Monday, March 10, 2014

Another bout of car repairs

I can't keep mulling and being sad. It will drive me mad. So I just went ahead and purchased all the other pieces needed to repair this car--better late than never.

At my local mechanic, he gave me two quotes of what needed to be fixed; one for tires only and one for everything else. The tires alone were $420 including tax and installation (I went to Mr. Tire and got it all done for $350 out the door, a $70 savings). Speaking of Mr. Tire, they also advised I change the serpentine belt. I've had a belt break once at my part time work. It was not fun not being able to get out when it's already 1am, because the car wont start! However, they were asking $55 for the piece, so we kindly declined and went our unmerry way.

The second quote was for everything else. I cant guarantee you I know what the pieces are, but one of them is the sway bar and left/right chassis links. About 5 parts in total. For parts, this mechanic was asking $154, and installation/labor came to almost $360! Ouch!

To soften the blow, I ebay'ed them all. I paid $95 for all items in Quote #2 (plus extra pieces), and added in the serpentine belt for $20. Not bad, huh? Especially with something that's just out to derail you. Not to mention that I wont be paying $360 labor costs... my dad believes he can install most pieces himself, and if he can't, he knows a mechanic friend that works for $60/hr, which even at two hours (which is doubtful), it's still only $120. Last thing to keep in mind is alignment, which is another $80. It never ends. You'd think I'm crazy funneling this much money into a car that I wont be keeping for more than 1-3 months!

The new tires feel awesome. I am glad that I dont have to keep thinking that the darn thing may just blow up any minute now. It's also a smoother, safer, quieter ride. Win win.

Alright. Time to hit the pillow. Here's to the 11th week of the year!

9 comments:

  1. I share your thoughts about pouring money into a car you're going to get rid of. However, everything but the serpentine belt is safety oriented. I hope the parts are equivalent to factory. I love my gearhead friends. I save so much money! We usually barter. Saves even more. Good for you for taking care of yourself. Even if it costs some bucks.

    Peace <3
    Jay

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    1. Wouldnt the serpentine belt be safety oriented? Well, as in, you can get stuck with a dead car until the belt is replaced.

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    2. It's unlikely you'd crash if it broke...that was my classification of "safety". I had one go - overheated within a quarter mile (no fan or water pump), no power breaks or steering, but I could safely get it to the shoulder. Thank goodness!
      Jay

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  2. Thank you for sharing valuable information. Nice post. I enjoyed reading this post. The whole blog is very nice found some good stuff and good information here Thanks..Also visit my page car dealers license  DLC Network offer all kind of dealer and brokers licensing solutions including auction license.

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  3. One word of advise if you have people in your life who can work on cars....WATCH THEM when they work on the car and ASK QUESTIONS and LEARN to do it yourself! They may not be around forever and any car knowledge you can glean is a good thing!!!
    I hate putting $ into vehicles too....who doesn't, right? lolz
    But better safe than sorry. Just keep in mind you are getting away a lot cheaper than most folks who HAVE TO rely on mechanics at dealerships and such.

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    1. Been dealing with my dad on this forever. He lets me watch, he lets me ask questions, but babies me when I try to do it, even when I can do it... I can replace windows, brakes, and tires now. WIndshield wipers, and I have a good idea of serpentine belts. Just wish he wasnt so sexist and the whole "women shouldnt work on cars" thing.

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    2. HAHAHAHA, that's funny. My dad was more than happy to let my sister work on her own car (not that he was a great mechanic).
      Jay

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  4. I’m sorry for the stress that you’ve faced about your car problems, Tanner. Maintaining a car is really expensive, but these expenses will be worth it if you’re assured that your car won’t harm you in any way. I hope you already have insurance for your car. It can lessen your expenses once you're in desperate need of car repairs. :)

    Raquel Fowler

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  5. I gotta agree with you, Tanner. Spending a huge amount of your savings on a car that you wouldn't be using real soon is a waste. Do you have a new car already? Or are you still using this one? In any case, make sure to visit car experts at least once a month to ensure that your car is always in top condition.

    Nannette Henriquez

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