Choke, Gasp, Cough...

[charlottezweb]

Our car repair person just called to give me the diagnosis and estimate for fixing our poor baby Honda CR-V.

• replace front brakes and rotors = $395
• replace battery = $100
• evacuate AC to see if failed compressor has done any damage = $145
• valve adjustment to see if that fixes misfiring check engine light issue = $100
• oil change = ?? forgot to ask

Total cost of things we're actually having done = $740 plus

For once, we actually have the money, so no worries there.

On the other hand, the thing's we're not fixing right now:

• replacing the AC compressor = $1395
• fixing the rear engine mount = $225
• fixing slight bend in muffler and b pipe = $575

Total = $2195

Things we will have to decide about after he calls us back:

• if the thing causing the valves to misfire is much more expensive than just an adjustment

Things we need to fix from the last time the car was in the shop and still haven't:

• replacing the driver's side window motor
• rekeying driver's side lock bc it's sticking badly

Total = um, I don't quite remember, somewhere between $500 and $1000?

So basically, we owe abt $4000 on it and, if we wanted to do it all up right, would need to spend abt $3500 to who knows how much to completely overhaul it. (Not the car's fault--we've put abt 30K miles on it every year.)

How do I know where the line is? I mean, there's got to be a point at which getting it fixed is not longer the best decision, right? Or does the part where the car will be paid off soon make any amount of repairs cost-effective, or more cost-effective than buying another (used) car? I guess if the valve issue will cost, say, $3000 on top of everything else, then we should reevaluate? My hope was to keep this car in good working order for another 2 years, when it would have 250K to 300K miles on it, and then buy a hybrid FIT, which supposedly will only be a bit more than the regular FIT. And I guess if we can get the essential repairs done, and get it paid off, then it should be worth it to not have car payment for the next two years.

Comments

[dr-brat.livejournal.com]

When the old Jetta was thinking about dying (apparently it's actually still on the road), I would add up all the repairs for 12 months and divide by 12. As long as those repairs were less than a car payment, we kept going. While $3000 at a shot is a lot, it's not that much over 12 months IF that's all you have to do to it. In your case, you have to add in the monthly payments you're still making and measure it against the payments you'd make on something newer. Add into that calculation the fact that, unless you are buying a brand new car, you know what's wrong with the one you own better than you would with the used one you buy from somebody else.

In the end, there's a lot of unknown, but you can use the information you have to get a better idea of whether it's worth putting money into or not.

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

Ok, that was really helpful, thank you! Right now, with the cost running abt $4000, hopefully including the nonessential stuff, it would be about the equivalent of another year of car payments. That's much better than another 5 yrs or so of payments. Now if the valve issue ends up being redonkulous we'll reevaluate.

[crystlyte.livejournal.com]

I agree with dr. brat, as usual. I do the same calculation and even in the years that I've had a major repair or two (just replaced a rusted hood @ $600), it is much less than car payments. Haven't had one in 11 years.... :-)

[offcenter-wc.livejournal.com]

The alarm bells began ringing with this post...

replace battery = $100

Here's how to cut it in half: go to Walmart, buy battery, have the people at Tire Lube Express install it for free.

evacuate AC to see if failed compressor has done any damage = $145

Normally, if there's no AC in the vehicle, there's no refrigerant left in the system due to a leak or damage to the components, therefore nothing to evacuate. If the compressor's gone, that's the end of diagnosis. One fix that I've seen is to install a serpentine belt intended for non-AC-equipped vehicles that takes the compressor right out of the system so you don't have to worry about any additional wear and tear on what's left of the compressor. Of course, there's also no AC...

valve adjustment to see if that fixes misfiring check engine light issue = $100

One of the things that has saved my butt six ways from Sunday is the purchase of an OBD-II compliant code reader. Plug it into the socket below the dashboard, read the code, consult the manual (and/or Google the code to access vehicle-specific forums), and you then know what you're up against. Many codes appear once, stay active through a certain amount of ignition sequences, then disappear. Others can be easily erased with the code reader.

(Which means the valve adjustment may not have really fixed your problem. Just sayin'.)

fixing the rear engine mount = $225

How did you do that? Is there a recall dealing with that problem that you could get fixed for free?

fixing slight bend in muffler and b pipe = $575

This is what started my alarm bells ringing: what sort of off-roading, Dukes-of-Hazzard river-jumping, Jersey-barrier-straddling-type of driving are you guys doing to produce kinks in your friggin' tailpipe?? I dunno about anyone else, but last time I checked, $575 should be enough to replace everything from the catalytic converter back, much less fix it.

And, last, but not least:
rekeying driver's side lock bc it's sticking badly

You mean shooting copious quantities of WD-40 in the key slot haven't helped?

This isn't to say that you're getting hosed--far be it from me to shake your confidence in your repair person. I know that personally, I'll pay more than I should sometimes, but it's for peace of mind more than anything else. And if I trust my mechanic, I'll spring for it so I don't have to worry about breaking down. (Um, I also have the AAA premium membership. So do my daughters. Just in case.) But still, there's a case for doing a little bit of research before you take it in.

(Also, I've got a Haynes service manual for my Caravan, and I've bought one for Mel's Saturn and Cori's Sebring. Why? So I know what I can do with the cars and when it's time to hand it over to the professionals. Air filters? Oil changes? My turn. Spark plug changes? Serpentine belt replacements? Depends. Timing belts? Water pumps? Head for the shop. Disclaimer: I've got that service technician mentality that makes me screw with something until I'm convinced that I can't do anything worse to it, and as you might expect, I actually buy strange tools like a serpentine belt tensioner wrench that allows me to change serp belts quickly. And English and metric socket wrenches. I need a bigger garage...)

