It's never about the actual thing you're arguing about. It's the 'bigger thing'.
Gutted :(
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It's never about the actual thing you're arguing about. It's the 'bigger thing'.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
And 530i over the last 24 months:
2 tyres @ £320
1x Inspection 1 @ £230
1x Oil Service @ £80
1x Brake Fluid change @ £55
Front pads @ £40
Tax £440 in total
Waterpump £133
Rocker cover gasket £80
2 rear dampers £250
Heater blower motor £330
You sound rather more patient than me. Jesus christ :/
£800 for a clutch? It carbon/ceramic or something?
Would another option be to keep the Vectra and buy her a 600 quid hatchback heap she can run into the ground every 12 months?
clutch is £340 retail from vauxhall
its the Estimated 6 hours labour that pushes it to £800. Theres a bloke on the vxr forums that can get genuine vauxhall parts to you for trade prices.
Is it worth using him, then just finding the cheapest backstreet garage you can find to swap the clutch ?
Would you trust a backstreet garage you havent tried before with something like this ?
given the car will idle happily in or out of gear without the clutch being pressed, it would be pretty hard to fake not having the work done.
Soldato
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:/ - Was going to suggest a cheap old hatch as a second car, meaning if the Vectra drops a bomb on you (which we all know it now won't), you can claim to fix it when you hit a personal economic high point. But the only reason this would work is it would be secretly bribing her with a car to use. 
Could you trade it for one that's a different colour?
Could you trade it for one that's a different colour?
[TW]Fox;15453483 said:
So we've established his Vectra costs about the same to run as a less powerful BMW and a cheap Mondeo diesel is only £20 a month cheaper to run. That's the type of ammo that could be used to settle the situation with indisputable logic
That sounds like the best option in this thread by far in my opinion.
Yes, i'm always surprised when people are unsure of indie workshops, it's not like a clutch change is anything new to them.
It would need doing in order to sell the car anyway, so when you tell that the repair only cost £500 not £800 she should hopefully be a bit more cheerful.
I honestly feel for you. She sounds totally out of order. Your running costs are not high at all, and allthough the clutch is pricey its not exactly something that needs done all the time. Sit her down and tell her to get a grip.
Soldato
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How about....
£4k-£5k on something like an E46 328i and put the rest into the bank to pay the running costs? It ticks the boxes for both of you, something good to drive, money to service it properly and run proper tyres whilst not spending what you have in 'normal' savings???
£4k-£5k on something like an E46 328i and put the rest into the bank to pay the running costs? It ticks the boxes for both of you, something good to drive, money to service it properly and run proper tyres whilst not spending what you have in 'normal' savings???
Don
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Prelude 22 months
Cambelt + other belts + Tensioner £500
New engine Purchase + fitment £950 (Bargain!)
Tyres x 4 £320
Replacement Headlights - £80 (fitted self)
Pair Replacement Rear brake Calipers £80 (fitted self)
Self Servicing x 5 (I think) £50ish x 5 = £250 + £50 for other random bits
Replacement front and rear discs and pads - £100 (shopped about and got some ebay bargains)
Replacement Full exhaust system + manifold+downpipe £300
Front top ball joints £20 + DIY fitment (garage work is easily £200 quid all in)
Cambelt + other belts + Tensioner £500
New engine Purchase + fitment £950 (Bargain!)
Tyres x 4 £320
Replacement Headlights - £80 (fitted self)
Pair Replacement Rear brake Calipers £80 (fitted self)
Self Servicing x 5 (I think) £50ish x 5 = £250 + £50 for other random bits
Replacement front and rear discs and pads - £100 (shopped about and got some ebay bargains)
Replacement Full exhaust system + manifold+downpipe £300
Front top ball joints £20 + DIY fitment (garage work is easily £200 quid all in)
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all my previous cars have been rotboxes that i havent cared about before
so just gave it to anybody as long it stopped it blowing up on me.
