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Fix my car or get another one

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Smallpotatoes, Aug 21, 2012.

  1. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Mynocks will fuck up your power cables something fierce.

    Right, flaccid, barely-motivated Chewbacca?

    [​IMG]

    "Rrrrrgrhow ... fuck it in the ass ... whatever the hell ... who cares?"
     
  2. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    I'm posting this for your benefit, but many others here might want to take note, because they're likely to run up against a similar issue in the future.

    I'd bet a small amount of folding money ... more than $1 but less than $20 ... that you've got a leak in the breather hose that brings air into the engine. If that leak has opened up between the Mass Airflow Sensor* and the throttle body, then your emissions system is going to go haywire.

    Look for a big old rubbery hose towards the front of the engine compartment. It may have folds, like an accordion. If cracks have developed in those folds, wrapping the hose in duct tape might just solve your problem.

    *This sensor meters the amount of air going into the engine. If there's a crack downstream from it, more air will be getting into the engine than it's accounting for. Thus, readings from sensors even further downstream -- e.g., oxygen sensors -- will be off and will trigger the trouble codes/check engine light.
     
  3. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    Something tells me the marketing whizzes at Dodge knew exactly what they were doing when the engineers and car development guys turned over the plans and said, "name this thing."

    "We'll name it after a notoriously finicky mechanism that is rather pedestrian when you first install it, and then promptly becomes high-maintenance."

    [​IMG]
     
  4. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    That's definitely the hook that's hard to ignore.

    But the thing is, you can't afford it, if you keep having to spend on repair jobs when it's barely at 100K.

    It's only a cheaper car while it's sitting on the lot. It's as (or more) expensive in the long run in maintenance, lack of resale value and general headaches.

    As the owner of 22- and 12-year-old cars, my rule in these situations is to "FIX IT!."

    A Neon is the exception that proves the rule.
     
  5. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    I had a Neon about seven years ago ... if the question is whether or not to run it into the ground, my experience is that you probably don't have much time left. I barely got to 140,000 miles before the entire thing started falling apart. Transmission started to go. An engine replacement was next. Not worth it for that car. As has been said, the Neon is what it is ... I bought it my senior year of college and it got me eight good years. But it's not the sort of car that you're going to get 200k+ miles out of.

    I currently drive an 08 Altima and have been extremely pleased with it. I've had it for 18 months and have had no issues with it at all, save for basic maintenance (tires, etc.).
     
  6. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    I'm still reading the other "car trouble" thread but I'm laughing my ass off.


    Mechanic: "We got a 2003 Neon that needs a new transmission."
    Garage owner: "Fine. We've got two new transmissions in stock."
    Mechanic: "It's smallpotatoes."
    Garage owner: "Root around the the dumpster and slap on something that looks transmissiony. Don't use any of the good, green fluid, either."
     
  7. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Here's a car question for you: Why is transmission fluid red (or green)? And, as a follow-up, if the tranny fluid is no longer red/green, what does that mean?

    Answer(s): Transmission fluid is dyed red or green so as to make sure that it's not confused with motor oil. And transmission fluid loses its color very quickly, so a lack of color means nothing. Never let a mechanic convince you you need a tranny flush simply because the fluid's no longer the right color. Indeed, if you have a high-mileage tranny that hasn't been flushed, flushing it can knock loose all kinds of stuff that can then cause problems. As regards transmissions, best let sleeping dogs lie.
     
  8. Madhavok

    Madhavok Well-Known Member

    My catalytic converter shit the bed on my way to Colorado in Nebraska. Sucked. GM dealer quoted me at $1k someone had mentioned a 'mom and pop' shop in town. Took the plunge to try and find it and they fixed everything for under $400.

    I have a feeling you'd know it was your CC. My car wouldn't go over 40 mph and was bogging down the whole time.
     
  9. Zeke12

    Zeke12 Guest

    The good stuff is green. I have it on good authority.
     
  10. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    Soylent Green was not good. So, there's that.
     
  11. Hank_Scorpio

    Hank_Scorpio Active Member

    I had a Neon about five years ago. Bought it used with 20K miles on it. Had to get the engine replaced around 60K. Finally had to get rid of it at 120K miles.


    Somehow, I was able to get $1000 out of it from the dealer when I bought my current Ford Focus. I think the Blue Book was about $500. A co-worker at the time also had a Neon. He basically drove it into the ground too, because he knew he wouldn't be able to get anything for it in trade.
     
  12. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Another former Neon owner here. It was great until the 130K mark or so, then it went seriously downhill. Air conditioning froze up (literally), transmission started to go ...

    It finally died last September when a transmission line broke and dumped transmission fluid into the radiator and vice versa. Cost of the repair was $2,500. Approximate value of car? Five cents.

    It lasted six-plus years, mostly without issue, and I drive a lot, so I can't complain. The one thing that sucked about my Neon was that it had an odd wheel base that made it expensive to replace tires (even before the cost of tires shot up dramatically). The most expensive repair I ever had was when the wheel on it froze and broke after I drove through a snowstorm.

    My niece's husband bought it for $600, fixed it, and flipped it. Good for him. Bad for whoever bought it.

    I'm now in a Nissan Versa that hopefully has some staying power.
     
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