Any members interested in some weekend work?

[skubasteve]

Hi All,

Long time petrol head, first time potential Alfa purchaser (and owners' club member). I've always been a Saab man up until now (please keep the applause to a minimum) but for a while I've been harbouring an ambition to get into the Alfa world - in particular I'm interested in the 916 Spider or GTV. To that end, I've found a phase 2 GTV V6 with 135km on the clock that seems to be in pretty good condition, but like any used car there are a few items that need attention. Sadly, the jobs that I think need doing are somewhat labour intensive jobs (which are naturally expensive to be performed by a professional shop) and so I wondered whether there are any members who are experienced in working on their own cars that would be interested in performing the work (for $$ and drinks of course).

The couple of jobs that I know need doing are the Rear Main Oil Seal (or possibly the 'cigarette' seal) and I believe the timing belt/water pump is overdue. While I'm a bit of a novice, I'm very happy to assist and learn about these cars along the way.

No stress if this isn't the sort of thing that members do, but I thought that if I didn't ask I would never know.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[Cool Jesus]

Steve, there's no harm at all in asking. If you were in Sydney I would have helped out, I would even give you a driveway warrantee too! Don't be disheartened if replies are slow, can take some time before someone responds. Great little beasty too, should give you heaps of enjoyment once it's sorted.

[Mick A]

Hi Steve,

I think what you are asking would be fine if it was something like an oil change or brake pads etc. Simple jobs that aren't overly complicated and difficult and that can be completed with a basic toolkit.

The jobs you want to do are both very labour intensive, and require more than just a basic mechanical knowledge, and a fairly specific range of special tools are needed also. You really need a qualified specialist to do these jobs.

I think it would also be very foolish to let someone you don't know, that you've met on the internet who says they are competent to do such jobs. What do you do when the cam belt breaks due to something not being assembled correctly? Who do you call? Do you think the person is going to say, "sorry my bad", and then fork out thousands of dollars to recondition your heads full of bent valves?

I doubt it. 

I have done many, many cam belts and water pumps on V6's, and I can tell you there are a couple very small but very critical things that could be easily overlooked by someone who doesn't really know what they are doing, and these small things or overlooked details can cause a cam belt to shred itself to nothing in a matter of weeks.

Same goes for the rear main. Gearbox out is a big job, and I'll bet any money being a car that's done 135,000km it will need a clutch, and it would be foolish not to replace it while you have the gearbox out.

Both jobs also benefit from the use of a hoist, making them take half the time they would on the ground, more so the gearbox.

I think my main point here is that you should consider that these are jobs you may be better off having done by a workshop, where you have a guarantee on the quality of the workmanship, it could save you a lot of time and money in the long run, and this way leaving the smaller simpler jobs to tackle at home with some mates over a few beers.

Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear but I hope it saves you a lot of headaches.

Mick.

[aggie57]

I'll chime in on this one and add to what Mick has said.  To be frank, you should factor the cost of doing any work needed on a newly purchased second hand car into the initial outlay.  If you do these jobs right, and any others that a PPI picks up, then you can generally be assured of a long and happy ownership experience.

If however you start by trying to cut corners I'm afraid the probable outcome is another "I bought an Alfa but what an expensive mistake that was" story. 

Just my TCW. 

[kaleuclint]

I've always been a Saab man up until now

Another of the Saab diaspora.