I've been quoted £958.55 for repairs, is this about right?

I only bought new car 5 days ago, 2006 Ford Focus Sport 1.8 diesel

It was overheating and loosing coolant but garage replaced cracked thermostat housing inc thermostat and now My car is no longer overheating or loosing coolant.

However despite my car Not overheating or loosing coolant anymore, not blowing smoke from exhaust, no oil in coolant, no coolant in oil, no obvious power loss, the garage have said my car has head gasket failure because of high pressure in the cooling system. They say that was why my thermostat housing was cracked.

I have noticed a slight roar from under bonnet on accekeration that usually fades, also that engine sounds fine but then suddenly sometimes changes and sounds as though its chugging, perhaps that is related?

So, they have quoted me £958.55, here is the repair listed as written on their form which they gave to me

Antifreeze x 2
Head skim -
Pressure test
Strip head and rebuild ( cams & valves + relap )
Remove and refit head
Forte bio flush x 1
Head gasket set
Cam belt kit
Water pump
Head bolts set
Thermostat & housing
Oil filter and oil x1 and 5 ltr

Does that seem right to you?

Attachment not found

OH YEAH AND HOW LONG SHOULD A GARAGE TAKE TO DO ALL THE REPAIRS ON THAT LIST?
I understand It may take 2 days or so to have the thingy machined and skimmed?

(edited 8 years ago)

14312921240081387247987.jpg413.0KB

Reply 1

JoeTSR

22

Ugh, been down that road of ending up spending several times the value of the car in repairs over 2-3 years. Wouldn't recommend it, if you can, I'd get rid and buy something else. I picked up a Focus 2008 1.8 petrol climate pack, 50k miles for £2.5k recently. Some minor problems due to the discounting, but even at the standard price of £3.5 I'd imagine there'd be some pretty good savings. And the non sport model actually has the exact same BHP and top speed as the sport one.

Reply 2

shaymarriott

9

Original post by Homeboy

I only bought new car 5 days ago, 2006 Ford Focus Sport 1.8 diesel

It was overheating and loosing coolant but garage replaced cracked thermostat housing inc thermostat and now My car is no longer overheating or loosing coolant.

However despite my car Not overheating or loosing coolant anymore, not blowing smoke from exhaust, no oil in coolant, no coolant in oil, no obvious power loss, the garage have said my car has head gasket failure because of high pressure in the cooling system. They say that was why my thermostat housing was cracked.

I have noticed a slight roar from under bonnet on accekeration that usually fades, also that engine sounds fine but then suddenly sometimes changes and sounds as though its chugging, perhaps that is related?

So, they have quoted me £958.55, here is the repair listed as written on their form which they gave to me

Antifreeze x 2
Head skim -
Pressure test
Strip head and rebuild ( cams & valves + relap )
Remove and refit head
Forte bio flush x 1
Head gasket set
Cam belt kit
Water pump
Head bolts set
Thermostat & housing
Oil filter and oil x1 and 5 ltr

Does that seem right to you?

Attachment not found

OH YEAH AND HOW LONG SHOULD A GARAGE TAKE TO DO ALL THE REPAIRS ON THAT LIST?
I understand It may take 2 days or so to have the thingy machined and skimmed?

Sounds about right, probably 2 or 3 days work depending on how busy the garage is. Doubt you'll find it much cheaper... Oh the perks of buying old **** cars!

Reply 3

Bengie

6

'NO' this is not right. Under the Sale of Goods Act, any faults with the car during the first six months are presumed to have been there at the time of purchase and it is up to the seller to put right at 'his' cost.

How did you pay for the car ?

Reply 4

JC.

19

Original post by Bengie

'NO' this is not right. Under the Sale of Goods Act, any faults with the car during the first six months are presumed to have been there at the time of purchase and it is up to the seller to put right at 'his' cost.

How did you pay for the car ?

Only if it's a trade seller. If it's private, forget it.

Reply 5

Bengie

6

Of course, but the reference to 'they' makes me think it was a dealer.

Reply 6

Homeboy

OP

1

Original post by Bengie

'NO' this is not right. Under the Sale of Goods Act, any faults with the car during the first six months are presumed to have been there at the time of purchase and it is up to the seller to put right at 'his' cost.

How did you pay for the car ?

Original post by JC.

Only if it's a trade seller. If it's private, forget it.

Original post by Bengie

Of course, but the reference to 'they' makes me think it was a dealer.

Hi all

I paid by credit or debit card and yes, it was a dealer I bought it from

Reply 7

Bengie

6

In that case Homeboy, you should write to them requesting that they repair the car at their expense and give them 7 days to respond. If you think you might have a problem with them, then send the letter by recorded delivery.
Don't use the telephone unless you can record the calls. You do not have to tell them you are recording the call.

Start this going as a matter of urgency and don't let it drag out. It could be that they accept responsibility and do the repair.

If the water pump / cam belt is replaced at the time of repair, and it is not yet due according to the maker, then you can be charged for those parts as 'betterment'.

Was the payment by 'Credit' or 'Debit' card, it makes a big difference ?

Reply 8

Boristhethird

19

Bengie is correct, though i thought it was only 3 months.
but either way if it fails to perform as a car in those 3 months (and you bought it as a car not a project) then it is down to the dealer to either fix it or refund you in full

Reply 9

Dez

20

Original post by Boristhethird

Bengie is correct, though i thought it was only 3 months.
but either way if it fails to perform as a car in those 3 months (and you bought it as a car not a project) then it is down to the dealer to either fix it or refund you in full

I don't think SOGA gives any fixed period, just terms like "reasonable expectation" and so on. Of course it's a bit immaterial here since 5 days is clearly not reasonable performance by any yardstick.

Reply 10

Bengie

6

It does give the first six months a an assumption any faults were present at the time of sale, and it is up to the seller to prove otherwise. After six months, it is up to the buyer to prove it was.

Reply 11

JoeTSR

22

While you're at it, AA/RAC do a check for ~£300 that checks something like 300 points about the car. If you're gonna go down the keeping it route, it might be a good idea to get that done and get the seller to fix those things too.

Reply 12

Bengie

6

You can't expect a fault free used car, there is such a thing as wear and tear. Also any problems pointed out at the time of purchase plus those that should reasonably be expected to be noticed are not covered.

Reply 13

Sam Walters

3

Its a days work.

250 in parts.

£500 or so.

Reply 14

Homeboy

OP

1

Original post by Sam Walters

Its a days work.

250 in parts.

£500 or so.

Do you think you have the skill yourself to do a head gasket?

Reply 15

Sam Walters

3

Original post by Homeboy

Do you think you have the skill yourself to do a head gasket?

I considering I rebuild the engine completely on one of my cars every 10,000 miles id say so ha.

But would I do it for you. no.

How the hell do the garage know it need skimming without taking it off. Putting a calibrated straight edge against it and checking with feeler gauges.

Say this to a garage about a calibrated straight edge they will laugh at you. But they are thick as **** mechanics and not engine builders or a precision engineer like myself and thus dont have a clue about engines.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 16

Bengie

6

Exactly Sam. Today they are 'technicians' and plug in a computer. If the code doesn't match the problem they are buggered and most of the time they are just plain and simple buggered as they haven't been through a proper indentured apprenticeship.
If you want this done as the consumer regulations say you are entitled to Homeboy, then you need to pull your finger out and get on with it.
As for anyone having the skill, before the thought even enters anyones mind, they need the 'special' tools to do the job with. A head job is not just about a set of spanners.

I've been quoted £958.55 for repairs, is this about right?

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