How many is too many?

[skinnyman9000 0]

I'm currently sat in a car park awaiting the arrival of the AA for the 5th time during corrado ownership. I've figured out that since owning the car I've rang them once every 4,000 miles. Is this getting silly now?

 

I've rang them for:

1) burst water pipe

2) knackered alarm

3) oil pump failure

4) suspected dash fire (was a knackered switch)

 

this is in addition to those roadside diy jobs. To top it off, I nipped out of work to book it in for an mot to be told it was too low for the ramps, and now it's knackered I can't even get it to an mot garage. Starting to think my car hates me.

[V-Dubstar 0]

Starting to think my car hates me.

 

But aslong as you LOVE it, it's all good, right? :grin:

[dgtvr6 0]

I'm currently sat in a car park awaiting the arrival of the AA for the 5th time during corrado ownership. I've figured out that since owning the car I've rang them once every 4,000 miles. Is this getting silly now?

 

I've rang them for:

1) burst water pipe

2) knackered alarm

3) oil pump failure

4) suspected dash fire (was a knackered switch)

 

this is in addition to those roadside diy jobs. To top it off, I nipped out of work to book it in for an mot to be told it was too low for the ramps, and now it's knackered I can't even get it to an mot garage. Starting to think my car hates me.

 

Yep, that's a LOT!

 

Ive had the AA out once in entire time of ownership (ca 9y) and that was due to a blow out that wrapped tyre shreds around axle so not strictly a mechanical issue...

[skinnyman9000 0]

The timing couldn't be worse. The mot is due on weds and the weekend was supposed to be spent driving tovarious garages to make sure I could get it on the ramps. Now by the time I get it back the mot will have ran out, meaning technically I can't even drive it home from the garage.

[james_c2 0]

because of a stupid problem when i first brought the c and being unlucky with water hoses ive had to call them out 5 times so far

 

the main problem was due to a dodgy wur which seemed to short out randomly, literally the car could go for 500miles without it blowing a fuse

 

callout 1- at plymfest, drove 200miles there fine, went to drive to mates in plymouth, drove a mile untill it blew and continued to blow as soon as car attemted to start

 

callout2- way home, got back to bristol, was followed 2 junctions then oil warning light came on so car trailed home

 

callout3- bottem hose split, temp repair done, hose replaced with new hose when back at parents

 

callout 4- wur shorted and took out isv wire in process, had to phone them to borrow a soldering iron, ended up making a new loom

 

callout 5- driving back to uni, another hose splits

 

atleast now its got to the point were most of the mechanical parts of the car has been changed, when the new engine and brakes go in, over the last year the car would of had a new engine, gearbox, coolant hoses, brakes, bushes all round, engine mounts, exhasut, manifold, suspension, fuel pump, filter + fuel lines, battery, engine wiring loom and a heap of other parts ive forgot about and its all my work so i know the car inside out.

[millerman 0]

sounds like you guys have had some bad luck really and lets remember you are driving 15+ year old motors and all the pipes electrics pumps etc dont last forever although you will prob find what is failing now is probably what it left the factory with so its not so bad just try and replace with vag parts and forget it as it will probably never go wrong again :D

you could say its part of enjoying ownership of the corrado :lol:

[tandino 0]

Preventative maintenance is the key,

Skinny, from what ive read you stick the C into the garage most of the time for servicing etc, if you did the work yourself you would see things that might give you an idea they need replacing before it actually happened.

I could never afford to run a car if i paid garage rates and i know that when i do a job i will do a better job than a garage because its my car, im also on the lookout for stuff that is on the way out and change it before it gets to the stage where its going to fail, im not so sure a garage would pick up on this sort of stuff unless prompted.

[skinnyman9000 0]

I try to do as much work on it myself as i can, its been garage bound recently as ive moved house not so long ago so i dont have the time to fix it myself, and i also no longer have access to a 2nd car so i cannot spend the winter weeks/months waiting for the weather to become half decent.

 

Didnt cost too much anyway. Collected it today after a new dizzy and HT leads, running like a dream now.

[shawshankkid 1]

Iv'e had the RAC (AA :gag: ) once in 6 years (burst water pipe) since changed them all.

All those things on your list you have got to expect for a 20 year old classy car (or so).... as said above regular self maintanance helps a million. :)

 

You love the car man ! :luvlove:

[Richie_t 0]

Preventative maintenance is the key,

Skinny, from what ive read you stick the C into the garage most of the time for servicing etc, if you did the work yourself you would see things that might give you an idea they need replacing before it actually happened.

I could never afford to run a car if i paid garage rates and i know that when i do a job i will do a better job than a garage because its my car, im also on the lookout for stuff that is on the way out and change it before it gets to the stage where its going to fail, im not so sure a garage would pick up on this sort of stuff unless prompted.

