Big spend on repairs, or move on?
Discussion
I posed this question some months ago about my 2005 Skoda octavia 1.9 DSG. The DMF had started rattling slightly and the cambelt and water pump needed doing along with other things. Fast forward to today and I spend £850 on the cambelt and water pump, new brakes all around and a service.
My issue is, the DMF rattle has gotten worse to the point where I think I really need to get it sorted before it goes bang. My air con also doesn't work, which will be around £400+, so the total of that lot is another £1100 at least. I have a couple of other issues too which may add up to £200 if i'm unlucky. I'd already paid out £299 to get the turbo replaced whilst it was under warranty still.
The car is on 103k miles now and so I am really unsure as to whether I just suck it up and keep spending in the hope that now the major bits are all done, or if I jump ship...
We do like the car, but we only paid £2500 for it in July and so spending pretty much the cost of the car on maintenance over less than a year alone seems crazy to me, but perhaps I'm looking at it wrong.
Any advice?
My issue is, the DMF rattle has gotten worse to the point where I think I really need to get it sorted before it goes bang. My air con also doesn't work, which will be around £400+, so the total of that lot is another £1100 at least. I have a couple of other issues too which may add up to £200 if i'm unlucky. I'd already paid out £299 to get the turbo replaced whilst it was under warranty still.
The car is on 103k miles now and so I am really unsure as to whether I just suck it up and keep spending in the hope that now the major bits are all done, or if I jump ship...
We do like the car, but we only paid £2500 for it in July and so spending pretty much the cost of the car on maintenance over less than a year alone seems crazy to me, but perhaps I'm looking at it wrong.
Any advice?
Think you've just been unlucky.
At 103k miles it shouldn't be throwing up that amount of bills TBH.
What's it worth as it is?
You could trade it in and hope the dealer doesn't notice the DMF rattle.
Or if it's that obvious just put it on Ebay with the faults listed and see what it makes.
Not sure I could stomach spending more money on it even if it means spending way more on a new car :-)
At 103k miles it shouldn't be throwing up that amount of bills TBH.
What's it worth as it is?
You could trade it in and hope the dealer doesn't notice the DMF rattle.
Or if it's that obvious just put it on Ebay with the faults listed and see what it makes.
Not sure I could stomach spending more money on it even if it means spending way more on a new car :-)
Realistically, it is worth £1000 to £1500 I suppose... It is still in lovely condition inside and out.
The trouble is, I'd not want to spend more than £3500 on another car in total, so am I just buying another problem again?
It does seem daft to spend the value of the car in maintenance in the first year!
The trouble is, I'd not want to spend more than £3500 on another car in total, so am I just buying another problem again?
It does seem daft to spend the value of the car in maintenance in the first year!
Difficult position which we've all been in at least once in out car buying history.
No right answer but if the car is in good condition apart from the DMF then maybe it is worth repairing and you'll have a few years of trouble free motoring.
At least you know the history of it.
Sorry, not been any help really :-)
No right answer but if the car is in good condition apart from the DMF then maybe it is worth repairing and you'll have a few years of trouble free motoring.
At least you know the history of it.
Sorry, not been any help really :-)
It's tricky really...
The car isn't exactly ideal for us being the hatchback and a DSG, but I don't think I can happily pay out £2500 in 10 months on a £2500 car...
Anyone else have any sort of advice?
I bought it mostly as a stop gap until I decided which more expensive car I wanted. But over that time I decided that I don't want to be paying £8k+ on a car that'll get trashed by the dog, hedges and other people! Before the DMF was such an urgent thing and I realised we needed air con, I was OK with spending a bit on maintenance, but I'm really not sure about £2.5k + it'll need new tyres at the MOT in July.
The car isn't exactly ideal for us being the hatchback and a DSG, but I don't think I can happily pay out £2500 in 10 months on a £2500 car...
Anyone else have any sort of advice?
I bought it mostly as a stop gap until I decided which more expensive car I wanted. But over that time I decided that I don't want to be paying £8k+ on a car that'll get trashed by the dog, hedges and other people! Before the DMF was such an urgent thing and I realised we needed air con, I was OK with spending a bit on maintenance, but I'm really not sure about £2.5k + it'll need new tyres at the MOT in July.
Edited by gman88667733 on Monday 13th May 12:27
I always think it's better the devil you know in these sort of situations - you've paid out and fixed half the issues. If you fix the rest, you can probably then relax for a few years and run the car into the ground... Buying another relatively cheap car runs the risk of fixing someone else's problems (again), except this time you've not fixed half of them already.
