As an early 40th birthday present, around 5 months ago, my parents very generously gave me £4000 to buy a half decent car. I've been driving since I was 17 and have never owned a car worth more than £1000 so when I bought my 2012 black Vauxhall Astra, compared to my previous cars it was luxurious. Air conditioning, a digital display, doors you can lock using the key fob, a radio with a CD player that I could play loud without distortion. It was marvelous !!
Everything was going well until a few weeks ago when I started to hear a screeching sound coming from the engine. I'd heard it before many times coming from other cars, some far louder than mine. It was the fan belt and I said to myself that I would get it looked at soon.
More recently, the noise seemed to go away but I think now that this was probably because the alternator/fan belt had started to perish.
On Sunday, we decided to drive out to Dartmoor for a walk, but before we had even left Plymouth the car suddenly lost power before coming to a complete stop. There was no bang or smoke or anything like that, Vickie the Vauxhall just died, and try as I might, I could not revive her.
I switched on the hazard lights to warn the approaching cars (it was just my luck to break down on an A road) and popped open the bonnet. I could see straight away what had happened. The fan belt had snapped and partially melted. It didn't look good but what concerned me was that the car would not even turn over. There was still plenty of charge in the battery and even without the alternator/fan belt, the engine should still crank but it was completely dead.
Luckily, I had chosen to pay the extra for roadside recovery when I renewed my car insurance so I was able to get the car towed to a local garage.
I got a call yesterday from the garage to say that when the alternator belt snapped it had impacted on the cam belt which had broken and damaged my engine, pretty badly by the sounds of it (pistons and head were mentioned). I've been told that I will probably need a new engine.
I am absolutely gutted. There are a few breaker yards in Plymouth but a second hand reconditioned engine is going to cost around £1000 and once you add the 10-15 hours of labour I will be charged into the bargain, I suspect I will have a repair bill approaching £2000.
If it were not for my father in laws offer to lend us the money, I would have had little option but to leave Vicky sat in the garage.
I don't really want to be £1500-£2000 in debt with my father in law so am considering selling the car once it is repaired to pay him back, then using whatever is left over to buy something cheap and cheerful but I'm not sure. I've gotten used to driving something comfortable that feels decent and I don't want to go back.
Poor me and my first world problems. Whatever shall I do?
Perhaps a megawhale will upvote me and cover the repair costs with their SBD rewards
Who knows? (That was rhetorical, unless you do, in which case, I'm all ears)
Thanks for reading
Stay safe
Jim
Sorry to hear from your misfortune my friend. Have you considered getting a second opinion on the damage? I find it hard to believe that a snapped alternator belt could cause damage to the pistons. This sounds VERY strange. Maybe another mechanic could fix your car much cheaper...
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I've spoken to the mechanic and he hasn't actually removed the head to see the full extent of the damage but he has now agreed that unless something really catastrophic has happened, I shouldn't need a new engine. He's calling me in the next day or two to let me know the damage (both financially and mechanically). Thanks for taking the time to reply. I wanted to upvote your comment but I've lost my slider after delegating 250SP and can now only upvote at 100% until I get another 100SP. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
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Unfortunately my upvote is around 0.01...
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Mine is worth 0.12. Here, have one. Thanks for your support.
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pocketsend:1000@ronaldoavelino, a virtual tip for you.
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Successful Send of 1000
Sending Account: jimbobbill
Receiving Account: ronaldoavelino
New sending account balance: 992146
New receiving account balance: 999
Fee: 1
Steem trxid: 039728f4ff6089efab2b9a95d049e0716cc14c90
Thanks for using POCKET! I am running this confirmer code.
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I thank you, my friend, but what was sent and what is pocket?
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Thank you for your continued support of SteemSilverGold
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That you and I 'need' a car is sadly part of the great ongoing con. :c/
Genuinely very sorry for the loss of your engine. Are you sure the mechanic isn't trumping up the damages? Have you checked online forums to see if that kind of damage is even possible from a belt?
Yeah... cars and their noises need to be tended too sooner rather than later. Otherwise pain and expenses ensue. ¬_¬
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OOooh that's super terrible JimBobBill!!! 100% upvote from me!!!
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pocketsend:1000@lyndsaybowes, Thanks Lynds you’re a gem x
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Successful Send of 1000
Sending Account: jimbobbill
Receiving Account: lyndsaybowes
New sending account balance: 993146
New receiving account balance: 1000999
Fee: 1
Steem trxid: 2ee1efdd0e7cc43617023af508a139baecb12e9e
Thanks for using POCKET! I am running this confirmer code.
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You are a daft bugger, when a car starts squealing it needs some loving, and I know it is easy for me to say as a mechanical engineer, but and a big but, to stop that noise would have taken 5 minutes and 1 spanner to adjust and tighten or change that belt. I would say also your mechanic is having you at it, the damage from a snapped or slipped cam belt is bent valves, the valves are on top of the engine in the head, I doubt very much a valve has damaged a piston beyond repair, so the bottom of the engine should be fine, I have changed 1000's of bent valves due to snapped cam belts, not once had to change a complete engine "ever" hence he is having you at it.
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You're absolutely right. I am a daft bugger. I am annoyed with myself for not getting it looked at sooner. I've spoken to the garage and they have yet to remove the head to see the damage to the engine but I mentioned that the damage should be restricted to the valves/pistons and he seemed to agree. A reconditioned engine costs £1000 on its own which will double to repair cost at least. I should hear in the next day or two what the damage is, both mechanically and financially after speaking to the mechanic I think they wil be able to fix it without needing a new engine. I've told him I can't afford a new engine anyway.
Fingers crossed
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Nice one, also if they say it needs new pistons once the head is off, ask to view the pistons and the engine interior, with the head removed they will be perfectly visible, and if no damage, then only valves are required, bringing the cost down to a more realistic couple of hundred quid, any advice you need I am always around or close by. cheers broskie.
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Nice one, also if they say it needs new pistons once the head is off, ask to view the pistons and the engine interior, with the head removed they will be perfectly visible, and if no damage, then only valves are required, bringing the cost down to a more realistic couple of hundred quid, any advice you need I am always around or close by. cheers broskie.
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