[charlottezweb.livejournal.com]

"The alarm bells began ringing with this post..."

I actually thought of you as I was writing it. Dang, he's going to know I'm a total car idiot. :)

"replace battery = $100

Here's how to cut it in half: go to Walmart, buy battery, have the people at Tire Lube Express install it for free."

Yeah, that would not have been a bad idea. But with everything else...and I had no idea it was going bad--could tell something was wrong but...

"evacuate AC to see if failed compressor has done any damage = $145

Normally, if there's no AC in the vehicle, there's no refrigerant left in the system due to a leak or damage to the components, therefore nothing to evacuate. If the compressor's gone, that's the end of diagnosis. One fix that I've seen is to install a serpentine belt intended for non-AC-equipped vehicles that takes the compressor right out of the system so you don't have to worry about any additional wear and tear on what's left of the compressor. Of course, there's also no AC..."

Ah! That's what I was wondering, so there is a way around it--I'd wanted to just not fix it and deal with no AC but they said that things could get damaged more even if I didn't turn the AC on. And we had air, but the engine was making that unbalanced washing machine noise if the AC was on. It's a known Honda issue, as is the "black death" which is what they were looking for--shards of metal in the rest of the system from the compressor blowing. (I knew the compressor was gone so did some interneting before hand.)

"valve adjustment to see if that fixes misfiring check engine light issue = $100

One of the things that has saved my butt six ways from Sunday is the purchase of an OBD-II compliant code reader. ...

(Which means the valve adjustment may not have really fixed your problem. Just sayin'.)"

And you would be right. There were misfires from all four cylinders--mechanic said, after light came back on, that replacing the cylinder head would likely fix it but since it's running fine, he wouldn't suggest it right now. Fine with me. This was expensive enough.

"fixing the rear engine mount = $225

How did you do that? Is there a recall dealing with that problem that you could get fixed for free?"

Heh. No idea. Maybe when she was run into a couple of years ago it weakened it?

"fixing slight bend in muffler and b pipe = $575

This is what started my alarm bells ringing: what sort of off-roading, Dukes-of-Hazzard river-jumping, Jersey-barrier-straddling-type of driving are you guys doing to produce kinks in your friggin' tailpipe?? I dunno about anyone else, but last time I checked, $575 should be enough to replace everything from the catalytic converter back, much less fix it."

Ok, it was actually to replace those things, not unbend them, and I have no idea what caused it. Maybe getting rear ended, maybe me going over parking place curbs, maybe my partner running over something on a dirt road? My mom ran over an alligator on the road here once and did the same thing to her car. :) Dukes of Hazzard is about right.

"And, last, but not least:
rekeying driver's side lock bc it's sticking badly

You mean shooting copious quantities of WD-40 in the key slot haven't helped?"

Um, *blush*, I haven't actually tried that?

"This isn't to say that you're getting hosed--far be it from me to shake your confidence in your repair person. I know that personally, I'll pay more than I should sometimes, but it's for peace of mind more than anything else. ... (Um, I also have the AAA premium membership. So do my daughters. Just in case.) But still, there's a case for doing a little bit of research before you take it in."

I do trust them--I also trust that they're charging me more than I would pay somewhere else or if I did it myself. I mean, I know they do good work and that they've been decent about prioritizing things (and not just by price) and we've been taking our cars in to them for over 20 yrs (since my dad died--he did all the car work before that). But I also know that the dealer repair shop charges more. And I need to be more active in getting the car in for routine service (oil changes, etc) so it all lasts longer. I also need to take a class so I can do more of this myself--it's kindof silly that I can't change my own oil.

[dr-brat.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's silly that you can't change your own oil. I can't change mine, either. But I am religious about having it done. You have to be if you intend to get the most life out of your car.

[offcenter-wc.livejournal.com]

Dang, he's going to know I'm a total car idiot. :)

Um, nope. Not by a looooong shot. I have stories...

[...]

I do trust them--I also trust that they're charging me more than I would pay somewhere else or if I did it myself. I mean, I know they do good work and that they've been decent about prioritizing things (and not just by price) and we've been taking our cars in to them for over 20 yrs (since my dad died--he did all the car work before that).

Then I'd say that's a pretty good situation, all things considered.

And I need to be more active in getting the car in for routine service (oil changes, etc) so it all lasts longer.

I'm a stickler for regular maintenance. Well, seeing as how I've driven service vans for years (the current one at 215K), I'm not only a big fan of regular oil/spark plug/air filter
changes, but coolant and tranny fluid flushes. I try and get it before it breaks. Less stress that way.

I also need to take a class so I can do more of this myself--it's kindof silly that I can't change my own oil.

Not really. The class is a good idea, if only to give you added confidence with the vehicle. But I gotta say from my time in the pit that there are many cars that you don't even want to go near when it's time for an oil change. We used to wonder just how sadistic the designers were with some engines, placing the oil filter in places where it was a royal pain in the ass to get to. Especially when hot. Or placing it right next to an expensive sensor, so that one wrong move and it's gone and you're in deep shit. But all things considered, oil changes aren't usually that expensive for what you get (especially if the drain plug and/or oil pan threads are worn), so it's not silly at all that you don't know how to do it.