The Student Room Group

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Reply 40
Original post by CurlyBen
Christ, £500 is a hell of a lot of money to solve a poor connection. I don't know quite what to suggest - replacing the connectors isn't impossible (they wouldn't even need to be the same type, they could be reliable ones instead!) but it's a fair bit of work, particularly if the loom is tight and the old connectors are damaged. The other issue from the point of view of the garage is that they're then liable for the new connectors working properly, whereas it's Vauxhall if the new loom isn't good. I'm also slightly concerned that if the connectors from the dash are damaged (how sponge would damage them is a bit beyond me, but I can't see the car) then the other half (on the fixed loom) may be damaged as well, in which case that loom might need replacing if they won't splice in new connectors (and that's a whole lot more work, not to mention another part). Your other option is to buy a second hand dash off ebay, though then you're running the risk of replacing one faulty part with another, and if the garage already have the new part from Vauxhall they may well refuse to fit one you supply. There's also an alarm bell ringing that they asked you to pay up front for the part and have now near doubled the cost of the part. Did you ring them and find out the price had gone up, or did they ring you? Do you know if they've fitted it?
If you were closer to Suffolk I'd put a new set of connectors on for you!


Well I called them this morning to ask what was going on as they have had my car for a week now =/ They said the part hadn't arrived and they had chased them up and it was due to arrive mid morning. They called back sometime in the afternoon to tell about the mistake but I was at work so I had to find out about it from my parents which almost had me in tears! They explained everything to my dad and he had said it seemed legit and maybe I do need the whole dash replacing.

My brother rang a mechanic he knows and he said it does seem abit drastic to replace the whole dash if its just the connectors and he was willing to look at it. I'm so desperate for my car back , it's really stressing me out. I'm worried that if I go somewhere else they could just do something simple that's not a proper fix like before or if I go with this garage it might sort out any future problems just having a whole new dash =/ So much money though

Arghhhhhhh


EDIT: my dad asked them about second hand parts to lower the cost but they said because each part needs to be individually programmed to my car they can't use second hand parts =/. My concern is the cost it would be to take my car out now too after they put it back together which is an hour and half job and diagnosis etc.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 41
Original post by timothytom
As i do not no the vehicle in a technical way i cannot comment too deeply.


However, is this garage a decent garage or a backstreet garage?

the connectors for many items do not come seperately, i am highly suprised by the need for a new dash though.
can you afford the repair? and do they guarantee that the vehicle is now going to be fixed?


as the work has already begun i can only presume you have expressed you wish the work to commence.
the issue you have is that they will charge for any work already begun, but they cannot charge for the vehicle part unless vauxhall specifically say they cannot return the part and/or they have fitted it.

personally i'd probably allow them to repair the vehicle, ask to have all the old parts back, and for them to show you exactly what the fault was on the car.

But as the price of the part had gone up they legally have to ask you first before commencing further but can charge for any work before and after the price change to put the vehicle back to how it was.


so the best bet, is to let them fix it, pay and find out what the fault was. have a full reciept and warranty etc for that the fault has been fully fixed.

to take the car elsewhere is going to cost you more as they too will want to diagnose the issue.
next step is to find a family member or family friend who have a garage they trust and to use them in the future.

im sorry i cant be that much help but with limited knowledge this is the best i can offer. i have 7years experience in the trade so i can try my best.


I called about 5 other garages when trying to find somewhere to take it and they all recommended this guy as he has lots of experience and knows his stuff, they also said it sounded like an electrical fault and they didn't do this kind of work at their garage but he is a specialist.

When they quoted me £350 I was pretty shocked but said I would go ahead with it because I just wanted it fixing so that's why my car is in bits at the moment.

I was thinking it may be cheaper in the end to just do this now and learn from it as they will charge diagnosis, putting it back together etc. Then labour and vat at other places could be just as steep. I can afford to get it fixed not flipping happy though haha
Original post by Linzikins
I called about 5 other garages when trying to find somewhere to take it and they all recommended this guy as he has lots of experience and knows his stuff, they also said it sounded like an electrical fault and they didn't do this kind of work at their garage but he is a specialist.

When they quoted me £350 I was pretty shocked but said I would go ahead with it because I just wanted it fixing so that's why my car is in bits at the moment.

I was thinking it may be cheaper in the end to just do this now and learn from it as they will charge diagnosis, putting it back together etc. Then labour and vat at other places could be just as steep. I can afford to get it fixed not flipping happy though haha


i can understand,

i can only presume that an ecu has spiked due to a faulty wire and maybe taken the clocks out too.

we had this with a faulty towbar fitted to a vehicle and it spiked a brand new 12 plate vehicles engine and body ecu, this cost over £2000. and these vehicles have systems inbuilt to prevent excessive damage.

it is quite possible it happened. but if multiple garages have recommended him and you trust these recommendations then its just one of them things, cars break and can cost lots of monies to fix sometimes. luckily i can fix my own, even though my current is under warranty, so its cheaper.

i wouldnt get too wound up about it, its a car at the end of the day, aslong as he fixes it and its right then thats all there is too it.
Reply 43
Original post by timothytom
i can understand,

i can only presume that an ecu has spiked due to a faulty wire and maybe taken the clocks out too.

we had this with a faulty towbar fitted to a vehicle and it spiked a brand new 12 plate vehicles engine and body ecu, this cost over £2000. and these vehicles have systems inbuilt to prevent excessive damage.

it is quite possible it happened. but if multiple garages have recommended him and you trust these recommendations then its just one of them things, cars break and can cost lots of monies to fix sometimes. luckily i can fix my own, even though my current is under warranty, so its cheaper.

i wouldnt get too wound up about it, its a car at the end of the day, aslong as he fixes it and its right then thats all there is too it.



