End of the road?

[syncrofred]

I have a '98 406 Executive Estate, with the 2.1 litre 12v diesel engine. Yesterday with no warning the cam-belt snapped and will be guaranteed to have wrecked the valves and piston tops, effectively writing-off the engine. Knowing how much a second-hand engine costs and the work involved to it(I know because I have done it), this means the car is scrap. So, the question is; is there a demand for parts, like alloy wheels with nearly new tyres, electric seats/full black leather interior etc. Or, am I kidding myself and should just tow it to the scrapper? Your input appreciated.

[davidphilips]

if you tow it to a beakers you will get what they offer you probabally £100

if you can get it off road and advertise it as it is on gumtree now, if you get a good price let it go, if not and you have the time break it you will sell many bits you probally never thought of and make pleanty , any time i broken a car that i bought for appox £200 i allways got back at least £600.

[syncrofred]

Just bought a motor on ebay and decided to repair rather than scrap. Wouldn't have bothered, but I need for work. I'm not carrying building materials in a bmw!
So, hopefully this time next week it might be back on the road.

[syncrofred]

Got my car back yesterday with its new seconhand engine. Starts well but is down on power. Its like a petrol motor with retarded ignition. Dropped the Beemer in for MOT at the same time as picking the 406 up, so will have a chat to Paul the garage owner when I go back. Hopefully its something simple like the pump timing is out. When Paul put the new motor in he had to change several bits including the pump because the new engine came without one. Also the turbo was different, so my old one was swopped on. Initially it was failing to make any boost until a blocked pipe was found. I think its making 20% less power than the old engine, but hopefully its just hiding!

[cabinpac]

When was the cam belt last changed b4 it went snap.??(now I won't sleep tonight)

[syncrofred]

The belt was fitted by myself when that engine was fitted. I bought the car with a wrecked engine, thanks to the previous owner running it out of water on the motorway. It had done just under 40k since fitting, so was coming due for a change, but definitely not been running on borrowed time.

[syncrofred]

So, got a call from Paul at the garage to say that the pump timing is correct.
But....the glow-plug relay has decided to die. My son and I searched the breakers and found three different cars with three different relays! Got the lot for £10 on sale or return. No joy. The answer was to make one. A VW 70amp four pin relay, enough wire to get a switch inside the car and a connection to an ignition controlled live from the original relay plug and voila! Turn on the ignition, close the switch, count to ten, start the engine, switch off the relay. Job done. Simple, low-tech and zero cost. My kind of fix.
Could have gone the main stealers and bought a real one for mega-bucks, but where's the fun in that?

[syncrofred]

Ok, I've had the car back on the road a week. Today number one son and I do a job for his mum clearing some old furniture and stuff out and taking it to the tip. On the second trip he flashes his lights at me, I pull over and he tells me I am leaving a trail of water along the road. Turns out a bolt has come out of the alternator allowing it to swing forward, hit the water pipe that goes to the oil cooler, smashing it off the side of the radiator and thus wrecking it. So, I ring the garage and he says he will come and tow the car in. Son goes to my place and comes back with my Beemer, which is rigged for towing, to move the trailer load of stuff we have on the back! Next problem is what to do with it. Our local dump-it site is run by a private outfit and you have to have permits registered to your car to take a trailer in. So we chance it and the guy accepts our explanation as to why we have the "wrong" car and we get shot of all the crap and go home. What a sodding performance. I am pis...d off with motor cars.

[syncrofred]

So the car got trailered back to the garage and a replacement radiator fitted. The alternator was bolted tightly back into place and any odds and sods sorted. Needless to say this a "warranty" job so I only had to put up with the inconvenience. No sooner was the car back, then I had a hernia op. and have been off work since, so its been nowhere. Hopefully, no more problems.

[giblets]

Sorry to hear about all the hassle, but in response to you original question, you can sell quite a lot of parts on e-bay, alloy wheels can fetch up to around £200 depending on condition and type. Lights, £20 each etc....take a look, but hopefully won't need to sell anything anytime soon.