Focus Fanatics Forum banner

Lots of small problems with the car. Should i get rid? How many can I fix myself or cheaply

2K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  dpmeeks 
#1 ·
Hi guys. I recently posted about replacing anti-freeze in my radiator and want to thank you for the help, everything seems to have gone fine :D

I bought the car about 5 months ago now, and already I've had to pay for a new serpentine belt + tensioner, and a new fuel pump. I have plenty of little things wrong with the car (as do most that are 11 years old), but I'm wanting to know should I invest time and effort into fixing them up, or should I just sell it and get a new one? It's a long list of little things. What can I do myself, and how much do you think it will cost me to do it up?

1) Rust along the inside passengers door. A little outside/on the wheel arches, and "spots" on the top of the car. I've bought some touch up paint to try and remedy this ... going to sand it down myself.

2) Both front tyres need replacing, they're border line legal. I've been quote ~£100 for both.

3) MOT said brake disks were pitted, although my local garage has said this is bs and he wouldn't replace the brakes anytime soon.

4) Brakes always squeak under braking.

5) Belt squeal from under the hood in the mornings

6) Knocking from rear when on uneven road (i.e cobble where the car shakes from side to side. This doesn't happen if i'm going over speed bumps)

7) Creaking from the front when going over the same type of road listed in 6)

8) Annoying chirp from the dash when driving along. Very intermittent.

9) Whistling from throttle when under light accelleration. This also is intermittent. Usually happens on dry days.

10) Clutch sometimes moans (like two big steel plates rubbing together that have never been oiled). Rarely happens, usually when car is under stress i.e. a hill start.

11) Central locking doesn't work from the key. I think somethings wrong with the driver's side mechanism since it's the only door that doesn't unlock from the key.

12) Lots of steam off the bonnet in the rain. Doesn't happen in the dry...It's just rain coming off the warm bonnet, but sometimes it looks like my car's on fire when i'm in traffic...

So that's the complete list. I'd appreciate any tips or if you think I could fix any of these by myself on the cheap. Should i just sell the car?

Little edit: The car has 95k on the clock, no engine lights have ever come up on the vehicle, and it has an LPG conversion (which, as you can guess, doesn't work...It needs servicing and I don't know how much fixing it will be). Apart from that, I paid £800 for it, and it's been pretty reliable so far. All these niggles just annoy me though
 
See less See more
#2 ·
IMO... it matter how much money you have into the car, and how long your planning on keeping it. If its just small issues and its still running and driving good overall then just tackle each problem one at a time. Tires, brakes, etc. are things that are gonna wear out. Steam from you "bonnet" sounds like the car is awfully hot under the hood. Make sure the exhaust cover is in place and most cars have a cover that bolts to the underside of the hood to protect it from heat.
 
#3 ·
I do plan to keep it a while. I like the car a lot - although I've already had to have a fuel pump replaced and serpentine belt + tensioner. So I'm in a few hundred £ already. The car drives good and has done for 5 months, its just all these squeaking and creaking sounds are annoying. I think they've mostly cropped up now that it's a lot colder.

I don't think the car is overheating at all, the radiator temp sits bang in the middle of the readout. The bonet is warm to the touch, but nothing "hot". Steam only shows when it's raining. When the car has been running for 20 minutes+ and you turn the engine off there is a bit of that "crackling" you get when metal cools down. Is this anything to worry about or is it completely normal?

As for the cover under the hood, there is none whatsoever. It's just all metal - is there one I could get cheap from the scrapyard?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top