Hi.
First up, let me warn you that I know very little of cars, but I need some advice from other fanatics.
About 18 months ago I bought a second hand BMW 323i which seemed perfect. The condition seemed immaculate. I then drove the car and all was perfect or so it seemed until the car started overheating after about a year.
I then took the car to Tiger wheel and tyre in Fish Hoek since they also work on cars and I figured they should know what they are doing. They then fitted a new water pump which cost me R12 000. I drove the car home and all was well again.
A few months later the car started making a metallic noise when I revved the car and contacted tiger wheel and tyre who said that this is a problem with that model BMW and I should not worry about it. As I drove the car over the next few months the noise got worse until eventually the car would not start at all. It seemed like there was no compression.
So the car went back to tiger wheel and tyre who then sent some parts away for testing. They then came back and told me that there was excessive wear on the timing gears on the cam shafts. The best would be to fit a reconditioned engine. For this they quoted me almost half of what I paid for the car. The result is now that I have a fantastic lawn ornament but am still without my beloved BMW.
Does anybody have input as to whether the story that tiger wheel and tyre gave me is plausible or are they just having me on? Also, I don' have the money to pay for this kind of work all in one go and don't see fit to loan money at a bank to repair my car. That would just end up costing me more than double the price. I would love to know of a place where I can give in my car and pay every month to have a little more done, but it needs to be a place that is trustworthy and will do an excellent job.
Any advice?
Thanks.
First up, let me warn you that I know very little of cars, but I need some advice from other fanatics.
About 18 months ago I bought a second hand BMW 323i which seemed perfect. The condition seemed immaculate. I then drove the car and all was perfect or so it seemed until the car started overheating after about a year.
I then took the car to Tiger wheel and tyre in Fish Hoek since they also work on cars and I figured they should know what they are doing. They then fitted a new water pump which cost me R12 000. I drove the car home and all was well again.
A few months later the car started making a metallic noise when I revved the car and contacted tiger wheel and tyre who said that this is a problem with that model BMW and I should not worry about it. As I drove the car over the next few months the noise got worse until eventually the car would not start at all. It seemed like there was no compression.
So the car went back to tiger wheel and tyre who then sent some parts away for testing. They then came back and told me that there was excessive wear on the timing gears on the cam shafts. The best would be to fit a reconditioned engine. For this they quoted me almost half of what I paid for the car. The result is now that I have a fantastic lawn ornament but am still without my beloved BMW.
Does anybody have input as to whether the story that tiger wheel and tyre gave me is plausible or are they just having me on? Also, I don' have the money to pay for this kind of work all in one go and don't see fit to loan money at a bank to repair my car. That would just end up costing me more than double the price. I would love to know of a place where I can give in my car and pay every month to have a little more done, but it needs to be a place that is trustworthy and will do an excellent job.
Any advice?
Thanks.