Looking for a local mechanic

Hi all. My beloved Fronty has decided to start falling apart all at once. Currently I need a new subframe bit for the driver's seat, new shocks and a cylinder head gasket (according to my local vauxhall dealer), it's making a sort of 'tappety' noise and there's a strange grinding noise coming from somewhere under the front when I pull away.

My local vauxhall dealer wants over £1000 just for the shocks and gasket, so naturally I'm hoping there will be someone on here who can recommend someone who will cost less and care more.

I'm based in the Southport (ish) area and have very little mechanical ability (I do pooters rather than motors).

Any help gratefully received as I am seriously considering just getting rid of the thing and buying a nice reliable Saab or something

shocks £33 each from explorerprocomp uk

or milner off road in chesterfield

the head gasket should cost at most £200 fitted from any local garage

shocks you can do yourself

contact drift he knows garages in that area also bumptj can give you prices for standard shocks

Thanks for the responses guys.

Hi Drift. In response to your question, they didn't say anything about the head gasket apart from it needs doing. I wouldn't know what to look for.

You could well be right about the brakes. I found a nice quiet road and did lots of stopping and starting and it seems to have pretty much gone. The poor thing only comes out to play at weekends these days so it wouldn't surprise me if things have gotten a bit sticky.

I've been having a bit of a trawl through the forums and it seems the tappety noise could be a cracked exhaust manifold...?

I would welcome the benefit of you experience if you can spare the time to have a look at it, with suitable compensation for your time of course

As the wise and powerful Oddball once said "Crazy... I mean like, so many positive waves... maybe we can't lose"

Thanks again Ste, I owe you several beers