Rejuvenating an old car - repairs on a Proton Wira 1.3 M

Different people buy cars for various reasons - for many a car is an extension of their self image - representing their lifestyle. Almost everyone I talk to has a dream car - one they aspire to even if they cannot afford it. However, there are also a lot of people for whom a car is just a machine useful to get from point A to point B. My dad happens to be one of them. He has been driving the same Proton Wira 1.3 manual transmission hatchback for more than 8 years now and asked him whether he wanted to update to a new car. He was not really keen.

He calls luxury cars, houses on wheels because with the price of some of the cars, you can actually buy a house.

He is really fond of the car and I am not surprised. The car has only done 127,800 Kms and recently had timing belt in the engine changes. He proudly mentioned that the car has not broken down even once and starts up immediately.

However, I was sure that the aging car was bound to have some problems and this was confirmed when I recently had it serviced at the local Proton Edar service centre near my house (SENAXIS Sdn Bhd). One of the tyres needed to be changed immediately as it was nearly bald. They also pointed out that several parts need to be replaced and even suggested that it be better to actually buy a new car. However, my dad was not having any of it - his reasoning was that the estimated total cost of the repairs was about RM1000 but to buy a new car would cost at least RM45000 for the Proton Persona 1.6 M version. This was because he does not want a small car and does not like the look of the Saga. I guess he does have certain preferences.

Anyway we decided to go ahead with the repairs and overall a total of 27 parts were replaced (big and small) and the overall damage came to RM1642.80 including tyre allignment (RM40), labour (RM250) and 6% tax (RM15).

The major parts included:

1. Insulator assys x2 = RM188.24
2. Rubber bump x 2 = RM151.56
3. Link control assy LH and RH = RM127.53 x 2
4. Shock absorbers assy RR, RH and LH = RM102.12 x2
5. Strut FR suspension LH and RH = RM185.07 x 2 (the costliest parts).

Other minor parts included rubber bumps, pads, tyre nuts, bushing coils, rubber stabilizers.

I know that official car service centres are more expensive but I choose to go there because I wanted genuine parts.

Do you think we could have got them cheaper elsewhere?

Anyway, I think we have extended the life of the old car for a few more years.

Independent Volvo Specialists in Coventry

Are there any independent Volvo specialist garages in Coventry?

I have been trying to find one for sometime but without any success. My old Volvo S40 is giving me a headache. The remote doesn't work and opening the car manually with the keys sets off the alarm and the hazard lights start blinking. Unlike other cars, there is no way to manually shut off the alarm from inside the car. I know my old Proton car had a button that you could press to shut off the alarm.

Searching on the net reveals that other S40 owners have had similar problems but unfortunately there were no solutions. I tried a few garages but they were not able to help me.

A friend suggested VRS who call themselves "UK’s leading MOT and auto repair experts". However, when I told them my problem, the guy on the line replied that they had diagnostics solutions for every brand apart from Volvo.

In the end it look like I have to go to TMS Volvo Coventry - the official distributor here in Coventry. Of course they would be the best people to help me but the problem is that like all "authorised" garages, they will charge me a lot. A call to their service centre confirmed it: "It will be £80 to run the diagnostics". You should note that this £80 is only for the diagnostics and don't cover the actual repair costs.

Now the car is parked there in front of my house, practically useless while I wait for my pay to come in.

I do regret buying the Volvo and should have gone with a Ford Mondeo instead. Cheaper and easier to repair.

Arrgh!

Battery down

Last weekend we were all set to go to Bristol for a day trip - all got into the car, TomTom ready and then the car refused to start. It was really frustrating. I suspected a run down battery but wa snot sure as I could still use the locking remote.

Waited till Monday this week. Called up RAC. A guy turned up promptly in less than an hour. He confirmed that the battery was down. Used his van to recharge the battery and my car started up without any problems. His diagnosis - "change the battery". They do sell batteries but it was way too costly - around £90.

Called up my regular workshop and they said they could replace it for a new one for only £75/

I decided to check out the workshop Ace Auto Parts and Accessories on the way to my son's nursery. Was really surprised when I found out that a brand new batter would cost me only £55/ inclusive of labour. The guy was friendly and had the battery changed in a couple of minutes.

