Ungrateful cars - you give em love, they immediately stab you

[ProgRocker]

18 years ago - my 1990 Fiat Tempra 1.4. I do the basic stuff and I found this Italian a right PITA compared to the British Escort and Mini I had previously. I loved the Tempra as it was something a little different. Replacing the wipers was expensive as they seemed like an unusual design so I ended up getting them straight from Fiat (Ker-ching!). This was probably just before I bought my first computer and internet so I couldn't research prices thoroughly enough.

 

It really was in it's death cycle. Things such as the dodgy battery thant ended up being a dodgy alternator. I damaged the rear wheel arch having scraped it on a post, spent £240 getting it repaired and repainted. And then I crashed it in April 2001. A frustrating ownership experience. Very Italian, you could say.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

What about the outside forces beyond your control? Done the HG on the discovery, painted the engine, cleaned the car up good (future classic investment m9 24grand) looks the nuts, runs (and probably looks) better than when it left the factory, but what's this...? 

1 week later the missis rubs* it up against a tree along the N/s, two weeks later the neighbour reverses into the spare wheel, writes their car off and stoves the back door in, 2 months later mud flap falls off and then the missis stuffs it up the arse of another appliance car writing that off and smashing the front bumper.

 

It was nice whilst it lasted. Now it looks just like a council estate discovery again.

[GeordieInExile]

I have fond* memories of the SportKa I saved rewarding me for getting its dodgy clutch replaced by immediately blowing its head gasket. At least it was good enough to do it right around the corner from my house.

[bramz7]

I had a blue Citroen BX. My first one.

 

Spent £500 on getting the timing belt, waterpump etc replaced, plus a full service.

 

Piece of crap then eats it's wiring loom when out driving. Oh and it had some dreadful rot. 

 

Dunno why I bothered.

[eddyramrod]

 At least it was good enough to do it right around the corner from my house.

Not like Huggy then... alternator packed up when on holiday, resulting in a 200-mile trailer ride!

[jonathan_dyane]

I had a BX which was a constant fight, all kinds of problems from hydraulic leaks and abs faults through to diesel pump issues. After HGF I got rid and do you know what? It was completely reliable for its new owner. Bastard.

[Rocket88]

Land Rovers last forever, mainly because you have to keep going around them screwing them back together and replacing parts constantly. Having said that, the one vehicle I had that never completed a journey without breaking was an Austin Gypsy, several times it never started the journey as it wouldn't go. As fast as one thing was fixed another part would fail, or the bit that had just been fixed would fail straight away, this was the vehicle where my mate had to take the lump hammer off me as I was about to start laying into it.

 

Forth Bridge syndrome........

[Captain Furious]

My ST220 is this thread, at the time it wasn't even shite, it was 6 years old and i'd just paid near on 6 grand for it.

 

Had it serviced, it came out with a misfire it never had before it went in.  Turns out they don't like NGK plugs, replaced again myself with motorcraft and it went away.

Replaced all 4 tyres, immediately responded by its fuel pump failing.  It was still driveable but wouldn't rev above 3500rpm

Whilst waiting for its appointment to have the fuel pump replaced the starter motor failed.

Replaced the starter motor, had the fuel pump replaced, whilst out test driving it with the new fuel pump the clutch shat itself - big yellow taxi ride

Clutch and flywheel replaced, trouble free motoring for, ooh, about 500 miles and then fuel pump #2 shat itself in exactly the same way only this time it would barely go above idle - big yellow taxi ride #2

Fuel pump replaced again, tank cleaned out (as i'd asked garage #1 to do but they obviously hadn't)

Couple of months of trouble free motoring and then I crashed it into a focus at a junction - minimal damage but it bent a track rod so it was off the road

In the meantime I got a company car and once fixed the Mondeo was stuffed in the garage for a couple of years.

 

2 years blissful motoring in the company insignia with no bills or fuel to worry about.  Then like an idiot I decide to change jobs - so out comes the Mondeo again.

 

Relatively trouble free for 20k or so miles until it fails its MOT this year

Had a broken spring, rear calliper and leaking shock replaced

Replaced all 4 tyres again

Battery dies on me in Mcdonalds car park - AA come out and sell me a new one

Starter motor fails - replaced again.

 

I daren't even tally it up, but its going before its next MOT and I get trapped into another round of spending.

[SierraMikeHotel]

 

 

What about the outside forces beyond your control?

My Xsara was unlucky like this. I had it less than a year but it was just continually picking up car park dents and dings. I never saw any of them happen but it seemed to have a fresh one every time time I went back to it.

 

It was dead straight when I got it, looked like years of neglect about ten months later

[LabRat]

I had a vauxhall insignia 1.8 which started with a blocked pcv valve and ended with it wanting the entire abs system replacing and then, just to add fuel to the fire, the bloody thing started doing a death rattle on start up... Something to do with the vvti solenoids being gummed up.

