A.Balaban Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) We bought this car (a relatively new, well-kept car) a couple years ago when I was pregnant with DD because the car I was driving was having transmission issues, and we did not have $$ or space to try and do a self-fix. Well, this car that we bought has been NOTHING but trouble. We are trying to pay the car off as quickly as we can so we can sell it, but like you all know, DH has been having trouble finding a solid, steady, well-paying job. The car is SIX years old. Within the first month, the alternator crapped out. Then the battery...Found out it was because there was oil leaking on the alternator from the head gasket. Then our fuel pump went out. Then the following year, the head gasket leaked again. Thankfully we caught it before it got to our alternator, and it was covered under the 1yr warranty from the original replacement. This year, we have had constant problems. Some sort of fuel injector problem. We tried every fuel cleaner on the market...We've replaced the o2 sensor, and DH accidently ripped the hose that connected it so we need to replace that yet. Next step we were gonna replace spark plugs. DH was replacing the spark plugs, and there is oil pooled in the bottom of one of the spark plugs. Great. The head gasket is fried again. Sure enough. There is oil on our alternator again. :mad::banghead: Problem is that it's been over a year, so it's no longer covered under the warranty! Now we need to get the head gasket replaced... and of course it's FRIDAY and DH's next day off is NEXT Friday. At this point, I am not sure the car is gonna survive another week. So now, we have: head gasket, transmission fluid flush, and timing belt. DH is gonna finish replacing the spark plugs at home, plus he needs to do the brakes, and that hose piece. And on top of all that, it still might not fix the problem with the car. Oh, and my CD player is busted and needs to be replaced, and the A/C crapped out in August. The heat still works, so we haven't bothered looking at it.... :glare: Car troubles.... major understatement! Edit: Anyone feel free to share their troubles! :P Edited October 26, 2012 by A.Balaban Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 My goodness!! What a lemon! I think I'd have a meltdown.....no, I'm certain I'd have complete meltdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 :grouphug: I'm so sorry. Car troubles are so stressful! We just had a wheel bearing need replacing on a 2010 car, which is a really, really new car to have wheel bearing issues. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 DH got home from work, car is still running "just as fine"... it's only a matter of time before the alternator goes and then the car will be unusable until we get head gasket fixed. We still have car loan and don't have enough cash to pay it off. If we don't fix the car, no one will buy it and we will get no trade $$. KBB for car is between 6-7k for dealer trade-in, with a bit extra (another 1-2k) for private sale. DH said maybe we should reconsider scrapping his car, and try and diagnose the issue with that car as opposed to spending $2k to fix up this car that we just want to get rid of. OTOH, I don't want to have MY car sitting around while we are still paying a car loan on it! DH also said we should just wait a week, until his next day off... but then we will have same issue, except if oil gets in alternator it will be another major repair (unfortunately, with my car, the alternator is not right on the top so it requires a lot of work to get to it. First estimate we got was about $700 to get it done) ... I am holding out hope if we drop car off to get it fixed, there will be no damage to the alternator so we could possibly avoid that bill. WWYD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Hmmm, it really doesn't sound like it's worth it to put one more cent into that car. There has to be an, as of yet, undiagnosed problem somewhere else that is killing the head gaskets. There is no point in fixing the head gasket unless and until you can find what is causing the problem, which would probably be pricey and cost even more than just doing the "quick" expensive fix of the head gasket. We are having a similar issue with DH's commuter car and the signal lights. Something, somewhere is killing the signal lights, we've already replaced the relays and the switch, so it's something else. But, we are willing to put a few dollars into it to find the problem because a) the car runs like a dream otherwise and b) we don't want a car payment right now. However, we are putting off putting new tires on it until we find the signal light problem, just in case it is not fixable. We don't want to pay for brand new tires, just to scrap it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 :grouphug: I'm so sorry. Car troubles are so stressful! We just had a wheel bearing need replacing on a 2010 car, which is a really, really new car to have wheel bearing issues. Sigh. I think my Mom had to recently do the same thing on a 2009 vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Hmmm, it really doesn't sound like it's worth it to put one more cent into that car. There has to be an, as of yet, undiagnosed problem somewhere else that is killing the head gaskets. There is no point in fixing the head gasket unless and until you can find what is causing the problem, which would probably be pricey and cost even more than just doing the "quick" expensive fix of the head gasket. Probably something beneath the head gasket? DH was talking to his dad about it tonight and he said something-something could be cracked. What's the alternative if we don't put any money in the car? :confused: DH quit his job? I'll talk to DH again in the morning, I think I want to get an estimate done before we make any final decisions. It will have to wait until Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 My car with just over 100,000 miles failed inspection (needed at least $5000 worth of repairs) and the car dealer still gave me $2000 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I would take it to a dealer and see what they will give you for the car as a trade-in. If it pays off the loan and puts something toward a replacement, I would go for it. We have two aging cars (dh's is in pitiful shape because he doesn't maintain it) and have the bills to prove it. I just spent $575 on a 120,000 mile service and putting in a new theromstat. It was a lot of money to spend, but the car runs well and has a lot of life left in it. Runs like a top now. That being said, earlier this year I spent a lot of money on repairs and I was beginning to think that the time was coming for a new car (car payments might have been cheaper than what I was spending on repairs). Part of the problem was that my mechanic was using after market parts and the parts were defective. He wasn't taking the time to research the problem and he was not that familiar with Saabs. If you are having repeat problems, you might consider taking the car to another mechanic. A new set of eyes might see something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 I would just see how much a dealership would give you, and if it is enough to pay it off and make a downpayment on something else, then go that route. My van is nearly 10 years old, and we have only done routine maitience on it, so I would not expect to have to keep fixing a 6 yr old car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Do you mind if I ask what make and model the car is? We are starting to look at cars for ds, and I wonder if it's unique to your individual car, or a problem w/ that make/model. Have you done a search to see if others have complained or if there is a recall? Did you happen to run a Carfax report to see if it was damaged in an accident? 6 years is way to early for those kinds of problems. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you mind if I ask what make and model the car is? We are starting to look at cars for ds, and I wonder if it's unique to your individual car, or a problem w/ that make/model. Have you done a search to see if others have complained or if there is a recall? Did you happen to run a Carfax report to see if it was damaged in an accident? 6 years is way to early for those kinds of problems. :grouphug: It's a '06 Hyundai Sonata V6 LX .. the high-end upgraded version with the premium wheels, sound, leather interior, etc...KBB says we should get between $5-$7k for the car as a trade and $7-$9k as a private sale, which would pay off the loan. I don't know how much we'd lose with the engine troubles though. It can't hurt to go check though. We got swindled with the car - we really did - from the get-go. The car was a dealer car, so it was a "new" car when we purchased it, so the car didn't qualify for Hyundai's 10-yr, 100,000 mile warranty (which the car would still qualify for) and we had to fight Hyundai dealership to cover the first repair (which happened during the "limited 3-month warranty") but they would only cover the 1 part, not the alternator or battery which ALSO had to be replaced. We really got swindled. It's our own fault - but you live and you learn. I don't remember if we checked CarFax - Since car was a dealership car the service department wouldn't give us a copy of the service records, but they 'read through them' with us and it was all basic maintenance/regular upkeep. DH feels the car might have been in an accident -- there's some body work that's been done around some headlights, but he's not definitively sure. But other than that, no definitive signs... At this point, we're going to go to the dealerships and see what we can get for a trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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