Page created 28 Jul 2003 by lukas
Cars always seem to break down at the worst times. At the end of the month or when you're in the middle of nowhere. And it's always some little part that needs to be replaced that will cost you and arm and a leg. The upshot of all this is that we all have great stories to tell about shady mechanics and breakdowns in the desert. Share your tales of squeaky wheels and clunking engines.
mmmmmmm Frito pie
I've mentioned the story of the truck with the flaky lights before and recorded the actual happy ending.The first time I had an inkling of just how bad it would be to break down in the middle of nowhere was through a simple puncture. I was on the westbound leg of my drive from D.C. to L.A. and back (nearly 9,000 miles in a month) and had just had the oil changed in Amarillo. I had been told that it would be worth taking a detour up to see Alibates Flint Quarries and Lake Meredith. This also entailed driving a section of old Route 66 (rather than travelling parallel to it on I40 as I had been doing). I was a fair bit north of Amarillo when I had a total blowout in one of the back tyres. This was the first time I'd had any idea that my car was fallible in any way. I limped back to Amarillo and bought a rather over-priced replacement and the shop owner showed how the original had been shredded by a chunk of metal from road construction. After that I spent a while wondering if I had bitten off more that I could chew with this whole trip, or thinking I should stick to freeways all the way. The next day I ended up in El Malpais, NM and couldn't resist taking some of the undeveloped roads so I could go deeper into the park. This time I was sure I was carrying food and drinking water, just in case.
my car was making a nasty squealing noise all of the time [except when i was braking] and also smelling terrible and i took it in and got new brake pads and got my rotors? rotated? i don't know cars or what mechanics do to them [this is a bad way to be] so i was feeling really good that my car was gonna stop squealing but then today i was driving my p's to the beach and my car started smoking and smelling and i pulled over at a gas station and the guy said it was normal, it was my brakes but it was normal? i don't know. i get nervous about this stuff...ugh..
are new then they will squeel for a little until they break in, the new metal disc breaks need to be broken in and make noise while they do so, they aren't as efficient as the good old aspestos ones, but they also won't give you a life threatening lung condition, you give a little you take a little right? My car on the other hand is a piece of crap which is about to fall apart, but I only need it to last for one more year and then it's splitsville, off to South AMerica and then come back and buy myself a new car, preferably a new altima, but we shall see, more than likely a new Honda Civic hybrid since they get 50 miles to the gallon. I like cars that get 500 miles on one tank and the tank is only 7 1/2 gallons. Granted the torque is crap and it has the acceleration of a pinto, but I can live with that. I don't have to have a car that produces 750 fp of torque, I'd just LIKE to have a car that does. My macho man side and my wife don't get along all that well. :)
driving the volvo this morning was like driving a new car. The total and complete lack of pickup that used to exist for the first five minutes of driving was gone and it felt more responsive on the freeway. The latter might just be me imagining it since when you spend that much money on a simple little part you deperately want the car to work better. But I nkow for certain that it ran better right after starting.
It was the winter of 1997 and EJC and I decided it was time to escape the cold and dirty city and make for the north country. MGL was working at Adventurous Christians up on the north shore and planned to spend a weekend in the snow-covered woods x-country skiing and sitting by the fire. Little did we know what lay in store for us.It was a cold clear night as we pulled out of Chicago and headed up north. The subaru was loaded with sleeping bags and warm clothes. The roads were clear of snow, traffic was light, and Erik and I were high spirits looking forward to a weekend away from the grind of school and the dirty winter streets of Chicago. We reached Eau Claire without incident and stopped for fuel and junk food. From there we took off on 53 and it appeared to be smooth sailing all the way to Duluth.
Somewhere north of Eau Claire but still south of Rice Lake, the oil light suddenly flashes on illuminating the dashboard with an ominous red glow. Fearing the worst, I pulled over to the side of the road and popped the hood to investigate. I believe the time was after midnight, but I'm not sure. It was definitely late and the road was empty of traffic. I opened the door and found out just how cold it was that night. It was well below zero and there was a slight wind blowing. Under the hood I discovered that oil dipstick was out of the hole but that there was still plenty of oil in the engine. I replaced the dipstick and decided to drive slowly along the shoulder for a little bit. The light was still on and I was still worried so I stopped again and checked under the hood. Once again the dipstick had been yanked out yet again. At some point I decided to start the engine with the hood up and the dipstick went flying out of the hole and onto the ground. It was at this point that I finally noticed that the drive belt for the alternator and the AC compressor (the last thing I needed that night) was fraying.
