Mad repair costs
Discussion
kambites said:
Well you did choose a car with ludicrously complicated wing mirrors, what did you expect when you needed to replace one? A new mirror for my car is 29 quid and is held on by two screws. 
I think the issue here is that the mirror doesn't actually move, it rotates the rest of the universe 45 degrees, hence the cost.MuZiZZle said:
kambites said:
Well you did choose a car with ludicrously complicated wing mirrors, what did you expect when you needed to replace one? A new mirror for my car is 29 quid and is held on by two screws.
I think the issue here is that the mirror doesn't actually move, it rotates the rest of the universe 45 degrees, hence the cost.
d!Blame the rip off manufacturer - Audi in this case!
It used to be the same with £6k motorbikes costing £30 to build from OEM parts. Suddenly we had a massive industry that sprung up breaking new bikes from the crate and not to mention of course bikes stolen for parts!
How soon before we see cars being broken for spares before being registered for the road? It cant be long what with seats at £1k/pair, and mirrors at £1k and thats before you get to the engine, gbox, axles etc etc........
I have seen threads about mirrors on these aldgedly high end cars being stolen to order..
Personally I will stick to bangernomics!
It used to be the same with £6k motorbikes costing £30 to build from OEM parts. Suddenly we had a massive industry that sprung up breaking new bikes from the crate and not to mention of course bikes stolen for parts!
How soon before we see cars being broken for spares before being registered for the road? It cant be long what with seats at £1k/pair, and mirrors at £1k and thats before you get to the engine, gbox, axles etc etc........
I have seen threads about mirrors on these aldgedly high end cars being stolen to order..
Personally I will stick to bangernomics!
I had an SUV take the mirror off my dad's XJ while I was driving it. The aerial too.
The total bill at the Jaguar dealers was around £300 including the whole mirror assembly, painting and fitting a new electric aerial.
Admittedly that's 7 or 8 years ago but over a grand on the Audi is just a total rip off.
I'd be inclined to check eBay or the scrappy for a new mirror as you should be able to do this for less than your insurance excess (before you take into account the loading on the policy). The mirror will be painted off the car so it's not like there's a lot of masking required.
Thanks for the warning not to buy an Audi. I guess the bits that are shared with Skoda have to be more reasonable or do they just assume their customers are idiots?
I forgot how much cheaper it is to run a Jag, even a big one.
The total bill at the Jaguar dealers was around £300 including the whole mirror assembly, painting and fitting a new electric aerial.
Admittedly that's 7 or 8 years ago but over a grand on the Audi is just a total rip off.
I'd be inclined to check eBay or the scrappy for a new mirror as you should be able to do this for less than your insurance excess (before you take into account the loading on the policy). The mirror will be painted off the car so it's not like there's a lot of masking required.
Thanks for the warning not to buy an Audi. I guess the bits that are shared with Skoda have to be more reasonable or do they just assume their customers are idiots?
I forgot how much cheaper it is to run a Jag, even a big one.
MuZiZZle said:
duckers26 said:
Wouldn't be very confident painting them and apparently you need to somehow use a laptop to let the car know it has folding mirrors.
Quote is £1,050 but as it's so far above insurance excess it's a bit acedemic and will get it done.
That's just mental, your insurance will now go up too for a few years, I'd go the ebay route! & get it painted for £50Quote is £1,050 but as it's so far above insurance excess it's a bit acedemic and will get it done.
In fact when I did accidentally scrape another person's car it went through my insurers who I reimbursed and it didn't count as a claim and I didn't get loaded. It was a tiny scratch on the plastic bumper end cover a couple of inches long and the guy wanted a wing (my car might have frightened it into developing rust holes?), new tyres (yes, really) and a whole host of other things. The insurance company quickly made him see sense.
Why would you need to involve any laptop for a simple mirror replacement?
I'd get one from ebay job, of use www.breakersyard.com (I've used them a lot - they have links to yards across the country and have very reasonable prices) and take it to a local bodyshop to get it sprayed - surely would be more than £300???
I'd get one from ebay job, of use www.breakersyard.com (I've used them a lot - they have links to yards across the country and have very reasonable prices) and take it to a local bodyshop to get it sprayed - surely would be more than £300???
Fastra said:
Why would you need to involve any laptop for a simple mirror replacement?
I'd get one from ebay job, of use www.breakersyard.com (I've used them a lot - they have links to yards across the country and have very reasonable prices) and take it to a local bodyshop to get it sprayed - surely would be more than £300???
