At what point do you call it quits on a car?

[Iamzod]

They are on there for your reg.

Always find out who makes the OE parts & go direct, did it with the clutch & flywheel kit on my ST220. Bought from LuK, part was visibly identical other than a blank space for the Ford logo, saved myself £1k.

 

[geekman]

This thread has turned into a different tangent (as usual on the forum), there are things in life where one should learn, one that you should just leave it to others. We all draw the line differently for different things.

Some people never learn to cook, I think it's easy to make anything.
Some people never learn to fix their own IT problem. I have never needed to call IT support.
Some people never learn to DIY, I know someone even built their own house, everything from drawing the plans to laying the brickwork. (it's not actually that hard)

I chose car being something I won't fix if it require tools, I made that decision couple of decades ago. I just don't want to get a bunch of tools that sits there and never use, and especially when it is under the car, fear of being crushed. it's a never-ending rabbit hole I choose not to go down to. I have this personality where once I start tinkering things, it never stops. Cars is a bottomless pit, if I start getting into it more than I do now, where I draw the line at - keep everything 100% stock and original and that means Volvo Parts. Rather than - replacing parts because it's better, then I will go into "oh perhaps I will try that part, may be that intake is better, or that exhaust is better. This is the kind of personality I have. Once the door opens, I go in deep.

Side note - which goes back to my other point, just because I didn't tell you before, don't assume the worst, because the worst here would be me going very deep and start modding my car and spending thousands if not tens of thousands on it. It is why I got a Mac...the fact that they can't be upgraded is a GOOD thing, it might be more expensive at first, but I don't touch it and just use it. I know about this side of my character, to stop my tinkering...I cut it off at the start. Set a limit, even if the cost at the high at the beginning, it saves me money in the long run.

This is probably more than you want to know. I do this with every hobby I have...it's something in my head that makes me not jump in at all or jump in deep. Case in point - 2 days ago I was looking for a 17mm Hex socket so I can mod my Gaggia espresso machine. Instead of getting 1 single socket that does the job, I end up with a set of Wera costing £150 in my basket! I started with a £64 set and thought...this £81 set has a nicer ratchet spanner...noooo, this £100 set has a Zyklops that replaces both screw driver AND spanner....and no...this £150 is even better value with more bits, this is how my mind works, I know myself enough to know that once I commit, I go in hard.

And no, I stopped myself getting it completely, because a set of Draper for £25 would also do the same job. This is who I am, go in deep....and it is expensive!

So do you now know why I just want genuine Volvo parts? From not wanting to work on my own car and not opening the pandora box of car maintenance/upgrades.

With all the time you've spent posting this thread and defending yourself, instead you could have posted a thread asking if people could help you find OEM parts for your Volvo and you'd have probably had a full shopping list in under a day.

Like you, I also pay extra for convenience, or to avoid doing a task myself that I don't enjoy doing. However, in cases where a little effort results in a huge saving, I always go ahead and make the effort as it clearly makes financial sense to do so.

Of course, if you're massively wealthy then it really doesn't matter, but if that was the case you wouldn't even be looking at the bill the garage gave you.

 

[Raymond Lin]

With all the time you've spent posting this thread and defending yourself, instead you could have posted a thread asking if people could help you find OEM parts for your Volvo and you'd have probably had a full shopping list in under a day.

Like you, I also pay extra for convenience, or to avoid doing a task myself that I don't enjoy doing. However, in cases where a little effort results in a huge saving, I always go ahead and make the effort as it clearly makes financial sense to do so.

Of course, if you're massively wealthy then it really doesn't matter, but if that was the case you wouldn't even be looking at the bill the garage gave you.

I am only defending myself because people are not reading what I wrote and having to repeat myself. To be really blunt but I never actually asked for help to find parts btw, whilst I am grateful for people trying to help me save money, that was never the intention of the thread. Because by the time I posted the thread, the work was already in progress, I had already given the go-ahead. It was too late. I stated in the original post that "I am going to do it anyway". People skipped over and ignored what I said and jumped to the conclusion that I was looking for an alternative part/cheaper part. That wasn't the intention of the thread, not in the heading, or the OP.

I mean I am glad to have learned something, @Iamzod 's information about who actually makes them is very useful to know and I am grateful for that bit of information and would be a savings for the future, be it this car or the next, but all the other posts about "you need this and that tool and I could have got this" isn't actually useful to me because I never would work on my car anyway. Not with the MOT coming up, not in this weather, not this time or the desire to.

