Budget cars

[desertdude]

Thats because avg joe public is ignorant, cheap and like to stick to what is familiar. Complain about a 1.8 using up to much gas and should have bought a 1.3 instead. Wont pay 14 dhs for an original oil filter and buy one for 5dhs instead.

And I hardly ever see any jap crap corollas, camrys and sunnys from the early 90s even out here in RAK where is filled with old clunkers and beaters. 

Mechanics just love old jap crap because its so simple and easy to deal with.

If you are not going to have a nice ride even here in the UAE then either you ar not a car guy and a car is just like a washing machine to you, that is justs serves a fixed purpose or you are an extremely boring person. 

P.S : My current ride at the moment is a beater 1998 Maxima with 589,000 kms on it. Still beats driving a jap crap corolla or camry any day

 

[sertac]

On 6/22/2018 at 1:15 AM, desertdude said:

Thats because avg joe public is ignorant, cheap and like to stick to what is familiar. Complain about a 1.8 using up to much gas and should have bought a 1.3 instead. Wont pay 14 dhs for an original oil filter and buy one for 5dhs instead.

And I hardly ever see any jap crap corollas, camrys and sunnys from the early 90s even out here in RAK where is filled with old clunkers and beaters. 

Mechanics just love old jap crap because its so simple and easy to deal with.

If you are not going to have a nice ride even here in the UAE then either you ar not a car guy and a car is just like a washing machine to you, that is justs serves a fixed purpose or you are an extremely boring person. 

P.S : My current ride at the moment is a beater 1998 Maxima with 589,000 kms on it. Still beats driving a jap crap corolla or camry any day

 

As you said it is actually about mechanics. Since mechanics here in UAE not able to fix European cars we are seeing those japan craps still running. If we go to Europe or Turkey we will see old European cars still running strong and they are everywhere more than any Japan car. 

Why we will keep any corolla alive instead of these;

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-mercedes-benz-1992-mercedes-benz-200e-klima-abs-hatasiz-boyasiz-225.000km-573029696/detay

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-bmw-kolleksiyonluk-1993-v8-otomatik-181km-sunroof-218ps-vebasto-533392334/detay

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-bmw-surucu-otomotivden-emsalsiz-hatasiz-m52-b28-3.20i-swap-578957366/detay

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-opel-tertemiz-vectra-581631417/detay

If we come to newer cars also no one will buy a Toyota Corolla.

This is Corolla it is coming with 20 years old technology 1.6 liter gas drinker engine and crappy CVT gearbox.

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-toyota-aracim-2017-model-5750-km-de-581590799/detay

This is Ford Focus coming with 1.0 Turbo 3cly engine spending really less gas and proper 6 speed gearbox. Nice interior sporty look.

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-ford-sahibinden-8-bin-km-orjinal-otomatik-benzinli-545511410/detay

This Audi A3 also coming with 1.0 Turbo. 7 speed double clutch gearbox. Nice and comfortable car. 

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-otomobil-audi-gallery-ufuk-tr-de-tek-audi-a3-1.0-tfsi-km-15.000-yakit-cimrisi-580261663/detay

If they meet in red light these 1.0 turbo European cars easily beat 20 year ago designed 1.6 Toyota.  

Edited June 23, 2018 by sertac

[desertdude]

Not to factor in prices of these jap craps when new. Corolla is starting at 70k and Camry at 90k!!!! Who in their right bloody mind pay those prices for those POS's 

Even if I had 10 times more money than Bill Gates I would never buy a corolla for 70k!!!

[shadow79]

have quite a few stories of European cars laying around in sanaya only because parts are not available most of the time not even in agency there is a 2008 a6 laying in my friends garage roting because of key issue apparently it needs bcm engine computer and the whole steering column almost same shit happened to my lancer the key broke in the cylinder I just took out the transponder chip and stuck it up the cylinder receiver and bought a IG switch and a spring switch for the starter its been over 4 months and best 20 bucks spent its running like a charm...bet your 2006 lancer doesn't start with a push button

[desertdude]

I love stories like this, one of my best friends is a mechanic and has been for 20 plus years now and Ive spent 100s of hours exchanging stories like these with him over the past 20 plus years.

And your story just confirms what me and sertac just said, mechanics here just love Jap crap cars because quick in and out no real diagnostic equipment or knowledge required translates to quick money.

Let me tell you a story also. Soon after I bought my L322 Range Rover, developed exactly the same problem, key would not turn to start,and was also told I need an entire new steering column new security ecus, ignition and door locks along with new key, and as usual I told them to EDITED.

