Keep That Car!!

shailynn
They never tell you what you need to know.
Over the weekend I decided to tackle every single nitpick issue with one of my cars over the weekend, added with routine maintenance.

Brakes, rotors, had a leaky air bag in the suspension so I had to end up replacing both complete front struts, a faulty turn signal, and a faulty door lock. The dealer quoted me $5,600 for new brakes and rotors alone when I took it in for annual service last year and everything I fixed cost me $1,187. I think they wanted $700 to fix the turn signal, I fixed it on my own for $160. I can turn a wrench and thank you YouTube.

My point of this post is:

1. Some parts were hard as shit to come by, I’m guessing parts for cars (especially older cars) are becoming harder and harder to find since people are keeping their rides on the road longer. For example all I needed for the turn signal (in the side view mirror) was the wiring harness. I had the part number and couldn’t find it anywhere so I had to buy another complete side view mirror which was used and cost me $160 just to rip out the wiring harness then toss the mirror. I’d imagine that wiring harness should have been $20-$50 if I could actually find one.

2. Thank you YouTube. Amazing how much I’ve learned down to the special tools I may need for a job.

Also you need car parts? Check out Rockauto.com I was prepared to pay $800 for my rotors and thought “I’ll check rock auto for the heck of it” and they were $206 cheaper. I usually just go to advance auto or autozones websites and sometimes forget about rockauto. When all else fails eBay for used parts.

40 comments

Latest

  • Muddy
    2 years ago
    Yeah O got to get my beat up car with almost 250k miles through this year.
  • Muddy
    2 years ago
    I’m tryin to ride this storm out but it is taking awhile
  • skibum609
    2 years ago
    I assume the dealer quote was for $1,600 and not really $ 5,600.
  • shailynn
    2 years ago
    Most analysts point to 2024 before prices drop. I’m trying to mentally prepare for that and be sure my cars are maintained extra well, I’ve never owned a car this long in my life.

  • shailynn
    2 years ago
    Skibum, no it really was $5,600. I laughed my ass off when they quoted me that. Mercedes AMG.

    https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mercede…
  • Jascoi
    2 years ago
    My newest car is a 2012 badass Prius. If it wasn't for the gas mileage I'd sell the sucker in a New York second. I absolutely do not like the car but if I keep it at 70 max I get some damn good gas mileage.
  • shailynn
    2 years ago
    I don’t care how old your car is, just take care of it! Jascoi is driving a Prius, I just filled up my tank and it was $103.00 I think that’s was the first time EVER I paid over $100 for a tank of gas and it was still 1/4 full. Not hard to see who the smart one is in this debate.
  • Jascoi
    2 years ago
    What's a f****** Prius I get 10 mi to the gallon better mileage and I do with my 2012 Scion xB. I'd rather be driving my Scion xB. But with Uncle Joe's f****** with our economy. Damn. At the moment I'll drive my f****** Prius. But I will entertain selling the f****** Prius if I can get 5 grand out of the worn out car. After all it's got almost 200,000 mi on it.
  • jackslash
    2 years ago
    I replace my BMWs while they are under warranty. So I never pay for repairs.
  • Jascoi
    2 years ago
    And if it wasn't for the gas mileage, I'd really really really prefer drying my 41 Cadillac.
  • Jascoi
    2 years ago
    *driving*
  • Call.Me.Ishmael
    2 years ago
    I used to be a bit spotty with routine maintenance, but not anymore. I'm pretty much babying my current ride because I'm loathe to enter car buying market right now.
  • Papi_Chulo
    2 years ago
    I"m a saver by nature and usually don't buy things till I need them (vs getting them just b/c I can) - w.r.t. cars I have them for a good # of years and usually only get rid of them when they cost more to maintain/fix than they are worth.

    Pre-Covid I was somewhat considering buying a new car mainly to just have something nicer but it was only a somewhat mild consideration b/c cars have just gotten too expensive plus insurance downhere in Miami is very-expensive (2x what I paid when I lived in Dallas) - now that the economy seems on shaky-ground I'm def in the camp of holding on to what I currently have till the (economic) dust settles although it's always in the back of mind that if there is a bad-recession and good deals can be had then I may take advantage of the opportunity.
  • Papi_Chulo
    2 years ago
    "... no it really was $5,600. I laughed my ass off when they quoted me that. Mercedes AMG ..."

    That's the thing about having a really nice car, the maintenance (service/parts) is like paying for a regular used car - if I got into an expensive/exotic car it'd be as @jackslash where I'd be wary about owning one outside of warranty (unless I had a trusted mechanic that charged-fairly and knew how to work on those cars but even then IDK if I'd pull the trigger on having an expensive car out-of-warranty).

  • Papi_Chulo
    2 years ago
    I am not driving as much currently as I did pre-Covid so I'm hoping this will aid in my current-jalopy holding-out till I"m ready to upgrade.
  • gammanu95
    2 years ago
    I'm getting tired of trying to find parking for my F-150 in these newer, tiny, strip mall parking lots. I'm maybe less than a month away from getting a Maverick. They are trickling into dealers' lots. Only the Lariat really has all the features I want, and the hybrid is 37mpg all for less than $40,000. I want a truck for all the towing and hauling I do for fun, but I hate paying $100 or more per tank. I love my Raptor, but it's time to let it go.
  • shadowcat
    2 years ago
    I'm on my 3rd Mustang. It's a 2018 and now has about 29K miles on it. I didn't buy it for mileage. So I am not letting the price of gas influence me. The new Mustangs have 20 more HP but they are selling for 9% more than the MSRP. I have no interest in going electric. I'm 80 years old now. So this may be the last car I buy.
  • shailynn
    2 years ago
    Mavericks - i live where a lot of people own pick ups and I think I’ve only seen 4 or 5 only one loaded up, the others were base models.
  • 48-Cowboy
    2 years ago
    "I assume the dealer quote was for $1,600 and not really $ 5,600."

