Maintenance Price- £170- ARB+ handbreak

[XPC91]

Hi Guys,
FR's costin me a mint again...
I've got a serious knock every time the wheels go round, which after 1500 miles has been diagnosed as the Anti Roll Bar.
Also, handbreaks fubared, and at one side needs a new cable and the other side needs a new caliper

Is £170 a good price?

Also, I need to fit headlight washers and auto-levellers to my HID's before the MOT in the summer. Has anyone got any idea how much this costs? And how hard is it lol

Finally, my cars a 54 plate FR TDi, with 127k on the clock. I'm looking to sell I think once the works been done, and am looking for an esitmation of what its worth. Its got a few wee scratches but nothing major, and I've been offered £2400 from Arnold Clark as a trade in against a 56 Smart ForFour CDI. Just wondered what you guys thought it could be worth :/ Runs minted btw

 

[rf860]

Hi Guys,
FR's costin me a mint again...
I've got a serious knock every time the wheels go round, which after 1500 miles has been diagnosed as the Anti Roll Bar.
Also, handbreaks fubared, and at one side needs a new cable and the other side needs a new caliper

Is £170 a good price?

Also, I need to fit headlight washers and auto-levellers to my HID's before the MOT in the summer. Has anyone got any idea how much this costs? And how hard is it lol

Finally, my cars a 54 plate FR TDi, with 127k on the clock. I'm looking to sell I think once the works been done, and am looking for an esitmation of what its worth. Its got a few wee scratches but nothing major, and I've been offered £2400 from Arnold Clark as a trade in against a 56 Smart ForFour CDI. Just wondered what you guys thought it could be worth :/ Runs minted btw

why not just take the hids out before mot time? I doubt it would be cheap to install headlight washers and autolevellers...

I think £2400 is quite a fair price considering the mileage the car has covered tbh. Smart ForFour (keep the FR imo!)

 

[RUM4MO]

why not just take the hids out before mot time? I doubt it would be cheap to install headlight washers and autolevellers...

I think £2400 is quite a fair price considering the mileage the car has covered tbh. Smart ForFour (keep the FR imo!)

Yup, I agree, but as the rules on aftermarket HIDs are so vague you might not need to fit "wash and level" - these parts were mandated by Europe for "in factory" fitment only.

Again, when the ARB fails it does make quite a lot of noise, maybe clamp it/trap it to where it should be using a couple of pairs of jubilee clips until you get it fixed (outboard of the brackets). I'd think that you would have found the cheap solution to your handbrake sticking - if it has rear discs, on this forum, if that was done in time you should have been able to avoid replacing any cables I'd reckon.

 

[XPC91]

I would change the HID's before the MOT, but tbh I don't have the headlight fittings (if there is any... I didn't install them) or the old bulbs. Plus the state I keep my car in, it could be handy having light washers!

I've found the thing about a spring for the caliper, so am gonna print it n take it to my mechanic, see what he says.

A Smart ForFour was me trying to save money... bad times! But I need something cheap to insure in Garnethill or somewhere stupidly expensive in Glasgow, and one of those seemed strangely cheap :/ The FR wouldn't be an option! Looked at a 207GT yesterday, and have been thinking about just going back to a Xsara but getting the VTR 110 HDi, or a VTS 2.0 with 170 brake.. not sure though. Love the Ibiza but its costing me plenty!

 

[rf860]

I would change the HID's before the MOT, but tbh I don't have the headlight fittings (if there is any... I didn't install them) or the old bulbs. Plus the state I keep my car in, it could be handy having light washers!

I've found the thing about a spring for the caliper, so am gonna print it n take it to my mechanic, see what he says.

A Smart ForFour was me trying to save money... bad times! But I need something cheap to insure in Garnethill or somewhere stupidly expensive in Glasgow, and one of those seemed strangely cheap :/ The FR wouldn't be an option! Looked at a 207GT yesterday, and have been thinking about just going back to a Xsara but getting the VTR 110 HDi, or a VTS 2.0 with 170 brake.. not sure though. Love the Ibiza but its costing me plenty!

seriously, the installation of head light washers will cost you a bomb, plus finding somewhere that will be able to actually install them might be an issue as well. On my car, they work when your have the headlights on and on every third scoosh of the window washers, probably quite a lot or wiring/programming involved in getting that set up. Just wash your car more often

Autolevellers, i have no idea about tbh. I know that the parts would need to be aftermarket anyway as the ibiza only came with autolevellers with the bi-xenon headlights which are very rare.

