Transit today, mechanic tomorrow

cormie

Just rang your man back and it's SHOES

Alun

cormie wrote:

Just rang your man back and it's SHOES

Yay! Do I get my prize now?

cormie

Sorry, prizes are only available to US citizens:(:D

Rang up The MBM you posted about Fightin Irish (up in Clonee) and I'm not sure if it's the same guy as 3ps posted about, but for a new clutch and rear brake pads (are pads and shoes the same thing?) he quoted about €500. He said ring back and he can give proper price as that's just off the top of his head. That sounds pretty good to me considering my local ford dealer wanted to charge €580 for just the clutch:eek:

3ps

cormie... it's the same crew and probably right. I got quoted a figure off the top of his head and the final bill was €20 more. It was excellent value compared to getting the work done at a FIAT dealer or equivalent.

I saved about €300-€400 by using him. It is a ramshackle looking place but from what I can tell they do alot of the work for Motorhome Ireland and they have all the heavy lifts for vans so why not.... it's not rocket science and the main stealers are just ripping you off!!

3ps

cormie, are you from the area.... his premises is kindof in the middle of nowhere... you wouldn' be able to walk anywhere interesting while the work was being done!

Alun

cormie wrote:

... rear brake pads (are pads and shoes the same thing?)

Pads are for disc brakes, shoes are for drum brakes although some people (incorrectly) seem to use the words interchangeably.

cormie

Ok, would there be a big difference in price between shoes and pads?

I'm to give Martin (MBM) a ring back in the morning, he didn't have time to price it, but that's good news about the savings. How long would a job like that take? Would I be hanging around for long I wonder?

Alun

cormie wrote:

Ok, would there be a big difference in price between shoes and pads?

No idea ... I've not had a car with drum brakes for eons I'd imagine brake shoes would be more expensive, seeing as they're physically bigger and all, but I'm only guessing really.

cormie

Just had a google and found this:

EBC-FA-40 BRAKE PADS Fit all FL-250 1977-84 these are the pads that fit on your brake caliper. $33.50
EBC-306 BRAKE SHOES Parking brake. Fits all FL-250 1977-84 $27.00

I'll probably give MBM a go anyway, €500 seems real cheap compared to other quotes I was getting:) I'll try a few more locally first though.

Thanks for all the help.

cormie

Just wondering does anyone know if putting in a new clutch and brake shoes is a complicated task? I was on to MBM and they said I couldn't pick it up the same day, which would mean I'd need to get somebody to drive out with me to give me a lift home, then drive me out the next day to pick it up. Which is a bit of a pain in the ass.

There is a place in Kilcoole that have actually given me a better estimate of cost than MBM, and I'd be able to take my bike in the back of the van, cycle home and back out when it's ready.

I'm just wondering if I can get it for the same price, or maybe even a bit cheaper, should I go for the more convenient option if it's a job that anyone could do right?

3ps

you don't have a clue about this... and nobody here can really tell you if somebody is going to do a good job or not.... so just go with the more convenient option.

cormie

Hehe, yup, I'm pretty clueless about all this alright:o

I think there may be one or two ex mechanics here so they may know if it's a difficult job and would need a lot of experience to get right or if any qualified mechanic could sort it as good as the rest:)

cormie

Ok, think I'm just gonna drop it down to the place in Kilcoole, take the risk anyway, just MBM is so far away and would be a lot of hassle to get it up and back down.

This guy in Kilcoole sounds decent and is giving me a good price. May not even need the new clutch since it's not slipping and just hard to get into gear:) Hopefully!