Robert writes:

My wife has a 2000 neon [not shown] that I bought used 4-5 years ago with 125k.  It is just passing 172k and is slowly falling apart:

* The AC no longer blows cold (just an AC flush?)
* Trunk lock broke (We get into the trunk via the back seat now and only store limited/small items there)
* Is burning oil — at 2800 miles since the last oil change I had to add 1.1-1.2 qt to get it to the correct area on the dip stick.
* We have never changed the tranny fluid that I know of, as the mechanic said it does not need it.  Checking it, it is still a reddish color.
* The car is starting to rust on the lower left rear door.

Outside of normal wear items & the above, we have had no major problems with the car.  The interior still looks great and doesn’t have a single tear or stain. We are trying to decide if we should do some/all of the above fixes or simply get a Mazda 5, the “minivan-which-is-not-a-minivan” that my wife likes.

(Read More…)

TTAC commentator SonWon writes:

Hi Sajeev, this is part two of my Monte Carlo saga discussed in an older Piston Slap. I finally had the transmission codes read on my Monte Carlo. Just to remind everyone it is a 2000 with 196,000 miles, engine is a V6 3800, series 2. The transmission lost overdrive. It shifts fine through first, second, and third. The transmission shop said there are no codes and it must be a mechanical failure. They also said it could last a long time or fail very soon. So far there no strange noises except a small faint whine at 70 MPH. So I am actually asking about the engine codes. P0128, coolant thermostat (I know how to fix this); P0440, evap emissions system fault; P0463, fuel level sensor (i can live with this); P0481, fan control 2/3 circuit; P1115, ECT circuit intermittent voltage high. So there is my list: what to fix? Oh, I should add the car runs okay.

(Read More…)

TTAC’s David Holzman writes:

One of my good friends asked me a question that I thought you and TTAC’s B&B could answer better than I could. “Hey David, We just returned from the beach yesterday. I tried an experiment with the air conditioner in the car on this trip. If we set the A/C at the coldest setting the car usually gets too cold, we usually adjust the temperature higher to keep us comfortable. However, I think the way the A/C works is that turning the temperature up simply allows some hot water from the radiator to heat up the air conditioned air. So we simply turned the A/C on and off as needed. Admittedly it was not quite as comfy since it would get a bit cold and a bit warm. I have two questions. First: does turning the A/C on and off at ten or fifteen minute intervals damage the A/C (such as putting greater wear on the electric clutch)? Second: does manually cycling the A/C save gas? We measured gas mileage after such a trip and got 30mpg, which was the best mileage we’ve ever gotten on the Camry. But we just had the oil changed and the air filter, which was pretty clogged, changed too. So I don’t know if it was the ac cycling that caused the improvement in mileage or the change of the air filter.”

(Read More…)

TTAC’s very own David Holzman writes:

Sajeev,

My friend Polly’s ‘83 air cooled, fuel injected, VW Vanagon dies at stoplights, and she has to let it cool down before it will start again. It also runs a bit rough, and it’s normally hard to start.

The engine was rebuilt 5 years ago (in Sturgis, South Dakota, where she’d gone from her home in Bethesda Maryland, for a sheepdog trial, by a VW mechanic whom she rousted out of retirement), and she thinks she’s put less than 20k on the clock since. In efforts to solve the problem, the air flow meter, the wiring, and the spark plugs have been replaced.

Any ideas? Thanks!

(Read More…)

Craig writes:

After checking out TTAC’s reviews and having a general distaste for sending a 
perfectly fine car to the clunker heap, I decided (even though I have a vehicle that qualifies for C4C) that the best car is a free car. I’ve been catching
 up on maintenance on the 1992 Lexus LS400 since I made that choice as
 I was letting the work slide. Saturday night’s project was a PCV valve replacement. Nothing major . . . unless you are clumsy. I dropped the PCV valve on what I’m assuming is my exhaust manifold (I’m kind of new at this). There is a metal . . . tray? created by the part and sure enough—3 point shot from downtown—the valve landed smack in that little trough. No biggie, right? Just get the magnetic grabber tool and fish it out.

(Read More…)

TTAC Commentator Episode19 writes:

I have a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer LT 4×4 with less than 134,000 miles. It has been a great vehicle – a dozen trips around the country, suburban family driving, and daily commuting – with the only real mechanical issue being a replaced fuel pump at about 70,000 miles. Now I have two conditions that I wonder if the best and brightest can help diagnose.

(Read More…)

John writes:

Stop me and if you’ve already addressed this: but I can’t find it on TTAC. Could you describe to the pros of spending the extra coin for aftermarket coilovers rather than just buying stiffer springs?

(Read More…)

Rob writes:

I am a regular reader, and now I need some advice.  I have a 2000 Volvo S40 Turbo, with 106,000 miles.  Recently when I’m on the highway and go to increase speed the car vibrates really bad.  It will cruise with no problem, but the moment you try to pick up speed the vibration starts and continues till you let off the accelerator.

Another thing, I am living in Western KY [ED: sounds painful] and I have not even seen a Volvo dealer ship in this area.  So if anybody knows of an independent mechanic I would appreciate it.

(Read More…)

John writes:

My mom’s 2001 Protégé lx 2.0 automatic was nice when new, 15″ aluminum rims, nice motor, sunroof, etc. Now at 98,000 New Hampshire miles, shipwreck rusty underneath from salt, it needs new suspension. Soup to nuts.

It has horrible rattles from loose suspension fittings, and it floats like a boat, soaring and zooming with mind of its own over gentle rises. Needs new OEM springs, shocks, all bearings and bushings. All local shops say it’s not worth it. Don’t even want to provide a quote. Is it worth it to spend about $1,500- 2,000 on all new suspension? What if it weren’t rusty? What if I did labor with my weekends and spent $800 at Napa for everything new?

Really what I am asking is why do cars wear to point where not fixing, suspension wise? Is it really a throw away car?

(Read More…)

TTAC’s analyst extraordinaire, Ronnie Schreiber writes:

My daughter has a Volvo 940. The local Volvo mechanic said that the noise it’s making is the #1 piston hitting the head because of a sloppy big end bearing, which explains the low oil pressure at idle. I was thinking that 60 or 70 years ago, a mechanic might have fixed just the bad bearing, without rebuilding the engine. I was thinking just to do a quick fix, I could drop the oil pan, take off the offending rod cap, mic the crankshaft journal, buy the best fitting bearing per the crank measurement, and bolt everything together with the new bearing. So, Sajeev, with this true piston slap question, is it worth it to try a cheap engine repair like this?

(Read More…)