Erik and I look over the map, while trying vainly to thaw our frozen fingers, and see that Rice Lake, WI is the closest place to or highway stopping point. With fingers crossed and silent prayer we slowly drive north to Rice Lake. Arriving in the small town with the belt intact we stop at several hotels all clustered around the highway and none of them have vacancy. Little did we know that every February thousands of cross-country skiers and several thousand spectators come to race the Birkebeiner ski race which starts in Hayward, about 50 miles north and east of Rice Lake. Hence the lack of lodging to be had at 2:00 am. Looking to minimize our driving since we have no idea how long the belt will hold out we stop in a gas station parking lot to discuss our options. It is now seriously bitter cold and our sleeping bags are not equipped to handle 30-below weather. We strongly consider calling pastors listed in the phonebook because we were starting to feel pretty desperate. After some discussion we decide to go to the police station and see if they can help us.
The police station in Rice Lake at 2:00am or whenever we arrive is full of drunks waiting to be released or locked up for the night. We talk to a few people and they laugh and say well of course you can't get a room, it's the Birkebeiner weekend. So the dispatcher says, well I can make some calls, you boys wait over there. We sit on a bench over in the corner across from the woman who is trying to talk her drunk husband to come home. Twenty minutes later the dispatcher calls us over and she found us a room at a motel down the road 15 miles. We thank the police (who were the friendliest and most helpful people I could have hoped to run into at 2:00am on a bitter cold night without a place to sleep in WI) and head back out into the cold. A tense but short drive later we arrive with the belt still holding at a small, rustic motel -- the name of which has escaped my memory, possibly something with 'pine' in the title. The motel is actually several small individual cabins scattered on a small plot of land. The owners have a trailer they live in and thankfully, the light is still on. A sleepy-eyed woman greets us (I guess the dispatcher must have woken her), hands us a key, points the way to our cabin and wishes us a good night.
We spent a restless night in a quaint, run-down little cabin. The heater worked great and we had a soft place to lay our heads, so we didn't complain. We arose and paid for our room which turned out to be super cheap. I remember that the owner had a gorgeous El Camino parked out back. It was black and in great shape and had some tasteful flames painted along the sides. What sweet cars. The night before, while driving from hotel to hotel I had noted an auto parts store. We loaded up and headed there praying the belt would hold and that the Napa store would carry the part. As we pulled back into town, the belt finally snapped and the alternator died. We turned off the heat and the radio to save battery but damn was it cold that day. Also, this whole time the oil light had still been on and we had no idea why but our main goal was the belt and since we still had engine oil and we weren't overheating we really didn't care. We pulled into the Napa lot thinking that we could get a new belt, change it out, be on the road in an hour back on the way to AC.
Our hopes were quickly dashed when the Napa guy didn.t have the belt we needed. Neither did anyone else in town he called. The closest place he could get the part was the twin cities and it would take up to four days. The man at that Napa store was very friendly and helpful. He let Erik and I use the phone and offered to loan us tools to fix the car if we could get the belt and brewed us coffee and told us stories. Erik decided to call his uncle in Minneapolis to see if there was a chance he could get the belt and drive it to us. He got a hold of his uncle who actually had obligations at the church he was pastor for but decided he could weasel out of it and save our asses. We decide to meet at a gas station just up the road (why not the Napa store, I'm not sure) and the friendly store owner gives a recommendation for a place to get some pancakes for breakfast. It was a good recommendation too, we got big huge stacks of fluffy homemade pancakes for dirt cheap.
Now we had several hours and the subaru didn't have too many starts left before the battery went dead. So we walked, in the freezing cold, over to the local pool hall where we killed several hours playing pool. The pool hall in this small town appeared to be the center of activity for anyone under 25 and we had a good time playing pool and pinball. We walked back over to the gas station where we had left the car and met Erik's uncle who we thanked many times over when he produced the belt. I had some tools in the back but the proved inadequate so we ended borrowing some tools from the burly gas station attendant who had a tool box in the back of her truck. Loosening and tightening bolts with bare fingers in 30-below weather is not fun. After struggling to get the alternator bracket loose our cold and frozen fingers managed to get the new belt in the right place and everything back and tight the way it should be. We bid farewell to Erik's uncle and thanked him once again.
