These Are The Car Repairs That Proved Just Too Much

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You tin effort and climb each mountain, but eventually, you'll scope a highest that you tin not tame. As pinch upland climbing, truthful too, are car repairs and maintenance. You really want to effort and do everything for your car yourself, but you conscionable can't. Anyway, that's why deity invented car mechanics and what, are you trying to put those good group retired of a job? Of people not! 

Earlier this week, I asked you astir repair jobs attempted and failed. Some of you gave up connected your cars, while others solidered through, switching mechanics and strategies until you could prevention your baby. All of you had a communicative to tell, truthful please bask scrolling done immoderate of my favourite submissions. Happy wrenching!

Back successful nan 1980s I had a second-gen Camaro pinch nan (obscure) 229-V6. One day, erstwhile it needed regular maintenance, I took it to our family mechanic. He replaced nan spark plugs, and charged maine $12.00, aliases $1.50 apiece–eight plugs for my six-cylinder car.

Which was bad enough. But past he told maine that nan car had a worn camshaft, which is why it wasn't firing connected 1 cylinder. I don't retrieve him giving maine an estimate connected that repair, but aft a while, driving it connected 5 cylinders, thing told maine to switch nan plugs he put successful (on that engine, it was an ordeal–it required going underneath nan car to scope immoderate of them). I recovered that 1 of nan plugs had its broadside electrode bent to really rubbing nan halfway electrode–so that nan plug couldn't fire. When I re-gapped nan plug, nan car ran fine.

I recovered different mechanic.

From Joe Stricker

It was an aged mustang I loved, and I thought "well that isn't excessively overmuch rust"

From cwheels

Mine wasn't excessively overmuch for maine to handle. It was excessively overmuch for my wallet.

Around this past caller year, my E60 M5 (yes, a 6-speed) started acting up. I had had it for 5 years and it was astatine astir 90k miles. After dropping a fewer 1000 astatine nan shop to return attraction of injectors and different things, I saw nan bluish cough of decease successful nan rear-view reflector while sitting astatine a stoplight.

After digging astir a bit, nan shop recovered scoring connected cylinder 1. A rebuild was necessary, and aft shopping around, I decided to fto it go.

I miss it.

From Jordan Sangerman

My past car, 2014 BMW 335 xdrive, loved it and nan manual was ace fun, had it for 10 years and 150k miles. Its 1 existent flaw (common pinch different AWD BMWs) is nan transportation lawsuit which starts to shudder nether acceleration. It tin spell for a agelong clip earlier yet giving up, and I had it replaced astatine 80k miles for a costs of conscionable nether $4k.

5-ish years later and I'm nearing 150k miles, nan signs of upcoming nonaccomplishment are back. I really didn't want to springiness up nan car, but had to beryllium realistic. I didn't get a quote for a 2nd replacement but aft 5 years of ostentation it was astir apt astatine slightest $5k, nan car was worthy $8k. That hole would person gotten maine different 70-80k miles, truthful different 4-5 years of driving, but astatine that mileage what other would perchance travel up (even though nan powertrain was ace reliable) that could make that finance a complete waste? And if I was prolonging my ownership for that overmuch longer I'd want to do immoderate different refreshes of parts that were showing their property i.e. faded exterior plastics and gummy interior rubber.

It conscionable wasn't worthy it and I ended up trading it in, but I still mobility whether I should person traded my convertible alternatively and kept nan BMW arsenic a play car. I emotion my existent car nary doubt, but that BMW was truthful perfect.

From Wantsamanuelalpharomero

I person replaced an alternator successful a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. Same point arsenic nan '05 T&C. I did it without lifting it and dropping nan motor, and pinch my family waiting patiently to spell home, a 2 hr drive. I had to invent devices to do it. I besides switch nan starter successful that car, successful nan 3rd level of a parking garage, successful a freezing windy January evening. It was a nightmare. It took hours. But I did it. Worse was a steering file successful a '97 Oldsmobile Achieva. It was excessively difficult and excessively expensive, $1k for nan part, $1k for labor, and that was 2010 money. That 1 ended that car's run. All this led maine to get a occupation arsenic a car salesman, hole my credit, hole my surgery narration pinch automobiles. Now I've gone done 6 Jeep Wranglers successful a decade. Never going past 10k miles earlier swapping out, because I can. Spending my teenage years to mid 40s successful junk cars has fixed maine roadside car repair PTSD.

From Papa Chris

I had a 2001 Audi A4 for astir 10 years. Loved nan point and it was astir pristine. Right astir 100k miles nan AC stopped working, and it was diagnosed arsenic a leak successful immoderate constituent heavy successful nan dash. I was looking astatine astir a $3000 costs to repair it. (basically nan full dash had to travel out). I was besides starting to get an occasional CEL aft fueling nan car, truthful of people that gave maine a small added concern. The book worth of nan car was astir $6000 astatine nan time, and I was besides astatine nan constituent wherever my oculus was wandering to caller cars anyway. So onto craigslist it went, and I sold it for $5500.

From BuddyS

The first marque caller car I ever owned was an '02 Mitsubishi Mirage. I was surviving successful a inexpensive flat analyzable successful Western PA (where our seasons tin beryllium described arsenic Summer, Fall, Winter, and Still Winter), wherever nan landlord's thought of plowing nan parking tons was to create a way but pushing each nan snowfall straight successful beforehand of nan existent spaces. After 8 years of driving complete small salty snowfall piles I was going to activity 1 time and nan car is overmuch louder than normal, truthful I fig I person a spread successful nan exhaust. It turned retired nan everything from nan manifold to nan muffler was beautiful severely corroded and headed replaced. I don't retrieve nan nonstop quote to repair it, but it was astir double what nan car was really worthy astatine that point, truthful I sold it arsenic scrap and utilized nan money to bargain a caller Lancer.

From Mike Szekely

9th procreation Honda Accord V6 has a starter rumor wherever it slow destroys nan flywheel. They had to fundamentally driblet nan motor to region nan gearbox and instal a caller flywheel and a caller starter. The labour was much costly than nan portion and some mixed was astir nan aforesaid arsenic buying nan aforesaid car used. This is simply a known rumor pinch Honda but they ne'er issued a recall.

But I garbage to springiness up my V6!

From KP 

2000 Subaru Outback

Driving to activity 1 time nan brakes went out. I stayed calm and downshifted done nan gears (manual FTW) and yet e-braked to a stop. Took it to a trusted shop wherever they proceeded to show maine my brake lines rusted through. Oh great. They past mentioned that nan state vessel was held successful solely by rust. It was astatine that constituent I trim my losses pinch nan car and learned ne'er to bargain a car from up northbound (I did look complete nan car earlier buying, but it was late, and it was successful a parking lot)

From bricktop252

Two months agone I sold my much-loved 2008 Volvo V70 wagon (197K miles and still solid, quiet, & soft running) erstwhile nan wipers & associated power switches based connected nan steering file went haywire, which would person been astir $1500 to fix. I had a batch of fond memories attached to that car, but It was time.

From JimmieG