doing in the very near future. If that's all good and you like the car it might be worth spending £300-400 on the clutch to get a couple more years from it?

Thanks everyone, you're giving me confidence in my decision.

I agree with a pp who said it's what the cars value is to me, not the value of a part exchange. I don't want to have to fork out for a new car, I'd be looking at at least £5000 for a good second hand one.

My dad is helping me out, speaking with the mechanic so I'm confident he's getting me a good deal.

Oh and I had a full service done this summer too for £250 so I have invested in the car. Hopefully £500 is all I pay....

If you've put that much money into it recently, I'd go for the clutch repair. It can be a case of knowing when to cut your losses with repairs, but none of the things you've spent money on recently indicate that you've got a lemon on your hands. Services, tyres, and brakes are all normal maintenance jobs.

You won't properly get the benefit of having that recent work done if you get rid of the car now either.

Did you have any advisories on your MOT?

This shows the value of local garages

We had this recently with our car, slightly younger but probably worth a similar value. The clutch went rather dramatically on the motorway and so we were towed home by the AA with the car left on the road outside.

As it was a Peugoet I contacted the local Peugeot dealer who quoted £1,000+, I also contacted the local chain places who seemed to be reluctant to do it and were quoting figures in the region of £800.

I then contacted a local family run garage and they were able to look up the part on the Peugeot website and source it for £200 and then quoted me £250 fitting. I was able to leave the key and they came and picked up the car later that day and it was fixed within a week.

A clutch is a wear and tear part so should be factored in for replacement. The repair price sounds good to me, I've just paid £700 for a clutch replacement. Most of the cost is labour so depends on the car and your garage's cost base. Stop start journeys wear cars out more than fewer longer journeys due to cold operation, and stop start traffic wear on brakes and clutch.

Totally agree, I was quoted £3k by Audi, but took it to a guy who has just started up his business, paid just over £1k (and mine is a dual mass) for parts and labour. He doesn’t even charge VAT yet as he’s not been up and running long enough. Couldn’t praise him enough all over social media - so if anyone ever needs a good mechanic in West Wales let me know!