When to repair or when to cut losses?

I have a 01 Ford Ka which I bought second hand a few years ago. Recently the rear lights won't come on. The headlights at the front work fine but the rear lights only work sporadically. There have also been a few times thats locks and windows acted up a bit but nothing major.

I took it to a ford garage and they say the whole electrical system needs to be replaced at a cost of roughtly 1000 euro. I am worried about paying this much to get it repaired as I'm afraid the car will have more problems as the years go by.

This is the first car i ever had so i would appreciate any advice people had about whether it is best to just trade it in and get a newer car? Is there a price range for repair where it just doesn't make sense to repair an older car?

If I'm trading it in what would people recommend as a good small car?

Re: When to repair or when to cut losses!?

I would get a second opinion from another garage- Likelyhood of the whole electrical system needing replacement would be low I would have thought.

Is there an online diuscussion forum for Ford Ka owners?
I have a Toyota and there is a forum for my Toyota model.
Maybe discuss it with other Ka owners who may have had the same problem

Re: When to repair or when to cut losses!?

Do the dash lights work? Its usually a dodgy headlight switch or the fusebox both of which are easily available in car breakers.

Re: When to repair or when to cut losses!?

sounds like a bad earth at the rear. look forsome rust where the lights attach to the bodywork or alternatively a black wire going from the lights wiring attached directly to the bodywork. a bit of sandpaper will fix it

Yeah i had problems with a faulty earth before that got repaired quick and cheaply. This ford dealership seem to be saying that a main part of the electronics unit is burnt and they can't just replace the part, they have to replace the whole unit. I had assumed it was just a dodhy headlight switch as well. I think I'l take it elsewhere for a second opinion.

Out of curiosity and for suture reference. At what point would someone cut their losses with an old car? Is there any formula that works out when it makes better sense to sell than repair?

A formula often applied is when the cost of the repair outweighs the value of the car achieveable if the repair is carried out - the idea being that a new car not in need of repair could be bought for the same money, making it not 'worth it'.

Some problems with this tho - people always look to trade up and spend more money, perhaps quite a lot more, so there is a substantial cost anyway. Plus, when you're talking about older cars, and unless you get some sort of guarantee with the new one, there's nothing to say that it won't go wrong or need work in some way too.

If you like the car, if it's doing its job and there aren't a range of issues apparent, then even a quite expensive repair can be a good option - in my opinion its also greener.

If however, your repair is one of a series of spends that see you sinking money into a car that has a mix of end-of-life problems, such as a worn engine/gearbox, structural corrosion or substantial running gear failure on the cards or taking place, you really need to think long and hard about throwing good money after bad.

I think we do move much more quickly these days to sell/scrap older cars rather than repairing them, mainly because of the increased cost due to more complex vehicles, tests like the NCT not permitting minor faults through and the practice more prevalent now of replacing components and systems rather than repairing.

i think someone is telling you porkies just to avoid doin the job.ka,s only ever gave one major electrical fault with water ingress in left footwell causing ecu damage and this was covered by ford didnt matter how old it was,if you want a second opinion you can contact me we do alot of the technical warranty for ford

PM'd you there ford jedi, thanks for that

ford jedi said:

we do alot of the technical warranty for ford

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ford jedi, please explain this one for me, You do a lot of technical warranty for Ford!?

On the question of scrapping a car or spending money to repair I use the following rule of thumb…

Say €15k for good second-hand motor over 5 yrs is €250/mth (assuming no interest etc)

Therefore if your repairs cost €1k, will they prolong the life of the car by at least 4 months. (1000/250=4) If the do I tend to get the work done.

This is my method of working it out. I find it works for me – may not suit anybody else.

I also try to put aside €250/mth towards my “new” car fund and use this for all repairs and maintenance. This €250/mth was what I used to pay on car loans. Have built up quite a pot over the last few years…

BB

for mr2 ,ima master techncan for ford,so ive worked on the odd car or two

ford jedi, I'm not saying you not a master technician, I just want to know about your statment "You do a lot of technical warranty for Ford".

It suggests that Ford ask you to do work for them! It would look to me to be misleading. And on the basis of your statement your getting work for your own business which wouldn't be as close to Ford as you suggest.

thanks for those formulas, it's useful to know.

ford jedi said:

one major electrical fault with water ingress in left footwell causing ecu damage

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Is this common with smaller Fords maybe? Had this problem with a Fiesta too - which by the way the garage didn't cover.