Car venting ahead! Go ahead and complain.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

Answers

I spent $500 to have my car's carburetor rebuilt, only to find out time and time again what a lousy job those bastards did. I kept bringing my car back to have them rebuild it again, but they never got it right. After about the 4th or 5th time, I got tired of going back and forth so I gave up.

My car failed inspection because of it and now my choices are: 1) spend another $500 to have it rebuilt somewhere else 2) pay $200+ dollars to just have stuff put in my car to try to make it good enough to pass the emissions test 3) collect the tickets I'm getting and build a new car with them I don't want to sell my car, it's my first car, which means almost as much to me as my first love did (maybe even more). I have so many memories with this car - it kills me to even think about selling it. So, I just come here and bitch about it instead.

There, I feel better. :-)

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

A few weeks ago, the Boy had a minor accident with our (you think your car is old Pamie?) *1975* Volvo. It has a new engine, transmission, brakes and so forth -- but it is still as old as I am. He ran it into a cement wall.

The left hand corner of the front end is crushed and bent under, the passenger side door won't open, and neither will the hood. You have to hold the steering wheel about 20 degrees to the right of where you want the car to go at all times. Now, either the impact did something wierd that didn't show up until now, or the driving it constantly misaligned did something -- because now it is making these horrible squealy alien noise whenever we drive it. I'm terrified that we're making it worse, and we can't see what it is because the hood won't open.

The thing is -- no one will fix it, because it is too fucking old. They refuse to take the time to just hammer/winch it out, and insist that we replace the side panels. Which would be *$2000*!!! Which is a lot more than we paid for the car. One man said he would fix it, just do the simple bodywork, for $350. We thought we had found heaven. Turns out heaven never seems to have time to take our car. This happened twice, and Boy got so annoyed that he left and is now refusing to go back to the only place that will fix our poor car.

Now I'm afraid to drive in it because of the horrible squealy noises of death, but I can't mention it to Boy, because he is so defensive about it being his fault that he wrecked the car that he freaks out and gets really angry and thinks I'm nagging at him if I say anything about being worried about the car.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

Do you have any idea how hard it is to accelerate, clutch, shift, accelerate, all while holding the brake slightly down just enough to keep the brake lights on so the cop behind you maybe won't notice that your tail lights don't work for some odd reason? All the time wondering if the cop is thinking 'man, those are some bright tail lights'. 'I wonder why that truck is smoking, and smells like burning metal'. Very difficult.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

What's wrong with my car... It's dead. Crashed into a telephone pole by my brother the week after he got his liscence. Silly boy accelerated too fast in an '86 Mustang convertible, lost control and smashed it into the pole. Now I have no car and he has a Honda Civic. Go figure.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

My 1988 Delta 88 (affectionately known as Land Barge or Oldmanmobile)'s air conditioner is broken. Last week I paid $80 to have the freon refilled because of a slow leak, and then three days ago the compressor decided to die, with a horrible grinding, squeaking, did I mention grinding? noise.

In Austin, no air conditioning is a Bad Idea. You can always tell the people who don't have air conditioning, because when they get out of their cars they're soaked from head to toe and make an immediate beeline for the water fountain.

So, my car is asleep with The Groovy Mechanics of Express Automotive, and should be done in the morning. $600 later, I'll have a working air conditioner that still has a freon leak. Damnit.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

I just turned on my air conditioning in my 87 Caddy Eldorado and the freon leaked out after I spent $300 on it last year. Piss me off! Also I'm afraid to wash the car, everytime I do something falls off of it! The computer sensor is also messed up so it accelerates and stalls all by itself. WAHHH! I NEED A NEW CAR!

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

my car isn't as bad as some of yours. i have a white '88 volkswagen cabriolet with a black drop top. i got it without really thinking because i just thought it was really cute, and how could you resist a convertible? a few months after getting it things started going downhill. the brakes make an awful screeching noise but apparently nothing is wrong with them since they passed inspection. anytime i turn the wheel i hear a scary high pitch sound. if i try turning on the a/c the car stalls out. when i put it in reverse it has a tendency to stall out also. if i make a right hand turn it tends to stall out. i blew the speakers out so now they make awful scratchy sounds. when i stop the car vibrates violently. there are holes where water leaks in on the convertible top. it pretty much sounds like a lawnmower when i drive it too. oh well. i want a new car but it doesn't seem to want to happen. and i do love my car despite all of those things. how pitiful and sad is that?