Also noticed that they do battery, brakes and exhaust checks for free. Maybe later.

Here's the address:
Ace Auto Parts and Accessories
103, Radford Road, Radford
Coventry CV6 3BQ
Tel: 024 76601006

Changing clutch on my Ford Escort

The problem with buying a used car, especially one that's older than 5 years, is that the parts start failing one after the other.

I have had clutch problems on my old Ford Escort from day one. Of late it had been giving me a lot of problems - the clutch was so damn hard that I used to have pain in my left leg driving anywhere. It was worst whenever there were traffic jams with short 'Stops and Gos'. However, last Monday, I got stuck at an intersection as the gears refused to go into first gear. I eventually managed to get it into first hear but that was really frustrating and that was it. Finally decided to have something done.

So this Tuesaday, I took the car back to the best Ford specialist in Coventry, KNS Autoparts. Left it in the morning and the car was ready by 5pm. It cost me £164.50 (inclusive of vat). Lot cheaper than what other garages were quoting - one said £300 before VAT and another £250.

I had a tough time adjusting to the new clutch - it' so soft. The car drives like a dream now. I am definitely not selling it anytime soon.

Response to Anon - National Tyres and Autocare

Someone "Anonymous" left a comment on my post "Experience with National Tyres and Autocare". He or She said:

"hi there i work for national, the advert is not mis leading !! if you bother to read it properly it states, ON A RANGE OF BARUM AND AVON TYRES, SELECTED SIZES ONLY !! as for the tracking, the vocher (sic) sheet also states that prices are subject to change at any time, plus where else are you going to get tracking done for £15.00 any way ???"

In response to Anonymous, I am so sorry I forgot to read the SMALL PRINT. It does say that. Regarding the Wheel alignment offer, they have now increased the price to £12.50 from £11/ If it costs £15, why don't they just say so instead of misleading consumers.

This is precisely the reason why so many companies in the UK are unable to retain customers. They are so focussed on getting new customers by any means possible (including misleading ads). However, the most important part - retaining customers, is forgotten.

I left them a complaint on their web site and I am still waiting for their answer. A simple apology would have been enough and I won't have written the post and even if I had I would have written it in a more positive tone. Maybe "National Tyres and Autocare" got back to me and they were willing to even do the alignment for FREE. Amazing company". Unfortunately that didn't happen and I will go to the tyre shop near my house who are friendlier.

Remember it is cheaper to retain old customers instead of getting new ones. The old satisfied customers will bring new ones along with them.

Reviews of garages / workshops in Coventry

Hollis Road garage - MOT

KNS Autoparts Ltd, Foleshill - Car Repair/Ford Specialist

National Tyres and Autocare, Gosford Street - Tyres

Station Garage Coventry, Ballsal Common - Used Car and Servicing

Taxi & car repairs, Stoney Stanton - Car Repair and Servicing

TPS Autos Ltd, Foleshill - Car Repair/ MOT

Car scares

We had a scare last Monday. My wife came back from University and informed me that there was a strange sound coming from below the car. It's always scary when I hear stuff like that because of the extremely high cost of spare parts and service charges here in the UK.

There had been quite heavy rains and on the way back my wife found a stretch of the road flooded. She drove through it and came through safely even though she noticed several cars had stalled on the road. However, right after that a strange sound started emanating from the car. I took the torch and checked under the car - there was something hanging underneath. At first I thought it might be some box that had got stuck there but on closer inspection realised that it was some part of the car.

Next day, I drove down to Taxi & car repairs on Stony Stanton road. Found that it was closed. I then tried two more workshops but none had their ramps free. I suddenly remembered TPS Autos Ltd in Foleshill. According to the old timers here, the Punjabi owner charges a bit higher than the rest but as I had no choice, I drove there. Fortunately, he has a ramp empty and we quickly found the problem.

The heat shield over the exhaust had come out, probably by the force of water, and was scrapping the road. Pritpal Singh did some temporary repairs (just pushing it back into place) and informed me that I could just take it out and won't do any harm. I was reluctant but he informed me that a new one would cost me around £100. So I just told him to leave it as it was.