Cars are a pain in the ass.......

[anti_shrub]

I just spent $70 on a new muffler and within 3 hours the timing belt broke...$50 for a tow and probably $100-150 for repairs (assuming I didn't crunch the engine). Apparently the Automotive Gods think I'm made of money or something. Data entry isn't a high-bling kind of career ya know.

Its like car repairs happen in bunches, like celebrity deaths, only more costly and at the most inconvienient times.

Now I have to make all sorts of arrangements to get work done with as little financial impact as possible. My car's old, but I prefer random part replacement to a monthy car payment. I just don't need these random replacements to happen back-to-friggin'-back.

So everyone at DU, cross your fingers with me and hope that the estimate from the garage has less zeros than Bill Gate's tax return. If that doesn't work, donate money to the Anti-Shrub Car Repair Fund via PayPal at [e-mail]! (Just kidding. Actually, no I'm not...maybe....)

So anyone else have any car repair horror stories? Might as well make this an entertaining thread.

[MrSandman]

1. I gotta drive 150 mi. one way...

tomorrow to tow my daughters vehicle back from college. I can'[t afford mechanics where she is at school or the tow bill. Thanks for U-Haul dollies.

[NNadir]

2. I have something in my town I treasure...an honest and competant mechanic.

I don't mind fixing it, if it's broke.

[anti_shrub]

3. I'm kind of lucky in that regard too...

Usually chain repair stores bend you over, but I've gotten to know the manager of one near me and he's helped me out. Hopefully he can do it again.

[Philostopher]

4. If you drive a fairly recent Japanese model ...

the timing belt thing probably won't cost you a pile. They have what they call a 'non-interference' system that pretty much freezes the engine when the timing belt breaks, instead of the rods getting all bent. I had this happen to me when my water pump went out and the serpentine belt stopped -- it snapped the timing belt, but it only cost me $300 (including putting in a new water pump) because Toyota's engines generally are of the variety that don't go completely haywire if the timing belt breaks.

If you have an American car, I don't know -- good luck, I guess. Some of them probably are built on that model, and many American brands have Japanese-designed engines. If not ... whew.

Mine went on me when I was heading home from one of my first pre-date dates with Mr. Nownow. I was down in the industrial district at half-past one on a Sunday morning with nothing but a handful of change to my name. I had to walk seven blocks to find a telephone that had a phone book, and then I had to call several placers just to find a towing company that would come down and tow the car. The guy who drove the tow truck was a really sweet older guy -- he actually drove me home because it was only a little bit out of his way to go to my place from the garage.

[anti_shrub]

5. I drive a Honda

So here's hoping Japanese technological superiority comes through for me.

[Philostopher]

13. I don't know for sure about Hondas ...

but my mechanic told my my 1985 Camry had this kind of engine, so it wouldn't be surprising if Honda did, too. I think it's easy to engineer into overhead cam engines, and most Toyotas since 1985 use an overhead cam. I can't imagine Honda would be behind Toyota on that.

[anti_shrub]

15. Honda's always slightly ahead of the curve it seems

Hopefully this is the case here too..

God, if this ends up costing serious cash I'm screwed to the tenth power.

[da_chimperor]

6. So what kind of car do you drive?

A friend of mine has an old mid 80's honda civic with almost 200,000 miles on it and it's never had an oil change. Last I heard it's still running problem-free.

[anti_shrub]

7. 85 Honda Accord

Only has about 64,000 miles on it. Mine really was owned by the old lady who only went to church.

[da_chimperor]

10. Hmmm, I would think that it woulden't have as many problems . . .

I think his was an '88. Puzzling. Good luck getting it fixed!

[mrbassman03]

12. 87 celica...

And it just went out... see below.

[mrbassman03]

8. JUST took a tow-truck 100 miles...

A rod in one of the pistons broke on my Celica, and I was stranded on I-5 for a good hour and a half, before AAA sent a tow-truck to come get me. Hey, at least it was free (- AAA costs). Anyway, took it down to Seattle, where a good mechanic told me exactly what was wrong with it and that I'd have to drop a whole new engine into it. I'll look into impound auctions... something cheap! A huge stress today, with a VERY dirty tow truck driver.

[LibLover]

9. Timing belt

My Dad always insisted that I learn about cars. He even made me take auto lab in high school and insisted that I take a couple of the more advanced courses at the community college. (I'm a girly-girl. Talk about "fish out of water"! I had to wear boots with socks!) I protested to no avail since my brothers all sided with Dad. That being said, I don't get taken by mechanics.

How fast were your going when your belt broke? If the timing belt gave out your vavles stuck in a fixed position, but your crank and pistons kept moving. They could crash into each other, bending and breaking parts inside your engine. That's expensive!

Bless my dear old Dad!:loveya: Looking back I wish a basic auto maintenence class was mandatory in driver education. I can't believe that some people can't even change a tire!

[anti_shrub]

14. I was stopped at a red light went it broke

I was getting ready to go when I noticed it stalled, and when I tried to start it, well, if you've broken one you know what it sounds like.

I'm hoping that since I wasn't driving when it snapped I might avoid the hardcore damage.

[ldf]

11. cars? i live in manhattan. we don't DO cars.

it's great.

no car payments.

no insurance payments.

who cares about the price of a gallon of gas?

no parking spot payments.

all that money i am saving, and i can put it towards my outrageous 1500 rent payment, just to live in a trashy third world neighborhood where no one speaks english.

yeah, cars are SO california.

:grr:

but i seriously love new york city. there is no place like it!

:toast: to the big apple!

[anti_shrub]

16. Self-Serving "Avoid Page 2" kick

n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. I lived for ten years without one, until I moved back to Minneapolis

I took over my mother's old car, and I try to drive as little as possible, which was hard, especially during the bus strike, but I really started hating cars all over again this past summer when it needed $700 worth of repairs.

:grr:

[anti_shrub]

19. I wish Pittsburgh had any semblance of public transportation...

Not only do the eastern suburbs get shunned, they're going to nearly double fares and cut service because the Port Authority has no money left after the state cut their funding.

[chaska]

18. Especially when used as suppositories.

[anti_shrub]

20. Preperation H!

Who knew the H stood for Honda?

[anti_shrub]

21. By the way

No one donated to the Anti-Shrub Car Repair Fund........a pox on all ya houses!