So gents, for those of you who replied and were with me from the beginning - thank you.
For those of you new to the story you're about enter a comedy club of epic proportions! So buckle up, buckle in, you're in for a ride!
So when my Terrano first went into melt down the first AA guy to the scene said there was oil where you put the water and coolant in, with really dirty, black water.
He said that was very bad.
Then when the AA came to tow me away from the petrol station the garage they took me to the owner managed to get the car started with great big clouds of smoke. Said it was the head gasket. I told the guy I could only afford repairs up to £1000 and he said he could do it. Would be done in a week.
Four weeks later I was still chasing him and finally got it back. Said he had to replace 3 cylinders so went ahead and replaced four. £1600. But when you started it still gave a massive cloud of smoke, which died down a bit but if you were to be driving behind me on the road you'd be hating life because there is still a lot coming out the exhaust. More grey than black.
While driving the engine's completely gutless with no power when pulling away like it used to have.
The owner said I need to some back after 400 miles so he can check on the cylinders and engine but the thing feels like it's about to give up the ghost. Oh yes, and another thing - after it had been "fixed" I drove back to may barracks about 8 miles away, the next morning when walking to it it had this MASSIVE leak from under the engine.
So I drove it back to him, after he had it 4 weeks - now bear in mind I'm about to leave the army after 4 years and I'm stressing to get my wheels so i can Foxtrot Oscar - and he says he'll get one of his boys to look at it.
So I get out while the mechanic's there and this owner tries to chaperone me to the office where I can wait but innocently I say I don't mind getting my hands dirty and stay put. Seeing I wasn't moving away he leaves and as soon as he does his mechanic says my vehicle should never have been worked and I should've scrapped it. Another two mechanics come over and say the engine's proper ****ed. They open where the water and coolant goes in and there's still oil and dirty black water in there.
Also, turn it on and pull the oil dip stick out after it's running a few minutes and show me there's steam coming out of it. They jack it up and there's a knocking sound coming from the engine. They say that's a very bad sign. In their opinion I should just scrap it.
While jacked up they show me the new fuel lines that had been put in while at the last garage haven't even been connected. They'd been installed but the garage just connected the old ones.
(When I went up to Edinburgh to pick it up on the trip down it had cut out on the highway and got towed to a garage which said the fuel lines needed replacing.)
Also, in these mechanics opinions the 31k mileage is false. They reckon the engine hasn't done any less than 150k and the clock's been cooked.
So £1000 on the vehicle, £100 to travel up to Edinburgh, I think about 2 tanks of fuel getting down to Windsor, £850 for new fuel lines, £1600 for new head gasket and 4 cylinders and there's still a massive leak - I think from the radiator, with tons of smoke pouring from it, steam coming from the oil dip stick and oil and black dirty water where the water goes in.
I'm thinking I can
1. scrap it
2. sell it for parts
3.put a new engine in.
What would you do?
For the short time I did have it working I fell in love with it which is why I stuck by it to the bitter end but all I want to do with the thing now is newq it and start again.
Are there people or garages that would buy it for parts?
Your advice is appreciated and thanked
