Scrap this van or fix it?

Retromatic · 17 Jan 2014 at 16:44

Okay firstly I know next to nothing about vehicles, just to be clear.

I run a small business pressure washing and upgraded my equipment last year, so ideally needed a van to tide me over for a couple of years until I got something better. A guy at the gym happened to be selling his Renault Kangoo (`04, 70k on the clock) £1500, so I ended up buying it.

Got it serviced, took it through it's MOT had it about six months and now sitting outside mine as it won't start. Flashing injector light is the error message on the board and the glow plug coil thing. Someone mentioned to me that it could be an expensive fix...

This was about 3 weeks before xmas, so I just thought I'd deal with it after.

Just been out there to have a look at the interior of the van and it's got mould all over the seats/seatbelts etc, after a bit of reading it seems that even after cleaning it, spores could remain in the air system and cause health problems (not sure if this is being exaggerated).

I did try and phone a mobile mechanic today, but couldn't get hold of him. I'm wondering even if it's not an expensive fix... should I still be wary of using this van now?

4T5 · 17 Jan 2014 at 16:50

If it's a genuine 70k it has untold life left in it but be aware that they are a piece of **** so will rattle fall to bits & things will randomly stop working.
Having said all that the engine will soldier on no matter how bad the rest of the van gets.
You have to take into account how much you'd have to pay for another "cheap" van.

So...
Go price up a set of injectors & a set of glow plugs Factor in the labour if you can't do it yourself, The total will be loads less than getting another "unknown" van.
As far as the mould goes just take it to those Armenian/Polish/Whatever car cleaner set ups & pay for a full interior valet, JD.

sovietspybob · 17 Jan 2014 at 17:13

Those engines are pretty decent so i'd get it fixed, a set of glow plugs and at worst 4 injectors, may be £600 inc labour but you'll have a fairly low mileage van which you know is good and should go on for ages, everything else is dead cheap on those vans, brakes, suspension etc.

Get the seats and carpet properly shampooed and it'll be fine.

Retromatic · 17 Jan 2014 at 17:44

Okay guys thanks, yep probably the most sensible thing to do is get it fixed. I'll pay for a mobile valet service to come along next week...

Any easy way of finding out how the moisture is getting in the van in the first place?

realscot · 17 Jan 2014 at 18:30

sovietspybob said:
Those engines are pretty decent so i'd get it fixed, a set of glow plugs and at worst 4 injectors, may be £600 inc labour .

Ever taken injectors or glow plugs out of a 1.5dci before? i've had loads that won't let go and are an absolute pig.

First thing i'd do op is get someone with a code reader to point you in a direction. Generally car's will start with a bad injector but just run rough. Give it a whiff of easy start up the air intake, will help if it's a glow plug issue.

sovietspybob · 17 Jan 2014 at 22:03

Tbf i've been lucky thus far with removing injectors, they've either been easy or the engine already decided to spit it out before i got there...

Fuzz · 17 Jan 2014 at 23:25

Retromatic said:
Okay guys thanks, yep probably the most sensible thing to do is get it fixed. I'll pay for a mobile valet service to come along next week...

Any easy way of finding out how the moisture is getting in the van in the first place?

Yea, it's called the British weather...

Retromatic · 18 Jan 2014 at 13:48

realscot said:
Ever taken injectors or glow plugs out of a 1.5dci before? i've had loads that won't let go and are an absolute pig.

First thing i'd do op is get someone with a code reader to point you in a direction. Generally car's will start with a bad injector but just run rough. Give it a whiff of easy start up the air intake, will help if it's a glow plug issue.

Got a mobile mechanic coming to see me on Tuesday eve with a diagnostics kit.

I had noticed some problems with power over the last two months but when I took it to the garage they couldn't replicate the problem. Guess I should be thankful it's outside mine and didn't have to be towed back. Time to join the AA or similar.

Retromatic · 18 Jan 2014 at 13:49

Fuzz said:
Yea, it's called the British weather...

Bugger.

Retromatic · 30 Jan 2014 at 20:08

Just thought I'd update this.

Got a guy round to do diagnostics couple of weeks ago, he said it could be an injector or fuel pump. Had it towed to a local garage (3 miles away) where theyve said 2x injectors have gone. But (for some reason) they couldn't test the other two?

