Expensive repair on old car

jaj

I have a 10 year old Volkswagen polo
The engine warning light is on
My mechanic says I need cylinder head and timing chain replaced
The cost is €1200-€1400
And the merit of such a major repair when the cars value is €3000 approx?

What is your view re the cost Please?
Thank you

Toyotafanboi

If you know the history of the car, there's plenty to be said for doing it.

If you sell it as is, it's worth €500 ish and if you put your €1500 repair money to it, all you will have enough for is another Polo that could have a dodgy cylinder head, the same could be said even if you double those figures.

That issue is common with those Polos but other than that they are pretty ok cars, personally for me I'd rather the devil I know. Unless you are thinking of changing anyway and want to use this as the justification.

jaj

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

If you know the history of the car, there's plenty to be said for doing it.

If you sell it as is, it's worth €500 ish and if you put your €1500 repair money to it, all you will have enough for is another Polo that could have a dodgy cylinder head, the same could be said even if you double those figures.

That issue is common with those Polos but other than that they are pretty ok cars, personally for me I'd rather the devil I know. Unless you are thinking of changing anyway and want to use this as the justification.

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive and prompt reply

biko

Are there other issues with car?
When did it last pass NCT?

jaj

biko wrote: »

Are there other issues with car?
When did it last pass NCT?

It passed test 2 months ago
And there are no other issues
Never had any other issue
Thank you

coylemj

The major risk in this situation is that halfway through the repairs, they 'discover' another fault which is going to push the price up further and you suddenly find that the repair is uneconomic i.e. if you had known the actual (final) price at the start, you never would have gone ahead with the repairs.

Toyotafanboi

coylemj wrote: »

The major risk in this situation is that halfway through the repairs, they 'discover' another fault which is going to push the price up further and you suddenly find that the repair is uneconomic i.e. if you had known the actual (final) price at the start, you never would have gone ahead with the repairs.

That's a bit unlikely in this scenario though although I appreciate your point.

Bigus

Cost quoted is on the high side , for such a common and routine job .
at that price I'd be expecting 3 new injectors , and 3 coil packs , as well as the chain and head done .
There's also a high risk the cat is damaged which I'm sure is not included in the price , and it could well fail its next NCT on this.

Personally with the low price of newish cars at the moment and insurance companies penalising older cars I'd definitely trade up instead .
Safety standards have moved on since 07 too and especially since 2000 when that model polo was designed.
You've had good use out of it, put it aside like and old washing machine and move onwards and upwards.

Bigus

Here's a 2017 VW UP for 8950

Although reg is hidden so perhaps it's short history is suspect

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-up-1-0-2017/16369840

jaj

coylemj wrote: »

The major risk in this situation is that halfway through the repairs, they 'discover' another fault which is going to push the price up further and you suddenly find that the repair is uneconomic i.e. if you had known the actual (final) price at the start, you never would have gone ahead with the repairs.

Hello Coylemj
You are absolutely right
There is a major risk that another fault may be found due to the cars age
So on that basis, I'm now going to get a loan!
Im so grateful for your insight
Thank you
jaj

jaj

Bigus wrote: »

Cost quoted is on the high side , for such a common and routine job .
at that price I'd be expecting 3 new injectors , and 3 coil packs , as well as the chain and head done .
There's also a high risk the cat is damaged which I'm sure is not included in the price , and it could well fail its next NCT on this.


Personally with the low price of newish cars at the moment and insurance companies penalising older cars I'd definitely trade up instead .
Safety standards have moved on since 07 too and especially since 2000 when that model polo was designed.
You've had good use out of it, put it aside like and old washing machine and move onwards and upwards.

Hello Bigus
It's great to get such experienced advice re my vw polo
I've learnt so much
I will get a loan and buy a newer car
Thank you so much
jaj

Toyotafanboi

To be fair unless you buy a <12 month old car there are little to no guarantees no matter how much you spend.

Getting into medium term debt because your car needs a grand spent on it is madness, IMO.

Any modern ish car could need a grands worth of work at the drop of a hat, there are ways and vehicles that can minimise your risk, but generally speaking it's a minefield.

jca

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

To be fair unless you buy a <12 month old car there are little to no guarantees no matter how much you spend.

Getting into medium term debt because your car needs a grand spent on it is madness, IMO.

Any modern ish car could need a grands worth of work at the drop of a hat, there are ways and vehicles that can minimise your risk, but generally speaking it's a minefield.

Not on one of those polos they’re as soft as scutter unless the op can source a good complete engine he’s only throwing his money away.

Toyotafanboi

jca wrote: »

Not on one of those polos they’re as soft as scutter unless the op can source a good complete engine he’s only throwing his money away.

I agree, they aren't great. Bottom ends don't really give trouble in them though, if you had the cylinder head rebuilt and a new chain you'd get another good stint out of it to be fair.

In terms of electronics/ chassis/ gearbox they are fairly sound. It went through the NCT two months ago which doesn't guarantee anything but it does suggest the rest of the car isn't too bad.

Even if you spent the grand on it and it only took you to the next NCT expiry it's still be ok value for money.

jca

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

I agree, they aren't great. Bottom ends don't really give trouble in them though, if you had the cylinder head rebuilt and a new chain you'd get another good stint out of it to be fair.

In terms of electronics/ chassis/ gearbox they are fairly sound. It went through the NCT two months ago which doesn't guarantee anything but it does suggest the rest of the car isn't too bad.

Even if you spent the grand on it and it only took you to the next NCT expiry it's still be ok value for money.

Number 3 cylinder wears badly and continuously oils up the plug,after doing all the head work it'll still be a bag of shoite. If the op can get an engine from a later car 09 etc then it would be viable.