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

I feel your pain, Pamie. I've decided that cars just don't like me. I think it's some sort of car conspiracy. The *1987* Honda Accord that I've had since I was in high school hates me. The air conditioner doesn't work (I live in Dallas, so I can sympathize with you there), and it would cost more than the car is worth to get it fixed. I've had flats on all of the tires at least once (I even got two flats at the same time once....oh the fun I had trying to find a spare spare time at 2 am). I had to replace the axles, and the brakes completely died on me without warning (costing me over $400 to fix). It used to do this thing where once you accelerated past 50, it would have convulsions everytime you put your foot on the accelerator. I also had to replace the fuses that control the headlights, because they only worked if you had the brights switched on. The tape player doesn't work, and the radio barely works. The oil leaks, the transmission is shot, the side view mirror is cracked, and I've had my rear window smashed in. My car just barely passed inspection this year.

My parents let me drive one of their cars while I was getting the honda fixed. Let me note that the car worked perfectly before they gave it to me. Once I started driving it, it died on me four times. I had to call people to come jump start the car for me everytime. it even died once in the middle of the highway at 3 am. It turned out that the alternator wires had snapped in half, and whoever fixed it the first time had just taped them together instead of replacing the wires. One of the tires went flat out of nowhere, it stalls at stop lights, and the accelerator makes loud humming noises when you drive in the rain.

It has gotten to the point that I am now paranoid of any little noise, bump, or what-have-you whenever I drive anywhere these days. I want a pretty new car too!

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

I have a 1990 Chevy Corsica. Not so bad, you say? Nah. I guess it's better than nothing. And it's better than something like the '78 Chrysler Cordoba my mom used to have.

My a/c blows hot air, but I have no money for freon. Plus, they will probably need to convert my air conditioner to the new system, and I REALLY can not afford that.

A bird egg fell out of its nest a few weeks ago and landed on my car - splat. There is now fried dead bird on the hood of my car, and it won't come off.

The plastic panel on the inside of my driver's door came lose and was constantly hanging in my face. My dad had to use his electric screwdriver and screw it back up into place. My cruise control button covers are missing from the steering wheel. I lost 2 hubcaps during 2 different jaunts down Highway 41, and one when my tire went flat while driving to the mall. So I got rid of the other one and I now have -no- hubcaps.

I have this extreme paranoia about my car overheating, and I watch the hood constantly to make sure there's no smoke seeping out. I have to have either the heater or a/c on AT ALL TIMES because if it's off, my car surges and virtually refuses to accelerate. The hinges are broken on my driver's door, so it won't stay open on its own unless I am parked downhill. And my driver's door lock is broken, on top of that. So if I lock my door when I get in, I am -locked in- and have to open it from the outside (via hanging out the window and giving people a show).

~Lauren

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

TO FRANK:

If your car is shaking that violently when you stop, then there's about a 95% chance that you have one or more broken motormounts. You should get that checked out, because if they're broken enough and you hit just the right pothole or train track, your engine could fall out right then and there.

Frank reminded me of 2 more things wrong with my car:

If the a/c or heater is not on, not only does it surge, but it stalls when I put it in reverse. And when I stop, my car shakes violently. It's broken motormounts, I tell you - mine have been diagnosed. I just have no $$ to fix them!

-- Anonymous, June 03, 1999

well, i've only owned two cars, but both have been adventures...my first vehicle-a 1983 Chrystler Town & Country Compact Station Wagon in a stunning shade of brown complete with fake wood paneling...now take note, i acquired this car in 1997, from my mother. i was the coolest, because if you remember those cars, you would definately remember the talking feature. yes, my car spoke to me in a mecanical computerized voice, reminding my fuel was low, to fasten my seat belt, etc. great car. then, one night around 9 or 10 in the evening in a fairly empty parking lot, my car decided that it did not want to drive in reverse. it would not back up. then, it started to snow. i was one happy camper. yes, putting your car in neutral then kicking the crap out of the front bumper can substitute for using your reverse gear. so, we gave the car to the salvation army (and they took it!) and went to buy me another...my parents bought a 92 mitsubishi galant. when they pulled into the driveway, i thought "great! a well made vehicle, that was actually designed in this decade!" well. at first, it was like a dream come true, this car was like a lamborgini compared to the other. after owning it for a couple months, with no problems, they suddenly began. the worst was that the horn would honk sometimes when i'd turn right...this was a great feature to have while driving thru SW D.C. in the early hours of the morning, let me tell you. now, after i "cheated" to pass emissions by getting my oil changed adding STP no smoke, oil pan replaced new timer belt, brakes etc...it is spurting out some horrific bluish smoke when i first turn on the car. i don't know much about cars...but i don't think that's good. at least my air conditioning works (for now) as were coming thru June here. course, now that i've said that, it'll break tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