Yes and a local garage could fit it quite easily, a VAG specialist at a stretch.I'd get one from ebay job, of use www.breakersyard.com (I've used them a lot - they have links to yards across the country and have very reasonable prices) and take it to a local bodyshop to get it sprayed - surely would be more than £300???
Growing up in rural Norfolk with it's narrow lanes people used to treat door mirrors as consumables. That can't be the case these days.
A lex said:
Because most components these days are coded to the cars computer via the CanBus. If you replace a module or component it will often need to be matched to the ECU or it wont work.
All of the window/mirror controls etc on my V70 are controlled by a door 'module' in the door itself. If that needs changing you need a computer and Volvo software to get it all talking again.
ahh - didn't realise the extent of the Canbus takeover these days.All of the window/mirror controls etc on my V70 are controlled by a door 'module' in the door itself. If that needs changing you need a computer and Volvo software to get it all talking again.
A lex said:
Because most components these days are coded to the cars computer via the CanBus. If you replace a module or component it will often need to be matched to the ECU or it wont work.
All of the window/mirror controls etc on my V70 are controlled by a door 'module' in the door itself. If that needs changing you need a computer and Volvo software to get it all talking again.
I've developed CANBus systems. Certainly a well engineered CANBus system shouldn't need a laptop to change one part for another, that's part of the point of CANBus.All of the window/mirror controls etc on my V70 are controlled by a door 'module' in the door itself. If that needs changing you need a computer and Volvo software to get it all talking again.
I can understand needing to reset fault codes or a "learning" ECU but surely mirror motors shouldn't need a reset? The electric mirrors should have the same address codes if they're the same model.
Maybe VAG have specifically designed them to require dealer attention?
barker22 said:
Ask a bodyshop or even a garage if they can get the part cheaper at trade. See what the difference is
No mechanical skills here to fit it. Booked into bodyshop and Q3 replacement car arriving for week tomorrow. Reason it's so long is that they can't fit in for a week but car is declared unroadworthy in meantime with missing driver's mirror.duckers26 said:
No mechanical skills here to fit it. Booked into bodyshop and Q3 replacement car arriving for week tomorrow. Reason it's so long is that they can't fit in for a week but car is declared unroadworthy in meantime with missing driver's mirror.
How much have they quoted you?Shame you're not up to giving it a go though - it'd be interesting to see exactly what is involved.
Unsurprisingly enough a google search reveals no "How to replace a Q5 door mirror" how to's.
Kong said:
kambites said:
Well you did choose a car with ludicrously complicated wing mirrors, what did you expect when you needed to replace one? A new mirror for my car is 29 quid and is held on by two screws.
Just don't damage your clam shell 
Still 8k for the entire front end of the car's bodywork (plus both light units) sounds good value compared to over 1k for a door mirror!
Pothole said:
MuZiZZle said:
kambites said:
Well you did choose a car with ludicrously complicated wing mirrors, what did you expect when you needed to replace one? A new mirror for my car is 29 quid and is held on by two screws.
I think the issue here is that the mirror doesn't actually move, it rotates the rest of the universe 45 degrees, hence the cost.d!
kambites said:
Kong said:
kambites said:
Well you did choose a car with ludicrously complicated wing mirrors, what did you expect when you needed to replace one? A new mirror for my car is 29 quid and is held on by two screws.
Just don't damage your clam shell Still 8k for the entire front end of the car's bodywork (plus both light units) sounds good value compared to over 1k for a door mirror!
Prof Prolapse said:
Captain Muppet said:
Yeah, rediculous price. You could easily make an electric folding mirror for way less than that using raw materials and googling the appropriate manufacturing techniques.
I honestly think you should write to "Quest" or "The Discovery Channel", you've just come across a great idea for a series there.It's amazing manufacturing companies make any money at all.
Captain Muppet said:
It's tempting. It might teach people how expensive it is to make the bits they whine about paying for. Each week we could pull someone from the internet who complains about the cost of mirrors, or airbag steering wheels, or fuel, and force then to make it themselves, using just the cost of the stuff they were winging about.
It's amazing manufacturing companies make any money at all.
£1000 for a door mirror?It's amazing manufacturing companies make any money at all.
Thats ridiculous.
CDP said:
Growing up in rural Norfolk with it's narrow lanes people used to treat door mirrors as consumables.
Old school park distance control.The only way I'd pay £1k for a mirror would be on the basis that attached to it was a working car with another mirror on the other side.
Similar thing happened to me in my 6 month old 106 way back. Peugeot wanted £110. Scrappy £30.
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