Friday, July 29, 2011

The neverending car drama

While I was out of town, we brought my car in to the shop to look at my coolant leak.  And my brakes were a little vibrate-y (that is a word ya know).  We suspected that my water pump was bad (AGAIN...that means I will be on pump #3 in 7 months). 

The verdict:   Brakes needed adjusting and cleaning (easy and cheap); new water pump (color me so surprised); and I am leaking oil; manifold intake valves need to be replaced (what exactly is a manifold anyway???)

$1100.  ANOTHER $1100.  We were expecting a few hundred, not over a thousand.

This has opened a huge can of worms.  We were told the water pump is bad because of faulty instillation.....gee, this is becoming a theme on our cars, hence the reason we aren't using the other shop anymore.  The rest is just my vehicle getting old.

To fix or not to fix....that is the question.  We drained our car account on G-man's car at 4th of July.  Since that was less than a month ago, it isn't like it has has ANY time to build.  We do have some cash available, which was reserved to fix Bossy's room....but that is on hold for the moment (that is tied to the Work story).  We could fix it in cash, but who knows when the next bomb will drop.

We have decided to file a complaint with the DMV board that governs repair shops.  We have nothing but problems for 7-8 months due to shoddy work.  We are hoping to recoup some (if not all!) of our money.  Both our cars have been in and out of the shop since December, and each time it is related to the previous repair, and now 2 different shops (the dealership, and the new repair shop) have independently from each other, on two different cars, said the problem is due to poor instillation.

So that is a whole other battle....

Back to fix or not fix.  If we don't fix it....it may limp along for a bit, but I will be on borrowed time.  This decision would mean buying a "new" car.  And by new car...I am talking about a step or two above a Beater.  I need to have a reliable car for work and the kids.  But it certainly wouldn't be my ideal car.  Enter in....a car payment. 

We have next to nothing for a car payment.  That would pretty much shoot any debt repayment plan down for awhile.  Unless Work changes.....again...that is a WHOLE other story.  G-man looked around and hasn't found anything much better than what we already have.   We are going to look around tomorrow.

But I think we will fix the car.  My friend's brother is a mechanic (this is my friend I just went to visit).  His feeling is that if fixed properly, then these issues should be solved for the life of the car.  And that a car should last 250k miles.  I am at 153k.  I was shooting for at least another 50k on my car....

I am sad to have to use more money on the car and Murphy.  In the past 2 months, this will bring our Murphy total to about $2500.  All of that (or at least 2k of it), was supposed to be for debt.  So much for that plan.

Part of me says bail on the car....part of me says just fix it.  I just don't want a car payment!!!!!

So there ya go....the next installment of Car Drama.

15 comments:

  1. Wow. Just wow. But I agree with you. If you can get another 50K out of the car, that can make a huge difference for you down the road.

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  2. that totally sucks - I am with Sass - go with fixing the car if fixing those issues could mean another 50k miles ~ you could be in such a better place in 50k miles!!!

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  3. 153k is a lot of miles, what kind of car is it? I say fix it right now and hold off buying a new one. Don't you have some kind of warranty at the previous shop? call and talk with the manager, you never know, they might do the work way cheaper or for free, at least it will give you a bit more time..

    HS

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  4. I am sorry. Murphy is so evil. He likes to jump back and forth between my place and yours! I would fix the car. I also would like to see you in something better, but I understand not wanting a car payment.

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  5. One of my cars (Honda) has 160K miles and still going strong. I am glad you reported the shoddy work to DMV. This shows the value of good service people. In your search for a good mechanic the AAA has a list of reputable mechanics.

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  6. This is a 2000 Ford Windstar. I hate to say it, but I will never buy another American car. Nothing but problems.

    We are 95% sure we are going to fix my car. I am just so worried that in 3 months we will be at another repair. We just really can't handle a car payment....

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  7. @HS - no warranty. It was replaced "off the record" in March when the December water pump failed....gee....see a theme? They only guarantee for 90 days.

    We will not take our cars back there...I just want the money back so we can get it fixed right.

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  8. Sorry you seem to be having so many car issues. I know this particular feeling quite well. The one where it seems that everyone wants to kick you while you're down. Just try to remember to keep moving forward, eventually you guys will get the break you so deserve!

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  9. Yikes! OK Ford Windstar quality was not the best back then, they always had reliability issues, I'd say start thinking about getting something new soon, I'd hate for something like your transmission to go out, the 2000 model very prone to this issue:

    http://www.fordproblems.com/Windstar/

    Sorry you're having all these issues, could you guys make it with 1 car for a few months? like you drop him off etc?

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  10. Nope...need two cars. We each work 30 min from the house, in opposite directions. Plus, he works 3-11pm, so even if somehow I drove him, I would have to pack the kids up in the middle of the night to go get him.

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  11. Well if I win the lottery you can have my car! I'm buying 1 ticket this weekend.

    HS

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  12. I've been reading your blog for over a year now, and I'm so very confused. Don't car repairs like this count as emergency fund fixes? How do people decide what's an emergency or not? We've got car trouble too right now, and don't even have an E Fund yet, let alone a car repair fund!

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  13. @Anon - The repairs may come from EF. Not sure yet. We try to prepare for things that will happen....like a car repair. And use EF for things that we just couldn't prepare for, like when we needed money for our refi closing. I think I will do a post regarding EF soon.

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  14. Mysti, I've got my own car drama now too. Sniff.

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  15. It is definately time to find a new repair shop! I too think it makes sense to repair and keep. In the meantime, I suggest you try to save up for your next vehicle.

    I know that you are trying to make progress on your debt, but as you said in another post, just making your minimum payments while paying cash for all other expenses is progress too.

    I gather you have had a lot of medical expenses. Have you ever considered bankruptcy to get a fresh start or is that something you wouldn't feel right about?

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