Cash dilemma, worth fixing or not?!

[Nic]

Hello

A mates boyfriend put a new clutch, slave cylinder and engine mount (one broke when he took the clutch out) in my Bravo (1.4 P reg 78,000) last December, and according to my local garage appears to have not put it back in properly, screws have come loose and broken and the older engine mount has broken causing the engine to drop. Now the car works but I cant get into reverse as things are not where they should be (all other gears and rest of the car works fine).

Unfortunately at the same time the speedometer cable snapped.

There's no point me chasing up the guy who did the work as he will just deny its anything to do with him... another story.

Its going to cost me £155 to get a new engine mount fitted and everything back where it should be, however the speedo cable is in the gear box and i'm told its a 4hr job to get that out and that isnt an option for me financially unless I can recoup the cost.

It was only in December that I had the new clutch, and in January that I got 4 new tyres and new front brake discs to pass the MOT. All up in the last 4 months i've spent £450 on it.

How likely am I to get any money for it (and how much) in its current condition as a fix up job/for parts? What if the engine mount was fixed but not the speedo? Its taxed till the end of June, MOT till December 08.

Any help appreciated, I desperately need to get some money back from the car if its at all possible.

Nic

 

[Andy]

where is it you are based?

if you are in the south east i can do the work for you for a few quid + parts cost (cheap... can get the engine mount and speedo cable from the scrappy easy!)

Andy_sx

 

[Anonymous]

engine mount is a simple DIY job- had the same problem with mine

 

[Nic]

Hey Andy

Thanks for the offer but unfortunately i'm in Manchester

When the other mount broke we couldnt find a 2nd hand one anywhere, had to order it from Fiat which wasnt so cheap. Maybe i'd have had better luck down south!

Anyone closer that might be able to help?! With either the mount and cable, or just the cable?

Nic

 

[Anonymous]

engine mounts are only £50 from FIAT

 

[Nic]

Yeah it was about that last time, but this time I dont have anyone to fit it for me cheaply and adjust anything else thats been affected by it breaking, and then there's the additional labour to sort out the speedo cable..

 

[Nic]

No more thoughts anyone?

I have to let the garage know today or try and get it back to my house.

 

[Ash]

the speedo cable is a 20min job to change! and the engine mount will take about another 30mins

the garage are trying to mug you! take it somewhere else!

Anything With Tits or Wheels Will Cost You MONEY!!

 

[Nic]

Update:

The garage have put the old mount back on by doing some fancy screw work so it can now get into reverse but will need a new one ASAP and of course the speedo fixing. I have brought it home.

There is another area of rubber(left the name at work) that also deteriorated as a result of the engine dropping onto it when the mount came loose which also needs replacing.

I will see if I can sell it in its current condition and if not, by the sound of it shop around for a cheaper quote to do the work. As it was always my intention to sell it I dont want to spend money I am unlikely to get back. If its a quick job like you say then someone might want to take it on and get a cheap car.

The garage said engine mounts dont just come loose (apparently the other one that hadnt come off also had loose screws/bolts but none had yet broken due to force) and that it cant have been tightened properly when put in. Do people agree with that?

I'm not sure whether or not to approach the person who did the job or not.

 

[Anonymous]

I would say at least it's shoddy workmanship, Garage is right, Engine mounts, (or any other nuts) should not come free. Any nuts that are subject to vibration should have lockthread on or a self locking nut

 

[Anonymous]

when my mount came off it snapped. i paid £50 for a mount then got a jck - jacked up the engine, fitted the new mount myselfand the car worked fine. I was told that normally the mount breaking shouldnt casue and more damage, just means u cant get certain gears (as you found) but once fixed should be back to normal.

A18NHH

 

[Nic]

Thanks for your thoughts, if I do end up speaking to the guy who put the mounts in at least I have more than one persons opinion.

Its the CV joint boot thats been ruined (along with the speedo), the engine must have been in contact with it for a while before I noticed I couldnt get into reverse. I heard a clunk once (I wasnt sure if there was debris on the road or if it was the car), and there was a different whirring type noise, but it wasnt consistent and sounded more like a fan, it must have been the boot being rubbed.

The next day I was intending to take it to the garage for them to have a look, and thats when I tried reversing for the first time since the clunk the night before...