Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

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cawkwana
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Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by cawkwana » Sat Oct 28, 2017 2:49 pm

We have a 1998 V6 2.5l tin top that we bought in 2010 (when it had just been imported) for 6K from Robbie Manley in Barnstaple. For the past 7 happy years, no repairs have been needed.

HOWEVER, a full service this week has revealed several issues that will cost 2K to repair. These include:
* new ABS pump (has to be ordered from Japan)(that's 1K itself)
* replacing the off and near side lower ball joints
* replace rocker cover gasket and bolt seals
* repair wiring for central locking (not major)

(The rear brake pads also needed changing - but we have asked for this to be done so at least we can drive the van slowly home while we work out a solution)

We are not sure whether we should spend the money in the hope that the van lasts another few years, or whether we cut our loses and buy a new one. If we bought a new one, we would love to trade-in our current van - but does it have any value with all of these repairs needing to be done?

We are really sad that we have been presented with this list of errors as we thought our Bongo was bullet proof.

Any advice as to what we should do would be gratefully received!

Carl and Lucy
Bob
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by Bob » Sat Oct 28, 2017 3:41 pm

Hi

Don't wish to sound harsh, but any vehicle will need a few things sorted after 7 years.

Ball joints, gasket, brake pads, simple fix on central locking (normaly free diy)... Honestly this is just every day wear and tear.

ABS Pump, again the vehicle is 17 years old, there's 'bullet proof' and there's 'stuff ages'.

I don't know if that is a reasonable price for it, but are you using a Bongo Savvy garage? They will have access to parts here, while most others will just order from Mazda main agents/Japan with associated high prices. Main agents don't want to know about grey imports.

I would get a price from one of the experts known on here.

Good luck. :)
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mikeonb4c
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by mikeonb4c » Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:57 pm

Excellent advice from Bob. Not heard of an ABS pump going before. Could a 2nd one perhaps be got cheap from a breakers like Bongo Spares. Sounds like a good motor just needing a bit of tlc. Good luck and keep us posted.
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:31 am

I was going to say the same as above. The abs pump isn't a common failure so probably worth a punt on a second hand one. Bongo spares will probably be able to supply one to fit at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

The other bits aren't major and shouldn't cost much, not quite sure how you get to 2k as there doesn't seem to be a grands worth of labor and parts after the grand for the pump.

Shop around, get a few quotes from bongo specialists. You can tell them exactly what is needed.

I will be honest though, that a 19 year old tin top v6 with the above problems won't be worth much. You haven't mentioned it being converted so I presume it isn't. So without mot and with a list of repairs being needed I wouldn't think it was worth much more than scrap value.

Have a look at what they're selling for at that age with full mot and decide from there if it is worth it.

Also another thing to factor in, is the body work. Is there any damage? Is any rust showing through? What condition are the arches in?
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by teenmal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:13 am

Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic will not fit Second hand parts unless they are professionally refurbished with a Certificate.

We are talking about the wee bits that stops the vehicle and saves peeps lives.

Take extra Care.
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mikeonb4c
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by mikeonb4c » Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:50 am

teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:13 am Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic will not fit Second hand parts unless they are professionally refurbished with a Certificate.

We are talking about the wee bits that stops the vehicle and saves peeps lives.

Take extra Care.
Thanks teenmal, i'd not realised it was a safety critical component. Do ABS vehicles not have an old fashioned master cylinder then to take care of braking even without ABS working?
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:52 pm

teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:13 am Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic will not fit Second hand parts unless they are professionally refurbished with a Certificate.

We are talking about the wee bits that stops the vehicle and saves peeps lives.

Take extra Care.
I've got to say I kind of disagree on this one. The abs pump on my bongo is something like 5th hand, and is 18 years old yet I trust it every day. If something went wrong with it, I would replace it to make the system safe again but wouldn't hesitate at fitting a used one as that would be no different to the one that was fitted when I bought the bongo.

Used one from Bongo Spares is £110: http://www.bongospares.co.uk/shop/elect ... dule-pump/

Quite a difference from £1000 and maybe enough of a saving to keep a Bongo on the road compared to needing to write it off as uneconomical to repair.
teenmal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by teenmal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 3:50 pm

sotal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:52 pm
teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:13 am Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic will not fit Second hand parts unless they are professionally refurbished with a Certificate.

We are talking about the wee bits that stops the vehicle and saves peeps lives.

Take extra Care.
I've got to say I kind of disagree on this one. The abs pump on my bongo is something like 5th hand, and is 18 years old yet I trust it every day. If something went wrong with it, I would replace it to make the system safe again but wouldn't hesitate at fitting a used one as that would be no different to the one that was fitted when I bought the bongo.

Used one from Bongo Spares is £110: http://www.bongospares.co.uk/shop/elect ... dule-pump/

Quite a difference from £1000 and maybe enough of a saving to keep a Bongo on the road compared to needing to write it off as uneconomical to repair.

As I Said "Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic" if you are one I would disagree with you. Its up to the bus ticket mechanic what he does with his own vehicle. The only complication for them is INSURANCE, if "God Forbid" they are in a accident and the Insurance gets wind of them using second-hand brake and some other parts they will revoke the insurance policy, BRAKES are High on the List of Insurance Scrutiny.
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 4:24 pm

teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 3:50 pm
sotal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:52 pm
teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:13 am Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic will not fit Second hand parts unless they are professionally refurbished with a Certificate.

