Again I hate my car

[Racket_Man]

OR

almost former car

this is just not the week for my pizza place

a week ago a driver's car died. the managers did not get any updates from him as to what was wrong and how long his car would be in the shop. Basically he NCNS'ed with NO updates or calls--- Just "My car Died" and crickets. One manager texted him asking about the situation and all she got was "YOU KNOW MY CAR DIED". queue much scrambling to cover shifts

two days ago another driver slipped and fell at home. Diagnosis ------ Broken hip ----- out for a good while. again queue scrambling to cover shifts.

NOW ..........


yesterday I took my car in for some routine winter type stuff --- new tires, oil change, new transmission oil and a possible cooling system leak (reserve tank). My mechanic calls me and tells me my rack and pinion part of my steering system has partially detached itself from the frame and my car is not driveable. BIG MONEY repair as they would have to replace the power steering pump and the rack and pinion ----- cost estimate around $1500. NOT worth it in any situation. basically they are going to try and Band-Aid if possible so I can have some kind of car to get around in (but not deliver in) but in the end my car is SCRAP.

QUEUE

1.) the store trying to cover my shifts for the next couple of days

2.) me desperately scrambling to find some kind of decent car to drive in a HURRY.


WHY OH WHY could it not have lasted 3 more months as planned as I was going to get another car in the spring?????? for the last 3 or 4 hours I have been scouring the local dealer sites and Craig's list for at least something on the lower end.

[HYHYBT]

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble.

[protege]

I know what the OP is dealing with. Car problems, especially expensive ones, suck.

2006-07 was an expensive year, car-wise. On the way home from work, the exhaust suddenly fell off. About halfway home, I stopped at a light. When I started through the intersection, the car sounded like a damn tractor! Not only that...but it had the acceleration of one too! I had to floor it to get any sort of power. Not ideal when you consider that my borough just *loves* to nail people for speeding, and I really didn't need any unwanted attention.

Took the car to the shop, and was told that with the damaged exhaust there was no way in hell it was going to pass state inspection. I couldn't have it simply welded up because the mounting flange had snapped off. To complicate things further, the spot where the O2 sensor was cracked as well. Only answer was to take it to the muffler shop, and spend a grand for a new manifold and exhaust section. Good thing the cat wasn't damaged--getting everything replaced would have cost more than the car was worth!

Exhaust was fixed, car passed inspection, etc. That was June. Fast-forward to about the end of August. I'm driving home from work, and the car is suddenly losing power--it was like the cylinders were shutting down. I got the car off the road, popped the hood, and nothing. Couldn't get it started, and needed a tow home.

Repairs weren't cheap. The timing belt's adjuster had failed, throwing the belt off its pulleys. End result was a trashed adjuster, destroyed timing belt, and a $500 dent in my wallet Keep in mind that' I'd *just* closed on my house, and buying a new car wasn't happening.

Then the electrical problems started happening. Doors would suddenly refuse to unlock--from *inside* the car, the "check engine" light would come on for no reason, the heater would randomly go off, etc. I put up with it, or fixed it myself. Then the car decided to lunch both of its O2 sensors, causing the check engine light to come on...and stay on. Because of that, and the knackered brakes, the car failed its state inspection in 2007.

At the time, Mazda wanted about $500 *each* IIRC for those sensos since they were a dealer-only item. I told the dealer he was on crack, and found them online for $250 the pair. Had them fitted, the brakes done, and the car failed state inspection again Seems the shop couldn't get the check engine light to go out, which is a failure here in PA.

To get that light off, would have required even *more* money. Annoying as hell, because the car still ran OK, and didn't spew huge clouds of exhaust. Considering that I'd already spent over $2,000 on that heap, dumping more into it wasn't happening. It had to go. Some other sucker could fix it, but I was done. I couldn't see spending more on a 7-year-old car with 127,000 miles on it. My feeling was, if I get this fixed, what will break next? Will the door fall off? I drove it around another 2 weeks after that (still with its failed inspection stickers), until my new car had arrived.

With that said, I know how the OP probably feels. That is, "why couldn't it just last until I can get a new vehicle? Why the hell does it have to break now?!"

[Racket_Man]

UPDATE

an a semi-joyious one at that.

My mechanic performed a minor miracle. He fixed (read jury-rigged and partially fixed) the rack and pinion and got my car on the road again so I can work. The problem ------ COST me an extra $500 - 600 extra -- TOTAL cost $1200 (meaning I budgeted about $600 - 700 for the routine stuff like new tires, oil, transmission service, front end alignment, etc.)

The DOWNSIDE is yes in several months I will still have to get another car.

RM is now a sad panda money wise.

[mathnerd]

I do know the feeling of never ending car repairs. In the last few months I have:

-Replaced the muffler and exhaust pipe
-Replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap, ignition rotor and ignition coil (wires and cap twice....don't ask)
-Replaced the break light switch
-Pulled something loose in the starting system while replacing the brake light switch. Currently have it rigged.
-Routine maintenance: fuel filter, oil changes, tires and alignment
-Replaced front brakes. Found that the person who replaced them last stripped the caliper bolts (I wasn't allowed to work on my own car where I was living at the time). Turns out that those bolt are unique to the first few months of production of my particular model year. Parts back ordered. Had to rig the bolts for six weeks until the new bolts came in.
-Radiator fan relays failed and needed to be replaced.
-A/C coolant leak. Turned out to be a seal that was reasonably easy to get to. Replaced it and recharged the system. Works now.

Things I need to do but haven't gotten around to:
-New shocks and struts
-Clutch has maybe 5000 miles left on it.
-Couple of gears are persnickity
-Synchros between first and second and second and third fail intermittently, causing the need to either double clutch or float gears.
-Back passenger side tail light lens is busted out and currently covered with appropriately covered lens tape.
-Back doors don't open from the outside. I'm too lazy to fix it.
-Driver's side window sometimes won't go down. Need to look at the fuses, haven't gotten around to diagnosing that yet.
-Timing belt and water pump are within a few thousand miles of going.
-Tiny oil leak. Not sure where. Need to figure that out.

Thankfully, I can do pretty much anything either on my own or with my father's help. I did have to have a shop do the tires and alignment, and then there was the issue in ND where my apartment complex wouldn't allow tenants to do auto repair in the parking lot, which forced me to let a mechanic touch my car, which ended badly.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I'm constantly working on my car.

[HYHYBT]

I'm glad things are at least not as bad as they looked the other day.