Timing chain gone, car write off?

AhHaor

So engine warning light came on my 06 525i e60 beemer last week. Warning was "powertrain "A" camshaft position"

Anyways dropped into garage and sure enough chain needs replacing, quoted 1,100 to 2,500 for the chain and bits alone. Car has been fairly well cared for with about 4k spent in last 3 years on maintenance alone.

Should I bite bullet and fix or call it a day and go into bangernomics territory? I presume the car is now essentially worthless?

Milage 183,000 km, nct aug 17

Thoughts?

racso1975

That's a fairly wide ranging quote there!!

If the car has been that well looked after and you are happy with its history I'd keep it. Better the devil you know and all that.

AhHaor

It just seems that its a never ending trail of repairs, I can't help but think a gearbox could be the next to fail and there's an airbag warning light on. I just don't know if i can stomach putting the guts of 4k into a car worth 4k at best

Ubbquittious

If you're binning the car anyway and you are feeling adventurous you can chance putting on a new timing chain yourself because the kit seems to cost only 100 quid. Though you will need to get your hands on a torque wrench and a locking kit as well.

Though you should probably shop around first because 1000 quids to do a timing chain seems very steep

CalamariFritti

If you're driving anything half decent you gonna spend a grand or two on a car no matter which way you do it. Either through depreciation or on extended maintenance and repairs. When you're unlucky you have both. That's my experience anyway

Not sure buying bangers would change that. You just spend that money on, well, bangers.

Driving a car just costs a certain minimum of money.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'd be inclined to spend the money on a new car, you still may get something for your own which you could put with it.

AhHaor

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I'd be inclined to spend the money on a new car, you still may get something for your own which you could put with it.

What's best way to go. Sell private but be open about the problem. Go to garage and try trade in? It doesn't sit well with me trying to hide the issue when I probably could, warning light is off. Realistically it's probably only suitable for scrapping. The air bag warning is on as well as parking sensor is broken

jimmycrackcorm

AhHaor wrote:

What's best way to go. Sell private but be open about the problem. Go to garage and try trade in? It doesn't sit well with me trying to hide the issue when I probably could, warning light is off. Realistically it's probably only suitable for scrapping. The air bag warning is on as well as parking sensor is broken

Best to be honest. Treat others as you want to be treated. At 183k, it's EOL as this would not be the last cost.

Bigus

AhHaor wrote: »

What's best way to go. Sell private but be open about the problem. Go to garage and try trade in? It doesn't sit well with me trying to hide the issue when I probably could, warning light is off. Realistically it's probably only suitable for scrapping. The air bag warning is on as well as parking sensor is broken

Put it on donedeal in both the normal and damaged repairable sections, high tax rate kills the value .