Lemon Allroad 2.5tdi 2001

[Allroadie]

Car died - expensive

[crx16]

can i be your mechanic ?

Knocking from front suspension. Ball joints worn. Arm replaced.

Brake caliper seized - new caliper and disks and pads on both sides. £1500 ish.

seriously?

caliper reconditioned 2yr warrenty £50

disks £60

pads £35

arms £67 pair

Half a days labour £?

I could go on

[iwaters]

Has your mechainc recently retired to his newly aquired Carribean villa?

£9k for a new engine in a car you only paid £8K for originally?

£1.5K for new calipers, disks and pads?

You've been had.

[allan_audi]

Wow, sounds like you have been seriously had!!

Why buy a new engine, why not just get the heads reconditioned or even new at a fraction of 9k!

They are expensive and testing at times but come on...........

[Eshrules]

I'm a little confused.

"They took the oil filler cap off and spotted that the camshafts were worn badly."

they managed to assess the condition of the entire engine through the oil filler cap?

and on the basis of this, you replaced the entire engine?

I know this is going to sound harsh, but I think your post is more a warning of how easily people can be misled, as opposed to how 'unreliable' certain VAG cars are.

[kid-jensen]

Allrodie,

My deepest sympathies, but it does soumd like you should be looking for a new mechanic. Those prices are way OTT..

That being said, I can understand you "just want it fixed" and the bills have a habit of adding up (+VAT, sir).

If you can find a good local independant, running an Allroad shouldn't be such a wallet emptying exercise.

A kitchen fitter came round to estimate the job the other day, turned out to be an old school friend.. He admitted that he works out the price from the size of the house, TV and cars in the drive... These things count.

Did you drive into the garage in an Armarni Suit, wearing a Rolex on each wrist?

[NickPicks]

Can I be your mechanic aswell? I've got no formal qualifications, but I'm sure I could replace all your discs, pads and callipers for a lot less than £1500. I know mine didn't cost that much on any car I've ever owned.

I'd have investigated the options of getting the cams replaced of the heads reconditioned rather than replacing the whole engine. 1cm of wear - are you sure it's not 1mm?

Do bear in mind that the car is 9 years old, and was very expensive and complicated when new, so running costs and servicing are not going to be as cheap as for a new supermini.

You wait until the air suspension starts leaking.

New tyres are a fact of life every year or so.

And I'd have got someone like Crasher to do the things I couldn't do it myself.

Sorry, but for some of those prices, you've been badly advised / seen coming.

[paul b]

It isn't your car that's the main problem, it's your monkey of a mechanic to be frank.

Those quotes (almost each and every one of them) are ridiculous, your mechanic should be a millionaire.

[Allroadie]

most kind

[iwaters]

I think your mechanic wants you to buy a 2.7 bi turbo. Engine out to replace the turbos on that. He'll probably want about £20K for that.