I have a 95 325i convertable 169km brake lights dont workand ,needs front rotor.Is it worth fixing?and Cost ?

Question

Last week spents 900 to fix the alternor and fan belt.What does it cost to do front brakes for certif?and what is the car worth now.two years ago i got it for 10,000.What is it worth if i fix it?only been driven in summer.Mint condtion.But does this mean the first sign of things to go ?Looks rusty under car?is it worth keeping fixing or selling fixed or as is?

Answer 1

Brakes lights,all of them,or just one or two? 1 or two lights out ,bulb,easy fix. No lights in rear at all...Expensive! Brake rotor,not sure,go to Auto Zone,NO dealer,they rob you. Auto zone same part,50% less. Go to Kelly Blue book.com,tell you excactly what car is worth.Rusty under car,take to shop put on lift,if surface rust,okay,holes,Problem...Find Blue book value then ask yourself,is it worth it??? Hope this helps.

Answer 2

You might want to get the car under coated but don't use the cheapy under coatings , spend the extra cash and get a full warrantied proper under coating done once a year.

To me 900.00 for a belt and atlernator is quite expensive but I do know some alternators are quite pricey and even cost well over 450.00 to 600.00 plus belts can vary some cost well over 100.00 and then labour might be well over 90mins at over 90.00 an hr specialty shops could cost you even more money.

What I would suggest is the whole car's electrical charging system be fully tested and be cleaned or over hauled.Basically if the alternator went it's quite possible it caused a strain on the battery and even the starter or a weak starter or battery caused the alternator to over work.

Best thing to do is really look and check the basic things you can with your own eyes.Example check to see if the battery posts are rusty or corroded and the batterry terminal connectors and any wires that link to them are tight and solid connections, plus check to see if you have any rust etc on the alternator connections and starter.

Key here is wether or not the previous owner kept the car up to par and so far it sounds like just basic repairs have been made so far by your mechanics.No1 issue is on a ten year or older vehicle a lot of the electrical system failers are related to bad connections especially bad engine grounds or battery or alternator or starter connections , plus most people dont actually ever have the electrical ever over hauled.

If I were you I'd be making sure the rest of the vehicle is solid mechanically  and having a few shops do a free brake and front end and suspension check. I'd also have a few engine shop mechanics offer their opinion on the engine, plus I might also have the engine's clynders pressures checked.

The front brakes shouldn't be that expensive to replace but it also helps to make sure to truly shop around before deciding on and repairs.Basically it really shouldn't take any shop any longer then 90 to 120 mins tops to replace the front brakes.If you're going to invest in brakes why not be sure to have life long replacement pads used bec they don't really cost that much more really.

Example average basic pads are from 18 to 30.00 bucks and add lifetime warranty its only on avergage about 50 to 60.00 in total but of course they can run from 60 to 120 a pair or more if specialty or custom parts.Myself I don't recommend the top grade of pads bec most of the time they wear the rotors out much faster and really they don't offer much of an extra stopping time advantage for the extra cost at all.I'd use med grade or quality parts and use the lifetime warrnty pads if I knew I planned on keeping the vehicle for awhile and all.

Best thing is truly knowing your vehicle and making sure if you're ever to sell it that you in fact know the car well bec that makes a better selling advantage point usaully for any seller.Also check the prices of those types of cars and then decide on best to sell it now or is it worth it to fix and drive it some more.One thing is if selling certified that really helps but remember once certified the certificate is only usually valid for 31 days or at least here in Canada its 31 days.So really it's best to first do your homework and have car checked out fully , plus try to line up a shop that will stick to their price quote on certifaction work but have work done once you a solid  buyer lined up and backup interested parties.

Hope that helps, best of luck and nice car by the way.You might want to check with the local car clubs or online clubs too bec there is a lot of people that own and know those cars and can offer you very helpful advice.