Urgent advice required
Discussion
Hi there,
I just realised that I can't post for 14 days
I just really wanted a quick bit of advice before tomorrow.
My 75 year old mum is having to take her old Toyota Esteema in the garage for £800 worth of repairs to get it through its MOT. The main cost being a steering rack recondition. This was only done 4000 miles ago so the last refurb has lasted a ridiculously low amount of miles. She's being charged £250 for this by the same company that refurbed it last time. 😠 Is this a good price or could another company do a better deal? The cars on its last leg and this will probably be the last year she continues to drive, it's just an awful lot of money for her to pay out for one final year of motoring.
Thanks all. E x
I just realised that I can't post for 14 days
I just really wanted a quick bit of advice before tomorrow.
My 75 year old mum is having to take her old Toyota Esteema in the garage for £800 worth of repairs to get it through its MOT. The main cost being a steering rack recondition. This was only done 4000 miles ago so the last refurb has lasted a ridiculously low amount of miles. She's being charged £250 for this by the same company that refurbed it last time. 😠 Is this a good price or could another company do a better deal? The cars on its last leg and this will probably be the last year she continues to drive, it's just an awful lot of money for her to pay out for one final year of motoring.
Thanks all. E x
Thanks Rewe,
She's a bit of a Jack-in-the-box
In out in out...a taxi firm would have a nervous breakdown! :-D
It just seems so expensive... especially so soon after the last refurb. Is that normal that 4000 miles would see it off?
She's a bit of a Jack-in-the-box
In out in out...a taxi firm would have a nervous breakdown! :-D
- A huge thank you to whom ever allowed my post..thank you so much! :-)
It just seems so expensive... especially so soon after the last refurb. Is that normal that 4000 miles would see it off?
steveo3002 said:
stump up a few more and get her another car , plenty of choice for say 1000-1200
I think she'd struggle learning to use another car Steve, she doesn't like change and for some unfathomable reason loves that big old jalopy she drives about in. It's automatic too and the gears are stick based off the steering wheel, whereas the ones I've had a quick look at are down where the manual gear shift usually sits. I did think of a different car but in my mum's case it would be awkward. Down and out said:
Estima.
Big old bus for a 75 year old! Scrap it and buy a local Micra etc for 5-6 hundred quid.
I know Down and out, I've talked to her so many times about getting a smaller car but she's stubborn and feisty...it's not easy to get her to pull on the sensible bloomers! Big old bus for a 75 year old! Scrap it and buy a local Micra etc for 5-6 hundred quid.
She's only little too...it looks quite a sight when she slides off the seat when she's getting out.
Elphie said:
I know Down and out, I've talked to her so many times about getting a smaller car but she's stubborn and feisty...it's not easy to get her to pull on the sensible bloomers!
She's only little too...it looks quite a sight when she slides off the seat when she's getting out.
I take it we're talking the old shape 3 speed auto?She's only little too...it looks quite a sight when she slides off the seat when she's getting out.
Does anyone have an idea on the steering rack recondition price? Is £250 about average or on the dear side?
I know it's logical she should get a smaller car, but sensible and my mum live quite a way apart from each other. :-D And I can't force my opinion on her and neither would I try - she just loves that old car for better or worse.
If the price she's been given is ok, we'll just get through this last MOT and next year call it a day.
I know it's logical she should get a smaller car, but sensible and my mum live quite a way apart from each other. :-D And I can't force my opinion on her and neither would I try - she just loves that old car for better or worse.
If the price she's been given is ok, we'll just get through this last MOT and next year call it a day.
Fore Left said:
A steering rack should not need a refurb after 4000 miles unless it was done really poorly first time round. Sounds to me like the garage think they've found an easy target. Take it somewhere else for a second opinion.
Fore Left, they said the gator had fallen off and that grit had probably got in making it leak. I asked them to contact the company that does the refurbs as it was guaranteed for 12000 miles (or 12 months) but they basically said it was tough as more than 12 months had elapsed. The MOT runs out on the 31st so were running out of time too. :-(Elphie said:
Hmm..I don't know how the gears work on an automatic. I've driven it a few times and you just put the stick into drive and accelerate. It's a Japanese import and without looking I think it's a 98 plate.
Yep, first one, 2.2 TD. Toyota Camry engine if I remember correctly.Down and out said:
Yep, first one, 2.2 TD. Toyota Camry engine if I remember correctly.
To be fair it's been a blinking good car - very reliable over the years. It's battered and just about had it now. But it's seen mum right for many a year...she felt safe in it and that's probably helped her stay driving for as long as she has. Take it somewhere else for an MOT to get a second opinion on whether it would pass or not - sometimes the Local Council will have an MOT station (if they run their own fleet of vehicles, which not many do nowadays, sadly) and they usually only do the MOTs but no actual work on vehicles, hence have no vested interested in 'creating' work, I also saw a Post Office vehicles repair shop offering them the other day, but I've not checked that out yet.
I can't remember if you can continue to drive on the old MOT if you fail to pass a new one - I know you used to be able to but I've a feeling that a fail is a fail now, meaning you could only drive straight home or to a place of repair. Check the gov.uk website.
I can't remember if you can continue to drive on the old MOT if you fail to pass a new one - I know you used to be able to but I've a feeling that a fail is a fail now, meaning you could only drive straight home or to a place of repair. Check the gov.uk website.
Elphie said:
To be fair it's been a blinking good car - very reliable over the years. It's battered and just about had it now. But it's seen mum right for many a year...she felt safe in it and that's probably helped her stay driving for as long as she has.
Well in that case stick with it for the final year, 800 quid without the hassle of looking for another car isn't too bad. I would get a second opinion on the rack though.RSTurboPaul said:
Take it somewhere else for an MOT to get a second opinion on whether it would pass or not - sometimes the Local Council will have an MOT station (if they run their own fleet of vehicles, which not many do nowadays, sadly) and they usually only do the MOTs but no actual work on vehicles, hence have no vested interested in 'creating' work, I also saw a Post Office vehicles repair shop offering them the other day, but I've not checked that out yet.
Is a leaky steering rack one of those things where there is no ambiguity? So it's leaking = a fail. Or could it be there's no leak at all? The garage has on the whole been fair with my mum previously, but I guess a 2nd opinion wouldn't hurt. Think there definitely used to be one of those local authority garages fairly near by.. wouldn't hurt to pop it through. Thanks for the suggestion. :-)HustleRussell said:
Most steering racks last the life of the car. Who ‘refurbished’ it? They did a s
t job and aren’t doing the decent thing and offering any kind of goodwill. Don’t give it to them again.
This. If I had a steering rack refurbished on a 15 year old car I’d expect it to last another 15 years. t job and aren’t doing the decent thing and offering any kind of goodwill. Don’t give it to them again. HustleRussell said:
Most steering racks last the life of the car. Who ‘refurbished’ it? They did a st job and aren’t doing the decent thing and offering any kind of goodwill. Don’t give it to them again.
That annoyed me too. The garage did say they'd phoned the company up and they wouldn't even agree to a reduction in the cost of this next refurb...even as a good will gesture. I don't know who they were, might find the name out and review them, based entirely on the fact they could have offered even a small discount. It'd be ridiculous if everyone's steering rack died after 4000 miles! Mind you, I guess the refurb companies would be happy! t job and aren’t doing the decent thing and offering any kind of goodwill. Don’t give it to them again. 
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff