Hi Sam
samuelodog wrote:wheel adjustment/alignment - £25
wheel rebalancing - £25
You can get these done at a tyre shop, they can give you a quote to compare prices, try
kwik fit (click here) and
F1 Autocentres. Tracking (alignment) will save premature tyre wear. Balance improves ride. Book online to guarantee the online price
samuelodog wrote:New brake fluid and system flush - £32
This can be a real pain to do if the nipples are seized, brake fluid (and the clutch fluid as its the same system) is £12 to £20 for 5L, check
here at euro car parts, which makes £32 quite good value. Brake fluid does need changing every so often, although many don't bother. How is you brake pedal feel?
samuelodog wrote:Drive shaft CV boot split - £8 with £56 labour
Inner or outer? Outer is easier to do yourself, inner is more difficult and involved. If you don't do it soon, you will need to change the CV joint or the entire drive shaft before long.
Outer boots can be replaced with a
split kit as the cheapest option, but not as durable as a proper
replacement outer boot, but you will need to remove the hub nut to get access.
samuelodog wrote:x2 pieces exhaust needed - Back box -£47
and mid section - £94
Wow, I am surprised its even got an MOT test. You can get exhaust parts from here
or seek the advice of an exhaust fast fit, like
kwik fit (click here) and
F1 Autocentres, or find prices for parts from
here. It can be tricky to do these yourself and if they are not done, noise pollution will increase and exhaust fumes may enter the cabin.
samuelodog wrote:Passenger side front suspension spring need replacing, coils are touching -£37-£74 labour
You will have to do both springs to retain balance across the axle, if the springs are off, do the dampers too if they have not been done. You may also need to replace lower ball joint and possibly a track rod end. The parts are all available from
Euro car parts, and a typical C3 front spring is
available here - you will need 2 and its not advised to do these yourself if you don't know what you are doing because the springs can be dangerous. If you don't change the faulty suspension components, braking, steering and ride will be affected.
samuelodog wrote:Driver side anti roll bar link split - £9 - £16 labor
Do both sides for this while doing the 2 front shock absorbers and springs and there should be no extra labour charge as these links will be removed anyway. Best to just change the whole bar.
samuelodog wrote:alternator belt cracked and perished - £14 -labour £28
They do look like that after a while. Its a preventative suggestion as a filed belt will cause A/C and charging to stop working. Its not too bad to do yourself, the belt is cheap, varies on car spec, should have been done with the cam belt.
samuelodog wrote:Brakes - rear brake drums at max diameter - £92 each, plus shoes for them - £30 each, + wheel bearings £37 each
You can easily fit new drums with bearing already fitted, but the shoes can be tricky if you have never done shoes before.
If you get the bearings separately from the drum you will need a bearing press, best to get a pair of already mounted bearings, like
this from Pagid and euro car parts. It will save hassle if you don't have a bearing press set-up.
If you want to tackle the shoes yourself, get some
brake cleaner and a kit of the fixings for the shoes if they are not already supplied.
samuelodog wrote:Do I sell the car - it drives fine! I had no idea about any of the above - am I being had?!
Car is only worth about 2 grand as it is!
Labour is the biggest cost for old cars, so have a go yourself. Check the
haynes manual for help even if its to get advice whether to tackle it yourself of get someone else to do it.
Some of your jobs (suspension and drive shafts) are linked in a way that they should be all done at the same time to reduce the number of times things need to be dismantled. This saves on labour and you will need to plan your jobs around this to save wasted man hours.