Long story short they have to give them to someone else to test which is more money plus labour. The two that have definitely gone they are 'reconditioning'. Total cost (inluding £60 recovery) and vat is around £750 sound about right or am I being ripped off?

Retromatic · 31 Jan 2014 at 14:17

Just found out that another injector is faulty... Brings the total of labour so far plus vat and everything else to around £900. Really not sure what to do now. If I get them to tow it back and just leave it, will have cost me about £300+ just for that :/

~Divine~Wind~ · 31 Jan 2014 at 14:48

sounds as if yer being taken for a ride tbf mate.
Did you authorise any of this "passing it to someone else"

ECP have yer glowplugs at ~ £8
Brand new set of injectors off eBay are £389 unless I'm missing something?

Retromatic · 31 Jan 2014 at 15:41

Well, I've told em to go ahead now - I need the van back asap for work... but here's a rough breakdown of everything :

£60+vat for towing to garage
£80 +vat labour to take apart/test 2 of the injectors
£65+vat to send to test the other two
£160+vat x3 for each of the fault injectors to be reconditioned and their labour

Altogether plus vat comes in at £822. I've probably missed some labour charge somewhere but I guess it's about right.

I did consider Ebay, but when it went to the garage I wasn't fully sure it was the injectors or how many. Problem is I don't know if the garage would have waited for me to order from Ebay and then give to them etc...

You live and learn I suppose.

scratch · 31 Jan 2014 at 15:53

Retromatic said:
Well, I've told em to go ahead now - I need the van back asap for work... but here's a rough breakdown of everything :

£60+vat for towing to garage
£80 +vat labour to take apart/test 2 of the injectors
£65+vat to send to test the other two
£160+vat x3 for each of the fault injectors to be reconditioned and their labour

Altogether plus vat comes in at £822. I've probably missed some labour charge somewhere but I guess it's about right.

I did consider Ebay, but when it went to the garage I wasn't fully sure it was the injectors or how many. Problem is I don't know if the garage would have waited for me to order from Ebay and then give to them etc...

You live and learn I suppose.

Almost £200 each to refurb injectors??!! :eek:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RENAULT-K...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35ceb6476a

robinbanks · 31 Jan 2014 at 16:10

scratch said:
Almost £200 each to refurb injectors??!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RENAULT-K...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35ceb6476a

if you buy from ebay be careful as some dealers of refurbs have no idea what they are sending, some send it in unprotected boxes. or they will have the tips covered in dirt. you cant always tell buy the price what you are getting.

Begbie · 31 Jan 2014 at 16:17

Retromatic said:
Well, I've told em to go ahead now - I need the van back asap for work... but here's a rough breakdown of everything :

£60+vat for towing to garage
£80 +vat labour to take apart/test 2 of the injectors
£65+vat to send to test the other two
£160+vat x3 for each of the fault injectors to be reconditioned and their labour

Altogether plus vat comes in at £822. I've probably missed some labour charge somewhere but I guess it's about right.

I did consider Ebay, but when it went to the garage I wasn't fully sure it was the injectors or how many. Problem is I don't know if the garage would have waited for me to order from Ebay and then give to them etc...

You live and learn I suppose.

£160 each for them to recondition the injectors? That's insane!

Can buy injectors new for less than that.

tom_e · 31 Jan 2014 at 16:22

I bet they didn't even have the courtesy to lube you up first did they? Animals!

slick rick · 31 Jan 2014 at 16:48

If 3 infectors are fouled I would suspect the fourth to do the same imminently TBH.

Retromatic · 31 Jan 2014 at 17:09

tom_e said:
I bet they didn't even have the courtesy to lube you up first did they? Animals!

At least that would have added an element of fun to the situation

Forth injector was replaced by the guy I got it off last year. I've not used this garage before, only used them because my normal garage (that I trust) wasn't prepared to tow from my location, so I used the only local garage that had a tow facility. Once I get back on the road I think I'd better start saving for a new van!

~Divine~Wind~ · 31 Jan 2014 at 17:46

Name and shame tbh make sure others dont get bent over and done dry.
Have you tried talking to them about their horrendously inflated prices?

Begbie said:
£160 each for them to recondition the injectors? That's insane!

Can buy injectors new for less than that.

192 inc vat ofc

Scrap this van or fix it?

Can't type for toffee

Can't type for toffee