what car mechanic do u use??
 

my car is in need of some DIY i know what the prob is but dont have the resources to fix it myself...

so what garage do u take ur car to? - nothing too expensive but i dont want someone who fixes one thing but leaves another which is hte case with alot of these ppl

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

belgarth garage just off queens road west is good and pretty resonable ! a guy called colin runs it.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

been taking mine to hyndburn autos for nearly 30 years its across from greyhound ford on whalley road. a guy called pat duffy runs it and pete is the mechanic,never had cause to complain,

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Grange lane for me. Does my Gas conversions as well.

Simon runs the place.

Mani what do you mean re fix one thing leave another? A lot of people will complain if they go fixing everything they think needs doingand then present a bill for it. You should tell them exactly what you want them to do. If you want them to fix everything then fair enough but expect a bill comensurate with what work has been done

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

enti - no i mean fix one thing and know another thing needs fixing but not telling u

i had an cosworth about 6-12 months ago and it was a clapper but its like i took it in for a general service and goes if anything else needs replacing - lemme know.

so i collects it and two days later the starter motor went - oh yeah we thought that mite b close to going...

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

how little is a gas conversion entwisi?

Hi, what is your car & what is the problem?

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

when i take my car to the garage i tell him "i think this has gone & can you check for such a thing& ring me first" he then checks the car......... rings me tell me what needs doing & how much it will cost (roughly) & i tell him what i want doing that day, then take the car back for the rest of work doing ( if its not dangerous), i need my car daily so its the way me & the mechanic work..................... it works for me.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Mick Entwistle at Hyndburn vehicle services, on factory bottoms, next door to Sullys tyres. Great guy, fair prices, does what is needed & will advise on anything else if you ask him to check. He is also a rally support engineer for one of the local Blackburn rally teams. any mechanic that can sort a gearbox out in the middle of a forest will do for me when he is back in his own garage with even more gear. Colin at Belgarth is good too but wont suffer fools so be explicit as to what you need. Mechanics are not phsycic you know & any moving component can fail at a moment so is not nessesarily due to mechanics missing something.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Try Autofix, on Argyle Street, behind Aldi - run by Ian - always done my cars, gives top quality service, MOT's etc - only does what needs to be done, if theres a cheaper way i.e you nip to scrapyard and get this little component and fit it yourself to save cash - then he'll do it that way too

His prices are very good - give him a ring & see

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

the prob is wiht my avensis - the key barrel is playing up - basically u have to fidget with it pushing it upwards to make some sort of connection before the car comes on...

any idea how much that wud cost to replace??

i've booked an appt with toyota in blackburn but if i can get a guy to fix it that comes recommended then fair do

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

You'll find it a lot cheaper at an independant garage than a main dealers. Saying that it all depends if the key/lock are chipped, if they are it might have to be done through a main dealer.
Only a guess on price but I would say about £30 - £40 for a new barrel but this type of thing can take you by surprise sometimes! they know how to charge for things that you can't do without.
Try Colin at Belgarth on 01254 397426

Edit - just had a look round the web and found someone who had this problem and Toyota charged him £112 to fit a new lock

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

i've booked it in at belgarth - takin it in on monday

how long does it take to replace a ignition barrel

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

About an hour depending on how long it takes to chisel the old one off, there designed not to be taken off, the heads shear when you tighten the bolts, its a safety precaution

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

I have just been reading the HBOL (Haynes Book Of Lies) for our two cars. Removing the ignition key switch and barrel does not require a chisel. You basically insert the key and turn to the first position. You can then remove the barrel after undoing a screw or releasing a catch. The switch itself comes off quite easily as well once the steering column covers are off. It is a different story if you don't have the key so you can turn it to release the switch and barrel. I seem to remember some cars used to use shear bolts on the ignition locks, Mini's spring to mind. Not the new oversized BMW ones the proper Mini's.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Sorry for teh delay guys, I've been up the lakes for a week.

Gas conv cost anywhere from £800 to over £2K depending on type of vehicle/type of conversion(mixer/gas injection)/numberand position of tanks etc.

My lastest conversion is a top dog SGI kit from PRINS on a 5 cylinder 2.5 turbo Volvo(200bhp jobbie). This came in at &COUGH% but i will get my money back in less than 12 months. I usually keep my cars for about 3-4 years( I do 30-35K a year in them so they are getting a bit tired by then as I usually buy them at ~90-100K)

The previous 2 cars cost just over £1K each for mixer systems. These aren't as efficient and usually can't be used with Turbo charged cars. Again I got my money back in ~10-12 months.

I'm popping in tonight so I'll have a chat then.

Ian

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

can u fuel convert diesel engines too???

i've got a vw sharan that i wudnt mind convertin onto gas

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

You can't run a diesel on gas ( well you can but the conversion cost would be silly )

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

There is a taxi in town that was diesel and is now LPG. Len at LPG Auatopower did it( I believe he has closed his doors now though when Accy Gas went bump.)

Ian

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

went to him for a full service.. not happy having 2 lots of brakes replaced in 3 mths.... :(

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

still how much wud it cost??? roughly???

we do loads of long distance journeys and the milage we do is ridiculous considering its all for "family" visits..

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

What sort of car? a 'standard' mondeo type 4 cylinder with spare wheel tank should be ~£1200ish. Ring Simon up and ask for a quote.

With Petrol at nearly £1 a litre I'm surprised there hasn't been another fuel strike.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Forgot to say, you are looking at about 25-30K miles for payback after that its profit.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

I have to eat some humble pie folks. I was reading about a company that does convert diesel to gas. Not sure if they are duel fuel because I think it is a major mod.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Correct, they have to fit a spark ignition system but they can be duel fuel still it just doesn't fire when on diesel. They can also add LPG to a normal diesel to get better torque and performance. I believe they can get over 200bhp froma 150bhp Golf with addition of a bit of gas.

Ian

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

so for a 7-seater volkswagen sharan?

we're doin about 40K on long distance driving alone...

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Give Simon a ring and ask him directly. He doesn't bite and it doesn't cost owt to ask. mention my name if you like(Ian Entwistle) 01254 392425

If you are doing 40K a year in a petrol car you will be quids in in no time. Plus its environmentally friendy as well!

Ian

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Did you get your ignition problem fixed?

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Not so sure on that mate. Maybe more so than petrol or diesel but you are still burning dead dinosaurs. I think the government should give proper tax benefits for using sustainable bio fuel's like vegetable oil or bio-ethanol. There is only a limited supply of LPG just like other fossil fuels.

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

the emissions are a tiny fraction of what the other two spill out, particularly the noxious stuff. Particulates(often blamed for asthma in kids are down 99.9%). plus, at the moment we only use about 25% of teh LPG that is released during the pumping of oil. the rest is burnt off at the rig. Surely making use of this would be an environmentally friendly option i.e. making full use of what we reap. I agree that bio fuels should be getting far more publicity and push by teh gov but teh oil co's ahve a big lobby at westminster

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

welllllllll it turned out that the ignition barrel was fine adn it was the switch behind that

which i didnt know existed until now! it was toyota blackburn that seen the prob etc and replaced it. £98 which i was surprised about i was expecting the damage to b more.

i took it to belgrave but a) he said he was really busy b) i had to get hold of the part myself. (when i thought it was the ignition barrel) it was from there that i foned up toyota to get hold of the barrel that the guy on the other side said it neednt be the barrel but the switch that needs replacing quoting the barrel at £200 and switch close to £50. so i decided to just take it htere...

Re: what car mechanic do u use??
 

Glad you got sorted.