Run into ground or eBay?

[sierraman]

Help me out with a quandary I've got. The clutch is starting to go on the Mondog. Went down the garage yesterday whilst I was waiting for the Focus after it flew through the test (happy days), asked for a quote just off spec for the clutch on the Mondeo, cheapest we were looking at as about £350, which given its probably £40 an hour doesn't include the actual clutch itself, if it does then its one of those shit Transmech clutches and no replacement CSC. So probably a waste of time. Really don't fancy pissing about on the driveway doing this for starters.

 

Anyway to do the job proper its likely the thick end of £450, which I'm not prepared to spend on it. Probably closer the £500 when you add in a crank end seal and the NSF wheel bearing thats whirring a bit at about 70-80.

 

I use the car regular to go to work and every few weeks do a 520 mile round journey in it. I can't decide whether to sack it off whilst its running, or whether to run it until it literally stops. Thoughts?

 

I only gave £350 for it about 14 months ago, spent absolutely nothing apart from a pair of brake shoes.

[Kiltox]

Drive until it dies, send for scrap.

 

Hassle of eBay plus possibility of buying another knacker outweigh reward.

[LessThanEqual]

If it was something interesting I'd say get it replaced, but in this case I'd just drive it until the slipping became undrivable.

[Parky]

£500 = £10 a week if the car lasts another year. Which isn’t much if that can guarantee you a year of decent motoring. It’s the big quandary isn’t it? Buy something else which turns out to be worse is always the risk here.

 

How much MOT does the Mondog have? If it doesn’t have much or is going to need some patching or replacement bushes to get another then maybe replacement is the sensible thing here

[Kiltox]

That is a fair point - what’s the rest of it like?

 

Binning it for the sake of a clutch and then buying something that ends up needing bushes, brakes, etc

[sierraman]

It hasn't been welded yet. BUT... Although the rear of the sills haven't any outer signs of corrosion, I had a squeeze the other day and the NS sill felt like it would probably want plating in Oct when the test is. The NS wheel bearing whirs a bit at speed but it could go on for years like that, however if you took the clutch out it would be silly not to replace it. Pisses water in during the winter, got round that by simply drilling a hole at the lowest point so it runs out. Leaks a bit of oil but TADTS.

 

Also wants a pair of tyres but that's academic really as replacing tyres is an occupational hazard of running a car.

[Floatylight]

Few years ago I had a 407sw, was thinking of Pxing and was offered around £800 at a few garages which didn't inflate the values of stock. Week later the clutch went new clutch and dmf quoted at £750, whacked on eBay no reserve sold for £720 cash to a bloke who ran a garage, put new clutch in still on the road now.

 

So moral of story drive it till it drops then eBay it starting at scrap value or weigh it in..

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[sierraman]

Mate of mine did a clutch on one on a driveway, absolute hell, was at it 2 days solid. Not half as bad on a two post lift.

[SiC]

I was watching a mechanic in a Garage that was doing a clutch on a Mondeo, when I was having my aircon recharged. Half the subframe and engine was dropped. He certainly didn't look like he was enjoying doing that job - even with a 2 post lift.

[sierraman]

You can do it that way, some complain when this is done it can send all the suspension to cock if its allowed to rest on the subframe. Plenty have been done like that with no problems though.

 

Like I sat I've no ambition to spend a weekend taking gearboxes out of cars.

[rainagain]

Based on the repair cost being similar to the car's value I would just punt it on ebay, otherwise you might get caught in the spiral of well I've just spend £X on it changing the clutch and now Y is broken so that justifies spending £Z, and this then gets repeated.

[Felly Magic]

If it's a rear wheel bearing, they are consumables, and it means a new hub assembly unless you have a ten ton hydraulic press handy, run the bugger til it drops, don't waste time on a clutch for it, I've no sentiment for old knackers now, they die, they get James Brown'd, I noticed before the Mondongo shat it's fuel pump, the replacement coolant bottle I fitted (brand new genuine Ford) was leaking from the same place the previous one did, I thought fuck it you ungrateful bastard, she won't fucking scrap the twat, it's been sat on SORN since last october, and the ticket ran out in Feb

[mercrocker]

This is pretty much where I am with the Fester.   Came to me last December with 10 months MOT for £300.   Had a wheel bearing already but bugger all else although it should really be cam-belted soon.   By the time MOT comes around it will be time to think about a winter snotter again so looks like its getting kept.   Even a few quid on fettling and cam-belt would probably be rewarded with another few thousand miles. 

 

Its not really me but I don't fancy playing shit-or-bust roulette with another unknown and can't really stretch to another nice car.   Guess it will go round again, this one.   

[sierraman]

Its the front bearing. The rear cassette type bearings were on the Mk3s.

[stephen01]

I have the same with the Accord, yes it's 14 years old and has a few quirks but this is to be expected at 229229 miles! 

Prices are all over the place for them but this one ows me nothing-  spend £500 making it mint or sack it off and start again?

[Stanky]

Drive it til the MOT, see what the man from the ministry says about the rest of it. If you get a years ticket then probably worth doing for the equivalent of £10/week (pending advisories) but if it fails on anything that'll cost more than a few quid to fix then bin it off.

