It’s been to the moon, will it come back? No it’s fucked a month after purchase, great buy.

[Tamworthbay]

I get free bus travel (not because of my age I hasten to add) and I still choose not to take it. I absolutely cannot stand using the bus so I feel your pain.

 

Hopefully, it is worth investing in this car despite the tighter than tight financial hit it's given you. I'm shite with cambelts (meaning I am totally scared of them) but anything else you might need a hand, I am not too far and can bring tools if it helps in any way..

Thanks mate that is a really kind offer, I am fairly tooled up but the prospect of this level of work at the Mo just can’t work time or health wise sadly but it will get done. Doesn’t help that I am in the middle of a small building site as I try to get a ‘work at home’ space up and running. Always the way, bad timing and all that.

[scdan4]

If it’s anything like mine, which also gives the impression of having had a hard life then spend the money. It’s a properly nailed together reliable car.

 

A) it should then be good for the belt change interval.

 

you’re going to need medium long term reliable transport if you’re going self employed. Something that just works and starts every time you need to get to work. You are not going to get that in another vehicle for the money this costs to fix right. You’ve also got no time and bigger fish to fry, pay the man, it’ll be cheap over the next 60k miles. Ours tows for our business. A missed gig because the car broke could cost 2 grand easily... but there’s nothing I could get that I’d trust more for the money.

 

My driver door has been difficult and went through a phase of not clicking shut. Solved for me by unscrewing the door lock button... the door card has distorted enough to grip the button which caused mayhem as the lock mechanism could not move as it wished.

 

Had a secondary problem of the lock barrel shearing out of the lock mechanism internally which also caused fun and games

 

 

 

(& to be off topic and a bit blunt, if you want to make it self employed you need to have a cash flow management plan and access to reserves, (not wonga, but overdraft, credit card, draw down loan on the mortgage, dad, mate, sleeping partner... there are as many ways as birds in the sky). If you make any progress you will be hit by big bills that need to be paid now, but your invoicing is just hitting the out tray on 30 day terms. Assuming that they pay you on time.

 

Most small businesses fail due to cash flow not due to profitability. Have a plan or join the statistics.

 

Good luck, it’s a very different world. Much more stress and work for less money, but I could never go paye again.)

[Tamworthbay]

If it’s anything like mine, which also gives the impression of having had a hard life then spend the money. It’s a properly nailed together reliable car.

A) it should then be good for the belt change interval.

you’re going to need medium long term reliable transport if you’re going self employed. Something that just works and starts every time you need to get to work. You are not going to get that in another vehicle for the money this costs to fix right. You’ve also got no time and bigger fish to fry, pay the man, it’ll be cheap over the next 60k miles. Ours tows for our business. A missed gig because the car broke could cost 2 grand easily... but there’s nothing I could get that I’d trust more for the money.

My driver door has been difficult and went through a phase of not clicking shut. Solved for me by unscrewing the door lock button... the door card has distorted enough to grip the button which caused mayhem as the lock mechanism could not move as it wished.

Had a secondary problem of the lock barrel shearing out of the lock mechanism internally which also caused fun and games

(& to be off topic and a bit blunt, if you want to make it self employed you need to have a cash flow management plan and access to reserves, (not wonga, but overdraft, credit card, draw down loan on the mortgage, dad, mate, sleeping partner... there are as many ways as birds in the sky). If you make any progress you will be hit by big bills that need to be paid now, but your invoicing is just hitting the out tray on 30 day terms. Assuming that they pay you on time.

Most small businesses fail due to cash flow not due to profitability. Have a plan or join the statistics.

Good luck, it’s a very different world. Much more stress and work for less money, but I could never go paye again.)

I am in strange position of having an opportunity that once set up will have pretty much zero overhead and decent earning potential, I guess it would be considered a consultancy in posh circles but that’s just self employed to me. It’s a case of earning by people paying me for what I know and spending time rather than cash. What I need is office space to do it hence the financial input at this point. I also have the advantage of being able to run it in tandem to the day job until it’s established and it being an area that is being deregulated and not having many people with the right experience to step into the space that’s available. As with any new venture it’s hard to know how it will work out but if it does then it will make life pretty good. If all goes tits up we have a nice extension.

[Tamworthbay]

And as it will be 6 foot from home I thinking walking to work will probably not be a problem (seeing clients may require more though sadly).