Ultimately, depends if you like the car or not I suppose!
Ultimately, depends if you like the car or not I suppose!
The MOT is due near the start of July. Is it worth me waiting and seeing how that goes before committing either way? If it passes relatively easily, then i'd feel more comfortable spending such a large amount. If it shows up bigger issues, then I know what to do.
How does that sound?
(The only niggle in my mind is that I would prefer a diesel manual estate version of the same car over the DSG hatchback.) But then i'd have to find one that's had similar bits done to mine.
How does that sound?
(The only niggle in my mind is that I would prefer a diesel manual estate version of the same car over the DSG hatchback.) But then i'd have to find one that's had similar bits done to mine.
I had to spend that as the brakes were beyond use and I got the labour on the cambelt a bit cheaper for doing it together. That and that fact we were going away in the car on a very long journey meant I had no choice really. It is a shame, but one that was hard to avoid!
Still leaves me with a substantial bill to pay should I decide to get it all done.
Still leaves me with a substantial bill to pay should I decide to get it all done.
Do you need aircon? Or have you become soft through having it once and now can't go back? 
I've never had a car with it and want to avoid it as long as possible, as it seems many can never go back once they've had it!
You could always find out what's wrong and then change the broken part yourself - how hard can it be? lol
Likewise, you might be able to find a used DPF from a crashed motor and swap it onto yours for fairly low cost.
If you've already spent a wedge of money on it recently then I'd be tempted to just keep it and run it - there's no guarantee you'd get another car with no issues, even if you spent $5k upwards, and you know where you are with the current one and might as well get the value out of what you've spent.
I've never had a car with it and want to avoid it as long as possible, as it seems many can never go back once they've had it!
You could always find out what's wrong and then change the broken part yourself - how hard can it be? lol
Likewise, you might be able to find a used DPF from a crashed motor and swap it onto yours for fairly low cost.
If you've already spent a wedge of money on it recently then I'd be tempted to just keep it and run it - there's no guarantee you'd get another car with no issues, even if you spent $5k upwards, and you know where you are with the current one and might as well get the value out of what you've spent.
gman88667733 said:
The MOT is due near the start of July. Is it worth me waiting and seeing how that goes before committing either way? If it passes relatively easily, then i'd feel more comfortable spending such a large amount. If it shows up bigger issues, then I know what to do.
How does that sound?
(The only niggle in my mind is that I would prefer a diesel manual estate version of the same car over the DSG hatchback.) But then i'd have to find one that's had similar bits done to mine.
it sounds like you need to make your own mind upHow does that sound?
(The only niggle in my mind is that I would prefer a diesel manual estate version of the same car over the DSG hatchback.) But then i'd have to find one that's had similar bits done to mine.
After spending the £850 and knowing the DPF issue - I suggest it is better the devil you know.
I am running cars between 10 (newest) and 38 years old. I have accepted that they need money spending on them. (currently my 12 year old BMW needs a new ABS pump/ module at about £500) but I know the cars 'quite' well now. If I bought another bargain car to replace one of my other 'bargain' cars I would be nervous.
So unless I spunk £200 - £300 per month on a lease/ PCP car (which I won't) I am happy for the odd bigger bill to keep my bargains on the road...…. Far more environmentally friendly especially if using parts from breakers too (which I do
)
No help whatsoever, but I would keep and repair your car..... or get something far newer/ with warranty.
Mike
I am running cars between 10 (newest) and 38 years old. I have accepted that they need money spending on them. (currently my 12 year old BMW needs a new ABS pump/ module at about £500) but I know the cars 'quite' well now. If I bought another bargain car to replace one of my other 'bargain' cars I would be nervous.
So unless I spunk £200 - £300 per month on a lease/ PCP car (which I won't) I am happy for the odd bigger bill to keep my bargains on the road...…. Far more environmentally friendly especially if using parts from breakers too (which I do
)No help whatsoever, but I would keep and repair your car..... or get something far newer/ with warranty.
Mike
gman88667733 said:
I'm hoping that the DMF is a one time replacement in my ownership, as was the cambelt and water pump. The rest are general maintenance, so I suppose it isn't the end of the world ...
I really have no idea what I'd change it to if I did
Im sorry to break it to you, but ALL of the items you mentioned are general maintenance consumables, like tyres, spark plugs, clutches, etc. They joys of modern motoring!I really have no idea what I'd change it to if I did
And whilst Im on the subject of a reality check.....what did you expect when buying a 10yr old car at nearly 100K for 2.5K??? You certainly are foolish if you expected a well maintained 3yr old 1 owner car that wants for nothing. That car is double your buy price!
