Well, with tax due at the end of the month, the noise from the front end now almost deafening and a rattling from the back (as well as being only a few miles shy of 270,000) I was ready to sell the old girl but thought I'd give her one more chance.
I had a look over the weekend and discovered that the "noise" had been misdiagnosed before and the fix could be a lot easier (and cheaper) than anticipated.
So I took her to the garage this morning.
The "noise" turns out to be a failed wheel bearing (so really cheap and easy to fix) . . . that said the way it'd failed was
"weird, so probably never sounded or felt like a wheel bearing going" (his words, not mine).
Next up was the rattling from the back.
Turns out that both my rear shocks are beyond dead (not surprising considering what I regular put the car through AND the fact that they told me they were knackered about 3 years ago !!!
Although, I said, that wasn't the noise I'd heard from the back . . .
2 minutes of looking and both the main rear-arm bushes have failed (as in collapsed !!). Got money's worth, for sure.
I've also got a rear flexi brake line that's at the point of failure so have left the car with them.
I had a budget of £500 in mind as, basically, if I had to pick up a cheap snotter to get me by that'd be the minimum I'd end up spending . . . . That said, I've told them no more than £400 so should be good . . . . Plus this way there's a chance that the engine will get to 300,000 miles.