 

 

Speaking from a mechanics point of veiw, I dont wnat to be rude but a properly trained technicain will always do a better job however he wont have screwed things up with as much love and care as you but it doesnt mean he has cut corners. Also any decent garage will change low cost items if they are about to fail and should ring the customer up if its more costly. Its a massive up hill battle keeping garage customers happy, if you change it you have spent too much money if you dont and it fails then they wont be back as you did a so called bad job. We have some that say if it needs it change it and then moan at a 250quid bill where as other say make it cheap adn dont bat an eye at a 2grand bill.

 

Back on topic as for getting you corrado on the ramps most MOT'ers are pardon the french but massive see-you-next-tuesdays as all they do all day long is find faults on knackered cars and quite oftern say ooh thats too lower when they haven even looked at it (have had it loads with my corrado), ring aroud a few stations and ask if them there ramp is sunk into the floor (will save loads of time over driving around) or is it mot'd now?

 

As for your break downs all part and parcel of an older car im afraid or you have a friday car, my g60 was a friday car until i got ti and changed everything but even so every 6 months i need new top mounts due to somerset roads and no matter how ont he ball somethign isnt quite right they are just a massive labour of love but worth it for that ear to ear smile when everything comes together.

[skinnyman9000 0]

Well ive got it booked in today, found a garage that has a flatbed ramp and will do the brake test using a decelerometer as opposed to the brake rollers, so thats all good.

 

I tend to get wound up when it does break down, but then when i sit back and look im often given plenty of time and opportunity to fix the impending breakdown. Like this time around it hadnt be starting up or running right for a month or 2, so i should have known it would let go, but i just didnt sort it at the time. Now as a result i have been left with a big garage bill (well not too big), but it could have been alot smaller if i had of addressed the problem myself earlier.

 

I have come to realise though that if you let the maintenance slip even slightly they'll punish you for it, rado's that is.

 

On the subject of top mounts, the ride comfort on my coilovers has deteriorated lately, they would much smoother when first installed, will replacement top mounts go someway to solving this?

[Richie_t 0]

I know my top mounts are up the creek when the car starts knocking over bumps and pulling off etc or they are sticking thorugh in the engine bay a bit too much. Rears dont have such a dramtic effect on the car but will give a fair amount of slack and allow the car to roll alot more when turning. Id say get a set of genuine fronts the set I ahve just brought were 15 each i think for vr6 ones and while your changing them physicl check the dampers of them by pulling and pushing the shaft in an out, you should have a nice even drag with no dead spots of fast movment, if ok put it all back to gether have a test run if still poor turn your attention to the rears and do the same.

 

Its all too easy to let things slip, I give mine a good look over ever friday lunch time at work if the pit is free but then i only make note of what has fallen off and then take way too long to get round to changing it I went almost a year with out 4th gear, got so use to going from 3rd to 5th on my first few over takes I got into a bit of trouble as i forgot i had a working 4th.

 

anyway good luck findingg whats wrong

[tandino 0]

 

 

Speaking from a mechanics point of veiw, I dont wnat to be rude but a properly trained technicain will always do a better job however he wont have screwed things up with as much love and care as you but it doesnt mean he has cut corners. Also any decent garage will change low cost items if they are about to fail and should ring the customer up if its more costly. Its a massive up hill battle keeping garage customers happy, if you change it you have spent too much money if you dont and it fails then they wont be back as you did a so called bad job. We have some that say if it needs it change it and then moan at a 250quid bill where as other say make it cheap adn dont bat an eye at a 2grand bill.

 

 

 

Well my experience is different....

I stopped using garages about 15 years ago when i decided that i do a better more thorough job working on my car myself, i also know that parts ive paid for have actually been replaced rather than just charged for.

A garage will never lavish the amount of time that i do when tackling a job simply because they cannot charge a customer for the extra time taken when working to 'book' times.

I know my cars inside out because i do all the work on them, this is the point i was trying to get across to Skinny, when you work on your own car all of the time you know what is worn and what is going to wear out more so than if you take it to the garage.

I may not be a 'properly trained' tech but ive been working on my own cars for 18 years and there is not much i havent done,engine rebuilds, head rebuilds, engine conversions, fault finding, electrics,air con retrofits, ive just swapped an engine out this week on my own VR for instance..

Im pretty sure there are quite a few users of this forum that are well past the technical ability of a trained mechanic but are in other careers, youve only got to look at some of the projects built to see that.

Im not implying that you are not a good mechanic but there are people out there in different careers that have at least the ability of the average garage mechanic.

[greasegriff 0]

Im not implying that you are not a good mechanic but there are people out there in different careers that have at least the ability of the average garage mechanic.

 

I'm in a different career, have very little technical ability when it comes to car maintenance and have a good garage. They will always be able to do a better job than me, will call if they find another bit that needs changing and I tell them to get it done.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are very competent, but very few have ramps, all the kit and (probably most importantly) the spare time to do all the work themselves.

 

Last bit of rant....something is always going to go wrong on a car. They are made of disposable parts and after 20 years, things need disposing of. Take a look at some of the finest cars on here and ask the owners if they have ever had niggles or parts that go bang...100% of them will say 'yey'.