I think i'd relax a whole lot more if this wasn't a month of hard earned wages going to someone i'm not sure I can trust =/
Reply 44
Original post by Linzikins
Well I called them this morning to ask what was going on as they have had my car for a week now =/ They said the part hadn't arrived and they had chased them up and it was due to arrive mid morning. They called back sometime in the afternoon to tell about the mistake but I was at work so I had to find out about it from my parents which almost had me in tears! They explained everything to my dad and he had said it seemed legit and maybe I do need the whole dash replacing.

My brother rang a mechanic he knows and he said it does seem abit drastic to replace the whole dash if its just the connectors and he was willing to look at it. I'm so desperate for my car back , it's really stressing me out. I'm worried that if I go somewhere else they could just do something simple that's not a proper fix like before or if I go with this garage it might sort out any future problems just having a whole new dash =/ So much money though

Arghhhhhhh


EDIT: my dad asked them about second hand parts to lower the cost but they said because each part needs to be individually programmed to my car they can't use second hand parts =/. My concern is the cost it would be to take my car out now too after they put it back together which is an hour and half job and diagnosis etc.

Did your parents agree on your behalf to the increased quote? They really should have rung you before doing anything as the price had gone up significantly. Unfortunately I don't think you've got a lot of options - this garage already has your car and some of your money so you don't have an easy way of leaving them without losing money, by which point you probably won't save much over getting it repaired. It's a hell of a lot of money for a poor connection though (not trying to make you feel worse!). I might be tempted to ring the Vauxhall dealer and check on the cost of a new dash, and if there's an obvious reason the price has changed so much (like two similar parts and the wrong one was quoted). Don't be surprised if they quote a bit less than you've been told it costs, garages will normally put something like 10-15% on parts, but if it's much more than that I'd be getting annoyed. I'm also not convinced on the programming bit - I've never touched a Corsa but I really doubt the dash is anything that complicated. The only bit they may be talking about is the immobiliser reader, but in that case I would have thought (depending on how it's installed) they would have been able to switch the old one to the new one. Anyway hope it gets sorted without too much more grief! Just goes to show there can be upsides to knowing geeks - car geeks anyway :wink:

Oh, I meant to add to my last post - I don't know if you know what I mean by the loom, but it's basically the wiring that runs inside the car. There are separate looms for different bits, like the engine bay, lighting, instruments etc. and at various points they have connectors (known as multiplugs when it's more than two or three wires) to allow things, like the dash, to be removed without ripping all the wiring out.

Original post by timothytom
i can understand,

i can only presume that an ecu has spiked due to a faulty wire and maybe taken the clocks out too.

we had this with a faulty towbar fitted to a vehicle and it spiked a brand new 12 plate vehicles engine and body ecu, this cost over £2000. and these vehicles have systems inbuilt to prevent excessive damage.

it is quite possible it happened. but if multiple garages have recommended him and you trust these recommendations then its just one of them things, cars break and can cost lots of monies to fix sometimes. luckily i can fix my own, even though my current is under warranty, so its cheaper.

i wouldnt get too wound up about it, its a car at the end of the day, aslong as he fixes it and its right then thats all there is too it.

You might want to chill out on your diagnoses before getting stuck in on your car! An ECU won't cause a voltage spike, the voltage is regulated by the voltage regulator on the alternator. What's more likely with your towbar problem is the towbar wiring drew too much current on the ECU (same voltage, lower resistance). Quite common.

The issue with this Corsa seems to be a poor multiplug (one of the multi-way connectors in the loom). The ECU sends feeds to the clocks for the speedo, tach, and often (on digital odos) the mileage as well. If that plug fails, the clocks get no info. Additionally, that plug also carries the immobiliser signal - when the ECU loses that signal it cuts the engine. There's a bit of conjecture there but it fits the symptoms and the ways other people have fixed it. Anyway it's cool that you like fixing cars, just look for the simple solution first!
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 45
So what was the outcome?
Reply 46
Original post by CurlyBen
So what was the outcome?


I got it fixed and now have my car back it cost me £500 I just grinned and bared it! Everything seems to be working fine now, the new dials are shiny white haha.

I asked for the part back but they refused unless I paid an extra £40 as 'they all send them back to the dealer to recycle them'. Whether that's true of not I have no idea but I did say "I own the car so surely it is my property and making money on it is theft" They countered this by saying I got a £40 discount on the new part (although this wasn't proved) Obviously I wasn't going to pay an extra £40 to get a piece of MY car back. I asked to see it which had no effect on me because I don't know what it would look like damaged or otherwise!