We are talking about the wee bits that stops the vehicle and saves peeps lives.

Take extra Care.
I've got to say I kind of disagree on this one. The abs pump on my bongo is something like 5th hand, and is 18 years old yet I trust it every day. If something went wrong with it, I would replace it to make the system safe again but wouldn't hesitate at fitting a used one as that would be no different to the one that was fitted when I bought the bongo.

Used one from Bongo Spares is £110: http://www.bongospares.co.uk/shop/elect ... dule-pump/

Quite a difference from £1000 and maybe enough of a saving to keep a Bongo on the road compared to needing to write it off as uneconomical to repair.

As I Said "Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic" if you are one I would disagree with you. Its up to the bus ticket mechanic what he does with his own vehicle. The only complication for them is INSURANCE, if "God Forbid" they are in a accident and the Insurance gets wind of them using second-hand brake and some other parts they will revoke the insurance policy, BRAKES are High on the List of Insurance Scrutiny.
Do you have any evidence to back this claim up?

Has there ever been a case where someone has had a crash and an insurance company has said - "oh, they had a second hand ABS modulator fitted - we won't pay out"?

As I said above everything was 2nd hand/used when I bought the bongo. I have no idea what kind of abuse any of the parts have had. Am I going to replace them all with new parts just in case? - No.

How do you know that your Bongo didn't have a 2nd hand ABS Modulator fitted a week before you bought it?
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by teenmal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:22 pm

sotal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 4:24 pm
teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 3:50 pm
sotal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:52 pm

I've got to say I kind of disagree on this one. The abs pump on my bongo is something like 5th hand, and is 18 years old yet I trust it every day. If something went wrong with it, I would replace it to make the system safe again but wouldn't hesitate at fitting a used one as that would be no different to the one that was fitted when I bought the bongo.

Used one from Bongo Spares is £110: http://www.bongospares.co.uk/shop/elect ... dule-pump/

Quite a difference from £1000 and maybe enough of a saving to keep a Bongo on the road compared to needing to write it off as uneconomical to repair.

As I Said "Any self respecting professional Garage / Mechanic" if you are one I would disagree with you. Its up to the bus ticket mechanic what he does with his own vehicle. The only complication for them is INSURANCE, if "God Forbid" they are in a accident and the Insurance gets wind of them using second-hand brake and some other parts they will revoke the insurance policy, BRAKES are High on the List of Insurance Scrutiny.
Do you have any evidence to back this claim up?

Has there ever been a case where someone has had a crash and an insurance company has said - "oh, they had a second hand ABS modulator fitted - we won't pay out"?

As I said above everything was 2nd hand/used when I bought the bongo. I have no idea what kind of abuse any of the parts have had. Am I going to replace them all with new parts just in case? - No.

How do you know that your Bongo didn't have a 2nd hand ABS Modulator fitted a week before you bought it?
Most people wont know and the Insurance Company Legal team wont know ...But it is certain that they can find out with Your Vehicle...


" The abs pump on my bongo is something like 5th hand, and is 18 years old yet I trust it every day. If something went wrong with it, I would replace it to make the system safe again but wouldn't hesitate at fitting a used one as that would be no different to the one that was fitted when I bought the bongo."


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Take extra care.
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:30 pm

I'll take that as a "No" then to the question of if you have any evidence of that happening!

It is 'common practice' to fit second hand parts, it may not be 'best practice' but it is still common. A lot of insurance policies even state that second hand parts may be used to repair your car in the event of an accident.

The process of moving an ABS modulator from one car to another won't change its performance. I also don't know of any case where an insurance company has been able to claim that your insurance is invalid because a second hand working part was fitted.

I'll be happy to change my opinion if you can provide any evidence to back up your claims.
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by mikeonb4c » Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:37 pm

Just to quietly repeat my original question:

Does failure of an ABS modulator = complete brake failure?

Happily my old Bongo doesn't have ABS, airbags, variable vane turbo, digital aircon etc so the question is academic
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:47 pm

mikeonb4c wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:37 pm Just to quietly repeat my original question:

Does failure of an ABS modulator = complete brake failure?

Happily my old Bongo doesn't have ABS, airbags, variable vane turbo, digital aircon etc so the question is academic
In my, admittedly limited, experience - no. Pulling the fuse for the ABS modulator stops the ABS from functioning but you still have brakes. I guess it depends on the fault though as if the modulator is leaking brake fluid then this would have a detrimental effect on the brakes.
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by teenmal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 8:04 pm

Going back to my last rant ....A wee bit of useless information.

http://garagewire.co.uk/news/risk-facto ... ied-parts/


Thoir an aire
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sotal
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Re: Advice needed: repair or trade-in?

Post by sotal » Sun Oct 29, 2017 8:30 pm

teenmal wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2017 8:04 pm Going back to my last rant ....A wee bit of useless information.

http://garagewire.co.uk/news/risk-facto ... ied-parts/


Thoir an aire
Bit of a mix of responses within that article.

I've got to say in all my time of driving, I have never asked a garage to fit anything that I have supplied. I have fitted second hand parts but I've done that myself.

Our Bongo is currently out of action as the radiator is leaking, however I just phoned Ian Taylor and asked him to order them and fit them! If I had more time I might have bought the parts myself and fitted them but at the price they cost it would have been new parts - just not worth fitting second hand parts to save a small amount. However saving £900 would be a different story.
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