What’s your most costly car repair bill?

Several years ago VW identified a defect in the Golf heater matrix. Not only was
my own Golf put through the recall but I managed to save a Swiss colleague
some £100s of pounds after the matrix in his Golf failed and he was then able
to have the repair done under the same recall.

Good point. It is worth checking to see if your vehicle has been recalled: http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/

I am impressed. I thought than brake disks were generally excluded from warranties because they are subject to wear in normal use. Perhaps this was because you had only had the car for six months, even though it was over three years old.

A common recommendation is to use air conditioning periodically even during the winter months, supposedly to keep seals lubricated. I do that anyway to help demisting in winter. The air con was still working fine after ten years without any servicing after ten years, on my last two cars.

Toyota warranties are very comprehensive and cover most parts of the vehicle.
This is in contrast to some aftermarket warranties which can be both vague and
unclear.

I use aircon year round as I consider it an aid to driver safety.

Did you have the defective turbocharger professionally examined ?
Exhausts are a consumable item – was it the original one that failed ?
What engine is fitted to the vehicle ?

Always worth shopping around just to check
the work required and the cost.

Absolutely, but it depends if you can spare the time to shop around if the car is unusable. I was asked to sell a car for a friend and it needed a new clutch. I compared prices and got the job done for less than half the price of the first quote.

Investigating problems at the first sign and doing routine maintenance can avoid big bills and major inconvenience. Even replacing a battery when it becomes weak can save money by allowing you to shop around. Apart from when I bought a faulty battery, I have never needed a jump start in over 40 years driving.

I agree about keeping a good battery
under the bonnet. If the battery is on the way
then the vehicle ends up off the road
often more than once.
This brings up the matter of using original
parts on a vehicle as they go through tests
by the manufacturer for function and reliability.
Its critical to use the correct engine oil
and other fluids.
All season tyres are a great choice in the UK
so that when snow comes your vehicle remains mobile.

Not a lot of choice in this area, but the garage we use is owned by our immediate neighbour so am pretty sure he did not overcharge us, plus word soon gets around in a rural area if people are overcharged

It is prudent to consider replacing these items regularly and hence avoid a costly breakdown.

I will be following up what checks are included in the standard service (They claim to check belt wear). But as I see it, you have to remove the front of the car to even adjust the belt tension (Multi microgroove). So this would be a costly pre-emptive repair, if not included in the service
The front lower suspension gaiters are not replaceable – you have to buy new lower suspension arms (£350) . It is an MOT failure, so has to be done. It is possible to shop around and fit spurious “zip on” gaiters, but there is a time element.

I have of course asked them to check and if necessary replace anything else perishable, while they have access.

The breakdown itself did not cost me anything directly (except massive inconvenience), as I have breakdown insurance. I could not however use the onward journey hire car, because I do not routinely carry my “Paper part of my driving licence”, a situation that will change! BE WARNED!
So I had to get a taxi home (buses in my part of the world stop at 8pm.), which exceeded the £40 allowance. This seems a bit mean when the hire car must cost them more.

Alternator belts will probably show clear signs of wear long before they fail. When I check the oil and coolant I look at the condition of the belt and hoses. Spotting problems early can save a lot of inconvenience and cost.

Stephen makes a good point about replacing parts that might fail. I do this with batteries and I have never suffered a flat battery in all the time I have been driving, except when a new one proved to be faulty. By shopping around rather than making an emergency purchase I may have saved money, but I am quite sure I have avoided a lot of inconvenience.

My alternator belt was checked only 3000 miles ago, or so it is claimed, but access is so difficult that it may not have been a good check. I’m afraid £220 (The labour cost of removing the front of the car) to check an alternator belt is not cost effective!
Batteries today, particularly high starting current ones for diesels, have been reduced in size so much that they fail by “shorting out”. There is no question of one cell going down, or being able to detect it with a battery check; one minute it is perfect, and the next dead. The current battery is half the size of the one I had in my last car, but the battery tray is simply not big enough.
The last two battery failures (on different cars) occurred after being left parked for two weeks for a holiday. Another one occurred in a “second” car, which is not used much in the winter. If a car is used infrequently, then I recommend the use of a trickle charger at least once a month.

Purchase the Haynes Manual for your vehicle.
Waxoyl clear aerosol is a great rust preventer all round your vehicle.
Use WD40 to displace moisture.
Source cleaning materials from Halfords to keep your vehicle looking new.

I’d get your garage to look over your car. They should be able to give you an idea as to what might be in its way out. See what its worth and whether it might be worth spending money on it. If not, sell it privately while it is still MoTd and mobile and find something else would be my advice. I’ve just faced that decision with an oldish car.
If you keep a car for 10 years it might be worth looking at a new car. There can be big discounts available which brings them nearer to a nearly new (say 9-12 months) but used price. I got 25% off. Maybe decent finance terms as well. You get the spec you want plus a full guarantee, probably a service deal.

Helen – If you bypass the heater the car will be usable, so you could take a few weeks to make a decision about whether to have it repaired or to replace it. A DIY enthusiast would not be put off by this fault because the labour is the main cost of effecting a repair. I don’t know how much the fault would affect the value of the car if you trade it in.

I’m sorry you were charged so much for a new alternator. Specialist firms sell reconditioned alternators and starter motors at very reasonable prices, or will repair them. A friend took my advice and paid £75 for a reconditioned alternator recently. At least with some cars, fitting is simple.

Best of luck.

