As the old saying goes – when it rains it pours. That seems to be the case right now with my
car issues. Of course, it is a
sixteen-year-old car so I don’t expect things to be perfect. I just hope this is the end of an expensive list
of repairs for a while.
It all started out with the A/C, which had to be repaired
this summer. I could have let it go for
a while if it wasn’t in the triple digits here.
Things went smoothly for a month and then the starter went
out. That happened when hubby was in Oregon taking care of
his dad’s affairs, so I borrowed my neighbor’s car so I could get back and
forth to work. Thankfully, she has two
vehicles and one sits in the garage most of the time. After three days in the shop and about $500,
I was able to get my car back.
Now the car still had a shifter issue, which I’ve been
nursing along for a year or more. I
wasn’t ready to shell out another couple hundred to have that looked into, so
I’ve been putting up with it, although it’s getting to be a very sore spot
having to fight to get the car out of park every time I get into it. I think this is a brake switch and not a
solenoid, which is a good thing because the brake switches are the cheaper of
the repairs.
So back up a couple days ago when we were running around
town and I had hubby drive my car so he could see how bad the shifter was. He was getting pretty frustrated trying to
get it into gear. It smelled hot when we
came home, but he couldn’t smell it, assuring me all was fine.
So the next day I went to work and noticed I left a trail of
wet splashes and drops after I locked my car.
I touched it and it looked like water on my finger. My car had the hot smell again, plus this
time my heat gauge was slightly above the center spot, which it never is, so I
knew there was another issue. Things
weren’t just fine.
Hubby brought a gallon of water and filled up my
radiator. The oil was fine. I called the shop on my break and asked to
bring it over after work. The guys are
so good over there and said they’d stay late so I wouldn’t be stranded and would
take a look at it for me. They even
offered to give me a ride home, but hubby picked me up.
The verdict is it needs a new radiator and new radiator hose. The tech pressurized the radiator for me, it
was leaking in the front, and the main upper hose is almost worn to the point
of having a hole in it. So this problem
is now being fixed, leaving me without a car again for a few days. The shop ordered the new radiator right away,
but they sent over a defective one and the mechanic can’t get another one until
Monday. That seems to be the story of my
life, but things happen and it could always be worse. Thank goodness, that’s my philosophy in life
or things could get depressing in a hurry.
So I’m also having the shifter fixed as long as the car is
in the shop again anyway. Actually,
hubby suggested it after his round with the car the other day. I don’t have the estimate on that repair yet and
am crossing my fingers because the radiator job is going to cost me $480. Yikes!
You can see where my paycheck is going.
If things happen in threes, maybe this is it for a
while. I’m keeping a positive mind.
Son has a 1993 Cadillac Deville. He bought it from an 85 year old lady back in 2007; it was her husband's car. At the time he bought it, it had 81,000 miles on it. He doubled (tripled?) that mileage over the course of him having it. It needed repairs here and there but in February 2013 the repairs started almost weekly and as he was working but not making enough for the repairs, we were paying most of them. We finally convinced him to park the car and helped him get a 2012 Malibu. He eventually got the Cadillac fixed after it being parked for a year; got new engine in it, etc. He still has it, but it still continues to need repairs here and there which we don't help with anymore. I think its a great car, but I think in his case, I think its reached the end of the road, but he still wants to keep it.
ReplyDeleteIt is always one thing or another with cars indeed, especially when they get older. That's why we finally traded in hubby's 2007 HHR with close to 100,000 miles on it. The repairs would have been costly and then probably start coming more frequently, but now we have a car payment for the next 6 years.
betty
Betty,
DeleteExactly. Which is worse - car repairs or car payments? Either way, there's money going out.
I know at some point I'll have to get rid of this car. It has 113,000 miles on it. But I'll never buy a new car. They're too expensive, so it'll be a good used one with low miles that I can have checked out by a mechanic first. I would want to pay cash and have no payments to deal with.
Hopefully that issue is a ways down the road.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Sunni
I had a radiator problem at the worst possible time, too. I think it cracked or something. If it's not one thing, it's another. Good luck with the repairs. Glad you found a good garage to do the work.
ReplyDeleteLiz,
DeleteStuff like this is always at the worst time. Yes, there is a great mechanic here who is honest and reasonable compared to others. It's hard to find a good shop. It is always something.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Sunni
Cars are such trouble and every fault is so expensive to put right. I feel your pain! xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks PL
DeleteCar repairs are never cheap.
Sunni