Reply to: WTF £22.50 for a puncture!!!

[Troll]

When the gearbox in my S2000 started crunching into gears, it wasn't worth the effort or cost to get somebody to rebuild it. I just bought a newer much-lower mileage one from a breaker ( the reaction from the Honda dealer was just "new gearbox - £4000" ). And that seems to be the way. There are specialists that do the sort of thing you're talking about of course, but I'm sure the majority of mechanics working for dealers or local garages never do anything that advanced.

Many moons ago I stripped my first and only gearbox to replace a broken layshaft gear - in those days the Hayes manuals had details of how to strip down a gearbox & parts were readily available from BL also I had a father assisting who knew what he was doing - modern manuals effectively say don't bother - just fit a new one which is a shame & there does seem to be unscrupulous engine & gearbox re manufacturers out there who will just clean up a scrapper and pass it off as "reconditioned" so I agree a visit to the local scrapyard is the best course

Servicing and MOT is obviously where they make their money, as it's the kind of thing that requires little to no skill and there's a constant stream of customers, apparently ready to pay £1200 a time. I do all mine myself; obviously you can't do the MOT yourself, but it did mean that when Nationwide Autocentres told me I needed new front disks and pads to pass the MOT and that'll be £400 please, I was able to go home, buy the parts off the internet for £100 and fit them myself in half an hour.

Agreed - I have a colleague who has been quoted £1200 for new discs and pads for a Disco - I pointed out that he could source Brembo Discs & pads for about £90 a corner and fitting is not that difficult, there are loads of YouTube videos showing the steps! and it should take max 3-4 hours to do the job.
He was still going to let them fit & it seemed a waste of £800 to me

[OwlHoot]

Sawdust / heavier oil in the gearbox does wonders ..

I've heard the "pork sausages in the engine" trick also works wonders - purry Rolls Royce quietness for about 5 miles, after which the engine practically explodes in billows of thick black smoke! Many a gullible mug has been sold a clapped out old car that way

[gingerjedi]

£7 + tip

I pay that at home for a cut but you won't find that in a city centre, I pay £17 for the convenience on my lunch break.

I also like the razor finishing and ear hair attention from my city barber.

[VectraMan]

Agreed, to a degree. But what when a gear needs replacing? Or the head needs to come off? There's spanner monkeying, and theres engineering. Some mechanics are rightfully called engineers. It's not an easy thing to do, take an engine apart and then put it back together again. I still have to label every single screw, nut, bolt, cable when I do anything remotely interesting in an engine. These guys do it almost with their eyes closed.

When the gearbox in my S2000 started crunching into gears, it wasn't worth the effort or cost to get somebody to rebuild it. I just bought a newer much-lower mileage one from a breaker ( the reaction from the Honda dealer was just "new gearbox - £4000" ). And that seems to be the way. There are specialists that do the sort of thing you're talking about of course, but I'm sure the majority of mechanics working for dealers or local garages never do anything that advanced.

Servicing and MOT is obviously where they make their money, as it's the kind of thing that requires little to no skill and there's a constant stream of customers, apparently ready to pay £1200 a time. I do all mine myself; obviously you can't do the MOT yourself, but it did mean that when Nationwide Autocentres told me I needed new front disks and pads to pass the MOT and that'll be £400 please, I was able to go home, buy the parts off the internet for £100 and fit them myself in half an hour.

[Troll]

It's not an easy thing to do, take an engine apart and then put it back together again. I still have to label every single screw, nut, bolt, cable when I do anything remotely interesting in an engine. These guys do it almost with their eyes closed.

I agree and disagree - stripping an engine is actually once you've done it before a piece of p*ss what is daunting is doing it for the first time and the associated fud.

But if as you say you label everything up (and digital cameras are a big help) and follow the manual - you should be rewarded with a peek a boo into an engine as you lift off your first head off - plus there is so much help out there on t'internet on forums etc and people will advise and be helpful if they can.

Start off with doing your own servicing and work up from there, bonus is the amount of money you save - just done my sons clutch on a Yaris - Toyota wanted £741 to do it, Mr Clutch wanted £290 (which was tempting until I read some reviews out there) so in the end I did it over a weekend with the son doing all the grunt work and hopefully he learned how cars are put together for the princely sum of £105 inc VAT

We all sit in front of desks in offices all day and to me its nice to do something physical (oh err ) to counter balance that

[Troll]

Feck me what's all the fuss about? How much is a gents hair cut these days? A round of drinks? A couple of hours parking?

£7 + tip

[Old Hack]

Yes, but how often do mechanics do that these days? 99% of the time the answer is to replace the failed part with a new one, and that's just spanner monkeying.

Agreed, to a degree. But what when a gear needs replacing? Or the head needs to come off? There's spanner monkeying, and theres engineering. Some mechanics are rightfully called engineers. It's not an easy thing to do, take an engine apart and then put it back together again. I still have to label every single screw, nut, bolt, cable when I do anything remotely interesting in an engine. These guys do it almost with their eyes closed.

[VectraMan]

Whilst the diagnosis is done mostly by computers, the other parts of the works aren't. Have you stripped a gearbox? Fitted new Pistons, or a new head? I have, and its incredibly detailed and intense work.

Yes, but how often do mechanics do that these days? 99% of the time the answer is to replace the failed part with a new one, and that's just spanner monkeying.

[escapeUK]

Zeity faints clean away at the very thought.

And what is this "annual service" of which you speak?

if its anything like mine, its an expensive oil change and mine is £300. No way id pay £1200, especially to drive in a grandads car.

[gingerjedi]

Feck me what's all the fuss about? How much is a gents hair cut these days? A round of drinks? A couple of hours parking?

[Old Hack]

Forget more complex, the bloody cars tell you what is wrong with them these days and the maintenance and servicing is a very routine job for the majority of cars.

Respect for the old school who can properly sort older motors but for new ones the cost is what the market will bear and the false expectation of better work at main dealers etc it has little relation to the skills needed to do it.

Whilst the diagnosis is done mostly by computers, the other parts of the works aren't. Have you stripped a gearbox? Fitted new Pistons, or a new head? I have, and its incredibly detailed and intense work.

The skils lost in working with todays engines will be in the diagnosis. However, I am yet to see a computer tell anyone that it's got a warped head, or the little ends are worn, or the bushes in the independent suspension are getting near the end of the shelf life.

Don't mock mechanics, they are, mostly, bright people, well trained doing a very technical job.

[Old Hack]

Where are you getting £22.50 from? Even if you add VAT onto that breakdown it doesn't come to that.

Gentile,

You have different collars and cuffs you know

[lukemg]

Forget more complex, the bloody cars tell you what is wrong with them these days and the maintenance and servicing is a very routine job for the majority of cars.

Respect for the old school who can properly sort older motors but for new ones the cost is what the market will bear and the false expectation of better work at main dealers etc it has little relation to the skills needed to do it.

[Troll]

Modern cars are pretty complicated

Or most drivers have no mechanical aptitude and place blind faith in others

I don't begrudge the £1200 or so I spend on my annual service & MOT

They must dance a jig when they see Mr Gullible roll up again -did they fit the gold plated special spark plugs again by chance?

because the guys in the garage I use really know what they're doing

How would someone so clueless about things mechanical be able to substantiate that claim?

, and the car always drives quieter and better afterwards.

Sawdust / heavier oil in the gearbox does wonders

[OwlHoot]

Are you a contractor or what? You should make £22.50 in the time it takes for a fart to come out of your ass.

Absolutely - He makes Timberwolf look like a drunken sailor on shore leave