Helen, wave is correct. If you can find a local handy man and disconnect the two hoses to the heater and join them together
The hoses will be near beside each other going from the engine to the interior through the bulkhead
Most of these hoses are 15/16mmm or 5/8 and if you get yourself 1 x 3/8bsp male male nipple/ cupler from local plumbers and 2 x hose clips that’ll join them up thats all you need. The cupler has threads on the outside which give grip to the hose which it needs. Other than that the threads have no purpose in this case so dont tell the guy at the counter what its for because like everything today if its not designed for the job you’ll be advised against it.
If the hose is a larger 20mm type as 1/2 cupler will do
Alternately you can try radweld and remove the smaller of the two rubber washers on the radiator cap to stop the system being pressurised. That’ll take any pressure off of the system which is your biggest enemy at this point.
Keep the small washer in case you continue and need it again although I have seen 100s run without it. Antifreeze is more important than the pressure to prevent boiling
Then if you can get a young mechanic with no money which should not be too difficult you just might get a new one put in.
Either way like wave suggests either will buy you time. Replacement cars are not cheap so you may want ot have a search around
Hope that helps

Out of interest was this a Toyota dealer’s price? Might be worth taking to an independent for an assessment and a price. Which? trusted traders might show one in your area if you don’t have a contact. You’ve probably thought of this!

I think your user name is not meant for repeating so you’ll remain nameless for me
£800 to diagnose the problem is right off of the ball part. Extortion/rip off/cowboy/thief they all fit in there
A head gasket is usually not a terminal engine rebuild job unless you drove it some distance after it boiled to cause further damage
I can only presume you cannot get the vehicle back without paying this extortionate amount. That being the case I’d tell them to keep it and if they are about to attempt to have a go at you for the money go ahead you’ll see them in court. Then go buy something and when you do dont but a “good brand” Complete waste of money. All these brands are selling you something they no longer have, an advantage. The only advantage they have is their name and you are bound to know just now that their name in reality is dirt
So yes I agree with you although Toyota are far from the worst.
Branded diesel fuel means nothing just as long as you know you didnt get laundered diesel anything else will do.
Hope they negoiate with you for the £800. Its patently obvious they dont want to repair your car Sir but 800. I have heard it all. This takes my breath away. 4500? for repair. Bonkers

GB, you can get alternators rewound. Might be cheaper than forking out for a new one.

Thank you malcolm r. I will mention to garage but I am having trouble finding someone to sort out heater matrix. Is the water definitely coming from the heater matrix and not the rain getting in as I have removed about a gallon with my wet/dry hoover.

If the water is coming from the heater matrix then you will be losing coolant and what gets into the car will smell of antifreeze, assuming this is present in the engine. I had a slight leak into my first car and it turned out to be a rubber plug that had been displaced rather than a faulty heater matrix.

Good man Wave,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I was writing while you were already answered the question

Thanks when I get car back from dealer, they aren’t doing the work you’ll be pleased to hear, I will check coolant but dealer said it was low. Car didn’t seem to smell of antifreeze.

I should have said “refurbished”. . sorry GB. I’ve had 4 done over the years – significantly cheaper solution than a replacement.

MMmmmm

Thanks.

Bad bad diagnosis of both problems
Alternators not charging is a really simple thing to diagnose……………If they cannot manage this it’s time you moved
Yes,,,,,,Alternators can be rewound but it is unlikely to be the windings…………..I could count on my fingers the amount of burned out winding I’ve seen
Even–“Rewind” is just another way to at your money but if your not handy your going to have to take someone’s word for it
………….Some alternators today have their charging controlled from the vehicle ECU rather than having an on board voltage regulator…………Voltage regulator and brushes are the two popular items………………
Take it to an Auto Electrician………….

Heater matrix/water inside……..?????????
This is pretty simple again and this one you’ll figure for yourself………….
If the heater matrix is leaking the engine coolant will need topping up regular…………..
If the coolant is not dropping it is impossible to be the matrix as the heater circulates only engine coolant……………….No coolant used,,,,,,,,,,,,,no leaky matrix

You say a lot of water in the cabin………………A leak that big from the cooling system would most likely have the engine boiling its little head off literally……….
Some of these Korean 4x4s and for certain the Sportage/Tucson had some type of problem with a bulkhead panel that leaks serious amounts of water causing the floor to get wet……………………..My son in law had this very problem but he decided it was time for a change so I cannot advise further………………..I’m assuming the same company uses similar design across its cars…….
He got a couple of silly quotes for the panel which I cant see being a two day job

Hope that helps

I agree with DK that alternator windings are rarely the problem. Specialist companies will rebuild alternators and starter motors remarkably cheaply, and can cope with electrical problems and replacing bearings.

Thanks DeeKay , the water problem I feel is not the coolant. The engine temp has not been increasing and the water has been very dirty.

If it’s just the headlight bulbs that are failing then you might be unlucky, Branny. If other bulbs don’t last long, this suggests that the alternator is producing a higher voltage than it should. A friend has a Toyota Yaris with this problem.

Brake disks and drums can corrode very quickly when cars are exposed to a lot of salt. A poor batch of steel can also be a problem and a friend once showed me the state of the front disks on his Renault Laguna after less than three years. It was unfit to be on the road and had not had its first MOT.

I would have pushed the main dealer for a goodwill payment regarding the timing chain. You also have statutory protection under the Sale of Goods Act (replaced by the Consumer Rights Act in Oct 2015). Years ago I was given a new engine for my three year old VW, two years after the guarantee had expired.