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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 16, 2024 14:52:58 GMT
And our Fiat 500 has been faultlessly reliable from a mechanical and electrical perspective, but gets through front suspension parts at an astonishing rate for a car that barely does 600 miles per year. No matter what we fix, it cannot last between successive MoTs without developing another annoying clonking from the front end when faced with speedhumps. We are going to try a new garage this year. Is it because your wife is Italian, drives it like she stole it when you're not there, and likes to get airborne at every speed bump?  |
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Post by alf on Oct 17, 2024 9:25:57 GMT
So the results are in! Courtesy of a call from a young lady just now, previously the mechanics called. Anyway it comes to £1800 inc VAT. I was expecting £1500-2000 so this is a good thing. Only the front brakes were replaced (they were corroded on the inside edges from when I got it), but balancing that out the front top strut mounts were replaced on both sides, the noisy one had detached and the other was delaminating. I'm guessing the "hmm that's not ideal "sound was delaminating, and the "OMFG I need to get this fixed now" sound was when it detached, since when I've barely driven it.
The service became an oil change only, its not due a service for a year and I didn't want to mess up the indicator lights etc, just wanted oil. But that's not much difference in cost. I had added two more electrical bits to the list as well, the numberplate lights were flapping about and one of the 12V sockets didn't work.
The brake parts on the 987 are cheap as chips, very "normal car" prices hence my optimism. I expect they charged a fair bit for the battery compared to what I could buy it for, but I'm over buying bits and taking them with me!
So that leaves me enough from my ALF to do both the Alfa rear shocks along with the service in Jan. I'll keep the un-shagged one in case its needed not long before getting rid.... But I'll do the pair as amazing ride and damping is one of the big plus points of the Quad. The Boxster is a much rougher ride despite being on adaptice dampers and only 18" wheels with the highest-profile tyres.
On the Porsche that takes me to £922 a year for SMR over 4 years, which - considering I use a top place and keep it A1 - is very decent. Again like with Quads I'm sure there are plenty who sell them after 2-3 years saying they never spent more than a service, but that's storing up issues for the next person.
One funny thing on the Porsche is how consistent they are over the years. In Racing's post where recent 911's are linked to, they still have nigh on the same electric/memory seat buttons as my 987/997 era ones.... I still think the 987 is an increadible bargain in the current car climate. On the continent they sell for more than they do here. I blame Clarkson's "can't afford a 911" comments - which are ironic given just how closely the engineering and parts are shared.
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Post by Martin on Oct 17, 2024 9:32:10 GMT
Good result. That's pretty much what I expected when you remove the rear discs/pads (c£600 from my £1,500 guess) and sub £1k a year is pretty good for the age imho.
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Post by alf on Oct 17, 2024 10:42:24 GMT
Good result. That's pretty much what I expected when you remove the rear discs/pads (c£600 from my £1,500 guess) and sub £1k a year is pretty good for the age imho. £650 is the (online) cost of the the complete Brembo OE spec front and rear pads, discs, shims, sensors, the lot - and not even from a discount place. 987 brake parts are peanuts for this sort of car. www.design911shop.com/porsche/boxster-987-32-34l-2005-08-08/brake-pads---disc-package/The conversation started with "such and such spent all of Tuesday and yesterday working on your car" which had me worried - usually a lot of labour on older cars! They did do the front duct as well, for which I imagine the bumper comes off. They're very good at repelacing corroded/perished bits as they go along. A big chunk of the bill will be labour. All in all, a good result. A grand a year is what mags used to (a decade or so ago) say you needed to set aside something like an older Porsche. These days, you need to hope nothing big fails if that's all you set aside! |
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Post by johnc on Oct 17, 2024 11:21:12 GMT
Good result there. Strange how you can smile when asked for £1,800!
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Post by alf on Oct 17, 2024 14:58:28 GMT
It's always had a brake vibration, and a worsening suspension noise on very bad road surfaces (often exactly the B-roads this car is so good on). Plus the battery was not amazing and I was faffing about with solar chargers and so on. If that's all sorted, it's worth it to me!
The brake rust was annoying - the brakes looked nearly new when I bought it, but the inside edges of the front discs either already were, or became, very rusty. I think these cars channel air onto them for cooling, but in the UK that means water gets channeled as well. I always warm them off after washing, and make them decently hot on my weekly "proper" drive in it, which is the bare minimum - its usually driven at least twice a week, I'm well aware of the issues of brakes not getting properly hot regularly and the discs rusting through, but it still happened. I think they were already well on the way when I got it as they always squealed, then vibrated as well.
In central London it must be very hard to get the brakes hot enough, often enough, on a performance car...
Looking through the bill, it's all thoroughly reasonable. Less pr part and for labour that I expected. I could have saved probably £3-400 by not having the radiator ducting - always missing on my car - fitted, but it looked a bit weird being able to see so much behind the bumper so I just wanted it sorted!
Just a single brake disc (front or rear), or just the front set of pads, on the Alfa costs more than the pair of front discs/pads/shims/sensors on the Porsche.
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Post by Martin on Oct 17, 2024 15:37:12 GMT
With the work that’s been done, you should really be able to tell the difference which makes spending the money so much easier. When you spend a large sum for a service and it feels exactly the same afterwards it’s more painful.
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Post by Big Blue on Oct 17, 2024 18:07:38 GMT
Great result. Makes one consider a Porsche….
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Post by alf on Oct 18, 2024 16:28:40 GMT
Woohoo - its back, the brakes are silent, the suspension is silent, and everything else is as noisy as it should be. It's just such a lovely thing to drive even following typical traffic. I'll have to take it out and "charge up the new battery" this weekend  They don't have lot of stock in at the moment on their website, but the site is alwats crawling with lovely cars with mine about the average of the age. A single disc (front or rear), or just the set of front pads, on the Alfa costs more than the pair of front discs/pads/shims/sensors on the Porsche. The prices they have charged are really reasonable across the board. Putting in the always-missing ducting for the rads behind the front bumper -highly optional - cost me £3-400 but I wanted it right as it looked a bit weird. |
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Post by PG on Oct 19, 2024 7:01:10 GMT
Good result there. Strange how you can smile when asked for £1,800! Yep, we've all been conditioned to expect a fiscal raping all too often, and therefore just a robust fondle now makes us feel grateful. |
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