My car is pretty good to me except that I have the worst luck with minor accidents. (none of which I am responsible for) I sware someone out there is trying to tell me this car is NOT for me! Right now I need a new headlight, the whole thing, clamp included. And no one on the face of the planet can seem to get me one of these except a junkyard. "Hmmmmmm seems you'll need to visit a junkyard and hope there's another Celica there" they say. *big sigh* I work until 4 everyday, same damn time the junkyards close, and Ummmm I just couldn't see little ole me sifting through a junkyard. I don't know what it's like but I can just imagine me on my knees in a pile of dirt throwing car parts over my shoulder "uhhhh nope, not it" "uhh nah, not it either" etc. until I find one that HEY I wouldn't even KNOW if it were the right one. but anyway, there's this little ticking in the back passenger side, somewhere in the tire area. Every shop I've visited cannot pin point the route of this evil knocking (I always joke about it when passenger ask, I just sing about it being that URban Legend hookman under my car "you could keep on knockin, but 'ja can't come in..."I sing to it when I'm too frustrated to curse it out)so everyone tells me not to worry about it because it isn't serious and it's done no damage that they can see. The only person that could control it was my brother. He would wedge this little bit of cardboard somewhere and until it would loosen and eventually fall out, the knocking would stop. *sigh* of course I never took the time out to pay attention WHERE he put it, so now he's passed away, and no one else can discover this mysterious spot....that's my biggest gripe.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

Kathy- Delta 88's ROCK! I wish that I hadn't got rid of my Royale Broughm. Smoothest poor mans ride around. Donna- just call around junkyards. Most should be able to tell you if they have it right away. The days of actually going into the yard are virtually gone. They just hand you the part over their shiny new counter with their state of the art computer on it. Call--save time. Most of y'all have easily diagnosed problems. Ask around your work. You will probably get more suggestions than you bargained for. The emerging popular opinion from your shade tree mechanic acquaintances is a good likely step in the right direction. My wife is telling me that I'm taking all the pleasure out of venting. Sorry!

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

Bwahahahahhahaha! My first car was an 1969 Mercedes Benz that my dad bought intending to restore. Wouldn't that have been wonderful? Well, he never did it! Partially because the thing was soooooo beat up to start with it was hopeless, and really because you cannot get parts for such cars without paying thousands of bucks. The thing took regular, leaded gas. No one sold regular gas after 1985 or so! I started driving in 1988. Anyway, I drove this car for about 2 years, with it smoking all the way. I loved it even though I could not go anywhere that was not accessed directly by the interstate - because I could not stop at stop-signs or lights for fear the car would break down for at least 20 minutes. To make it up to me that the car hardly ran, my dad got me a vanity plate that said ALSBENZ. Man I loved that car.

My next car was a 1986 Nissan SX that had the talking feature. "Right door is open..." It was pretty cool, too. It was like a bullet. I used to go 95 miles an hour between my parent's house and my college apartment (a one hour trip) and then have to wait 30 minutes to call them to tell them I got there.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/2958

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

I remember one my friend's parents had those talking cars when I was a kid.

"The door is ajar."

I thought that was so deep. What did the car mean saying the door was a jar? Confused me for weeks.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

I had the best/worst car imaginable. It was an '88 Oldsmobile Regency-98. For one thing, i have no idea why they insist on putting the 98 at the end of the car title - it means nothing. My car was just possessed by the devil.

The auto-reverse tape deck refuse to either reverse to release the tapes. So, i listened to side B of Purple Rain by Prince for 8 months. The headliner fell. I tacked it back up, but it fell again. I ended up ripping it down, but then it rained little black fuzzie-spongie things at me, prompting me to have a new headliner put in. The auto-door locks button would get stuck in the lock position and nothing could unlock the doors. I was once trapped in my car for 2 hours, waiting for it to unlock itself and trying not to pee in my pants. After being bumped and dinged a few times, the trunk wouldn't latch closed properly. So, one side stuck up funny. The rear-view mirror just completely fell off - i still don't know why. I put 2 new engines and six sets of tires on it. 4 radiators - after which i had the same unbelievable air-conditioning experience that you did. 4 alternators - they being broken drained 4 perfectly good batteries that had to be replaced, also. It had motorized seat controls, that broke while my taller brother was driving, so i sat too low and too far away from the pedals. I had to scooch down in the seat to be able to reach them. The motorized windows asked me one day why i was always messing with them. They didn't like my answer and from that point on, whenever i put my window down, it would fall into the door and disappear. The door had to be disassembled to retrieve said windows more than once. This list could go on and on...but the kicker is: when i traded it in for the car i have now, i got $500 credit. I was truly amazed.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999