[Tamworthbay]

It's fucked lads, will update when I have the will power

[Shirley Knott]

It's fucked lads, will update when I have the will power

 

Doesn't sound good

[Tamworthbay]

Nah it’s not good, just got it back and it’s not fixed. Really can’t go over it now as it’s just too much at the moment, just pissed off and then some. No idea what to do next.

[Jim Bell]

Urrrgh wheres the DO NOT LIKE button?

[purplebargeken]

BMW Touring here, ready and waiting as Volvo replacement.

 

Sounds like the car was pretty fooked and waiting to be more fooked. Shame as you did like it.

[Tamworthbay]

BMW Touring here, ready and waiting as Volvo replacement.

 

Sounds like the car was pretty fooked and waiting to be more fooked. Shame as you did like it.

Thanks mate but can’t face the work, I know,it’s not much but my head isn’t in the right place at the moment,fucking black dog is well in town or I would have fixed the Beemer. Total to fix Volvo was going to be £800, problem 1 it’s not worth it, 2 I don’t have it. Well I do but that would mean cancelling the building work which I really don’t want to do. I guess if had been an easy fix someone wouldn’t have shoved k seal type stuff in it, It owes me £1200 and is probably worth £200, that’s a grand in a month, fuck I could have bought an enormous French saloon brand new and still not lost that much. And I loved it, still do when driving it home tonight but it’s not a reliable prospect. I asked the guy how long before it let’s go big time and pisses all the coolant out, he said it could do 6 minutes or 6 months. Just no fucking clue what to do now.

[bramz7]

I'd offer my Alfa as a loan car as I don't really need it post this weekend for a little while..but the wheel bearing really needs doing. This whole episode sounds pretty horrible for you, I wish I had a spare car I could just gift you!

[purplebargeken]

Clive, look at it this way. Get the kit from ebay for 38 quid. Train it down here. We sort it at the barn. We have look at the rear brakes, we twat them with hammers. have lunch at the local pub. Drive off to pre-booked MOT place. You like the beemer, it's in bloody good nick. It has a new BMW bonnet badge.

[purplebargeken]

It ain't going to cost anywhere near 800 quid to sort the Beemer.

[purplebargeken]

Roffle the Volvo on here as spears or reepers, at least get something back, or G*mtree/eBay it as the same.

[Tamworthbay]

I'd offer my Alfa as a loan car as I don't really need it post this weekend for a little while..but the wheel bearing really needs doing. This whole episode sounds pretty horrible for you, I wish I had a spare car I could just gift you!

Thanks for the thought mate, never ever had anything like this but to be fair never bought a car unseen before, lesson learnt the very hard way. Just the worst possible time but isn’t it always? There is a way out of this, just can’t see it at the moment. Need time to think it through. I should be fuckimg furious but just have a feeling of being utterly defeatedly by all the car related hassles over the last three months, this was supposed to be the solution but has turned into a worse nightmare. Random shit can happen to cars of any age but the fact that this seems to have been known and attempts made to hide by a previous owner stick in the throat more than a little. On the plus side it at least useable for getting to work which is only two miles away and there is plenty of space for water in the back but was supposed to be going a meeting as first step in the new venture next week and am now going to have to blag a lift again, doesn’t look great but needs must. Fuck cars.

[Tamworthbay]

Clive, look at it this way. Get the kit from ebay for 38 quid. Train it down here. We sort it at the barn. We have look at the rear brakes, we twat them with hammers. have lunch at the local pub. Drive off to pre-booked MOT place. You like the beemer, it's in bloody good nick. It has a new BMW bonnet badge.

Mate, I can’t even face the prospect of a train journey at the moment, I don’t want to go into detail on here mate but things ain’t great health wise. If everyone in the world was like you Ken the world would be a great place and I am grateful for the offer.

[Rocket88]

If you're anywhere near Kent I have an MX5 you could borrow, MOT'd and reliable.

[Jim Bell]

If you're anywhere near Kent I have an MX5 you could borrow, MOT'd and reliable.

 

Now thatd cheer ANYONE up!

[Tamworthbay]

Thanks for all the offers folks, this place never fails to amaze me. Having had a couple of hours to absorb the news I have come up with the following options:

 

Options 1, make contact with the Tamworth Mafia, the load carrying space would be perfect for bags of concrete and it could then be disposed of after a drive by so lack of reliability won’t be an issue.

 

Option 2

 

Option 3

 

Option 4

 

Option 5 - get a shit load of K seal and see how long it lasts, even if it can see a couple of months of local trips then it would buy me some breathing space to see what comes up.

