Transit today, mechanic tomorrow

cormie

A few of you may have seen numerous threads by me about buying a van. Anyway, I bought a Transit yesterday for €2,300 with the knowledge it will need about €800 put into it. It's a 99 with 100K on the clock. Thanks to everyone who replied to any of my threads.

I was told it will need new clutch, breaks and tyres as well as a service in a few months.

I'd like to get the clutch, breaks (or break pads??) and tyres asap I think.

Does anyone know of a good mechanic who knows their stuff about Transits or do all mechanics generally know about vans as well as cars?

I want a nice reliable and valuable mechanic if possible. Dublin South/Wicklow North.

Does the above seem doable for €800?

Captain Slow IRL

Transits are very easy to work on - everything is accessible and relatively easy to do on them.

Is it front or rear-wheel drive? Rear wheel drive are easier and quicker to do clutch on but more time-consuming to do front brake pads and discs on.

€800 might cover parts, I doubt it'd cover labour as well.

You should go to a local ford dealership and talk to a mechanic there - he might accomodate you or put you onto someone who could.

cormie

See I'm not even too sure if they really need fixing. The clutch definitely does. It's pretty hard to get it into gear (****, is this the gearbox that needs fixing aswell then?) and the actual clutch pedal is really high up for some reason (normal in a van?) and it seems you have to go 10 times higher when releasing it to get the van moving. Which is dodgy, I was parking on a slight hill beside a car and when I tried to move it a bit forward in first, I kept moving back and nearly reversing into the car beside me because I didn't have the bite properly. I'm by no means just starting to drive either and clutch work in my car is something I'm very comfortable with.

The breaks seem fine to me, but I was told with a full load on a hill that they will give some trouble. The tyres are well within their depth allowance but I was told that I'd get more mileage etc if I had new tyres, which I know is true, but maybe not an essential spend just yet.

I'm looking to get myself VAT registered before I do anything, save me a chunk off the price:)

ongarite

Sorry man but thats look like a bad deal to me. It'll need a lot more than €800 to fix it all up. Ford parts are cheap but not that cheap and commercial tyres can be pricey too.

cormie

Well I think if I get all the above it'll pretty much be in perfect nic. Even if the above costs €1,200, I think that's still pretty much a good price for a van of that year/mileage/condition. Let's just hope it wont cost that much:)

Captain Slow IRL

If it was the gearbox, it would be difficult to select a certain gear (I think 5th and 1st can be problematic)
How much free play is in the clutch pedal? You should be able to move it about an inch before it starts disengaging - if any more, the cable should be adjusted.
The brakes and tyres should be your no.1 priority with the van - you need to be able to stop safely!
Has it a current doe cert? If so, how long is left on it?

cormie

I think the DOE is until April 04. Same as tax, as far as I know. So you reckon any honest mechanic should be able to sort me out?

Captain Slow IRL

is that 4th april 2008 or april 2004?!?!
if it's until next year, the brakes and tyres should be safe - worry about the gearbox for now.
Your best bet would be to go to a ford garage and approach a mechanic - ask him if he'd be interested in a nixer. They aren't hard to work on and anyone with experience with them should be happy to oblige.

mike65

Whoa 04?

Mike.

ongarite

DOE April 2004? Run away!!

Darragh29

cormie wrote:

Does the above seem doable for €800?

You're going to see fu*k all change out of 800 Euro for the clutch alone for a Transit, if you get it done properly, meaning a good quality 3 piece clutch kit fitted like Valeo or LuK. Transits have a concentric slave cylinder operating the clutch that tends to be expensive (150-200 Euro) and should be replaced with the clutch disc and cover assembly...

cormie

haha, got the month and the year mixed up, wasn't thinking. April (that's 04 in DD-MM-YYYY ) 2007!

I'll wait for the full report from carcheck.ie and approach a mechanic to get a price I think because I'm not even sure if it's the clutch or gears, or breaks or break pads:o

Savman

cormie wrote:

breaks or break pads

brakes

cormie

gimmie a break:p

greglo23

your gearchange problem is probably the clutch. the release bearing has eaten into the fingers on the pressure plate which is also causing the long pedal travel. a new clutch kit should sort that out.

