Hi all, new here and need help!

I took my Punto Active 1.2 8V in for a service yesterday, which itself cost me £350.

The garage called back to say there were "various things" needing done, including

Rear crankshaft seal, at about £380
Accelerator cable "starting to go"

And other things, but these are the most concerning. Now, after paying £350 for a service, approx £250 a few months ago for timing belt replacement and new sump etc and £200 last summer for a new clutch I just can't justify paying this much to keep a 2003 Punto on the road. I've almost spent the equivalent value of the car on repairs in the 18 months I've owned it.

Now, my problems increase. I need to drive to Newcastle airport next weekend, then back 2 weeks later for my fully paid up and costly holiday.

Now, to date the only reason I insisted on a service now was to check out a flashing EOBD light at high speeds and a rattling radiator. Until my service, I was unaware of any performance problems. SO:

1: Will the car, do you all think, survive the 99 mile trip to Newcastle and the 99 miles back with the info above

2: Will it REALLY cost £380 to repair/replace a leaking rear crankshaft seal? They sell on EBay for a 100th of that! Are Arnold Clark totally ripping me off?

3: How much will an accelerator cable cost to replace? They haven't quoted me anything for that.

When I asked the garage which was the most critical, they said the crankshaft leak. I don't know if this is because the accelerator cable is still in fairly good nick or they just want £380 of my money.

If the consensus is the car will physically survive the the 200 mile round trip I'll risk it and sell the thing when I get back. The repairs are coming in thick and fast and I'm just not rich enough to keep paying out! :bang:

get a second or third opinion from a few garages.

personally i'd buy the cheaper part from bay of E and then pay for fitting.
and if my car was doing that, i wouldn't trust it to get to newcastle, just spend the petrol money on a train fare

The flywheel side crank shaft oil seal is not an expensive part itself. I would buy a Fiat original part. But the job of fitting it is very involved. It is behind the flywheel, at the very least the gearbox clutch and flywheel have to come off to do the job.

Have you noticed an oil leak under the car? How many miles has the car done?

Accelerator cables are cheap and easy to fit, ask them to show you the problem.

Adrian Bravo said:

The flywheel side crank shaft oil seal is not an expensive part itself. I would buy a Fiat original part. But the job of fitting it is very involved. It is behind the flywheel, at the very least the gearbox clutch and flywheel have to come off to do the job.

Have you noticed an oil leak under the car? How many miles has the car done?

Accelerator cables are cheap and easy to fit, ask them to show you the problem.

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Thanks for this. If I just get the garage to replace the cable, will that be enough to tide me over until I've completed the Newcastle round trip do you think? I just don't have the money to sink into expensive repairs now - but I do need to get to Newcastle airport and back. There are no hire cars available at a reasonable price.

Is a leaking rear crankshaft an immediate danger, or is it something which will cause trouble over time? This is the crux of the problem. I know what Arnold Clark will say - because they want £380 out of me.

I'm a total novice when it comes to the mechanics of cars - you all must feel how I do when I'm talking to novice PC users (I'm an IT Support Analyst!)

a service cost you £350 :O
my service from fiat only cost £175 and was ther biggest service they could do.

as for the leak it really depends how much it is leaking. if you have to keep topping the oil up it needs doing soon. but if it is only a slow drip every now and then it should last as long as you keep a tub of oil in the car with you.

first, start your car over a dry piece of ground, leave it running for 20 mins, then move it back and see how much, if any oil is on the ground.

if its not alot, just keep a close eye on your oil level, id try putting this in it-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ENGINE-OIL-ST...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1689|293:1|294:50

im sure it will be fine for ages, just keep an eye on it

and yes that stuff works, i have tried it.

B3NN377 said:

a service cost you £350 :O
my service from fiat only cost £175 and was ther biggest service they could do.

as for the leak it really depends how much it is leaking. if you have to keep topping the oil up it needs doing soon. but if it is only a slow drip every now and then it should last as long as you keep a tub of oil in the car with you.

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The £350 is how much Arnold Clark Fiat charge for the 6 year/72k service, set price. I've clearly been ripped off - my own fault but I just wanted it serviced by the major Fiat garage in the city! Probably won't do it again!

Like I say, until my service I didn't know these faults existed. I haven't had to top my oil up in a while. It's just I know the leaking seal at the crankshaft is contaminating the clutch, but to date I've noticed no problems or changes in my clutch.

mine is leaking in that area and cos I couldn't see well enough I popped over to local fiat specialist to get it up on ramps.

They said, although it looked bad, (and i have leak from transmission too) to leave it for the moment and keep eye on oil levels and then get it done at same time as I need a new clutch, which isn't on its way out tbh.

You say you recently had a new clutch...has it been leaking since then? Just a thought that if that was done recently, did they actually do a proper job...was it same place?

The chance of oil getting on your clutch is tiny really.

missey said:

mine is leaking in that area and cos I couldn't see well enough I popped over to local fiat specialist.

They said, although it looked bad, (and i have leak from transmission too) to leave it for the moment and keep eye on oil levels and then get it done at same time as I need a new clutch, which isn't on its way out tbh.

You say you recently had a new clutch...has it been leaking since then? Just a thought that if that was done recently, did they actually do a proper job...was it same place?

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The clutch was last summer, the leaking crankshaft seal is recent.

As long as this fault isn't going to cause the clutch to pack up imminently then I guess it's not going to be too bad...

All I meant was, if they done the clutch, then i can't work out, that if they done a proper job why the crankshaft seal would fail such a short time afterwards...I could be talking utter rubbish, but kinda makes sense in my head

missey said:

All I meant was, if they done the clutch, then i can't work out, that if they done a proper job why the crankshaft seal would fail such a short time afterwards...I could be talking utter rubbish, but kinda makes sense in my head

Click to expand...

I guess it would, but I don't know enough about cars to be able to make head nor tail!

i know this isnt goin 2 help but u should just get a 1 way train ticket 2 newcastle nd stay there its great up here

apologises for the non helpful post tho