 

[visibleman]

Usually when i get bored of fixing it and it's becoming more of a pain than it's worth. As someone else said, sometimes if you've poured a small fortune into it you believe you need to carry on but it's usually easier to just cut your losses.

You’re one snapped bolt or rounded bolt from a several day project or making it unfeasible to do yourself as you suddenly need a blow torch or a massive power impact gun to get things undone.

This is the problem. I diy a lot on my cars but it can very, very easily turn from a few hours work to days, if not longer, if luck isn't on your side. And if you haven't got other cars to drive then time is something you don't have!
Last time i did suspension, getting and undoing rusted-to-**** bolts without being able to get an impact wrench in to a lot of the spots, as well as decent leverage on axle stands and a set useless spring compressors, turned it into a 4-day job on/off. Looking back, i would have just paid someone from the get-go and saved the cuts, bloody knuckles, swearing and stress

 

[Jiffy]

This is the problem. I diy a lot on my cars but it can very, very easily turn from a few hours work to days, if not longer, if luck isn't on your side. And if you haven't got other cars to drive then time is something you don't have!

That's one of the reasons I have 2 cars. A friend needed new rear brakes on their Mercedes A Class. It needed new backing plates as the handbrake cable release springs hook into them. However, to replace them you need to remove the entire wheel bearing. I had one afternoon for the job, the bolts were very rusty, I was doing it on the street and a big storm was blowing in the next day. So, I took it to a local Mercedes independent specialist who had done the exact same job on another A class recently so he was quickly able to give a fair quote. I'd bought good quality parts so he was happy to use them. I explained situation to my friend and showed him the quote which was much less than the not so good garage he'd been using previously so it ended up happy all round. Anyway, yes you need to be aware that jobs can take a lot longer than planned. It's a lot harder working on the ground instead of on a ramp.

On a positive note, here's the rear arm rebuild job I did on my Saab 9-5 working on the street:

 

[gc123]

Usually when i get bored of fixing it and it's becoming more of a pain than it's worth. As someone else said, sometimes if you've poured a small fortune into it you believe you need to carry on but it's usually easier to just cut your losses.


This is the problem. I diy a lot on my cars but it can very, very easily turn from a few hours work to days, if not longer, if luck isn't on your side. And if you haven't got other cars to drive then time is something you don't have!
Last time i did suspension, getting and undoing rusted-to-**** bolts without being able to get an impact wrench in to a lot of the spots, as well as decent leverage on axle stands and a set useless spring compressors, turned it into a 4-day job on/off. Looking back, i would have just paid someone from the get-go and saved the cuts, bloody knuckles, swearing and stress

i know that feeling just serviced the c max and euro car parts supplied the wrong fuel filter.....hour and half job pottering around doing the service became about 4 hours after having to wait for ford to deliver the right one, due to euro saying ....our computer says it fits , yeah right...

back to the original question ..i think you just know when to call time, you feel the itch to have a change and realise , what jobs will want doing before long. i knew with the mondeo it was a good car, but after 9 years i knew tinworm would start and then a brake refresh etc etc. bare in mind while i had it i did do all the brakes , discs, servicing and all bushes front and rear so knew i could get in the vehicle and go anyware. the people who bought it did so without any haggling and still are very pleased with it (spoke the other week when they asked for advice as regards what oil to buy for servicing)

 

[mrk]

It never crossed my mind -_-

 

[bainbridge]

Occasionally some after market parts are better than OEM.

I tend to price up OEM, trusted brands and what the forum community for the car in question prefer, then decide what to buy.

 

[SuperElectric]

I am only defending myself because people are not reading what I wrote and having to repeat myself. To be really blunt but I never actually asked for help to find parts btw, whilst I am grateful for people trying to help me save money, that was never the intention of the thread. Because by the time I posted the thread, the work was already in progress, I had already given the go-ahead. It was too late. I stated in the original post that "I am going to do it anyway". People skipped over and ignored what I said and jumped to the conclusion that I was looking for an alternative part/cheaper part. That wasn't the intention of the thread, not in the heading, or the OP.

I'm shocked, I always carefully read the OP before posting my opinion...

Anyway, if you want to save some money on your car problem, you can borrow my toolset and jack. Also, I know a guy that can get you cheap parts.

Just happy to help

 

[slinxy]

I’m in a similar situation… the side wall of a newish tyre got punched on the motorway on the way home from work on Friday, I had my service and mot booked on Monday; so I spent Saturday spending £100 pounds on replacing the tire.

