Looking for a local mechanic

[furball]

Hi all. My beloved Fronty has decided to start falling apart all at once. Currently I need a new subframe bit for the driver's seat, new shocks and a cylinder head gasket (according to my local vauxhall dealer), it's making a sort of 'tappety' noise and there's a strange grinding noise coming from somewhere under the front when I pull away.

My local vauxhall dealer wants over £1000 just for the shocks and gasket, so naturally I'm hoping there will be someone on here who can recommend someone who will cost less and care more.

I'm based in the Southport (ish) area and have very little mechanical ability (I do pooters rather than motors).

Any help gratefully received as I am seriously considering just getting rid of the thing and buying a nice reliable Saab or something

[I Live For FOG]

shocks £33 each from explorerprocomp uk

or milner off road in chesterfield

the head gasket should cost at most £200 fitted from any local garage

shocks you can do yourself

contact drift he knows garages in that area also bumptj can give you prices for standard shocks

[Drift]

Hi Furball, what symptoms have they given for the head gasket ?

The shocks are easy any garage can do them all in an hour.

The grinding could be brakes or bearings.

Only a main dealer would charge that much to fix, especially if they use dealer parts.

I could give it a look over if you want and check what needs doing.

I use a garage in Aintree when I get stuck or the weather is to rubbish to work on the car.
He is not the cheapest but he is very good, Talisgrove motors .

[I Live For FOG]

drivers seat can be changed for paasenger bottomsquab of any frontera post 1995

look on parts for sale for bits

[stu]

drivers seat can be changed for paasenger bottomsquab of any frontera post 1995

look on parts for sale for bits

thanx for that info steve . my seat bottom is kaput .

[furball]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Hi Drift. In response to your question, they didn't say anything about the head gasket apart from it needs doing. I wouldn't know what to look for.

You could well be right about the brakes. I found a nice quiet road and did lots of stopping and starting and it seems to have pretty much gone. The poor thing only comes out to play at weekends these days so it wouldn't surprise me if things have gotten a bit sticky.

I've been having a bit of a trawl through the forums and it seems the tappety noise could be a cracked exhaust manifold...?

I would welcome the benefit of you experience if you can spare the time to have a look at it, with suitable compensation for your time of course

As the wise and powerful Oddball once said "Crazy... I mean like, so many positive waves... maybe we can't lose"

[Drift]

No probs, I might be free early Saturday afternoon, will know for definite thursday, cant do sunday will have a hangover as out saturday night

Its Saturday ok, tbc

[furball]

Saturday should be fine guv

[Drift]

I should be ok about 1330 ish

[furball]

Can you PM me with your address, and maybe a phone number pretty please?

[Drift]

You have a pm

[Drift]

Seems a garage was going for the money making option, a few small issues but no major expence needed.

All in all a very tidy Frontera

[Red Oktober]

Glad it was nothing serious ...............

[nitromotor]

Good work Ste

[furball]

Thanks again Ste, I owe you several beers