 

It was so bad, I traded it in at a renault dealership for a dacia duster and just scraped £1500 trade in. The bloody thing then popped it's head gasket on the way round to their storage yard, but it wasn't my problem by then!

[Kringle]

My fucking Mazda 6.

 

Noisy hydraulic lifters? Nope rod bearings.

 

Change rod bearings, nope piston liners, go to get the head off with the locking tool and it cracks the block.

Fuck you Mazda, fuck you.

 

Oh and at the same time on the exact same morning as my Vel Satis snapping it's front spring on the driveway overnight, the Mazda does it in sympathy.

 

I reckon they talk to each other too.

[purplebargeken]

Too many cars to even do this exercise with.

 

Thankfully my memory is fucked and seemingly becoming more fucked. I do believe it is the only reason I am still fairly* sane after all these years. 

 

Although I do still recall the Smartcar woes with clarity. 'Shudder'. 

[Raff]

Found the beginnings of some rot where the subframe attaches to the body of my Astra. It's the mountings above the front axle and there are more mountings in front and behind, so I didn't think anything of replacing the bolts one at a time, and cleaning up and rust protecting the whole area on each side. New OEM bolts, Dynax UB and all.

 

Since it was all put back together, the anti roll bar has been knocking. I replaced both drop links but it didn't fix it. The bushings look a bit suspect. I can only assume I somehow stressed them when I was working on the subframe mounts. The anti roll bar bushings are a nightmare to access so it'll now have to go to the garage.

[mercrocker]

Minor's annual rustproofing session is what normally triggers a completely unrelated breakdown.   I actually wait for it now.....Brake master cylinder, water pump, indicator switch.   All have failed within days of the Vactan/Bilt Hamber session over the last 3 years.   It also throws up ignition faults whenever its been somewhere for expensive bodywork repairs as well. 

 

Sometimes I think it just wanted to stay in that old bloke's garage and quietly fall to bits..... 

 

To be fair it isn't just the Minor - my cars are all like kids really.   The more you spend on 'em the more toys they break.

[Guest Hooli]

I had a goona2...

[CanaryinManc]

Austin A40 Somerset earlier this year:

Remove worn out gearbox.

Fit re-conditioned gearbox

First start of engine to test.

FTP: Gurgling noises from engine. 

Remove plugs.

Water shooting out of plug holes.

Head gasket spectacularly blown.

Expletives.

[sierraman]

Some stuff deserves time, attention and a commitment to keeping it on the road. Other stuff it’s disposable to an extent, I think the idea of reusing stuff is great but when you are throwing cash at it to keep something completely unremarkable going that’s becoming a liability you have to give it the one way ticket. The blue Mk1 Focus I had for example, starter motor went, sale time fuel pump was failing, it had an impossible to cure knock from the steering which I suspect was the rack. It had reached the end of its useful life so it got binned and I bought a much better example for £500.

[xtriple]

Has anyone read the threads on Pistonheads about the various elderly Mercedes that are owned by a couple of members over there? Utterly fantastic levels of dedication to keeping an old estate (gorgeous), an SL and someone else has an SLC. All bloody fabulous though they spend more money on these old cars than we do, I admire the dedication

[Angrydicky]

Austin A40 Somerset earlier this year:

Remove worn out gearbox.

Fit re-conditioned gearbox

First start of engine to test.

FTP: Gurgling noises from engine. 

Remove plugs.

Water shooting out of plug holes.

Head gasket spectacularly blown.

Expletives.

TADTS. Was this your car or a customer's? Didn't know there were any other Somerset owners on here. 

 

Mine's got a relatively bulletproof B-series shoehorned into the engine bay. It occasionally jumps out of gear too, though not (yet) often enough for me to be arsed to do anything except keep the oil topped up.

[Fumbler]

Has anyone read the threads on Pistonheads about the various elderly Mercedes that are owned by a couple of members over there? Utterly fantastic levels of dedication to keeping an old estate (gorgeous), an SL and someone else has an SLC. All bloody fabulous though they spend more money on these old cars than we do, I admire the dedication

Barge thread is a favourite of father and brother's. Can't blame them as they own barges themselves.

[AdeMk1]

I had a Peugeot 309 Zest that I rescued from a friend who was going to scrap it because he couldn't get it to start.

I got it running, MOT'd it and was happily wafting around in it for a couple of months.

Then it needed 3 tyres so I treat it to a set of 309 GTi Goodwood alloys that came up cheap locally with nearly fresh tyres - cushty I thought.

Then a rear flexi burst and made me shat my pants at a busy set of lights, yanked the handbrake and screeched to a halt broadside like Starsky & Hutch! Changed both rear flexi hoses - sorted.