It failed its MOT today, weaken/rusted suspension arm and wheel baring knocking.. the issue is that 2 others have started to rust and one of the back brakes is gripping, I’ve been quoted £600 to get it fixed.. but the front two tyres needs changing at some point soon.

I had a minor brake line issue last year, had to replace a fuel injector as it broke down on the motor way..
Replaced two shocks the year before, brakes the year before, clutch the year before that..

My car is trigger’s broom.

It’s a 13 year old golf with 164k on the clock… book price with everything working is £1100.. now do I spend over half of its value to keep it running for another year?

The main thing is that I only need a car twice a week, once to get to work and at the weekend to go to the gym and food shopping but I live in the sticks so a car is needed.

£600 pounds (or £900 if you include tyres, mot and service) vs renting a car for the times that I need it or getting a taxi for the year.. hmmm

The engine is fine on it (now) and it’s cheap to run.. less than 40 pounds diesel a month, 35 pounds road tax and insurance has been hiked to £300 pounds. There’s also the comfort that it’s a old banger that no one would want to nick, that I’m not worried about people keying it.

The only issue about replacing it, is just the general costs of cars at the moment… been toying with replacing it for a while but secondhand cars prices are silly and a new car will just lose so much of it’s value.

 

[Akagi]

Well first of all tyres are a consumable item so you shouldn't really be factoring that cost in, whos to say the next car wont need a new tyre or two.

Shocks, brakes, clutch with 160K miles on the clock, none of those are unexpected repairs either, they are all wear parts.

£600 isn't the end of the world to keep a car on the road. If you were to try and sell it with no MOT and a list of parts in need of replacement I can bet it would be worth more than £600 less than it would be worth with it all fixed.

I recently took my car off the road and fitted refurbed brake calipers, new disks, pads, brake hoses, lower control arms, roll bar bushings, all four CV boots, both front wheel bearings, and both front hub seals. I think it cost me about £350~ because I did the work myself aside from refurbing the calipers. There is a lot to be said for trying a bit of DIY and getting your hands all covered in grime.

You also have to consider the "better the devil you know" factor. You could get a different car and be retracing your steps spending money on all sorts.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Yeah its always a tough one been pondering the same thing lately spent £850 on full service MOT + 2 new discs and 4 sets of pads as well plus a full set of tyres from a tyre place on top its all high mileage stuff its got 70k+ on the clock now so about whats expected, they also say the clutch wants replacing thats another £850 or so, I said I'd get back to you on that yeah its heavy but its not slipping so that'll have to wait until I recover from open wallet surgery.

A younger model is ~£6000 but theres no guarantee thats not going to need money spent on it either. The real indicator is when the rot sets in once they start talking about suspension mounting corrosion or similar failing MOT's and the dreaded word "welding" comes up then thats time to think about calling it a day.

Usually when i get bored of fixing it and it's becoming more of a pain than it's worth. As someone else said, sometimes if you've poured a small fortune into it you believe you need to carry on but it's usually easier to just cut your losses.


This is the problem. I diy a lot on my cars but it can very, very easily turn from a few hours work to days, if not longer, if luck isn't on your side. And if you haven't got other cars to drive then time is something you don't have!
Last time i did suspension, getting and undoing rusted-to-**** bolts without being able to get an impact wrench in to a lot of the spots, as well as decent leverage on axle stands and a set useless spring compressors, turned it into a 4-day job on/off. Looking back, i would have just paid someone from the get-go and saved the cuts, bloody knuckles, swearing and stress

Hah I learnt my lesson as a teenager with an old motorbike that spent more time in bits than it did on the road, spending time on my knees in freezing cold garages hands covering in dirty oil and grease and frequently grazed knuckles from various pieces of metal they came into contact with, broke the clutch basket still not sure how I managed that and dropped it once it fell over and snapped off the clutch or brake lever, I actually managed to break more things than I fixed. I finally decided mechanicals and me don't mix and to take it to a garage and get it done properly. I'll pay for the convenience.

I'm ok with DIY painting and decorating and even electricals on occasion but I'm death to anything mechanical its just not in my psyche.

n.b. yeah volvo parts are expensive I remember buying a set of spark plug leads when informed a previous car was misfiring, a mechanic I took it too later said I could have had a set of leads for £20 or so when it actually cost me over £50 for the actual volvo part. Also made the mistake of taking all the leads off at once then realizing I didn't know which leads fitted which plug, luckily the cylinder block was long and distributor at one end so the longer the lead the further away was the plug, rookie mistake but another reason I'd rather let someone else deal with it.