 

Believe me , options 2 to 4 appeal in many ways but it’s not going to help so looks like option 5 as sadly the lack of ice cream and pizza restaurants suggest the local mafiosa may have fallen on hard times. I have worked out that I have 6 days where I need a longer distance car in the next three months, hopefully at least a couple of those I can use the Wife’s Fiat 500, I can hire a shitty car for £50 a day so that will work.

[Richard]

I know the feeling, we had a similar experience with a Saab last year. 

 

What was the garage planning to do?

[Tetleysmooth]

This is really bad news Tamworth.

 

I'm buying a car unseen and unheard tomorrow. Jittery now.

 

Having said that, a member bought the Saab from me today, and I know it's not going to give him any grief.

[Tamworthbay]

I know the feeling, we had a similar experience with a Saab last year. 

 

What was the garage planning to do?

cambelt and associated bits, water pump and bits, then clear out the crap that’s in the system, there is a lot of it, some hoses which are in very poor condition.

 

So plan is to just hosepipe flush it, the K seal and see what happens. As long as it can do five miles it will do for a while. Not sure what else I can do. He did say that doing the belts and water pump on these is a pig of a job even with the right tools, and that was after I had said I wouldn’t have it done so not trying to bull the price up. They were great from start to finish and only charged me half an hours labour despite doing a full run up and pressure check, dye, sorted the dodgy bonnet catch (I didn’t ask them to) and try to track down the parts for me. A good find there at least.

[Tamworthbay]

This is really bad news Tamworth.

 

I'm buying a car unseen and unheard tomorrow. Jittery now.

 

Having said that, a member bought the Saab from me today, and I know it's not going to give him any grief.

I have never done it either, but thought I would be ok on this one with it being on here, to be fair I can’t ever remember of another car bought off here that has had quite such an outcome so I guess this is the exception that proves the rule. Oddly I kept coming back to your Saab as have always fancied them but needed something more practical, wish I had been irresponsible now.

[Tetleysmooth]

I have never done it either, but thought I would be ok on this one with it being on here, to be fair I can’t ever remember of another car bought off here that has had quite such an outcome so I guess this is the exception that proves the rule. Oddly I kept coming back to your Saab as have always fancied them but needed something more practical, wish I had been irresponsible now.

 

It was a good car Tamworth, but not everyone's cup of tea being a floppy. Not much room in the back.

Mrs Tet was sorry to see it go. Normally, she doesn't give a monkey's.

If the replacement turns out to be a dog, this could be my last night on here.

Remember me.

[Lacquer Peel]

£800 seems quite expensive for the work they're doing. The belts on these are not the easiest but there's decent access.

I'd be annoyed with a car I'd just bought throwing up a bill like that almost immediately too, fair enough if it was a year down the line, the fact it's been bodged doesn't bode well either.

[Richard]

How about getting something like this kit at £120 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371734789963 and finding somebody cheap to fit it? At least it would make the car usable.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Why do people use that K seal? Is it good or something? Never used it. I had an mgbgt once which I got running after a 12 year lay up. The rad leaked so much it was like it had been shot at. Egg whites kept it going well enough until I got a new one. 

It took me a good year and about a grand to search, find and unbodge the 635. I feel for you fella. You can take the touring super cheap if it'll help you out. That's a good car.

[Tamworthbay]

£800 seems quite expensive for the work they're doing. The belts on these are not the easiest but there's decent access.

I'd be annoyed with a car I'd just bought throwing up a bill like that almost immediately too, fair enough if it was a year down the line, the fact it's been bodged doesn't bode well either.

They quoted genuine Volvo bits as they say they have had issues with aftermarket water pumps so won’t fit them, I guess that could add a bit. Labour is only £45 an hour which doesn’t seem bad.

[Tamworthbay]

How about getting something like this kit at £120 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371734789963 and finding somebody cheap to fit it? At least it would make the car usable.

Worth a look for sure, looks a shit of a job to get it all on. Daz has given me a heads up on someone who may be able to do it. How easy are they to time in properly? Lots of info seems to suggest they are a right bastard.

[NorthernMonkey]

Shame I don’t still live down the A5 at Higham or I’d have fitted the belt and pump for you, Clive...if there’s anyway to get it up to me in Burnley, I’d be more than happy to stick it up on the two poster and sort it for you over a weekend?