Spec me an estimate...

Heofz · 29 Sep 2009 at 16:02

Hi guys,

It has been a while since i've posted in Motors, but was wondering if you any of you lot could give me a rough guide on how much all this work on my car would cost me:

My car:
======
VW Golf Match 1.6 5door (purchased new on Dec 2003) (Black) unmodified
24500 miles

Engine:
=======
Engine occasionally sounds rattly at first when cold starting, often sounds rattly when reversing also
Cam belt replacement overdue (meant to be after 4 years or 30000 miles, whichever comes earlier, if i remember correctly, this has never been done)
Wheel tracking check (car passes MOT fine, not actually sure if this needs doing)
Gearbox needs alignment/re-adjusting - changing into reverse when stationary is usually difficult, car has to roll back/forward slightly for the gear to fully engage otherwise it'll pop out, and it often makes odd grinding noises when changing into reverse

Bodywork:
=========
Replacement front grille
Repair/replace dented bonnet
Repair/replace damaged front bumper
Offside skirt caved in near front (drove onto a big wooden log

), slightly dented at rear
Nearside wing adjustment/replacement
Nearside headlight frame replacement
Very subtle minor dents offside rear panel needs repairing (caused by ******s at car parks presumably)
Tiny repaint needed on bottom edge of nearside front door, happened after a friend scraped it on a kerb that was slightly too high

Minor Maintenance:
==================
Needs thorough cleaning/detailing inside & out, including alloys
Possible aircon charge may be needed, possibly the filter needs replacement?
Inner windscreen anti-mist treatment needed.

New Fittings:
=============
Decent fitting driver footwell carpet preferable.
Replacement windscreen wiper blades.
Offside rear tyre replacement needed. (195/65 R15 Continental Eco)

Basically this is everything I can think of that is wrong with my car to restore it to 'as new' condition. Ideally I'd take it back to my VW dealership to get the work done as having a FSH with Volkswagen direct would be best for maintaining its value.

Any ideas?

Defcon5 · 30 Sep 2009 at 11:38

Heofz said:
Engine:
=======
Engine occasionally sounds rattly at first when cold starting, often sounds rattly when reversing also Sounds clutch/gearbox related to me
Cam belt replacement overdue (meant to be after 4 years or 30000 miles, whichever comes earlier, if i remember correctly, this has never been done) £300 ish, or closer to £500 at VW
Wheel tracking check (car passes MOT fine, not actually sure if this needs doing) £50
Gearbox needs alignment/re-adjusting - changing into reverse when stationary is usually difficult, car has to roll back/forward slightly for the gear to fully engage otherwise it'll pop out, and it often makes odd grinding noises when changing into reverse Sure this isnt clutch too?

Minor Maintenance:
==================
Needs thorough cleaning/detailing inside & out, including alloys £50 valet
Possible aircon charge may be needed, possibly the filter needs replacement? £25 at Kwikfit during winter
Inner windscreen anti-mist treatment needed. £5 from halfords?

New Fittings:
=============
Decent fitting driver footwell carpet preferable. £10 from scrappers
Replacement windscreen wiper blades. £20
Offside rear tyre replacement needed. (195/65 R15 Continental Eco) £45 each for decent tyres.

jamief · 30 Sep 2009 at 13:10

IMO servicing at a main dealer is absolutely pointless on a 6 year old Golf.

iaind · 30 Sep 2009 at 14:13

Good lord that's a car that hasnt been looked after!

mattyprice4004 · 30 Sep 2009 at 14:30

Makes me feel better about the way mine's looked after, I'd expect that to be a pretty heavy bill

Rotty · 30 Sep 2009 at 14:40

2003 car with all that wrong :eek:

TBH it may be worth you looking at getting rid and getting something in better condition

Matt82 · 30 Sep 2009 at 14:47

iaind said:
Good lord that's a car that hasnt been looked after!

its low mileage though

Heofz · 30 Sep 2009 at 21:16

it isn't that bad guys surely, the list is long but aside from a few things, its all pretty minor

mjt · 30 Sep 2009 at 23:13

Heofz said:
it isn't that bad guys surely, the list is long but aside from a few things, its all pretty minor

all adds up though. i thought mine just had some minor issues, but there were quite a few

MagicBoy · 30 Sep 2009 at 23:26

That's gonna cost a fortune. If you get change out of £3k from VW I'd be shocked.