3ps

try MBM cars on the Ratoath Road.

cormie

Thanks for the help again:)

Just off the phone to your man from carcheck anyway and he gave me a full run down of what needs to be done (bold = immediately):

4 new tyres, rear brake fuse, tracking and camber (he said whoever fits the tyres {or was it the whoever does the brake fuse?} will do this when they are doing the other thing), coolant, brake power fluid drain and refills. , full service, wiper blades, rear fog light bulb, front grill loose, and the clutch.

He said the gearbox is fine and not related to the clutch problem so that's a relief.

He said I could get away without doing the clutch for a while but to be honest, maybe it just needs getting used to, but I find it very hard to get it into gear from neutral.

So for the above, he said close to 1K.

Does anyone know a decent place to get all this done so? Should I buy my tyres from eiretyres.com or is there a better place that will sell good value tyres, fit them and do the rest too? How do I know what tyres to get if I order from eiretyres?

Any feedback would be appreciated:)

fightin irish

Cormie the following is a main dealer price...so as you can judge if ya think your gettina fair price. This just for the clutch mind.

Clutch €213 (three piece clutch) Slave cylinders are only on the later transit.

Labour @ 3 hours €219 (73 an hour in my place)

+ 13.50% vat

total: €490.

Hopefully you should be able to gauge if someone is offering a fair price using the ones above. I can pm many contacts but they are all northside.

Hope this helps.

3ps

cormie, see my post for MBM cars.
They did my motorhome for me and motorhomes are all based on Transits and Ducatos.

fightin irish

Is it MBM up at kilbride co.meath? If so i'd recomend these lads also, they do alot of transit work.

cormie

Thanks for the help again:) I must give MGM a shout and see how much they quote me. €73 per hour for labour seems very expensive.

As someone suggested earlier, perhaps I could get a ford mechanic to do it as a nixer? Hmm, but then would I be able to claim vat back?

cormie

Can't find a number for MBM anywhere. Want to ring up to get a price estimate before going all the way out to them:)

Gary ITR

cormie wrote:

but then would I be able to claim vat back?

Jaysis Cormie you can't have your cake and eat it too. I'm afraid it'll be one or the other for ya

Alun

cormie wrote:

As someone suggested earlier, perhaps I could get a ford mechanic to do it as a nixer? Hmm, but then would I be able to claim vat back?

Someone doing a nixer who issues a VAT receipt .. now that I'd like to see

cormie

Hehe

I rang up Tallaght Ford for an estimate anyway, 470 for clutch, 400 for tyres without tracking and camber (he said you only do that if it's pulling to the left, but it's good to get it done anyway, right?) and he said he didn't know what a "rear brake fuse" was Is this a term used by only some in the trade? Is there a general term? I said maybe it's just rear brakes it needs, he said 200 for that. So about €1,100 in total.

Could probably get it cheaper somewhere else maybe.

Anyone know about the rear brake fuse thing and tracking?

3ps

I've lost the number for MBM Cars.
But, ring Motorhome Ireland and ask them... the are 3 doors up the road and do motorhome servicing for them.

I had a full service and all fluids change and a timing belt change done for €380 or so on a Ducato. I didn't get a receipt.

cormie

gave motorhome a ring and they didn't have MBM's number to hand, I can't find it, tried 11811, golden pages, google and all:(

any other suggestions as to where a good van (ford transit) mechanic is?

Does anyone know about the brake-fuse? Is this just another name for brakes?

fightin irish

MBM CARS.....ph. 01 8216570, Assuming it's the one up past Clonee.

Alun

cormie wrote:

Does anyone know about the brake-fuse? Is this just another name for brakes?

Did they mean the brake light fuse maybe?