Most likely the very same considerations you are having were had by the previous owners who couldn't be arsed to maintain the car and would rather pass a problem on at the first sign. Two or more such owners down the line and here you are, being at the receiving end or looking to pass the buck like the others. I suppose the next person that buys it will expect a brand spanker for his 1,500 quid lol
Given your limited budget (3.5K) so you can buy that luxury status symbol you are after, you shouldnt have much higher expectations. For balance, I bought a 1 owner (turned out to be 2, sneaky salesmen), 6yrs old car at 75kish for 3.1K, car needed, new tyres, new clutch, full service, new brakes all around, thermostat and a couple of hoses (and aircon regas). I bought all the parts online took it to a garage and paid around 900quid all in, so was looking at 4K within a month of buying. The seller originally wanted 3.9K for the car, as 1 owner and all that jazz. LOL. We settled on 3.1 after I listed all the things that need doing, he still made a profit! The second owner who was hidden from me at sale time had the car for 2 yrs and in those yrs did all the damage by just using the car and flogging it at the end. Before that the car was FSH from a lady owner. If it wasn't for me that car would probably be scrapped by now, 7 years on, it owes me less than 6K total spend on maintenance, including tyres, chain and tensioners change (precaution), and is a perfect white goods shopping trolley (in black), that costs less than 1K/pa to run.
Suffice it to say the lottery win purchase doesn't exist and all cars need attention and maintenance. You can be in the use and abuse then flog off camp, or the fix it and keep it camp, your choice, but to expect reliability from an old car without putting something in first is foolish, especially if you dont spot the issues at purchase time and negotiate down on price to account for fixes.
To answer your question DMF could be for the life, but subject to how you drive. Dump that clutch aggressively from a standing start in regular basis and there goes your DMF. Unless the car has Rust issues you should be OK @ MOT time, all other items underneath are also consumables, bushes, droplinks, PAS hoses etc. It will inly cost you a tenner at a friendly garage to put the car on a ramp for a quick inspection, then you can see for yourself and know, not guess.
Edited by Humour on Monday 13th May 21:40
By choice I drive an old Rover 75.
Old cars cost money, however it always amazes me people at work with new cars, also seem to be spending.
Get it done, you then know more of it is fixed.
If you chop it and buy another, there's no guarantee same thing will not happen.
However we've all been there, it's frustrating!
Old cars cost money, however it always amazes me people at work with new cars, also seem to be spending.
Get it done, you then know more of it is fixed.
If you chop it and buy another, there's no guarantee same thing will not happen.
However we've all been there, it's frustrating!
Thanks for the comments above. They are very helpful.
For me, this is my first older car and so I'm not used to replacing larger items, but I guess that's bound to happen at some point.
I can purchase the DMF for about £300 online and doing a bit of digging seems to show that some garages will fit it for labour charges if I supply the part @ around £150ish. Which is a lot less than the £750 or so I was looking at paying.
If it means saving a good chunk of money, I will forget air con (at least for now) and make do without as that could get really pricey.
It needs new tyres at the MOT, but that's like any car and new ones will last a couple of years I'd imagine. I expect some suspension bits will need renewing somewhat soon too as there is a bit of a knock or clunk when going over bumps at low speed from the front passenger side wheel area. But again, I'd expect that given its age...
So assuming the MOT is okay and doesn't show up any nastiness, then I think I will get the work done. Hopefully at less than the £1500 I'm expecting if I shop around a bit.
For me, this is my first older car and so I'm not used to replacing larger items, but I guess that's bound to happen at some point.
I can purchase the DMF for about £300 online and doing a bit of digging seems to show that some garages will fit it for labour charges if I supply the part @ around £150ish. Which is a lot less than the £750 or so I was looking at paying.
If it means saving a good chunk of money, I will forget air con (at least for now) and make do without as that could get really pricey.
It needs new tyres at the MOT, but that's like any car and new ones will last a couple of years I'd imagine. I expect some suspension bits will need renewing somewhat soon too as there is a bit of a knock or clunk when going over bumps at low speed from the front passenger side wheel area. But again, I'd expect that given its age...
So assuming the MOT is okay and doesn't show up any nastiness, then I think I will get the work done. Hopefully at less than the £1500 I'm expecting if I shop around a bit.
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