The rattling, reverse selection problem is likely a knackered gearbox. The 1.6 box in the Mk4 isn't the strongest thing ever, especially if it gets abuse. The invoice for the warranty replacement on my Bora came out at £2k+ !!!

At least another £1k on the bodywork.

How much is the car worth again?

Heofz · 1 Oct 2009 at 00:06

MagicBoy said:
That's gonna cost a fortune. If you get change out of £3k from VW I'd be shocked.

The rattling, reverse selection problem is likely a knackered gearbox. The 1.6 box in the Mk4 isn't the strongest thing ever, especially if it gets abuse. The invoice for the warranty replacement on my Bora came out at £2k+ !!!

At least another £1k on the bodywork.

How much is the car worth again?

webuyanycar says £4.5k, though I imagine the real value is higher, especially considering the low mileage?

MagicBoy · 1 Oct 2009 at 00:17

Real value is debatable considering the long list of faults above. At the risk of appearing a bit harsh the mileage counts for nothing in this case as the car appears not to have been maintained correctly and led a harsh life. I'd rather take a 125k miler covered in stone chips.

My Mum just got rid of her 2000 example (with 33k on it in 9 years), and apart from a couple of supermarket trolley dings it was fit as a fiddle.

Janesy B · 1 Oct 2009 at 00:18

It's worth nothing at the moment as it sounds completely borked!

Heofz · 1 Oct 2009 at 00:48

Janesy B said:
It's worth nothing at the moment as it sounds completely borked!

Heh, I think the sheer size of the list is making some people think my car is in a far worse condition than it actually is. Please take note that the only reason the list is so big is that I sat for a good while thinking of every possible little thing wrong with it. I think for most people if you sat down and carefully thought of every last little thing wrong with your motors, your list would be pretty long too.

The car still drives perfectly fine, the only nasty noises I hear are occasional, and it has been serviced at VW at every 10000 miles as required. There are no warning lights on at my dash, and there never has been. The car also looks in good nick apart from the front. Here are some pics (courtesy of a traffic warden :rolleyes:

):

Wicksta · 1 Oct 2009 at 00:53

Heofz said:
webuyanycar says £4.5k, though I imagine the real value is higher, especially considering the low mileage?

With all those problems webuyanycar would know you down a lot from £4500 I'm afraid.

mjt · 1 Oct 2009 at 09:11

that missing badge won't do you any favours when you come to sell it either

miniyazz · 1 Oct 2009 at 19:59

Defcon5 said:
Cam belt replacement overdue (meant to be after 4 years or 30000 miles, whichever comes earlier, if i remember correctly, this has never been done) £300 ish, or closer to £500 at VW

How so much, for a cam belt?

iaind · 1 Oct 2009 at 20:01

miniyazz said:
How so much, for a cam belt?

The belt's probably about 20 quid (more for the tensioners, water pump, other associated bits) but its a long job so its mostly labour

miniyazz · 2 Oct 2009 at 10:41

iaind said:
The belt's probably about 20 quid (more for the tensioners, water pump, other associated bits) but its a long job so its mostly labour

:/ gotta get mine done soon.

[TW]Fox · 2 Oct 2009 at 23:56

I think the universe just imploded with that many issues on a 'low mileage' car. Surely OcUK law is that low mileage = utopia?

I think this helps with the age > mileage argument especially looking at the cosmetic stuff. Cars pick up dinks dents and marks when parked or parking, something you do whether you do 10 miles or 100,000,000 miles.

Must be almost 700 quids work there to answer the OP's question.