I'm just glad to wash my hands of them tbh! I sincerely hope I get no more problems! Or else you will be driving to Yorkshire haha :smile:
Reply 47
Original post by Linzikins
I got it fixed and now have my car back it cost me £500 I just grinned and bared it! Everything seems to be working fine now, the new dials are shiny white haha.

I asked for the part back but they refused unless I paid an extra £40 as 'they all send them back to the dealer to recycle them'. Whether that's true of not I have no idea but I did say "I own the car so surely it is my property and making money on it is theft" They countered this by saying I got a £40 discount on the new part (although this wasn't proved) Obviously I wasn't going to pay an extra £40 to get a piece of MY car back. I asked to see it which had no effect on me because I don't know what it would look like damaged or otherwise!

I'm just glad to wash my hands of them tbh! I sincerely hope I get no more problems! Or else you will be driving to Yorkshire haha :smile:

Ah well at least it's working!
For some parts it's quite common to send the old one back for reconditioning (if you don't you do get charged extra) but that's normally things like alternators and starter motors. I'd be very surprised if a clock set would be reconditioned. The best thing to do is to ask beforehand for any old parts to be set aside - it's not so much so you can see it's damaged, it's so you know something's been replaced!
Anyway just chalk it up to experience I guess! (And make friends with someone good with cars :p:)
Reply 48
Original post by CurlyBen
Ah well at least it's working!
For some parts it's quite common to send the old one back for reconditioning (if you don't you do get charged extra) but that's normally things like alternators and starter motors. I'd be very surprised if a clock set would be reconditioned. The best thing to do is to ask beforehand for any old parts to be set aside - it's not so much so you can see it's damaged, it's so you know something's been replaced!
Anyway just chalk it up to experience I guess! (And make friends with someone good with cars :p:)


Haha that is my new mission!
Reply 49
Original post by CurlyBen
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Haha my dads car broke down today :smile: Apparently the fuel pumps broken or something according to the guy in the tow truck! We just shouldn't own cars haha
Reply 50
Original post by Linzikins
Haha my dads car broke down today :smile: Apparently the fuel pumps broken or something according to the guy in the tow truck! We just shouldn't own cars haha

Haha, that shouldn't be too bad at least - unless it's a diesel injector pump!
Reply 51
Original post by CurlyBen
Haha, that shouldn't be too bad at least - unless it's a diesel injector pump!


They fixed it within an hour :smile: Wish mine was that simple haha
Reply 52
Original post by CurlyBen
!




It's just broke again WAAAAA!

I was driving and the engine light came on and everytime I stopped moving it started shaking. Lifted the bonnet and there is oil everywhereee ARGHH :'(
Reply 53
Original post by Linzikins
It's just broke again WAAAAA!

I was driving and the engine light came on and everytime I stopped moving it started shaking. Lifted the bonnet and there is oil everywhereee ARGHH :'(

Oh dear :frown:
Have you checked the oil level on the dipstick? Oil can get thrown about the engine bay for a few reasons - mine's just done that because a seal worth about 50p failed!
Reply 54
Original post by CurlyBen
Oh dear :frown:
Have you checked the oil level on the dipstick? Oil can get thrown about the engine bay for a few reasons - mine's just done that because a seal worth about 50p failed!


Nope just lifted it out without wiping it clean there was still some on it. It's dripped all over but I couldn't see where it was coming from :frown: Gunna have to take it to a garage again :frown:
Reply 55
Original post by CurlyBen
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The head gasket has gone......£400 down the drain arghhh I hate cars!!!!!
Reply 56
Original post by Linzikins
The head gasket has gone......£400 down the drain arghhh I hate cars!!!!!


Ouch...

How much is the car worth? Is it worth repairing again? :tongue:
Reply 57
Original post by wibletg
Ouch...

How much is the car worth? Is it worth repairing again? :tongue:


Well it was bought as a present for me passing my test for about 2k.

Only got it back about 6 weeks ago and its broken again so spent £900 on fixing it in just over 2 months. With it being a present I feel abit rude getting rid of it because i've only had it 7 months! If it breaks again I might have to!


I seem to be so unlucky with cars!!!!! Last week someone hit my windmirror and its completely hanging off and they just drove off! (I wasn't near my car at the time) They say bad things come in 3s!
Reply 58
EDIT - just realised you found the problem!

£400 for a head gasket is pretty good actually, but you do want to find out what caused it to fail in the first place - thermostat, water pump, radiator etc etc.

If the rest of the car is ok and you trust it then I would say it is worth saving.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 59
Original post by 1992LP
EDIT - just realised you found the problem!

£400 for a head gasket is pretty good actually, but you do want to find out what caused it to fail in the first place - thermostat, water pump, radiator etc etc.

If the rest of the car is ok and you trust it then I would say it is worth saving.


Yer it's a different problem to the one I originally posted about. It cost me £500 to fix that and now my head gaskets gone.

Oh well!