We started to pull around to exit the parking lot when I noticed that the oil light was still on. I swore and stopped again looking to make sire that the dipstick had stayed in place, which it had. Stymied, I crawl under the car (boy I used to be skinny) and look around see if there is loose wire or something. It was my lucky day because I spotted a small black wire hanging loose and I could also see the terminal it attached to. The wire was located in such a way that when the belt started to fray it yanked the wire off the terminal which hooked to the oil pressure sensor in the engine. Erik and I set off for Chicago tired and disappointed but also relieved to be in one piece and thankful for family and the wonderful people of Rice Lake. The subaru conveyed us safely home and I never did make it up to AC that winter or any other since.
I've got a wacky mechanic story that has no plot and doesnt really go anywhere.So one time a friend of mine by this crapolla 87 or 89 Honda Prelude. Eventually it started having engine problems and we took it over a to a guy I'd used once before. So the car hangs around the mechanic's shop a few days, and one day we pass after hours and we're worried the guy mechanic might have gone home. Nope the mechanics car is still there, a particulary sweet BMW 750. So we pull in notice that no one is around. Also the prelude isnt even in the parking lot or the garage. Whats the deal, right? Well next time we see him we decide to bring it up. And inside the prelude the guy has practically moved in, he has clothes and a box of cds and stuff.
Well, long story short, it turns out the mechanic prefers to use the junkola prelude for his daily commute instead a couple year old $90k 12 cylinder BMW.
I'm working on a little thought that turns the cliche "Nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there," and makes it "Nice place to live but you wouldn't want to visit." Rice Lake, particularly in the winter, is probably one of those places.
Once, ake and I drove (in the screamin skylark) from chicago to colorado to spend winter break at my house and ski and generally have a good time. He parked his car at the bottom of the driveway, which i think was snow covered and impassiuble except with hefty snow tires or 4 wheel drive action. we did some skiing and one day we were sledding down the road or maybe going for a hike and we notce that the front tires are flat (i think just the front, possibly all four). upon closer inspection the tires were totally worn thin and bald and the metal stuff in the tires is al sticking out and there is barely any rubber left. I have no idea how we made it all the way to CO with such lousy tires. the skylark has long since died but that car took us lots of places...
Yesterday the window in the driver's door dropped down and would not rise again. This is the third time this has happened. I had already received VW's letter acknowledging a manufacturer's fault so I knew I wouldn't have to pay for it. They tried to make me wait until Monday but caved when I said I had no garage and would have to store it with them. A very polite, very helpful service guy stayed late and replaced the bad parts in both front doors (took about 90 minutes). Meanwhile, I lazed around and watched the television in the service area. While I was sitting there I overheard another customer calling in to say their window had fallen and couldn't get up. I appreciate the VW folk going the extra yard to make life easier, especially when it started raining on the way home.
My old car had the brake line rust through. When we took it to the mechanic, they refused to put it on the lift, for fear the rust holding it together would give and car parts would rain on their heads. So, we replaced the section of line ourselves, buying the tool and everything. A month or two later it rusted through in another spot and we took it to the junk yard.
I can regale you with other stories about it breaking in other ways later, but I don't feel like it now.
One summer I bought a dark blue used 1984 Ford Crown Victoria cop car. It was cool b/c cops would actually wave at me instead of pulling me over for speeding. Also, when it broke down on the side of the road (which it did far too often), people would slow down thinking I was a speed trap. One time I broke down on a bridge over the Connecticut River and stopped all the traffic behind me (there was only one open lane going each way). The guy behind me was kind enough to pull his truck up to my rear bumper and gently push me across the bridge to safety. I didn't realize until after he left that his kindness was likely due to his thinking I was an out of uniform detective or something.
hey does anyone know what to do when your car window is electric and stuck down and you can't get it to go up, even when you take the door apart? i am just wondering what this is going to cost. does this ever happen to you guys?
It could be a blown fuse. I don't know which one - but I brought mine to my dad when that happened, he opened the fuse box, checked a few fuses, changed one et voila, problem solved. Have you tried that?
