thanks.. tuvok, digitali, intelligentsia... it is embarrassing the 'elder' and the 'veteran' can't provide issues of fact to back their statements...

it is expected it is going to rain in april... because it has rained at that time in other years....
someone told me one of the disadvantages of the GDI and Mitsubishi cars in his opinion was the lack of fake spares.. at least that guy had an issue that did not meet his preferences..

Buying any car can be a minefield of problems.

Yesterday I bought spare parts for an Isuzu Bighorn as it needed new brake pads all round, new air and oil filters. From the factory and dealer the parts were nearly 35K !

I asked the Isuzu factory in Enterprise Road. how much a small service would cost?
Answer = 17K

I asked a local garage the same question.
Answer = 5K

I asked an AA mechanic 'Moonlighting" the same....

Answer = 4K and that is negotiable.

The quote for the day here is..."It pays to be direct and to shop around".

GK

Digitali, thanks for your comments. You make valid and strong points about the main dealer also having high running costs.

I was able to visit a certified Isuzu Parts store @ Kirinyaga Road and was offered a 25% discount for shopping there, even though the prices for parts are the same as at the factory.

Having said that, the factory was easier to get to by car. The Kirinyaga Road area was a nightmare, but the bonus was that I was able to buy genuine parts with a significant discount which made it a worthwhile experience.

I am new to the forum and not fully conversant as to the protocols here.

Are you permitted to reveal what your charges are for Diagnostics? to plug in the machine, and print off the error codes?

I spend part of the year in Kenya and part of it in the UK. A few months ago my 2004 Mazda 2 packed up. Diagnostics was plugged in at a Mazda Dealership and a loose electrical cable was found to be causing the problem. To replace the cable with a new one would have cost £900 including labour and V.A.T. I chose to have a cheaper option of having the cable repaired for £400. £200 of that was for plugging in the Diagnostics and the rest was for labour charges and V.A.T

I am interested in learning what your charges are? However you might not be 'allowed to say here'. Just thought I would ask.

As you know....

"If you don't ask, you don't get"

Thanks

GK

@Digitali

Where are you located?

What would it cost do a major service?

@Digital Ali. Do you have any experience with Honda, specifically Honda Fit? i have a dead Speedo issue and have been given all manner of diagnosis including changing the entire dashboard by various experts. .Otherwise its in perfect running order and kunywas less than 1/2 tank from Msa to Nai. Jus imagin!

I think i've seen it on a totally different car, and it was something to do with a cable.

Kwani how big (or how small) is that tank :)

another note too...would you recommend car respray to change color?

i actually don't knu , but i really need to change my car to wine red .
that means respraying it. i need to know its drawbacks before though!

@Banyamulenge: your problem is common with modern vehicles which rely on sensors in many operations in the car. Every mechanical part if controlled by an electronic unit which gets instructions from the ECU(Engine control unit) as adviced by either of the sensors. Older vehicles used to rely on a cable for speedometer operations but that has ceased. we now have speed sensors which relay the speed n form of voltage transmitted to the speedometer through the ECU. One of those sensors could be dead and thats why the speedometer is dead!