What's the most expensive car repair bill you have ever had?
Discussion
This kind of the other way round but, as a garage owner, I though i'd post the biggest bill I'ver had to give.
A BMW 3 series convertible....about £3,500. But that was service, timing belt. all brake pipes and hoses, multiple suspension bit's, discs and pads (front and rear!) a couple of callipers, and so on.
But, before you all condemn me, I did wash and polish it before it went back!
That aside though, even though I'm in the business of getting the money rather than paying it some of these tales horrify me!
I'm not getting a Bentley for instance.
A BMW 3 series convertible....about £3,500. But that was service, timing belt. all brake pipes and hoses, multiple suspension bit's, discs and pads (front and rear!) a couple of callipers, and so on.
But, before you all condemn me, I did wash and polish it before it went back!
That aside though, even though I'm in the business of getting the money rather than paying it some of these tales horrify me!
I'm not getting a Bentley for instance.
Took my 1981 Porsche 930 to a track day many years ago at RAF Marham (mayhem!). Already had big turbo etc etc, and no surprise I managed to melt a piston and split a cylinder barrel. Spent £12k+ on a full engine rebuild. Ran it in for 1000 miles and then took it to a "specialist tuner" to have an EFI conversion fitted. They had it for over a year and succeeded in frying the engine. Trashed all the Pistons/Barrells and heads !!!
I had it trailered home by an independent so that I was not tempted to kill them.....no compensation, but funnily enough they went bust a couple of years later.
Licked the wounds and then sent engine to Porsche man Bob Watson (RIP) with a request to build me a reliable 500bhp engine. He did ... it may have cost another £20k+ but I still have the car after 20 years of crazy ownership and it tries to kill me each time I drive it. Money very well spent in my mind :-)
I had it trailered home by an independent so that I was not tempted to kill them.....no compensation, but funnily enough they went bust a couple of years later.
Licked the wounds and then sent engine to Porsche man Bob Watson (RIP) with a request to build me a reliable 500bhp engine. He did ... it may have cost another £20k+ but I still have the car after 20 years of crazy ownership and it tries to kill me each time I drive it. Money very well spent in my mind :-)
Simonlemans930 said:
Took my 1981 Porsche 930 to a track day many years ago at RAF Marham (mayhem!). Already had big turbo etc etc, and no surprise I managed to melt a piston and split a cylinder barrel. Spent £12k+ on a full engine rebuild. Ran it in for 1000 miles and then took it to a "specialist tuner" to have an EFI conversion fitted. They had it for over a year and succeeded in frying the engine. Trashed all the Pistons/Barrells and heads !!!
I had it trailered home by an independent so that I was not tempted to kill them.....no compensation, but funnily enough they went bust a couple of years later.
Licked the wounds and then sent engine to Porsche man Bob Watson (RIP) with a request to build me a reliable 500bhp engine. He did ... it may have cost another £20k+ but I still have the car after 20 years of crazy ownership and it tries to kill me each time I drive it. Money very well spent in my mind :-)
Black one from memory? You were DK's mate or have I got that completely wrong?I had it trailered home by an independent so that I was not tempted to kill them.....no compensation, but funnily enough they went bust a couple of years later.
Licked the wounds and then sent engine to Porsche man Bob Watson (RIP) with a request to build me a reliable 500bhp engine. He did ... it may have cost another £20k+ but I still have the car after 20 years of crazy ownership and it tries to kill me each time I drive it. Money very well spent in my mind :-)
It's a bit of a pointless thread really, because depending on the car there will always be someone who's had a bigger bill than you.
A few years ago I had my (then) Corrado mechanically rebuilt. That single invoice cost me £6400, which was perhaps a bit crazy considering the car was was 15 years old at the time. 14 months later the rebuilt and blueprinted engine I paid for went pop.
But that pales into insignificance compared to a friend of mine who owns a Ferrari F40. He had the fuel tanks replaced on that a couple of years ago, a bill which he assures me "you could have bought yourself a Jag for the cost of that..."
