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Sorry to be such a girly but.....

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  • Sorry to be such a girly but.....

    Hi all! So I got a bit of a story, so grab your cuppas and get comfy!
    I bought my little roadster from new in 2004. It was my first ever new car and I had wanted one for ages. I loved it then and still do now. At the time I was in a very well paid job and didn't think the running costs would be too hard to handle. To cut a very long and boring life story short I fell ill! Very ill, in 2007, restricting my work capabilities and then in 2009 i became disabled and housebound and my baby car sat on my driveway covered for 2 years! Both myself and my car went back on the road late 2010 but whilst I was recovering my poor little baby was being stripped down as the 2 years under cover had caused a few issues, the main one at that time was the intense interior mould that had taken over!
    Between my Dad stripping the basics out, drying it out and cleaning it and Fudgesmart coming over to do a basic 'fix' and a service to ensure it's roadworthy-ness and to get it through an MOT we have been doing ok! Not great, every year the minimum (which is usually the maximum I can afford!) has been spent on my roady to get it thru its MOT and keep both it and my disabled body on the road! It is a necessity for me if I want to have any life at all! The basic cost of running is perfect for what little money I have and the drivability is perfect as my health issues have affected my hands and my feet leaving it difficult to drive clutch and hard to drive a normal weight car! But more than anything on my bad days I know that when I get into her, turn the music up and the roof down I WILL smile.
    So to get to my point, I've recently just had a pay out of some monies owed to me...Yay! Only been about 4 years waiting for it. 2/3rds of it has been allocated but I'm left with about a grand sitting burning a hole in my internet shopping obsessed pockets but know it needs to be spent on my car if I want to continue owning it and driving it!
    I know theres a lot of cosmetic work needs to be done, bloody car park numpties plus those kurbs that just move as you pass them (oops!?!) are the bane of my life. The roof still leaks (shock horror a roady roof leaking!!!!) and gets a bit stuck but none of that is vitally important to keep it on the road! She's getting a bit loud in general and a tad sluggish so I know this money needs to be spent on getting her inners spruced up!
    I would like to get quite a few more years out of her, whilst still trying to spend as little as possible. What are your recommendations as to where I go from here (preferably NOT an actual smart centre if possible!) and what you feel is probably needed!
    I read a lot about remapping, what is it, will it increase how much insurance I need to pay and is it worth it or should I just get someone here to look her over and make her as good as possible, preparing her for not only the coming winter but for a good few years after? If I go for the second option what should I be asking for, looking for and how much should I expect to pay!
    I'm sorry for the million questions, but I have been ripped off before (headlights kept going and a local company charged me £120 to fix the fault only for it to go again within 6 months and when my mates hubby looked, and showed me, all they had done was badly soldered the wires which had come apart again! He did the same job for me but for the price of a 6 pack!!!) and am now wary about getting mechanics to look at my car. I hate playing the unknowledgeable female card at the best of times but sometimes, like with cars, it is the only option as annoying as it is!
    Any help, guidance and advice greatly appreciated! Thank you!
    XX Freaky XX

  • #2
    Doh! So I've just found the post of Remapping so now I kinda know what that is but not whether it would benefit me now and in the long run or even if my poor little ignored roady could even cope with it!! I think I need some expert advice!!! x x

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    • #3
      Save the money for keeping the baby on the road. I love remapping cars and seeing the smile from customers, however I think IF you are struggling with money and you still love the car get it sorted. Get the roof to stop leaking and make it open and shut correctly every time.
      Where are you in the UK FFx ?
      Www.BigPerformance.Co.Uk

      020 328 REMAP (02032873627)
      07702948467
      STAR diagnostics. Remapping. Dyno. Key coding
      TAN codes. SCN codes. Body shop. Trimming. Crash repairs

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      • #4
        Ta hun, yep thats what I was thinking! Better to treat the basics than upgrade first especially now that Ive read up a bit on remapping!
        I'm in Laindon, near Basildon in Essex! It seems from googling smart specialist that we are in a minority down here!
        x x x

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        • #5
          About 5 minutes from me.
          To be brutally honest, if you don't have excess money or time and car fixing talent, don't own a Roadster, they are a time bomb of hurt unless you proactively upkeep the car at all times.

          The nearest smart specialist to you that I trust is s2smarts in Watford, they can do most work to your car. It may just need a service and a little tinkering to get it running right. The roof should be no problem to sort either.
          The cosmetic stuff doesn't affect the drivability so I'm not sure I'd waste money on it.

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          • #6
            I would concur - either save your money for if/when things go wrong, or put it toward a little preventative maintenance - such as replacing earth leads, battery, ball joints, get it a good service etc., maybe get the commonly failing parts checked like the sump checked for corrosion, the springs/dampers & brakes checked for condition, make sure the exhaust is in decent condition, that the timing chain is tensioned properly etc.

            There is a chap in Essex (my step-father) who is a mobile mechanic and VERY cheap (far too cheap as I keep telling him) - he will be able to give your car the once over and is very good with smarts having previously run (& rebuilt) a fortwo and having done various jobs on my Roadster & the 3 fortwos we have had. He doesn't do remapping or anything like that but will make sure your car is mechanically in tip-top condition.

            Drop me a private message if you'd like his details.

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