Cuore Automatic Maintenance Schedule

[nfssaad]

magic depoxi....

but some good brand. not the desi stuff.

permatex plastic weld, or epoxy. should be available at adenwalla

[geek.maan]

I wish I could piece it together but alas, that mini level broke into two pieces and I've don't have the 2nd piece, probably got sucked up in a interior vacuum cleaning... looong ago.

[muhammad.irtiza]

Have had a little bit of time to think, and after taking a market survey, I am torn at the decision to sell the car or not and more, importantly, what to do about the current repairs situation.

Pros and Cons of selling the car:

Pros and Cons of different approaches to repair car:

So I would like your opinion in both the cases, i.e. what would you people, having experienced significant car repair situations, would do in my shoes.

A few things to keep in mind:
1. If you people think a better alternative is available, please do suggest.
2. The figure below the shows the exponential increase in cuore's maintainance cost since January 2019 (considering we recognize these incurred costs in May 2019):

Thanks in advance.

[omersiddiqui5482]

@muhammad.irtiza great work brother. Exceptional analysis super.....

tell us few things first:
1. What differences are you observing after the recent gasket job this month. It the car still heating up? Have you checked the condition of the T-Stat valve? Is you car reducing Coolant and Engine oil?
2. Is your car today in no condition to called a reliable car if not why do you think so.?
3. If you have been having problems again have you taken the car back to your machanic and asked him what is wrong with it since for the past 3 months you have spent like 30000rs and apparently to no avail.

I would suggest you to firstly get your mechanic and ask him what is wrong now and why is the car not working properly. Just ask let him check and let him give the reason about the problem.

Take it to kamran and just let him check don't get any work done just let him check and tell us what he says..

Dealerships in Pakistan also throw dust in customers eyes dear you will hardly here any one of pakwheels praising a dealership.

Best of luck.

[muhammad.irtiza]

great work brother. Exceptional analysis super.

Truly humbled by your encouraging words

1. What differences are you observing after the recent gasket job this month.

The differences were HUGE. After the head gasket job last month we were as happy as ever since owning Cuore because of powerful acceleration and excellent fuel average. This could also be attributed to thermostat valve operation.

It the car still heating up?

It wasn't heating up more than it should. Becuase of thermostat valve, yes the car was operating hotter than before but nothing of an anomaly since the fan would turn on as soon as the needle reached middle. However a few days ago my father was concerned that the hood was getting warmer than normal, but no such observation by me.

Have you checked the condition of the T-Stat valve?

No. My mechanic keeps on making excuses on why the head gasket was blown and he told my father that the thermostat was stuck, but it has been working as it should in my operation and is still installed in car.

Is you car reducing Coolant and Engine oil?

Neither the coolant nor the engine oil is reducing at the moment. However, the water in radiator is bubbling and there are oil deposits in radiator, making me suspect the head gasket leak.

1. Is your car today in no condition to called a reliable car if not why do you think so.?

The car is in operational condition at the moment and can be taken anywhere. It's just that I am bogged down after observing the oil in radiator and I think my mechanic used gasket sealer instead of new gasket to save 400 rupees this time. I know that if there is a minor gasket leak, it can turn into a major expense really soon it I dont take action.

1. If you have been having problems again have you taken the car back to your machanic and asked him what is wrong with it since for the past 3 months you have spent like 30000rs and apparently to no avail.

I asked him multiple times, including telling him my father is quite angry (20 year old customer), but he keeps on giving lame excuses. He sent the carburetor to get the slow line unchoked although the real problem was gasket leak after all. So he started on the gasket without asking us. The next day I found my car's engine all opened up. If it was another mechanic, I would not have tolerated, but he really came through for my grandfather and then my father on some tough situations which is why I am giving him a little respect. So, as for the reason why gasket leak happened again, I can find no other reason other than the fact that it was a lousy job.

As for the 40,000 rupees, the majority was spent on brake restoration, radiator and cooling system restoration, tyres, and fluids. Honestly speaking, I can feel the difference in driving, which is making me more attached to the car. The car hasnt skidded once after proper brake replacement job.

I would suggest you to firstly get your mechanic and ask him what is wrong now an

Already done,,, more lame excuses are going to follow.

Take it to kamran and just let him check don't get any work done just let him check and tell us what he says..

Nice idea... can work on it.

Dealerships in Pakistan also throw dust in customers eyes dear you will hardly here any one of pakwheels praising a dealership.

Will they torque the head back on specs? I have never seem any mechanic do that, and its really important thats why I am concerned.

Best of luck.

Will need it. Thanks for all your suppourt uptil now

[nfssaad]

if you live near by 11-a, i can bring along my torque wrench. i think i have the cuores service manual (not sure), will have to settle on a time though. my weekends are semi free

since a head gasket job is again on the cards, i suggest you go to superway autos at water pump. buy new head bolts and a steel head gasket. the best you can find.

i do have doubts on the engine block and head surface

ideally you should get a compression test done.

the compression tester is for about rs 4000 now i think. taiwanese.

[Xulfiqar]

Acid flush that cooling system, its plugged with rust.

[omersiddiqui5482]

@muhammad.irtiza dear have you bled the cooling system of your car and are you sure that there us no air trapped in the system.

@Xulfiqar sb said it right your radiator is clogged with rust. i told you the last time the radiator flush you were using is not going to make any major difference.

Might be there is no problem with the car right now and you are just worried due to your first bad experience, might be there is just air in the system. and nothing else.

First bleed the system of your car. most probably it does not have a bleeder valve and you will have to use the funnel method. and just get a second opinion from a Better mechanic it can be mine, It can be @nfssaad 's but before doing anything major get it inspected.