Upon investigation the steering lock actuator had broken and wasn't giving the ecu the car is safe to drive signal and thus the key lock wasn't retracting. 

I then ripped out the entire key cylinder dismantled it and took out the lock at put it back in now the key would turn car but still wouldn't start, so found out it could be the block with metal contacts below the barrel that can also go wrong.

Scrappies wanted 1200 for it and I said EDITED. Further investigation ensued and found out its the same part used in all bmws from mid 90s to early 2000s so went to an afghani in shaj who has tons of right hand halfcuts got the part for 50 dhs but the connector shape was a mirror of mines but pins were same, so 10 mins of filing the plastic down and put ir back and now car runs perfectly.

Now if I would have gone to majority of grease monkeys over here that call them selves mechanics my car would probably be standing exactly like your buddys Audi and I would have spent a few thousands also.

And this is one of the many many times Ive been told by mechanics that my unrealiable luxury european import will require a truck load of money to fix only for me to have fixed it for virtually nothing or very little.

So dont blame the car, if the mechanic doesnt know how to fix it!

 

Edited June 23, 2018 by Carnity
Foul Language

[shadow79]

its just one ole chance you get lucky when some cars share same or with minor difference i have heard somewhere that mazdas used to share parts with maseratis now you wont always find such chances as it back fires too i had a ford explorer 95 come in for a shot alternator its already a rare car so upon digging i got a alternator of a very new model which matches it and it was very expensive in the end we just changed the armature and its carbon plate and said him byes

[desertdude]

This was just one of the many fixes I was able to make, its not luck I spend a good deal of time studying and researching my cars. Internet is a wonderful thing.

Another one incident I can mention dunno if I have on this forum already is one of my prodest moments in DIY fixes, mainly because everyone said it was not possible including the internet.

Basically a good friend of mine who wasnt well off had the chance to buy a single owner well kept local house use only 1998 Range Rover for cheap so he went for it, with in a week it rained heavily and he parked by mistake next to a roof gutter with his passenger side window open. By morning car was flooded as the gutter dumpep all the rainwater exactly in to the car over night.

Next day car was dead as BeCM is under the passenger seat. And it was swimming in water. Dried it out nothing. Everyone said now you need new BeCM ECU Ignitiom and door locks which was not an option first he couldnt afford it and second this repair was worth more than the car. car was totally dead put in the key and nothing would happen only airbag light would come on.

Poor guy almost went into depression. So I tool it upon myself to see if I could be of any help. Looked up and down even on the internet same result need to change everything.

So I decided to open up the BeCM and found to PCBs one looked like a power supply and was all burnt out and the other looked like the one with all the  codes and programming and that looked fine. So I took a chance and got another BCM from the scrap for only 400. 

Direct swap obviously didnt work but was worth a try, so then I took out the what looked like the power PCB to me from the donor and plugged it into the original. Put it back into the car and viola car came back to life, just the smile of my buds face was worth the hassle. 

Ive got a couple of other such stories too, point is most mechanics here have 0 problem diagnostic skills apart from the most basic and common issues and just keep throwing Parts at the problem hoping to get lucky.

To be honest I am very happy with this status quo, because it gives good expensive cars a bad reputation and their prices down which in turn make them affordable to people like me

[shadow79]

you have cars from alfa romeo to zonda here that means all of them have their unique powertrain, chassis and body designs diagnostic machines to learn all of them is outright impossible. it's like asking a guy to loosen the head bolts with your bare hands  

if you take electronics work to a simple mechanic then its your mistake that he couldn't fix it. doing exactly that and crying out loud that mechanics here don't know anything is absurdly wrong

you have to take it to a proper technician who is a specialist and is well equipped to get it diagnosed and fixed  will surely be in the best interest and as you have experienced yourself that good work takes time as too much resources are allocated to it

and something which consumes time should be adequately compensated that's how it goes in almost all the trade in the world or else they won't be surviving

as you yourself have lived your last life as a mechanic but time and again yet people have to remind you to be courteous, polite which is in essence to whole point of this forum

[desertdude]

You have a point in that most people also don't want to pay and expect everything to be done for peanuts but the flip side of the coin is barely literally mechanics buy something like a Launch and say they can do everything and anything. 

So its a vicious circle 

And don't be such a snowflake and take everything so personally, I was talking about mechanics in general and wasn't pointing any fingers, specially at you.