chipfork

Active Member
It's time to call it a day with my 2003 FL1. I had problems with starting and I was captive of a garage far from home who changed the low pressure fuel pump and an injector and fleeced me in the process. The car carried on with the starting issue, in fact it broke down on a journey back home and was taken to a local garage. The high pressure pump was found to be at fault, replaced and all was well until a couple of weeks later I broke down again. This time one of the leak-off pipes had split, thanks to the RAC a new pipe and I was on my way but close to home it started to run as if on 3 cylinders. Back to the garage, not an injector as I'd hoped, but overheating causing issues with cylinder close to inlet from turbo. That's probably not quite correct due to my lack of knowledge but the garage says cylinder might need a re-bore and turbo could be cause of the issue.

So more expense and the car is showing its age, 140k miles and problems with two windows regulators, etc.

The garage has said that there's little or no money in scrap, a dismantler may be interested. I'm simply looking for some advice on where best I can move the car on. It's had a number of new parts recently and there's surely some worth salvaging. Has anyone any experience of finding a breaker (btw I'm in Sheffield if that helps)?

I'm heading into the garage this week, obviously they won't want the car cluttering the place. I'll strip out the mats, parcel shelf, Rover Ron tuning box and anything else I can think of - any suggestions?

Thanks :(
 
If it was showing its age at 140K miles - it would be running sweet.

Everything has transpired to f**k you over... a garage that looks f*****g useless, German engineering, and British mismanagement meaning you had a 'TD4' German engine rather than a 'TD4' British evolution of the L Series/TD5. Oh well, such is life!
 
Try
Bradgate Motors (rotherham)
Address: Wortley Rd, Rotherham S61 1JP
Phone:01709 552855

OR
Motorhog Doncaster
Bentley Moor Lane,
Adwick-le-Street. DN6 7BD
tel: 01302 573181
fax: 01302 573188

but there's plenty of others. Downside is you'll probably get around £750.
Mike
 
I had a vw golf that was not good for driving any more.

Broke it on a friends drive - not that comprehensively, just the easy stuff. Got £100s (IIRC, i got £145 for the cat alone!)

I was, however, surprised - things that i thought would be worth something were worth nothing, and vice versa - so check prices before you put in effort.
 
You can break a car on the drive and turn it into money. It'll take time but little money and give you an opportunity to make back some money already spent.
It's a shame your garage is s...e and hs only cost you more money.
 
The idea of breaking for spares on the drive was tempting but I work away so could take years and in any case the missus wouldn't be too impressed.
Thanks Mike, I'll certainly give those guys a call, £750 is actually more than I thought although I've certainly put more money than that into it of late.
The Rover Ron box and MAF will be coming with me and I'll no doubt put them on the sale section here ;-)
As for the garages, the one here in Sheffield has been good, they know they're stuff and have been open and honest about the options without building up a big bill on wasted work.
I was captive to the garage up in Durham, I was living across the road and when it wouldn't start they were the obvious choice. Speaking of choice I had a few choice words with them after I broke down after collecting the car from them the same day. They didn't have much to say other than the low pressure pump and injector were definitely at fault too, what can I prove. I've spread the word and it seems I'm not the first to be ripped off there. Hopefully there's some karma in the world.
 
It wasn't them and I doubt they have the time to be selling dodgy VCU's on the side. It's a small garage which was literally opposite the house I was stopping in and a 5 min walk from work.
It's called the Abbey Service Station in the aptly named Pity Me area of Durham. It always seems busy which is normally a good sign and the guy that runs it comes across well. However, I was told that low pressure pump was faulty (unlikely) and that one of the injectors was shot (possible) although when it did start it ran smoothly and pulled like a train. The day I collected the car I was at home keeping an eye on progress from the window of the house. It was sat only a short while, it was jacked by the rear wheel and I could see the pump changed quickly and the injector must have followed, shortly after it was gone for a quick test run and then parked outside where it sat until I collected early afternoon. When I collected it he told me that the pump had been a big job and that the injector had been an even bigger problem, taking most of the day :eek: I was tempted to argue that I watched them spend under an hour on the car but I needed to get back home to Sheffield. So I paid the exorbitant bill, knowing an argument would have descended into my word against there's and I just wanted the car and to get home. I needed to get back to Sheffield in a hurry and all was going well until I popped into a supermarket when nearly home and the car wouldn't start once again.
Got towed to a local garage who've been great, they explained the high pressure fuel pump was shot and that tallys as when I had a look whilst waiting for the RAC I could see fuel leaking down from around where it sits so I guess the seals were on the way out and had finally given up. Whilst waiting I rang the Abbey Service Station who were about as unhelpful as they could be without just hanging up. I asked if they had any ideas why a few hundred pounds of work later I still had the same problem. They weren't even keen picking up the problem again and I wasn't keen in sending it back there. It would be a very difficult case to take further so I've just explained my experience to as many people as I can at the company I'm working for a hundred yards up the road from them.
Live and learn, I know a decent and honest garage in Sheffield, just need to be a bit more careful if stuck elsewhere.
 
what about your RAC cover did they not help at the time I know it is a bit late now but I would have argued about the length of time it took especially as you watched them I hate these king of garages , I had a friend who worked at the trading standards and he gave me a few pens with their logo on and one day one came in handy I to was stuck when my Granada auto gear box went I rang around and their was only two places in Stoke-on-Trent where I could take it too the one I wanted was busy so the other one had to do and they did the job but then insisting that unless they changed the wire coupling to gold plated ones they would not guarantee the work so I had to have it done at an enormous cost when I went to fetch the car went to sign the receipt and could not find his pen this was my chance I gave him one of the pens and he looked at it and then said to his mate did you manage to do them all and I could she him mouthing something and his mate said err no they knocked a couple of hundred of the bill , they are gone now as they did get taken to court by another person but it just goes to show when they said they have done something and they have not, and as I do not know much about auto boxes I rely on a garage that has been doing auto gearboxes for years and would not take it to anybody else and they are well priced
 
The RAC have been really good every time I've called on them. When the leak off pipe split they brought some along and got me going. At the supermarket the guy tried just about everything to get it going and in the end had to tow me to a local garage, Smiths in Little London Road (Sheffield) who do know their stuff. Like you I was captive of the garage up in Durham, lesson learned and I'm making sure I share my experience with those at work.
 

Similar threads