My last car was the xsara picasso that i got derided over. It suited my needs at the time (being one of the few things i could insure being 21 with 9 points) and carried the family around in a car that cost barely £6000
Trouble is, that car cost the same to service, the same for brakes, but only needed £55 tyres, and never needed a clutch even after 80,000 miles. Only bills it needed in the 3 years i had it was a new exhaust due to the old one rotting.
This has somewhat tainted her view of what affordable motoring is.
And her dad just runs £500 bangers. Keeps it till it pops, then buys another. She cant fathom a need for anything more expensive other than me being spoilt and wanting nice things that (when they throw up £800 bills) we struggle to pay.We've got the cash, but it will leave us short at christmas. I hoped it would last as the clutch only started slippping about 3 weeks ago. Never expected it to give up this quick.
so just gave it to anybody as long it stopped it blowing up on me.
My last car was the xsara picasso that i got derided over. It suited my needs at the time (being one of the few things i could insure being 21 with 9 points) and carried the family around in a car that cost barely £6000
Trouble is, that car cost the same to service, the same for brakes, but only needed £55 tyres, and never needed a clutch even after 80,000 miles. Only bills it needed in the 3 years i had it was a new exhaust due to the old one rotting.
This has somewhat tainted her view of what affordable motoring is.
And her dad just runs £500 bangers. Keeps it till it pops, then buys another. She cant fathom a need for anything more expensive other than me being spoilt and wanting nice things that (when they throw up £800 bills) we struggle to pay.We've got the cash, but it will leave us short at christmas. I hoped it would last as the clutch only started slippping about 3 weeks ago. Never expected it to give up this quick.
Caporegime
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Tell her if you crash in a £500 banger its more likely to result in your child being killed, a newer car is much safer for all of you.
Or something along those lines.
Or something along those lines.
Soldato
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TBH, anything that isn't a cheap 1.2 hatchback costs the same ball park to run.
The 146 in 18 months (in no particular order):
-tyres 120
-general servicing (oil, coolant, plugs, filters) - 100
-cam belt service incl both tensioners, water pump and variator - 250
-starter motor - 150
-bottom arms - 100
-wiper arm - 20
-brakes (front disks and pads) - 90
So about £830, times 1.33r makes about £1,100 over 24 months, but this does not include any labour costs.
If you get something else which is fun, this will continue.
The 146 in 18 months (in no particular order):
-tyres 120
-general servicing (oil, coolant, plugs, filters) - 100
-cam belt service incl both tensioners, water pump and variator - 250
-starter motor - 150
-bottom arms - 100
-wiper arm - 20
-brakes (front disks and pads) - 90
So about £830, times 1.33r makes about £1,100 over 24 months, but this does not include any labour costs.
If you get something else which is fun, this will continue.
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Associate
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She needs to understand what makes you happy. If you're not happy with such a big thing in life (your car) then it's going to take it's toll on your relationship and you'll end up leaving her.
It's your happiness that counts.
It's your happiness that counts.
the clutch has done 40k in total
and about 5k or 6k since the remap.
VXL warranty was voided when i fitted the remap, and its not fair to expect the tuner to contribute when i know ive been out enjoying the car driving it hard.
Trouble is, its my first performance car so i had no real yardstick to know what "too far" with the clutch was.
I used to thrash the picasso around and it never minded, but its a totally different sort of car.
You buy fast cars and drive them hard .. you pay the price at the end of the day. But she thinks i shouldnt be driving fast cars that have clutches that wear out at 40k...
she needs to cool down, but so do you too really? Yes, i know its modded to 400lb/ft etc but really clutch shouldn't be burning out that fast should it?
I wouldn't dream about changing a car over a argument, especially since you "loose" money when you sell and buy cars generally. Better off just keeping what you've got and getting on with it. But then you already know that, its the misses that doesn't understand
good luck.
I wouldn't dream about changing a car over a argument, especially since you "loose" money when you sell and buy cars generally. Better off just keeping what you've got and getting on with it. But then you already know that, its the misses that doesn't understand
good luck.
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