Then one day merrily pootling down the M62 on my way to Liverpool it starts misfiring, then fixing itself, then misfiring again - getting worse each round. I decide to pull into Hartshead Moor Services to investigate. Pulling into the car park I see a faint wisp of smoke from under the bonnet...... shit, I better park out of the way just incase! As soon as I park up I open the bonnet and ......WHOOSH........ fuck me it's on fire! I shut the bonnet and start running around like a headless chicken looking for a fire extinguisher but alas too little too late, the fire service had been called and dowsed it.

Nail - coffin - brown bread.

[CanaryinManc]

TADTS. Was this your car or a customer's? Didn't know there were any other Somerset owners on here. 

 

Mine's got a relatively bulletproof B-series shoehorned into the engine bay. It occasionally jumps out of gear too, though not (yet) often enough for me to be arsed to do anything except keep the oil topped up.

 

Yes I know it's a Somerset failing. It's my car - well 50% - jointly owned with my brother. Have since had block and head skimmed and engine/box now seem OK touch wood. Have old gearbox in garage if you need it for parts- problem was no synchro on 2nd but gears OK. Are you in ACCC?

[MorrisItalSLX]

I have spent far too much time and money repairing my Jags many faults.

 

It started with a surprise differential rebuild when it was discovered that the oil was more like grease. After that the radiator failed, rad recored. Then starter motor dies when I was the furthest from home I had ever been with it, starter motor rebuilt. Then the head gasket went, on inspection the head needed work so all of that was done. I’m currently waiting for the next catastrophe, my money is on the gearbox as it is about the only thing left to break. Oh, and the exhaust is on its way out too.

 

Anyone with half a brain between their ears would have sacked it of ages ago. But not this idiot.

[xkjagnz]

The mighty mira got a full service, new boots and a full tank and shit its cambelt on the way home, just 47 km later!!!!!

[leanycan]

Fiat panda. I had a 2008 model between2014 and 2016. 3 weeks after buying the thing. The EML pops on. P0202 fault (got that code emblazoned on to my memory for ever) so it was fine for a while. Then it starts acting like it was misfiring, it wouldn’t sit steady and lurching. After about 2 years of this constantly, the gear stick falling out of gear when ever it went a slight bump in the road occasionally, the glovebox opening at the slightest dink in the road I sold it back to the garage I bought it from and bought myself an Almera. Will never have another fiat...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PhilA]

My GTA was case in point of this. Get it working, drive it a bit, something that liked being sat around doing nothing, disliked being pressed into service would break.

 

Spend 6 months off the road trying to find parts. Replace broken part, something else that had been running then enjoyed having a nice six month relaxing time off would then break after being pressed into service.

 

Rinse and repeat

 

 

Bloody French cars

 

The main problem I found to be the cause was the only parts are either NOS, which have been sitting in a box slowly decomposing for thirty years or the alternative, manufactured pattern parts made by The Chinese People's Republic Play-Doh and CV Boot Manufacturing Concern.

[Kiltox]

Every Fiat Panda I have ever owned.

 

CE06 USW - rot in hell you dirty little bastard. I hope you make a better baked bean tin but even that will probably cut someone and give them something nasty.

 

I hate scrapping cars but seeing that one fuck off out of my yard on a low loader was absolutely orgasmic. I wanted to go to the yard to see the hook go though it’s cunty little roof.

 

SM07YYN - this one defies all logic because nobody has the balls to weigh it in. Kringle’s next.

[Bren]

Plenty of friends neglect their cars and have no issues. I look after mine and they suffer a prolapse.

 

Treat em mean and keep em keen...

[vanmartinrooy]

Bought an Alfa 156 a few years ago from a mate - had been in his family since new, but wasn't as well looked after as I'd expected (by some margin).

 

Still, it drove well enough apart from a knackered thermostat. Pootled around in it for a week, then spent a long sunny Saturday going round it cleaning, fitting new wheel trims, trying to push a couple of dents out and spending ages T-cutting the scratches. Was rather pleased with my productive Saturday, so promptly went out and got hammered that evening.

 

Awoke Sunday with the worst hangover imaginable and nothing in the fridge, so dragged myself down to the supermarket in town. Shuffled back out to the car only to be met with no ignition and a flashing immobiliser light. Spent the rest of the afternoon hanging round for the AA, who had no idea what to do with it, so towed it home. Annoyingly, according to the Alfa forums 90% of the time it can be sorted by finagling a wire behind the dash. No luck, so I ordered a new steering wheel immobiliser ring. No luck there either. Couldn't use it for three weeks, ended up going on a train/cycling mission to the only Alfa dealer around to get an emergency override code. At least the engine then started, along with a horrible cambelt tensioner rattle which had somehow manifested itself over three weeks of being sat idle...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Has anyone read the threads on Pistonheads about the various elderly Mercedes that are owned by a couple of members over there? Utterly fantastic levels of dedication to keeping an old estate (gorgeous), an SL and someone else has an SLC. All bloody fabulous though they spend more money on these old cars than we do, I admire the dedication

 

They are probably also considerably richer than most of us.