Observe the coolant and oil levels for a couple of days and make it a daily driver. dont be so paranoid dear.

[geek.maan]

think i have the cuores service manual (not sure)

i can provide that if required.

[nfssaad]

take a look at oil condition as well.

when oil and water mix, it causes oil to become milky.

[dayrider]

take a chill pill, if you have come to decision three, meaning you have arranged finances, trying locating a literate mechanic in karachi, i am sure that there will be one. Take your car to them, let them diagnose all that is faulty, and provide you with a cost estimate, then go through that and get the things done that are on priority and the nity dity ones later.
your problem is basically becoming emotional too soon, its a car, and an old one at that, as long as it can run on the road without making you stop midway, enjoy, fix the small things along the way.
Patience is key, there is a 6 month rule with old cars, after 6 months and the correct repairs, the car becomes highly reliable in the correct hands.
I remember being in your shoes when in university, my vehicle of choice was a khyber, i also had a limited budget and played around with substandard stuff to begin with but learned my lesson fast. I was a bit more stupid though, i had started to skip lunch and fix my car with the money instead, though it appeared to be a broken piece of trash to everyone on the road, but i knew what it was capable of and what mattered most.
So prioritize repairs, find a decent fellow(they are always worth the extra fee),buy quality parts, and don't loose your cool, coures are highly reliable, i had one for a long time, in first three months, ours was driven 30k kms, you can well imagine what it went through, and that too on cng. So i know what its capable of, relax, enjoy.

[geek.maan]

washed and cleaned my radiator, straightened out bent fins with a tweezer & filer

and since my stock/OEM fan felt a little slow (to me) so I did an experiment while I took it out during radiator wash -- sprayed the inners of the fan with WD-40 (with a hope that it won't do any damage to the fan ) and gladly it didn't (however, I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not) but after connecting it back and putting radiator back it .. the fan speed did 'blow me away' lol!

[omersiddiqui5482]

if WD-40 did remove and dirt in the fan then it is not bad @geek.maan

[geek.maan]

there is a 6 month rule with old cars, after 6 months and the correct repairs, the car becomes highly reliable in the correct hands.

indeed true, all you need is a good mechanic/electrician and quality parts

coures are highly reliable

true that, I've been to AJK and Swat/Kalam side on it with 3+1 people and the only 'cost' of trip (mechanically) was front shock absorbers.

oh! from shocks, I've a question -- anyone has any experience with the shocks that are made by AgriAutos? apparently the OEM parts manufacturer for several local auto brands?

[omersiddiqui5482]

as far as i have heard agriautos is good enough. never have installed it though

[nfssaad]

retail agriauto parts are not same standard as oem parts.

but better then the other stuff

[muhammad.irtiza]

Assalam O Alaikum!

First of all, thank you all @omersiddiqui5482, @geek.maan, @dayrider, @nfssaad, @ktech786 @Xulfiqar for your input. I read all your answers carefully before moving forward.

I contacted @omersiddiqui5482 bhai's mechanic, Kamran bhai and got my car checked from him and today he worked on fixing my car. As he worked on my car, here were our observations:

1. Although the gasket was replaced, the head packing was re-used which was broken in two pieces. Similarly, the exhaust manifold packing was also burnt, thanks to my mechanic who forgot to install the sixth bolt on the manifold.
2. My previous mechanic had washed the engine with acid and the whole engine bay was a mess, the plastics and electric taping are rotting.
3. He also bent both of the brake dust shields to produce the noise, call it failing bearing, and called us back for charging us falsely. It was a quick fix.
4. My previous mechanic also threw away the thermostat after second head gasket leak, claiming to me he had installed a better relay instead.
5. In order to make my car 'racer gaari' he had played around with the timing and the distributor was rotated upwards.
6. Tappet adjustment was out, tak tak tak sound from engine was coming.
7. The axles of my car are a mess. Kamran bhai has suggested me to replace the drive shaft and get it done in one go when the wallet allows.
8. The 13 inch rims are bending the studs very slowly.

He fixed my car while I bought him only the best quality parts. I did not cheap out and bought either denso parts of the best available in market. Got the work done and drove her home today. Here is the work breakdown and costs:

Let's hope for a smoother ride moving forward. As @dayrider bhai said, its an old car, and Kamran bhai also suggested this, so as long as it runs smoothly we should not worry very much.

[omersiddiqui5482]

@muhammad.irtiza darling this time let us not rough up the car shall we. See this is what you get to know when you stand on the head of the mechanic. Has your car now become silent or still stupid noises...

You must have noticed one thing about Kamran he takes his time with things he is not in a hurry. I personally have seen him working on a single car for a day. If something short pop ups during it he attends that else if something big he gives that customer another time..

Do you know uneven tappets and disturbed timing creates a hell lot of mess in the engine. Do get all those damaged taped wiring heat shrinked properly a messy wiring is very dangerous. I have become a victim of this messy wiring and always recommend proper stuff else cars can and do catch fires...

4000 seems not too expensive... I hope the car lasts this time.. you should have asked Kamran how long I take tobring my cars to him. Hardly in years.. I will get mine checked to before Eid for the Head Gasket... Khyber is being a heated nusance these days..

Do get you axels checked from either MK autos if you have seen the place or Abdul Hameed and sons at preedy Street opposite magazine lane.

[ktech786]

Khuda taala nazr e bud say bachaey.

[ktech786]

Now you have seen the difference yourself
If you were in your previous state of mind,you would have cursed kamran sb that he charged 3000 rupees for this small work.
But now when you have xperienced,the difference you will Remember it for long time