I actually quite like the look of the 207GT, but would never buy french tbh, company car at our work is a megane and its pretty problematic and ****!

 

[XPC91]

seriously, the installation of head light washers will cost you a bomb, plus finding somewhere that will be able to actually install them might be an issue as well. On my car, they work when your have the headlights on and on every third scoosh of the window washers, probably quite a lot or wiring/programming involved in getting that set up. Just wash your car more often

Autolevellers, i have no idea about tbh. I know that the parts would need to be aftermarket anyway as the ibiza only came with autolevellers with the bi-xenon headlights which are very rare.

I actually quite like the look of the 207GT, but would never buy french tbh, company car at our work is a megane and its pretty problematic and ****!

Lol I couldn't imagine installing the washers just to go off with the window skoosher would be pretty simple- just divert a few pipes here and there

Autolevelers.. I'm not sure about, but apparantly my dads octavia has them as standard (well its got Xenon's), so I'd imagine VAG do some kinda part which could be fitted.

The 207GT was awesome- lime green, 1.6, full leather, panaramic roof. But tbh doing 30k a year, a petrol isn't practical. Derv is clearly the way forward I remember your associates cars being quite nice... apart from 2 mondeo's which had seen better days! My work's got a tranny and a Smart ForTwo... both of which I'm not allowed to drive, and both of which are pure biders!

 

[rf860]

Lol I couldn't imagine installing the washers just to go off with the window skoosher would be pretty simple- just divert a few pipes here and there

Autolevelers.. I'm not sure about, but apparantly my dads octavia has them as standard (well its got Xenon's), so I'd imagine VAG do some kinda part which could be fitted.

The 207GT was awesome- lime green, 1.6, full leather, panaramic roof. But tbh doing 30k a year, a petrol isn't practical. Derv is clearly the way forward I remember your associates cars being quite nice... apart from 2 mondeo's which had seen better days! My work's got a tranny and a Smart ForTwo... both of which I'm not allowed to drive, and both of which are pure biders!

Forgott to mention that you need the bigger washer bottle as well!

Lime green not to my taste lol! But yeah, diesel is the way forward!

Tbh, all the company cars we have are in terrible nick. My boss kenny has got a civic that is a year old, only been washed once when it was serviced a week ago! Scratched and dented all over, not good! A guy at my work bought his old Leon FR tdi which was'nt too bad condition but it had been thrashed all it's life by all the guys in the work (inc myself ) and now he has all sorts of problems with injectors failing, coolants leaks etc etc.

 

[XPC91]

Forgott to mention that you need the bigger washer bottle as well!

Lime green not to my taste lol! But yeah, diesel is the way forward!

Tbh, all the company cars we have are in terrible nick. My boss kenny has got a civic that is a year old, only been washed once when it was serviced a week ago! Scratched and dented all over, not good! A guy at my work bought his old Leon FR tdi which was'nt too bad condition but it had been thrashed all it's life by all the guys in the work (inc myself ) and now he has all sorts of problems with injectors failing, coolants leaks etc etc.

Lime green was the colour of my first Fiat... Good times! I'm reluctant to buy french cos my old xsara was so costly, BUT my 106 was a trooper.

I'd never touch an ex-company car. 9/10 times theyre gonna have been treated pretty badly. I'm considering buying my dads 07 Octavia elegance with 100k on the clock, cos its to be replaced this summer with a small 4x4, but thats quite pricey tbh, and a bit big and less nippy or quality overall than the FR. Only reason I'm tempted is cos its been so reliable, and the first sign of trouble since the day it came from the showroom has been sorted within the day by a Skoda dealers. Of all the directors in his company, hes got the cheapest, most basic car, yet the most reliable, well maintained and value for money from it! F**k yer BM's, Merc's and Lexus!

 

[RUM4MO]

The other issue with the headlight washer is that they need high pressure liquid supply as they get driven up with this pressure then collapse down when the water escapes out the nozzles - as said in no way simple or cheap - pump is either £50 or £70 - I can't remember but I did need to change one on my B5 Passat and Polo and others use the same pump.

 

[Scott-o]

You'll pass mot with hids anyway, knowone cares aslong as they are set to the correct level. If it fails a tenners worth of bulbs is cheaper than a few hundred quid of parts and labour.

Sounds like you have a pretty bad car history, a smart isn't gonna help