Important! : New/working car needed today! - AA - Clutch Fail

1st September 2012, 08:41

Hi guys,

I was wondering if you could help me today.

Last night I drove to Manchester from Warrington and was at my girlfriends till about 1am - Got in my car to go home and the clutch felt soft, I managed to slot it into reverse, lifted up the clutch and the bite was right on the end and was really weak reversing, kind of like it was go in and out of being engaged.

The same for 1st and 2nd gear etc - so it wasn't drivable.

Called AA out and he had a look at the cable, put the clutch in and said it isn't a self adjusting clutch so its definitely the clutch and not the cable. Unfortunately clutches are now classed as a "Wearable" item. So is not covered by AA and will be £200-300 to replace.

The guy seemed very genuine and told me it isn't really worth it on my old X Reg to fix, as this and any other problems I will just be loosing money.

I need a car for work on monday, don't really want to travel by bus especially in Manchester.

So my questions are really, I have about 1.5k saved for a car so...

Should I buy a new car today? Should I just get a better condition saxo?

Should I try repairing the clutch myself? Is there a step by step guide?

I have never bought a car from someone before [this car was a family give] so i have no idea what to do/expect when going to see/buy one... any help is appreciated

1st September 2012, 09:04

I wouldn't recommend trying to fit a clutch yourself (if you've never done it before) unless you are mechanically minded, have a decent range of tools and a friend to help.
There is a quick guide on here somewhere but it is an awkward job at certain points.

For £1.5k you could get a pretty tidy saxo, they're not worth a great deal these days, do you definitely want another saxo?
Main things to check when buying a car are...

- View it in the daylight and when its dry
- Check the bodywork over
- All numbers match (chassis/engine to the v5 etc)
- Mot & Tax
- Tyres (how much life in them)
- Brakes (as above)
- Check under the bonnet to make sure all fluids are up to correct level (oil, water etc)
- Service history would be ideal
- As part of the service history you want to see if the cambelt has been replaced depending on age.

On a saxo (some of it does apply to other cars too) there are some other things to look out for
- Rust, boot floor, inner arches under ecu & fusebox etc
- Negative camber on the rear wheels, rear wheels will look like this / \ or | \ or / | if the axle is ruined.
Check the water/oil for signs of headgasket failure.
- Drive it and make sure there are no running issues, bangs or knocks and make sure it doesn't overheat.

This is only basic and i'm sure i've missed things but will give you a rough idea.

1st September 2012, 09:25

Thank you so much for the help! I will use this information when looking at cars, not too sure I want a saxo only plus side to it is I am comfortable driving the car, Others are saying to look for a diesel car all saying stuff like a 206 or a Fiesta - I might go to a car auction today and see what I can find

1st September 2012, 09:56

Thought they were all adjustable?

Could get a bargain at an auction but remember they wont all be 'mint'.

Could also try any local dealers/private garages etc, see if they have any unwanted trade ins. My mate picked up a tidy 172 Cup and another was going for a Mk6 Fiesta ZS but was fucked around with on the financial side

1st September 2012, 10:03

Thanks Chris, I thought they were adjustable too, he said something about if it was the clutch cable them the pedal would be loose and probably stick to the floor but it seems fine.

Seems you can get Pug 206 diesels cheap, Suppose its just finding one thats not a shitter.

1st September 2012, 10:17

How much tax & mot left on saxo? Has it been a reliable car?

It might be worth getting the clutch fixed as spending £200 vs spending £1500 on an unproven car!!

1st September 2012, 11:22

4 months tax, MOT till about July next year

Its not really been reliable in the sense that everything feels like its going, makes a lot of strange noises, power steering comes and goes, electrics brake and fix themselves, doesnt feel as 'strong' going through corners

Also the front brake calipers nipples have seized, apparently thats a 300 pound job too.

4th September 2012, 21:51

Update if anyone is interested, I got shafted

Picked up a car from http://www.ttwcarsales.co.uk/ from Gorton, Manchester.

Lets say its the biggest mistake of my life, went to visit a clio which we started up and it was idling badly so decided to look at other cars, saw a 1.25 53 plate mk6 fiesta that I liked.

To cut a long story short, I paid 1260, I have had it toe'd 3 times and checked by a mechanic and has come back with over £1000 pounds worth of faults and is not safe to drive

Speaking to the people at TTE was not great, they wont refund and the cars they offer as replacement will cost more money? and there is none fit for purpose at the price I am looking for.

This became confrontational and the police were involved and now its going through trading standard because as a trader they have no "sold as seen" policy

4th September 2012, 21:57

Get a claim set up through small claims and reject the car by delivering it back to them stating it was sold in an unfit condition. How long did you have it before confronting them?

4th September 2012, 22:29

Bought it on 01/09/12 been advising them of faults since 02/09, had it checked 03/09. Police involved 04/09.

Spoke to citizens advice who have advised me to write a letter to them in which they have 14 days to reply with what action they will take, either a replacement or a full refund.

Its so stressful and has literally put my life on hold, I am off work with stress from this and have major headaches thinking about it constantly.

I have voice recordings of them passing the phone around saying you need to speak to Samir, Samir saying you need to speak to Richard etc.

In the office he was questioning my service/check up list from toyota as this was from a 'Main Dealer' and I dont know how the 'Game' works. At this point I stood up and left.