# Share Some Car Issue Stories...



## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

I have to retire my 2003 Mazda Tribute in the next year or so. As much it has been a great vehicle to me for 230+kkms, unexpected and hefty expenses in the past year due to age is beginning to take it's toll on the ol' pocketbook. Such as replacing ignitor coils, need to replace the "wheel bearing hangers", emerg brake cables, gas door cable, redo the exhaust system as the hangers rusted off...bla, bla, bla!

Aside from that, replacing the alternator every 2 years and headlights every 6months is the common trend 

Last week, the front right brake line ruptured. After wrapping it in silicone tape, electrical tape and ring clamped, we baby stepped it home. Luckily we were doing an installation job and we had tools and supplies to MacGuyver a temporary fix. New brake lines and stopping on a dime and giving change 

What's your 4-wheeled money pit story?


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

What do you mean by retiring the jeep? Dumping it? or just give it to the car dealer?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

I had my car since 2008 and will be selling it back to the dealership since I want a new car. But aside from that given that its only been about 2-3years the car maintenance shouldn't be a lot right... no.... they decided to tell me I need this changed, that changed.... what is up with that? Those changes that they want (which cost in total about $800) are not covered under warranty. My question is what is covered under warranty? 

oh it only has maybe 40k on it


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

oohh wilson... I hear ya!

I started with an arostar minivan as a teen. AWESOME! lol. This van was my mini apt more like it. lol

Unfortunatly I have lost breaks on it twice, and the rear axle had about 3 inches of play in it. Mechanic threatened to take the van away when I brought it in. 
I've ripped the tire off the rim myself in the snow... I guess with this car is was more my fault than anything. ha. :3 It died in front of the old folks home and that was when I learned about car fluids and why you need to check the transmission and make sure it still has fluid too.

Before it died I had to unplug and replug the battery in every time I went anywhere or the battery would die. LOL It had a slow drain somewhere. The windshield wipers never worked very long either so I would have to wait if it rained or snowed too hard.

Then I borrowed my grans car for a while.. Paid to have the breaks done, oil done when it needed it. etc etc... Then get pulled over for no sticker on the vehicle. LOL My gran hadn't gotten her plates renewed for two years. O_O Had to pay for new plates, and a traffic ticket of hers.. :/

Got our own car.. A pontiac Gooole lol! Great car while it lasted. I had the rad break down up north and I had to come home with the heat full blast in the middle of the summer. I got burns on my legs and melted all the air vents in the car.
The breaks went on the car so we got a whole new break system installed. I went to give a guy a boost a bit after and bumped the curb to get to him. Turns out I broke the back axle that was rusted away and the only thing holding onto the rear wheels was the shiney new break lines! O_O

I have my dodge spirit now... Its actually doing well, the breakdowns are starting to catch up with us and so is the rust.  We've lost breaks on this one, gas line, and timing belt twice. Also had to replace the alternator before but that was expected.

It was stolen at one point and found a day before I was about to drive off with a new used car. I had to buy and install a new ignition that night plus pay the pound for the car and the parking tickets it got while it was reported stolen lol

So far.. so good. I can't wait to be able to afford a car over 2000!


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

Haha Cid, your story made me LOL, especially the Ford Aerostar and your new driver learning curve!

Still driving my trusty old '98 GMC Safari- going on 300K and still pulls our trailers like a charm! I rarely have to fix anything on it, I've probably put no more than $1200 into it in the last three years combined, and that included new LT tires and a rear adjustable air ride suspension!

(But it helps to have a father-in-law and a brother-in-law who are GM junkies- I can always mooch off used and custom parts for cheap )


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

We've spent almost 2 months sorting out an issue with my 2003 4runner. It started as a squeak. Simple, right? Mechanic replaced the belt (with a more premium one), tested it, sent me home. The next morning it squeaked again. Took it back in, he replaced it with a factory toyota belt. Tested, fine. The next day, squeaked again! So the next step was to replace the belt tensioner. Only available from toyota. Got it, put it in, tested it again, fine. The next morning...sigh... So they got on line and started doing some research. Turns out toyota has a "technical service bulletin" out on this problem. (Would have been nice of them to mention this...) The tensioner doesn't always sit at the right angle for the belt to run smoothly. There is a "fix kit" but NO toyota dealers in Ontario stock it because they refuse to even acknowledge that it's a problem, even when shown on the TOYOTA website! So they order the kit and we wait. Finally, they get it, and the spacers are put in. Next day...OMG are you effing kidding me...squeak. More spacers, no matter what, it won't stop. Finally, the tensioner stripped from being taken on and off so much to put in spacers. On the Friday of the long weekend :-( They call the dealership back and are quoted a different part number than before for the replacement tensioner! Turns out toyota had just sent the most common tensioner for the year but certain models had one that, while visually almost identical, are slightly different. He put it in, along with another new belt. The new belt was different as well, even though they gave toyota the same info...
Anyhow...it's been awesome since Tuesday...fingers crossed...
If anyone needs the name of an awesome mechanic in Burlington, PM me. He would NOT give up on this, would not be beat. He probably spent upwards of 20 hours on it in total (since the ONE friggin belt goes though a ridiculous bunch of pulleys that would normally use multiple belts!) and he refused to charge me for more than the initial few hours of labor and cost of the parts!


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

Don't get me started on my defective GM lemon sunfire


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

Car stories! LOL....I've definitely had my share.

We used to go to Sauble beach all the time with friends and it was always a blast! For those of you that don't know, you can drive on the beach and just cruise and chill. So that's what we would do, drive with the tunes cranked and having a good time. Well there would be water run offs to the lake and I always love driving through puddles. Love the look of the wake and wave beside the car. So we were in a full size van with the side doors open and back doors open, friends sitting on the sides feet hanging out and we would go flying through the puddles with 15 ft waves beside the van. LOL 

So a few years later, I finally got a car I always wanted, an 89 Taurus SHO.....yes a Taurus....but it was a Taurus on steriods!! LOL Such an awesome sleeper car for speed. Not much today but 220 hp, 5 speed, stock. You could leave a 20 ft patch in 1st gear, 10 in second and chirp the tires in third. LOL  

Well we would do the same thing driving through the puddles. LOL. Well after a few runs, i managed to flood the exhaust with water. Wow did that ever freak me out. My baby, running slugish and no power! LOL. It turned out ok after a day or so and the water evaporating. LOL

Although the day that I was racing someone and an engine mount snapped on that car, definitely freak me out!!! Imagine a few hundred pound engine being dropped on the chasis of the car....can you say loud?? hahaha  

Definitely lots of crazy stories of me and my cars. After driving the SHO and a modified Tbird, driving an Alero, is pretty boring. LOL


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

bigfishy said:


> What do you mean by retiring the jeep? Dumping it? or just give it to the car dealer?


The ol Trib will be used when I need to haul tools and stuff around when needed. Otherwise it'll be a project car to work on as a hobby as I need something other than fish *(?!?!?WHAAAA?!?!?)*

Aside from car issues, what cars have been "relatively" problem free in everyone's experience that has high mileage as I have to start preparing, emotionally and financially


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Have my second Subaru now. First was a 1997 impreza. The most ever done to it in 10 years was replacing the front brake pads. No problems.

Now I have a 2007 impreza, as of yet not a single thing wrong =)

Great cars.


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