Last month, about mid month, we got our tax return back. We left the house to got look at dishwashers--we were going to buy a dishwasher and bank the rest of the money.

The car overheated, and we immediately took it home. We called a mechanic who ran a diagnostic and put in a thermostat and refilled the radiator (120 bucks) We went back home--it overheated the whole way.

We took it to a cooling system specialist who put in a new radiator (which legitimately did need changing, to look at it) 380 bucks. We it home, about ten minutes away, and it overheated just as we pulled in the drive. We took it back to the mechanic, who changed the water pump--410 bucks. He did unauthorized work on the car and tried to charge us for it, and we refused to pay that.

Turns out he had super-balls in doing that because he focked up the time (four cams and a shaft, one cam 180 degrees out of timing) We took it to another mechanic who put it back in time (three hours) and put the correct plugs in (the last mechanic put in the wrong ones) and we had the brakes done, which we needed done anyway--500 bucks.

Car ran fine one the way home, and even out for a spin, even when we swerved to avoid being t-bone by about 6 inches. Larry took it to work and it overheated on the highway. As long as he kept under 50 and didn't tach it up over 2000, it was fine. You can't do that on a highway, you will be creamed.

We took it to another mechanic--it's the focking head gasket and possibly the heads--1500 bucks.

I had the front axles replaced on my 1992 Subaru, with nearing 200,000 miles on it--and that's the most trouble I have had with it, ever.

Plus, I got a back haircut I paid too much for and I ripped my silk shirt and...

Do you see how it's going here?

I just need a hug, I really do...

:ghug:

Sorry about your bad day sweetie! :rose: I've had a few of those in my lifetime.

Is this car a chevy? They are notirious for radiator problems

When it rains , it pours. And tomorrow is another day :)

:ghug:

:ghug:

Sorry about your bad day sweetie! :rose: I've had a few of those in my lifetime.

Is this car a chevy? They are notirious for radiator problems

Actually, the damn thing has been in the shop for a month...

No, it's a Subaru, which is unusual, because we almost never have an ounce of problems with them. The good thing is, once this is all fixed, we should get another 200,000 out of it, no problem--mine is twelve years old and tough as nails!

Actually, the damn thing has been in the shop for a month...

No, it's a Subaru, which is unusual, because we almost never have an ounce of problems with them. The good thing is, once this is all fixed, we should get another 200,000 out of it, no problem--mine is twelve years old and tough as nails!


Wow! :yikes: Well, at least you'll get a ton more miles from it.

Wow, that sucks, Brandy. I am sorry to hear about your car troubles. :ghug:

Hey Brandy as a former Car guy (now IT ... now that's having a bad day :yesnod: ) ... once crap like that starts to happen, you gotta make a judgement call ... if the cars are fairly new and worth the coin, then you do it, or else you gotta walk away cause it will start costing you more ... they don't make them like they use to.

Here's my hug :ghug: ... hope everything works out and you have a better day.

Canadian80s

Oh no!! At least you had the money to pay for it. A similar thing happened to me. Shortly after getting my tax refund, my car was towed & impounded because of a mistake that the DMV made. It ended up costing $874 to get it out of impound, and I have to take the DMV to court to get them to pay for it. :grrr:

Oh no!! At least you had the money to pay for it. A similar thing happened to me. Shortly after getting my tax refund, my car was towed & impounded because of a mistake that the DMV made. It ended up costing $874 to get it out of impound, and I have to take the DMV to court to get them to pay for it. :grrr:

That's ridiculous! It's their mistake, but you have to take a day off from work, go to court, file all the paperwork, etc. Unbelievable! Good luck with that--that bites!

Hey Brandy as a former Car guy (now IT ... now that's having a bad day :yesnod: ) ... once crap like that starts to happen, you gotta make a judgement call ... if the cars are fairly new and worth the coin, then you do it, or else you gotta walk away cause it will start costing you more ... they don't make them like they use to.

Here's my hug :ghug: ... hope everything works out and you have a better day.

Canadian80s

Thanks, hon--this car is completely worth it. Subarus, with the exception of the Brat, are workhorses. All this work means we will be getting a dumpload more miles out of it. I usually get well over 200,000 out of them (I have only bought used one--my goal is to work a few years, save up and get a BRAND NEW ONE! My first brand new car ever!) and one guy I know expects to turn over 400,000 on his. We hang on to these cars forever--it's a mileage pride thing!

If this dopey hadn't done the unauthorized work on the engine, this probably wouldn't have happened--it's not easy to blow a head gasket, especially on a Japanese four-banger, but they managed.

... once crap like that starts to happen, you gotta make a judgement call ... if the cars are fairly new and worth the coin, then you do it, or else you gotta walk away cause it will start costing you more ... they don't make them like they use to.

I totally agree. Esp, if you pay more for repairs then what the vehicle is worth. For example - you don't want a $2500 car costing you thousands of dollars in repairs when you could have bought something in better shape with that money...

Sorry you are having some rough times right now :( Hopefully things will be all better soon. :) {{HUGZ}}

That's ridiculous! It's their mistake, but you have to take a day off from work, go to court, file all the paperwork, etc. Unbelievable! Good luck with that--that bites!

Thank you!! Best of luck with your car problems as well!!

My dad had a Subaru SL stationwagon back in the day. My brother wrecked it and it still ran like a champ. Then it was my turn. :lol: I broke the front axle and the front tires were facing in opposite directions. God love that car, it started right back up. :lol: Couldn't drive it, but hey....you can't have it all. :lol:

I understand why you want to keep the car, but maybe it'd be cheaper to invest in a "new" used subaru. My husband and I call what your car is doing "nickel and dime-ing". It seems like that last $50 part is going to be the ticket, then you find you need a $30 part, too. As in, "It's nickel and dime-ing us to death. It'd be cheaper to find another car!" :lol:

Sorry about your luck. :( {{{hug}}}

Here's another {{{hug}}} for you, Brandy. Sorry you've had such problems with your car; I hope the situation can be successfully resolved soon! :rose:

We have to fix it because we have only had it for 11 months :( I know what you mean though, Val, about deciding if it's worth putting money into something. I had this black Plymouth once--we called it the Black Plague--I quit putting money into it after 500 bucks because it wasn't worth it anymore.

This one, though, was running okay until the unauthorized work was done on it, except for the overheating--that could have been simply solved, but that dumba$$ started tinkering on stuff that we didn't ask him to do.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I thank you all for your encouragement--this has been trying, but as I remind my hubby, it could be worse. He's not in Iraq, except for the sniffles we are in fairly goos health, we are both doing well in school, etc. I have to keep looking at the big picture because the little picture is making me nuts right now!