EDIT: Another thought .. brake shoes maybe? (Could sound similar maybe with a strong unfamiliar accent )

cormie

Thanks fightin Irish, I'll give them a buzz and see if it is them:)

It could be brake shoes! Definitely not the light fuse because it's to do with the van not being able to hold a full load properly on a hill;)

How much do brake shoe replacements cost on average?

fightin irish

cormie wrote:

Thanks fightin Irish, I'll give them a buzz and see if it is them:)

It could be brake shoes! Definitely not the light fuse because it's to do with the van not being able to hold a full load properly on a hill;)

That sounds like the brake light laden valve other wise known as a light laden valve...distributes brake pressure to each rear wheel...sold alot of them in my time. Could be wrong.

cormie

Just rang your man back and it's SHOES

Alun

cormie wrote:

Just rang your man back and it's SHOES

Yay! Do I get my prize now?

cormie

Sorry, prizes are only available to US citizens:(:D

Rang up The MBM you posted about Fightin Irish (up in Clonee) and I'm not sure if it's the same guy as 3ps posted about, but for a new clutch and rear brake pads (are pads and shoes the same thing?) he quoted about €500. He said ring back and he can give proper price as that's just off the top of his head. That sounds pretty good to me considering my local ford dealer wanted to charge €580 for just the clutch:eek:

3ps

cormie... it's the same crew and probably right. I got quoted a figure off the top of his head and the final bill was €20 more. It was excellent value compared to getting the work done at a FIAT dealer or equivalent.

I saved about €300-€400 by using him. It is a ramshackle looking place but from what I can tell they do alot of the work for Motorhome Ireland and they have all the heavy lifts for vans so why not.... it's not rocket science and the main stealers are just ripping you off!!

3ps

cormie, are you from the area.... his premises is kindof in the middle of nowhere... you wouldn' be able to walk anywhere interesting while the work was being done!

Alun

cormie wrote:

... rear brake pads (are pads and shoes the same thing?)

Pads are for disc brakes, shoes are for drum brakes although some people (incorrectly) seem to use the words interchangeably.

cormie

Ok, would there be a big difference in price between shoes and pads?

I'm to give Martin (MBM) a ring back in the morning, he didn't have time to price it, but that's good news about the savings. How long would a job like that take? Would I be hanging around for long I wonder?

Alun

cormie wrote:

Ok, would there be a big difference in price between shoes and pads?

No idea ... I've not had a car with drum brakes for eons I'd imagine brake shoes would be more expensive, seeing as they're physically bigger and all, but I'm only guessing really.

cormie

Just had a google and found this:

EBC-FA-40 BRAKE PADS Fit all FL-250 1977-84 these are the pads that fit on your brake caliper. $33.50
EBC-306 BRAKE SHOES Parking brake. Fits all FL-250 1977-84 $27.00

I'll probably give MBM a go anyway, €500 seems real cheap compared to other quotes I was getting:) I'll try a few more locally first though.

Thanks for all the help.

cormie

Just wondering does anyone know if putting in a new clutch and brake shoes is a complicated task? I was on to MBM and they said I couldn't pick it up the same day, which would mean I'd need to get somebody to drive out with me to give me a lift home, then drive me out the next day to pick it up. Which is a bit of a pain in the ass.

There is a place in Kilcoole that have actually given me a better estimate of cost than MBM, and I'd be able to take my bike in the back of the van, cycle home and back out when it's ready.

I'm just wondering if I can get it for the same price, or maybe even a bit cheaper, should I go for the more convenient option if it's a job that anyone could do right?

3ps

you don't have a clue about this... and nobody here can really tell you if somebody is going to do a good job or not.... so just go with the more convenient option.

cormie

Hehe, yup, I'm pretty clueless about all this alright:o

I think there may be one or two ex mechanics here so they may know if it's a difficult job and would need a lot of experience to get right or if any qualified mechanic could sort it as good as the rest:)

cormie

Ok, think I'm just gonna drop it down to the place in Kilcoole, take the risk anyway, just MBM is so far away and would be a lot of hassle to get it up and back down.

This guy in Kilcoole sounds decent and is giving me a good price. May not even need the new clutch since it's not slipping and just hard to get into gear:) Hopefully!