Car running out of fuel very quickly.

[Craiglxviii]

Come on guys, cut him some slack. Yeah I know he isn't good at taking advice but seriously were any of us at his age?
We all start somewhere and we all learn from our mistakes (eventually).

I think for me, Calum is at the point now where he needs to show that he CAN learn.

 

[d215yq]

You know this car has sills so rusty you can read a newspaper through them, right? He has a 4-5 mile commute, he's better off saving the £ until he can afford a car that isn't 25-30 years old having never had any preventative maintenance in its life...

So if it was me I'd replace the one leaking pipe and then drive it as much as I could until the MOT runs out/something else big breaks. If that's in 6 months then that would be a nicer time to start cycling to work than January. Overall agree though, not worth it for a 4 mile commute unless he uses it a lot at weekends, etc.

Besides, a 10-15yr old car will cost the same as a 25-30yr old car to run, it's just he prefers his older car. I prefer my 30yr old car to the 15yr old alternatives and not just to save money.

 

[Naraic]

Come on guys, cut him some slack. Yeah I know he isn't good at taking advice but seriously were any of us at his age?
We all start somewhere and we all learn from our mistakes (eventually).

He has had slack...plenty of it.

And yes at his age I would have taken advice and acted upon it.

 

[Craiglxviii]

So if it was me I'd replace the one leaking pipe and then drive it as much as I could until the MOT runs out/something else breaks. If that's in 6 months then that would be a nicer time to start cycling to work than January!

The thing is, no-one knows what is next to go on the car. It had something pretty expensive (£800-odd) at the start of the year- cylinder head gasket or something of that ilk- and we know that the longitudinal strength has got to be approaching sagging-under-its-own-weight level due to the sill rot.

Calum so far has shown that he will try to throw money at keeping what he considers a classic, running- while it's bankrupting him through the repair costs as well as only achieving 28mpg on a good day. The car had a long period of not being driven much of at all, now its fuel lines are perishing- the next thing will happen, then the next, then the next.

His safest option is to save up and replace it with something that will stop costing him money continuously, provide a decent return for his fuel allowance and keep him physically safe in the event of a collision.

 

[SL63 Mark]

, it's just he prefers his older car.

Classic car insurance has something to do with it.

 

[Headhurts]

As some have said Callum this job is best undertaken by a proper trained mechanic/technician.

No point messing about with something this important, even if you enjoy tinkering.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[d215yq]

The thing is, no-one knows what is next to go on the car. It had something pretty expensive (£800-odd) at the start of the year- cylinder head gasket or something of that ilk- and we know that the longitudinal strength has got to be approaching sagging-under-its-own-weight level due to the sill rot.

Calum so far has shown that he will try to throw money at keeping what he considers a classic, running- while it's bankrupting him through the repair costs as well as only achieving 28mpg on a good day. The car had a long period of not being driven much of at all, now its fuel lines are perishing- the next thing will happen, then the next, then the next.

His safest option is to save up and replace it with something that will stop costing him money continuously, provide a decent return for his fuel allowance and keep him physically safe in the event of a collision.

Yes but you never know with any car when it will throw up a bill. To replace a pipe for 50 quid it is just not worth the bother of changing it now.

My car was bought in similar circumstances and cost me 1700 in first year repairs. On top of this last March I then had to spend 900 quid more for a HG and valve repair and had I not been in the UK at the time and able to source another Spanish regd car I'd have binned it there and then.

Since then in the last 9 months it's done 20k miles at 50mpg + average, only cost me a puncture repair and I had to refit a leaky water hose which I did myself. Passed the MOT first time so 40 quid all in for 20k miles and other than being overdue an oil change and clutch has high biting point it doesn't really need anything further. So in hindsight glad I fixed it for 900, and had it been 50 quid pipe would have been a no brainer.

 

[d215yq]

Classic car insurance has something to do with it.

I thought he paid 800 quid as a non-classic policy?