    ^ 🤣🤣🤣 This is fucking hilarious! The resident furniture mover/ garbage man can't fathom the costs of ownership and repairs on a nice car! I hope you are looking forward to eating Alpo when your socialist security doesn't work out
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    I'm in the camp of I love cars, and I;ve owned some truly iconic ones over the years, but guys a good mechanic is a good find, you don't have to pay exorbitant prices to maintain your car if you're lucky enough to own a great vehicle, My latest vehicle an AMG E63 coupe, is a fun ride, and I have a mechanic nearby that I use to service my car for a great deal less then the local Mercedes Benz dealer, typical bi-annual service tune up & oil change with synthetic, at the dealer (A) service about $1600. at my local guy about $360. (B) service at the dealer about $2300. at my local guy $475.
    My local guy has all the equipment as the mercedes dealer, and the quality of his work is top notch, the only real noticeable difference is the dealer will give you a loaner vehicle, but that isn't very important as my mechanic services your vehicle by appointment and is usually finished in 2-3 hours.
  • skibum609
    2 years ago
    48-Cowboy is the epitome of a fraud. What kind of total douchebag pays $5,600 for a brake job on any kind of fucking car. It doesn't even cost that on a truck you stupid fucking redneck inbred. I just dropped my car off to have some nothing like Cowboy detail it. Dropped it at the dealer because instead of sitting and waiting for it, or dropping it off to save $40.00 like I am some cowboy asshole, I just take a loaner car. Brand new Forrester, very nice.
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    Shrubby's jealous, his next vehicle is going to be a Tonka Truck
  • skibum609
    2 years ago
    I buy new and drive forever. I am on vehicle #4 since 1990 and #2 since 2002.
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    #SHRUB
    LOL Faggit
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    Hey lil shrubby did you ever pay nicespice her 10 Gs or in addition to being a homo asshole you’re also a welcher.
  • 48-Cowboy
    2 years ago
    Wow, all of that to save $40? And braffing that you get to drive a new Forester? And you claim to be an attorney? Sounds like you are the broke garbage man.

    A while later 25 talks about his AMG E63. Now that is a legit classy guy! Nice going 25
  • 48-Cowboy
    2 years ago
    And bragging...
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    #SHRUBBYTheWELCHER
    Weasel words don’t eliminate gambling debt, pay her you spineless faggit.
  • Icee Loco (asshole)
    2 years ago
    25 lying as usual. Breaks for that car alone are like $300 at the minimum if you do it yourself.
  • skibum609
    2 years ago
    My guess is Cowboy drives a 1969 Bonneville, painted with black house paint, drips and all. Spending money on cars is never a good idea unless its a hobby.
  • crazyjoe
    2 years ago
    Yes keep that car.

    YouTube is a real help when figuring out how to repair something.

    I had a friend who always bragged about what a great mechanic he was but he had to take his vehicle in to get brakes done. Brakes are simple compared to other mechanical repairs. I kept giving him crap until he finally went and bought parts to do it. I am not sure what his mental hang up was. He spent about 20 or 25% of what he was quoted for the repair on his parts. He raved about how easy it was and how much he saved. Back then he drove a Ford truck. Now he has a an E class Mercedes and still does his own work.

    Once you work on your vehicle a few times it gets easier. The last thing you want to do is get a different vehicle where you go through the learning curve all over again.
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    Iceefag what am I lying about ?where did I say anything about brakes ?
    you just came here to troll me
    Put me on ignore troll.
  • crazyjoe
    2 years ago
    Rock auto is great! They used to send me refrigerator magnets with every order with cool cars on them. Then for something that has to do with sales taxes, they can not ship to Colorado anymore 🤬
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    ^ think you can get Rock Auto through the Amazon website have you tried that ?
  • shadowcat
    2 years ago
    Anybody ever use auto junk yards? I once bought a motor for a power window.
  • twentyfive
    2 years ago
    ^ I haven't in years, but back in the day I used to get lots of parts from junk yards, they were a great source for some of the older cars, now I buy my vehicles new, and the type of vehicles I have owned for the last 10-15 years would be too new to find parts for them reliably in a junk yard.
  • shailynn
    2 years ago
    Junkyards - yes - if you have a more common car (Ford Honda Toyota etc) then junkyards are good place to look. There’s 3 within an hour of me that you call looking for a specific part and if they have it they’ll send someone to the yard to pull the part, if they don’t have it they’re in a network across the country and may be able to find it somewhere else.

    These days I just find it easier going to eBay or Google.

    My power lock was $153 used on eBay. The new part was $371. There was only 1 of my used lock on eBay, and they are specific for each door (so I’m told) so that’s a less common part is guess.
  • ATACdawg
    2 years ago
    My 2006 Dodge Charger R/T is 16, and our Pacifica is a 2016. Both are running great and we have no plans to replace them.
  • crazyjoe
    2 years ago
    @ twenty-five, I have not tried Amazon for that. It has been a few years since I tried to order from Rock Auto. I may try again and see if they have fixed that issue. They do have great prices
  • crazyjoe
    2 years ago
    Junk yards are awesome! There are several in my area that you can go pull a part yourself. That way you know how it comes apart.
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