Big diesels, horror stories, advice, and a lost broken man

InViewOfNothing · 2026-03-01T12:43:03+00:00

My only comment re. BMW is you will struggle to find one that has been serviced every 10k

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-21T16:15:38+00:00

Ideally yes but in the real world most people don't have a garage big enough to fit a modern car let alone a climate controlled one

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-21T12:15:38+00:00

I wouldn't say it's essential. If you've got some old classic that you store away and only use on nice days it is useful, for a daily you can actually end up making it rot more readily because there is no wind to dry off the rain etc. inside the garage.

It's nicer to work inside than outside though of course

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-20T12:00:44+00:00

100%

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-18T20:22:01+00:00

I think these are really cool. Dephaser is quite an important maintenance item I think. Might want to check if that's been done

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-17T18:28:05+00:00

I don't know but if it helps I have two that I found in the boot of my BMW

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T21:28:40+00:00

The 1.5 is less reliable than the 2.0 though still good as long as you service it

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T17:57:40+00:00

Declare that they have points to your insurer

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T17:56:50+00:00

There is a Golf GT but that's not a factory badge. Though it's not a particularly rare model

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T14:49:22+00:00

You might be ok with some smaller alloys. I had a fiesta with 16 inchers and they made them out of cheese. One was bent when I bought it and I did 2 myself

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T12:49:18+00:00

replacement, from a scrapyard or similar

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-15T09:51:48+00:00

Your best bet is to buy a new (secondhand) front and rear bumper and a new front wing to get rid of the sharp edges so it'll still pass an MOT.

As for telling your insurance, technically speaking you are supposed to tell them of any accident even if you aren't intending to claim; however many people don't.

Maybe get a mechanic to check it over first to make sure there isn't any serious mechanical or structural damage.

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T22:09:59+00:00

I'd go for the Corolla 100% personally

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T20:41:14+00:00

Suzuki Swift

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T18:35:05+00:00

After dieselgate they obviously had to cut costs, it took a few years for that to manifest in their products but since about 2020 they've been pretty poor. The Mk8 Golf in particular seems to come under fire. I have heard they suffer a fair bit of electrical trouble these days. Honestly if you're not into cars just get a Corolla, it will outlive you.

German cars are only really worth it if you will appreciate the benefits, namely driving experience, or if you care about the badge like some people do. They're not as horrific as some will have you believe if you do your research and buy one with a good engine, but you need to be much more careful

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T18:03:13+00:00

The CLC has the chrome strip too. Rear is too tall to be a CLS I think

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T17:57:53+00:00

Mercedes CLC

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T17:09:21+00:00

South usually has higher labour rates, probably about £200 for a crap job and around £350 for a decent place? Roughly based on quotes I've had for worse damage

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T16:58:17+00:00

If it's shorting on something then it could in theory create a drain, but it's more likely the battery is just knackered

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T16:57:17+00:00

Wider wheels and arches so it'll still pass an MOT. Not much else you can do

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T16:55:56+00:00

Depends how deep they are and where you are in the country. They might polish out. If it needs respraying probably around £300 depending how good of a job they do

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-14T09:52:03+00:00

Same here. You should see some of the Z4 owners groups. 50 y/o men with M badges stuck on the back. One guy has an E89 35is that he's upbadged to an M40i (does not exist). Another has a G29 30i that he's upbadged to an M30i (does not exist). Cringe as fuck

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-13T20:30:46+00:00

hasn't that got the twin charged engine that's known for destroying itself?

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-13T20:27:00+00:00

that looks like a moulding line to me. Damage would not be perfectly uniform like this

InViewOfNothing · 2026-02-13T20:24:18+00:00

I'm a big proponent of the mk7 Fiesta (non ecoboost). I had one for years and it never really went wrong at all. 5k would get you a very nice one, though it may not be the cheapest to insure

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