It was the belt the windows moves on -- it was broken. But it didn't cost that much to fix.
it's probably either one or the other, open your fuse box and pull fuses to see if they are burnt. The owner's manual should tell you which fuse it's on, at least if it's an older car it should, new car owner's manuals tell you nothing because the dealerhips want your money more than you do. Then just check the amperage of the fuse and go buy one at a parts store, but I'd say check the fuse before you spend the $2 on fuses because it could be the belt, or the motor the runs it.
So I openned the car door, put a hand on either side of the glass and pulled the window up. I then told people not to use it. Then, last week I bought a new car. Problem fixed. Although my solution was rather expensive.
i did that for a while... then the glass started to slide down into the door on it's own.
had a peice of wood wedged in the door to keep the window up when that happened, and then we put a new motor in for the window and voila it worked! I think the motor cost like $50 or something, but then her stepdad is a mechanic and he put it in for nothing in about 15 minutes.
last night while parked on Wisc avenue at 3:00 am loading gear into my car i got side-swiped by a mazda miata. the guy was cool about it and i wrote down his insurance info. he was a frenchman working at the embassy and there is only a small scratch and a tiny dent. still annoying at 3:00am in the snow when you want to go home though
ok no you shouldn't have, but I thought that would sounds funny.
the volvo goes in for some minor work. minor meaning probably costing more than a round trip ticket to oslo. i'm already nervous but hopefully it will be enough to fix it up to pass an emissions inspection and new rear brakes will be dandy.
FEotD!
Hey Lukas, I was deterred by the price of new hybrids so I looked on cars.com for Honda Insights and found a used one 500 away for $10k. It only had 30k miles on it. So I thought that was reasonable. Of course, you'd have to put up with a two seater and no storage. But 66 mpg on the highway! Makes sense when you commute 250 miles a week to work.
I've been having a slow power steering fluid leak for a while, and today when i went to refill it (trying to not to just let it be), i was a COMPLETE IDIOT and put motor oil in instead of power sterring fluid. I wondered why the bottle was yellow. I wondered why the fluid was so brown. I wondered why the bottle wasn't open when i had refilled about a month and a half ago... guh.
once i poured in bleach instead of laundry detergent into the machine and ruined all of my clothes. yeah i was in high school but my mom still looked at me like i was mentally slow. that is worse than what you did! don't feel bad. sometimes we just don't pay attention to stuff. it's still a bad feeling! i would have done the same thing, or else something a lot worse.
I applaud you for attempting to add power steering fluid to your car at all. I am more than happy to let my dad or Vince (my mechanic) to handle even the most basic of car repairs.
I did get it to the mechanic's so it will be flushed. I'm glad I noticed it when I did. I need to train myself to listen more closely to those little, nagging voice.
power steering fluid is basically oil anyway...but it's a "special" oil, like the one we all picked on in elementary school...or not. anywho, it shouldn't do much, if any damage.
The viscosity is the important part though. Anyway, it's flushed now and all set.
I thought you had a volvo? What happened to that and when did you get an echo and how do you like it?
Karna got a job that was not metro accessible and it was timed just right with my grandmother stopping driving so we bought her 2000 Toyota Echo with 13,000 miles. I still drive the Volvo and hopefully won't be needing to post any stories of woe in this entree any time soon.The echo is great car. It has comfortable room for four and a huge trunk for a car that size. It's got nice pickup but can be a little sluggish with four people. It get's great gas mileage is a fun little car to drive. It can be intimidating to be on the beltway between an escalade and a hummer and a semi truck. You almost feel like Sam Lowry in his Messerchmitt in Brazil. The only problem we've had with it is the stupid driver's side lock doesn't work any more. Karna stopped at dealer and asked about it and they would charge $50 just to look at it and if that cylinder was busted they would have to replace every single key lock on the car, including the ignition, which gets kind of costly.
I can't get anyone to buy my Sonoma pickup. I'll let it go for $4k if anyone wants it.
but then I'd end up hauling my band's gear around...however, it would be useful on backpacking trips.
check it
There are very few Priuses available to buy around here. Not that I have the money for one anyway. But it would be nice to see tons of them on the road and to be able to buy a good used one in a year or two.