Ask an expert


WellyMan

Hello AA,

I had an AA check done on a Ford Laser 2001 - 150k on the clock.
The interior fan wasnt working except for under maximum and the air con offered no cooling

Are these expensive jobs to fix?

My local mechanic quoted between 200 and 500 for the interior fan - but thats without seeing the car
The aircon - they dont do, but he said it could mount up.

The asking price was 5k - but i'm not paying that out now i know this. I dont think i'd pay more than 4k in total now.

Also minor rust under the bonnet - but the AA guy said no major issue yet with this

Even though the AA check was 140, its worth knowing all this - as i'm a bit unsure now

Might look elsewhere

ABayliss

The fan problem is possibly the fan resistor, but without having it properly diagnosed by a mechanic or auto-electrician it's impossible to say for sure. So, your mechanic's guestimate is about as close as you'll get without someone looking at it. It's likely to be at the lower end (or perhaps even a bit less) of his reckoning if it's just the resistor, but could involve more labour and diagnosis if it turns out to be something else.
The a/c not getting cold could be that it needs a re-gas, but if that's the case it's likely there's a leak somewhere, so again, as your mechanic said, it's not possible to determine a cost without diagnosing it first.
If the rust is just a bit of surface corrosion, you may be able to treat it and apply some rust protection and paint to keep that at bay.

WellyMan

thanks for your reply

I am asking for 1500 off the asking price - plenty of other cars is the sea if he turns that down