I must admit my renewal of 102 Euro for insurance, 53 for breakdown in all of Europe and 0 road tax is one of the reasons I have mine but I understood in the UK it is different and unless it's a second car or over 40yrs old then insurance and road tax is normal price?

 

[Craiglxviii]

I thought he paid 800 quid as a non-classic policy?

I must admit my renewal of 102 Euro for insurance, 53 for breakdown in all of Europe and 0 road tax is one of the reasons I have mine but I understood in the UK it is different and unless it's a second car or over 40yrs old then insurance and road tax is normal price?

He doesn't have a classic policy...

 

[Calumcco]

OK, I have got the two sets of fuel hoses to be replaced £11.98
I have booked it in in a garage up the road, they said it is a "while you wait" repair job and this is going to be done tomorrow.
They mentioned that it might not be the hoses but the actual petrol tank leaking, I sincerely hope not... Lets see what tomorrow brings, if it is the tank then there was no point in my buying the hoses was there? But seeing as how it is a 25 year old car then I assume that it is just the hoses?

 

[LostKiwi]

OK, I have got the two sets of fuel hoses to be replaced £11.98
I have booked it in in a garage up the road, they said it is a "while you wait" repair job and this is going to be done tomorrow.
They mentioned that it might not be the hoses but the actual petrol tank leaking, I sincerely hope not... Lets see what tomorrow brings, if it is the tank then there was no point in my buying the hoses was there? But seeing as how it is a 25 year old car then I assume that it is just the hoses?

Assume nothing other than the hoses will likely need replacing anyway.
As I mentioned earlier there is also a metal cased filter which can corrode and leak.

 

[Craiglxviii]

OK, I have got the two sets of fuel hoses to be replaced £11.98
I have booked it in in a garage up the road, they said it is a "while you wait" repair job and this is going to be done tomorrow.
They mentioned that it might not be the hoses but the actual petrol tank leaking, I sincerely hope not... Lets see what tomorrow brings, if it is the tank then there was no point in my buying the hoses was there? But seeing as how it is a 25 year old car then I assume that it is just the hoses?

With this car don't assume anything Calum. They have a steel, not a plastic fuel tank; your car has known rust issues... do the maths! It's entirely possible.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Well let's hope it's not the tank Callum. If that were the case writing it off might be your option. However you've only spent shy of 12 quid on hoses and rightly employed a mechanic to fit them so fingers crossed young man!

 

[mikestrivens]

If it turns out to be the tank then take the hoses back for a refund.

 

[om613]

Epoxy steel putty may be the 'weapon' of choice here.

Amazing stuff it is, in the right hands.

 

[mikestrivens]

Epoxy steel putty may be the 'weapon' of choice here.

Amazing stuff it is, in the right hands.

Yes I used it fix the fuel tank in my last W124 where the filler tube joins the tank. Know weak point as all the crud from the offside rear wheel gets thrown against it.

 

[Naraic]

OK, I have got the two sets of fuel hoses to be replaced £11.98
I have booked it in in a garage up the road, they said it is a "while you wait" repair job and this is going to be done tomorrow.
They mentioned that it might not be the hoses but the actual petrol tank leaking, I sincerely hope not... Lets see what tomorrow brings, if it is the tank then there was no point in my buying the hoses was there? But seeing as how it is a 25 year old car then I assume that it is just the hoses?

Shouldn't be too bad...they could weld it in situ.

 

[SL63 Mark]

Shouldn't be too bad...they could weld it in situ.

I know a chap who tried this on a tractor, they found his head some distance away.

 

[Naraic]

Can be done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnPVnH2zapY

 

[davidsl500]

Calum has a habit of doing things back to front. Why buy the hoses when the garage has probably got hose in stock that will do the job - and cheaper than Pre-cut Vauxhall stuff...

In any case, in the week that this has been going on he's lost more than £12 in fuel. I have memories of the ending to Die Hard 2 flashing through my mind...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqkVer1YprU&t=109s