Our Chrysler Ipsilon which was successfully bid on for £500 in August 2022 has had its first fault – just before Christmas 2025. My other half was driving home when there was a snap felt and heard from the clutch pedal. The stricken Chrysler managed to coast into a car park where it lay undisturbed over the Christmas holidays. On inspection, it appeared stuck in gear and couldn’t be rolled back to manoeuvre around so a local mechanic was commissioned to repair. Online gear linkages ranged from £40 with some parts suppliers quoting as high as £140 excluding VAT.
Our mechanic eventually rectified our Ipsilon replying with a bill of £339 including three hours of labour at £65 per hour. The invoice showed that the part was replaced but I forgot to ask to see the broken part or the part invoice. A can of penetrating spray was found in the passenger side foot well which roused me from a slumber so I suppose an MOT inspector could verify whether the part was replaced – not that I am doubting it wasn’t ?
Parts replaced since purchase:
door mirror glass: £5.66 in 2022
Nearside side indicator lense: £10 in 2025
rear registration plate: £12 in 2025
gear linkage replacement: £339 in 2026
Words are copyright of Sotiris Vassiliou
January 2026