 

[slinxy]

You also have to consider the "better the devil you know" factor. You could get a different car and be retracing your steps spending money on all sorts.

Webuyanycar has offered me £720, this would basically cover me for the costs that I’ve put into it in the last three years. Work has been told about my car troubles and don’t expect me back in the office short term, so depending on quotes that I get today as my brother is going to drive it to a local garage.. I am tempted to get rid then take a few weeks to look for a replacement.

My only issue is not being able to get to the gym…

 

[slinxy]

I got the three lower control arms and the front passenger wheel baring done at my mates garage.

The drive home wasn’t a pleasant one, high winds, newly formed layer of snow, sleet and grit on a motorway that I wasn’t familiar with.. almost bail it.

Went to look at another car on Sunday and the ETS kept coming on.

I checked my tyres and the “helpful” guy who swapped my tyre had deflated then to 28 psi.. so I pumped them back to 32.

Anyway, the tracking isn’t right on the car but it’s back in for its MOT and service.. they going to look at the tracking when it’s still there. Hopefully the sensors are ok and it’s just a tracking issue.

 

[slinxy]

the saga continues....

I went to get my car re-aligned and the geezer says he been trying to do it for an hour but the bolts/washers are worn out, so I have to get a new set fitted.

Called VW and they can't even look at my car for two months...
Called the garage who tired to re-align the car and they said that they can do it if I get the parts.
Now waiting on VW parts department to give me a call back to but the parts but I've seen them online already, half tempted to just buy them online..

my worry is that I get the parts and it still can't be re-aligned, it's driving a lot better now tht it's only 5% out rather that what it was before.

 

[sx_turbo]

Yep and Eibach are one of the best and will **** on whatever soon to snap/rust again ford/volvo generic crap they're using, 90% of the time made by a cheaper brand just rebadged.

However the OP would then have to declare his car as lowered/modified which at the current time might not be allowed on his current policy, thus causing the ball ache of cancelling early/fees to do so and loosing any NCB being currently built up into this years policy, then changing to a modified company.

Eibach also do standard springs.

If I was op I wouldn't be bothered whether the parts had the Volvo stamp just as long as they are of decent branded quality.

However you can't trust any garage with sourcing these parts for you as they will charge you for the top quality parts and fit crap.

The op evidently says he isn't so clued up with spannering so may not know what parts he should be getting.

There is an awful lot of garages that refuse to fit customer supplies parts .

So I sympathise with the op and the decision they have made.

In terms of the replacing car, I think when the repairs become more than the value of the car it's worth looking at, however even then sometimes "better the devil you know" kicks in and the cost of the replacement car often means repairing what you've got is worthwhile.

 

[Lopéz]

There is an awful lot of garages that refuse to fit customer supplies parts .

I used to go to an MOT place that had a big sign up saying something like "You wouldn't expect a restaurant to cook a steak you brought with you, so don't expect us to fit parts that you've supplied"

 

[jpaul]

providing the parts they install have a known brand and they aren't charging too much then that's fine.
Eurocarparts often deliver parts to my garage, I don't know what kind of trade reduction garage gets ?, but I wouldn't have a problem telling them up front what I expect parts to cost;

I needed a new cat - if the garage had bought an oem bmw one, I'd have probably been close to writing car off, but we agreed on a 3rd party at a reasonable price.

 

[sx_turbo]

I used to go to an MOT place that had a big sign up saying something like "You wouldn't expect a restaurant to cook a steak you brought with you, so don't expect us to fit parts that you've supplied"

Where my wife works, a gent came in bought parts then took his car to a garage almost a stones throw away.

She then got a call from the garage and said the guy is bringing the parts back and they need to be swapped onto his account.

The gent came back with the parts very unhappy, got his refund, then took the same parts back to the garage who then proceeded to charge him quite a hefty amount on top.

The guy came back to the wife slated the garage and asked for a recommendation for somewhere else for future repairs.

 

[Akagi]

Where my wife works, a gent came in bought parts then took his car to a garage almost a stones throw away.

She then got a call from the garage and said the guy is bringing the parts back and they need to be swapped onto his account.

The gent came back with the parts very unhappy, got his refund, then took the same parts back to the garage who then proceeded to charge him quite a hefty amount on top.

The guy came back to the wife slated the garage and asked for a recommendation for somewhere else for future repairs.

I'll take things that didn't happen for 100 Jim.