 

In the meantime, can you put £200 a month aside? By october you'll have £600 to either do the clutch or buy a replacement banger?

[John F]

Definitely not ebay, you'll be beset by mouth breathers DEMANDING a brand new car for 20p and half a licked Twix.

[Felly Magic]

^^^^WHS, and certainly not sister company Mongtree, have a word with your local garage to give it a 'pre MOT', any big bills looming, run it til the test expires, then Beko fridge time

[sierraman]

I could go out tonight and buy another but I'm tight being a northerner...

 

I'm fairly well acquainted with old cars, I can't see it wanting beyond the wheel bearing and probably a bit of welding, neither are DIY jobs. The water pissing in during the winter annoys the fuck out of me though. I can bear a few rattles and creaks but the smell of piss wet through carpets fucking stinks not to mention the epic demist job in a morning.

 

Hopefully it will see a bit longer out until she blows, I initially thought it was the crank end seal leaking, stuck some stop leak in and the wetness around the bell housing flange (fnarr fnarr) stopped but the juddering hasn't. So my diagnosis now given it Judders and is getting a bit weighty under foot is the CSC is beginning to fail. When this goes I'd imagine its likely to just go, no warnings. Doesn't slip though so probably the plate itself has plenty of meat. Its by the by though as the gearbox comes off regardless to fix either.

[Felly Magic]

If it's pissed oil all over the clutch plate, I remember when the clutch went on my mk4 Fester, it slipped a little, then on the motorway it just slipped alarmingly, eventually coasting to a halt with zero drive, was the day before I started a new job too. Paid to have the clutch done, twat failed it's MOT spectacularly 5 months later

[sierraman]

I think hidden in that statement there's the answer as to why I'm not having the clutch done.

 

Doesn't slip at all, bites halfway up so the plate itself has plenty of material left but if anything relating to the clutch internals has gone its by the by.

 

Ironically I had a clutch fitted on a Mondeo some years ago it was £350 but were talking probably 8 year back. Again it fell apart about 6 months after.

[Rave]

I'm lucky to have an independent clutch specialist place a quarter of a mile from my house, they don't really do anything else, even refused to renew all the brake fluid while they were replacing my clutch and CSC as their insurance apparently doesn't cover them to work on brakes! Anyway, £400 to do the job on my Mk3 3.0 V6; it was the CSC that had failed but apparently the clutch was down to the rivets anyway. I daresay it's probably even more of a twat of a job on the V6 but they didn't bat an eyelid when I went in to inquire, yes that'll be £400 squire, rang me a day later to say it was done.

[sierraman]

You disturb the hydraulic system and potentially disconnect the calipers to take a gearbox out though?

[Parky]

I could go out tonight and buy another but I'm tight being a northerner...

I'm fairly well acquainted with old cars, I can't see it wanting beyond the wheel bearing and probably a bit of welding, neither are DIY jobs. The water pissing in during the winter annoys the fuck out of me though. I can bear a few rattles and creaks but the smell of piss wet through carpets fucking stinks not to mention the epic demist job in a morning.

Hopefully it will see a bit longer out until she blows, I initially thought it was the crank end seal leaking, stuck some stop leak in and the wetness around the bell housing flange (fnarr fnarr) stopped but the juddering hasn't. So my diagnosis now given it Judders and is getting a bit weighty under foot is the CSC is beginning to fail. When this goes I'd imagine its likely to just go, no warnings. Doesn't slip though so probably the plate itself has plenty of meat. Its by the by though as the gearbox comes off regardless to fix either.

Have to admit i’m reading words such as epic demist, piss wet through carpets and fucking stinks.

 

I am not entirely sure you are all that attached to it to be honest! In the circumstances stash a few quid every month until the MOT is due with a view to having a few quid ready for the epic fail. And if it should pass, flog with a fresh ticket for decent coin and buy something else

[AlabamaShrimp]

You're not far away from Wakefield. Give this place a ring Waldorf Way mot station 01924 381480.

 

Bloke there is cheap, good and fast see what he says. He's done the brakes on the ST with no messing about and got the bits for a really good price.

[Rave]

You disturb the hydraulic system and potentially disconnect the calipers to take a gearbox out though?

 

Yeah I guess they just didn't want to have to do any more messing about with the brake system than absolutely necessary. Given how shit Mondeo rear calipers are I can see that there's potential arseache in it for them!

[Bren]

Gumtree and ebay are a no no. People will expect you to sell it for £300 with a new clutch.

 

Drive. Then scrap.

[Foeux]

Do the decent thing and put it down when the time comes. Till then, enjoy opening the door into walls with full force, leaving it unlocked, hitting speed bumps at speed, doing tip runs without tarps, pulling out tree stumps, durability testing bollards etc.

 

Just before you scrap it, drain the oil, chuck sand and pennies and gravel in the oil filler cap and let'er rip.

 

There is a special brand of fun that comes with knowing you will be the final owner...

[sierraman]

I think its the kindest thing I could do. Putting it on Gumtree would be like kicking a dying dog in the face.

[Split_Pin]

Agree just drive it until it drops. It could be an oil leak from higher up though, just making its way down to what is the lowest point on the engine.