Bonnet open; confused neighbour

[Welly]

I was checking my car over at the weekend, parked on my drive the bonnet was up and I'd been doing the tyre pressures ready for a long motorway run tomorrow. I checked all fluids and then whilst deep in thought I had my head buried quite well into the engine bay at the bulkhead just kinda looking for anything out of place or whatever when I heard a voice call out...."having trouble?" it said. Took me a second to work out where it came from when I then saw the bloke from a few doors away..... "no, just checking it over, got a long run to do next week, you know.." I said.

"I never look under there, the Garage do all that sort of thing" he said.

"Well you're just a twat then" my brain said but my mouth said "oh right, I've always checked my cars over, wouldn't want to get stuck somewhere you know"

"do you not have breakdown cover?"



I'll let you imagine the rest but is this most motorists now? couldn't care less about what goes on under the bonnet? or don't know what they'd need to look at anyway?

I feel sorry for kids who miss out on the oily bits of motoring like this or are manufacturers partly to blame for giving us dipstick-less cars and TP monitoring etc?

Oh and I hope his new Euroshitbox throws the Aux belt today

[steve_earwig]

I think for a lot of people now a car is just another disposable bit of metal like a fridge or a telly, and they don't have any interest in it further than being able to brag about how many valves/turbos/horses it has in the bar at lunchtime.



Which reminds me, I still didn't check the tyre pressures on the new yoyo...

[Welly]

I checked my pressures more because I had the puncture repair last week and this normally means the tyre place does one of two things: inflates tyre to eleven million PSi or under inflates to 24 PSi.

This time it was amazingly spot-on perfect

[PeterN]

I must admit I don't do much to my car unless its due, we are off to Yorkshire for a few days at the end of the week, I will check to see if an oil change is due but otherwise I will just get in and go - maybe check the tyre pressures.

I am though amazed by peoples attitude to cars now, you see the occasional post saying that 'the oil light came on' don't they ever check it.

I have been repairing my own cars since I started driving in the '50s, so did most other people in those days, they couldn't afford to do otherwise, it seems now that most people have so much money they can afford to take their car into the garage for any minor fault, I certainly can't. I'm sure some people would at least have a go if they realised how much it was costing them, it seems that the average repair cost now is about what I pay for a car.

Peter

[Doggy]

I always mean to check under the bonnet before a long journey or similar, but come to think of it the last time was when I changed the oil about a week before Pugfest.

I've got to catch a flight at 7am tomorrow, so I definitely mean to check it this evening.

[steve_earwig]

You're just mean

most people have so much money they can afford to take their car into the garage

and/or so little time.

I think people now "save up" these faults and get them fixed when the car is next serviced (that seems to have been the way on this new yoyo, on most services, along with the oil changes etc. there are a few bulbs changed too, plus an exhaust hanger. Mind you, company car, the driver probably didn't care anyway...). Obviously, faced with a load of niggley little jobs to do, along with the "bread-and-butter" of the service, most of them get forgotten...

When I was in the UK I always used to do all my own stuff too, I only put a car into a garage twice because the cars were so new I didn't have the confidence or the right tools. This soon changed when they screwed up both times. In Croatia the garage charges are so cheap most of the time I don't see the point of getting my hands dirty.

[PeterN]

Sounds a good place to live.

Peter

[Welly]

I struggle for having the right kit to do certain jobs and the last oil change I did at home was approx 2007 which turned into something akin to the Exxon Vadez disaster.....

I wouldn't say I'm incapable of working on cars (and did do a lot in my youth) but I do lack the tools and some of the little tricks of the trade to keep out of trouble. I would be the one to snap off a glow plug for example.

Apart from simple air/pollen filters all servicing work and brakes gets passed to 'my' mechanic whilst I carry on working at my job. Having said that I've just had a price off him for rear discs/pads on our Astra......£190.00 the car's only worth £500.00 so might have to brave that job myself

[PeterN]

The great thing about the 406 is that its relatively easy to work on compared with many modern cars and the 8 valve Hdi engine must be at least one of the best in the world if not the best.

Peter

[benczuk]

I always check oil, water and tyres before a long or important (holiday) journey. But I also do all the repairs myself, so not really the target market

[Doggy]

You're just mean

True

[OllieNZ]

I struggle for having the right kit to do certain jobs and the last oil change I did at home was approx 2007 which turned into something akin to the Exxon Vadez disaster.....

I wouldn't say I'm incapable of working on cars (and did do a lot in my youth) but I do lack the tools and some of the little tricks of the trade to keep out of trouble. I would be the one to snap off a glow plug for example.

Apart from simple air/pollen filters all servicing work and brakes gets passed to 'my' mechanic whilst I carry on working at my job. Having said that I've just had a price off him for rear discs/pads on our Astra......£190.00 the car's only worth £500.00 so might have to brave that job myself

W ww ww one hundred and ninety quid!!!! I had a similar situation when I first moved over here.... bought an n reg 316 with a gazillion miles on it off a mate for a couple of hundred quid needed front brakes for mot, local garage wanted something like £160+vat I found a car parts website bought all the bits for less than £50 and did it myself. Not taken a car to a garage since.

[PeterN]

I don't know where they get these prices from. I can do an oil and filter change on mine for less than £20.

Peter

[Welly]

I'm a bit annoyed about him wanting £190.00, I've put at least £2,000.00's worth of work his way over the last 18 months I guess that doesn't count for much, cheers. I suppose it all stacks up right once you add parts + labour + vat but I lack the kit/ability/caliper windy tool thing to try it myself. I don't even have a trolley jack.

I can afford the money but am loathed to pay that much on a car that's probably giving us one more year service tops, it just seems wrong. Trouble is the rear brakes feel rubbish and vibrate through the foot pedal, look rusted to f*ck and as if they're about to throw a wobbly any minute

[Bailes1992]

If you can get it down here Welly I'd gladly do them for you!
Not sure it would be cost effective by the time you add fuel costs.