I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but...

on a 10 year old/100K mile Felicia, what is next to go wrong?

Here's the list so far in reverse order:

front suspension collapse - both struts replaced today

ignition lock fell to pieces - couldn't get key in - new lock, new transponders cloned to old keys

ignition switch broken - wouldn't start on the key - replaced the switch, then the lock fell to bits

sun roof leak - second replacement fitted

windscreen leak - bathroom sealant applied

front suspension arm joint worn out (one side only) - replaced

disks worn out -replaced

rear brake slave cylinders leaking - replaced

rear shock absorbers corroded - replaced

throttle body - replaced, BBA reman

alternator - high voltage - replaced

further back than three years is a bit of a blur, but it's a one owner car....

Oh yes, it's terribly rusty - bubbling through all over the place, and the edges of the front wings are nasty.

In anticipation.

Johnh510

P.S. forgot about the couple of thermostats.

In reverse order for mine

Front suspension cups rusting - replaced

Clutch cable snapped 104k miles and replaced

Clutch went was replaced at around 101k

Serviced at 100k

Oil p[ressure light in dash replaced Aug last year

Thermostat and Fan switch afer car overheated

Sunroof leaked but seals were just cleaned

Front discs and pads replaced a month after buying.

Errr I think thats about it so far.

Mine was a one owner car with 74k miles when bought in 2006

And 3 of the 4 wheel arches are bubbling up. Will need treating again prob next year now.

Things will go wrong, but mines been reasonable to run with cheapish parts and labour.

Rear wheel bearings and brake pipes will be changed next

Things will go wrong but its a car with character. Mine will keep going for ages!!

Just think yourself lucky it isnt a Renault, as the wiring would have burned out by now

The only way you're going to have a car that costs nothing in repairs is to buy new with a warranty. But that's then a choice between, at the cheapest, a car costing £6k that's going to be worth under £3k in a couple of years (and the cost of finance on top if applicable), or a car costing £800 and needing the occasional repair with probably an average cost of £200.

Even spending £3k on a second hand car doesn't guarantee nothing will go wrong with it.

On the rust I wonder if it has been washed and waxed relatively regularly. The best thing is to make some effort to sort it out though. My approach would be a wire brush on a dremel type tool to take the paint/rust off in the general vicinity, slap some primer on it, then some paint. Probably just use hammerite if there's a colour close to your car. But for the MOT they are more concerned about sharp edges and rust in structural bits.

I also forgot to mention the radiator and battery, and that we had it from new..

It's never really been kept that clean, but some of the places it is bubbling through would be out of reach for even the most enthusiatic clean.

I gave up with waxoyl 30 years ago...

I suppose it's the clutch, or its cable, next then.

Thanks.

johnh510

To be honest, most of what you've had go wrong is down to normal wear and tear on a 10 year old car.Alternators, shocks, brake discs etc are all normal irems to wear out.The suspension cups on Favorits and Felicias are notorious for rusting out.

As for locks, well, thats pretty normal too - Peugeots and Citroens are diabolical for locks falling apart.:thumbdwn:

Rust is an unneccesary evil on most cars too, but I have noticed quite a few Felicias going around the bottom of the tailgate glass, rear arches and front wings, but that could easily have been prevented if the owners had polished their cars at least once a year and done a proper job of it - most of the rusty ones have faded paint and look as if they havent been polished since the day they were leaving the factory!

Clutches and radiators are again very common items to fail on cars.

If I had had a car for 10 years and they were the only things that had gone wrong with it, I would quite honestly be fairly impressed with the car.

There's an element of wear and tear in the bits that have gone, but the rust is truly horrible in a 10 year old car.

There's no need for it to be that bad - it's either cheap steel (like British Leyland in the 70's with the Russian recycled rubbish), or poor preparation and paint.

It's even rustier than my daughter's 15 year old FIAT Panda for heavens sake.

It must be said, up to about 7 or 8 years old it had been really remarkable. We should have chopped it in for something else then.

Once the rust sets in its a very hard fight!!! That said some of the RWD Skodas are remarkably rust free.

One of my door handles wasn't sitting flush and thats because the metal there was rusting. Snapped the rusty flake off but now thats another thing that needs cleaning up.

When I resprayed the arches 2 years ago the car looked great. Will need to do more respray work next summer though and seen some other patches poking through.