A few years ago I had my (then) Corrado mechanically rebuilt. That single invoice cost me £6400, which was perhaps a bit crazy considering the car was was 15 years old at the time. 14 months later the rebuilt and blueprinted engine I paid for went pop.
But that pales into insignificance compared to a friend of mine who owns a Ferrari F40. He had the fuel tanks replaced on that a couple of years ago, a bill which he assures me "you could have bought yourself a Jag for the cost of that..."
MJ85 said:
Bobberoo99 said:
£831.40 DMF, clutch and slave cylinder Mk2 focus 1.8TDCI Ghia early last year then £340 for an alternator in December last year!! 
They seem to be strong prices for pretty normal work? I forgot my Hyundai Santa fe needed a clutch and dmf, luckily a week before the warranty expired. Cost them £1875 and 2 weeks hire car use, then the day I got it back the clutch pedal went straight to the floor. They had it another week while they ordered and fitted another slave unit (box out again). Think it stood them at near £3k with labour on a £9k second hand car.
I have always if possible done my own repairs, biggest bill for me was a long time ago on my Skoda Octavia VRS that at the time was worth around £1200 and the mot, service and repairs was £626, I figured that it was worth it as I knew the car having had it a while.
For some reason this seemed to trigger other issues, the following month it blew a drive shaft followed by a wheel bearing then the radiator, the final straw was it blowing the heater matrix, I sold it in the end to someone building a track car.
For some reason this seemed to trigger other issues, the following month it blew a drive shaft followed by a wheel bearing then the radiator, the final straw was it blowing the heater matrix, I sold it in the end to someone building a track car.
The worst I ever experienced was replacement of the computer for the left bank of a Lambo Diablo (it uses two huge antiquated aluminium-housed computers for each bank). It cost me about GBP 8000, supposedly because my car was originally sent out to some Arab State which uses a different computer setting (or so I was told by Lambo).
That was enough for me. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway). Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least have defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
That was enough for me. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway). Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least have defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
The worst I ever experienced was replacement of the computer for the left bank of a Lambo Diablo (it uses two huge antiquated aluminium-housed computers for each bank). It cost me about GBP 6000 for one, supposedly because my car was originally sent out to some Arab State which uses a different computer setting from normal (or so I was told by Lambo Italy).
That was enough for me. Can't afford to maintain it. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway).
Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least I have a defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
That was enough for me. Can't afford to maintain it. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway).
Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least I have a defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
Nutty Slack said:
The worst I ever experienced was replacement of the computer for the left bank of a Lambo Diablo (it uses two huge antiquated aluminium-housed computers for each bank). It cost me about GBP 6000 for one, supposedly because my car was originally sent out to some Arab State which uses a different computer setting from normal (or so I was told by Lambo Italy).
That was enough for me. Can't afford to maintain it. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway).
Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least I have a defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
Making a mistake once is forgivable - doing it twice???That was enough for me. Can't afford to maintain it. Flog the Diablo (it was pig to drive anyway).
Unfortunately for me the price of the Diablo has tripled over the last two years. The cost of the computer now appears irrelevant.
At least I have a defunct aluminium computer framed on the wall in my bar. Looks very pretty.
£8500 For top end work on a speed six (TVR Tamora) when several of the finger followers let go. Might as well put a clutch in while the engine is out.
Hadn't figured those numbers into the 'cost of ownership' equation. Although it did get ported/polished, bigger valves, hotter cams, improved oil feed etc, so was much nicer as a result....
One in the papers - coolant failure on a 9 year old Lexus ls600h, dealers wants £24K to fix 
Inverter cooling system pump cost so that to repair? or has it taken the engine/gearbox too.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/car-advice-...
Inverter cooling system pump cost so that to repair? or has it taken the engine/gearbox too.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/car-advice-...
t banged their door against the side of an Astra I'd hired in Ireland a couple of months ago.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff