I own a wheeled toilet! Vent about automotive nightmares

freetown fred wrote:rberg, you need to find an off season hobby.

Very true. A hobby that does not involve my wife's flower garden and a spading fork.

I hosed my trailer down with used oil before picking up that Subaru in January. Roads were trashed with salt & sand. When I got home, my black trailer was WHITE with salt!! Would've rusted instantly, because my hose was frozen - so washing it was out of the question ... and I wasn't paying 32 quarters at the car wash. It sat there until spring, and not a spot of rust on it. I let the rain wash the salt off, which is the WORST possible thing you can do.

Back in the day, people used to pay my grandfather to do the same to their cars. He'd drill holes in the frame, & fill it to the brim with used oil on some models. They'd pay, and we'd watch them leave a thick smoke trail down the road as the oil burned off the exhaust system. I miss the good ol' days ...

I've been sitting on the beach. Drinking. I'm now sitting on a couch, watching cartoons and drinking whiskey sours. I don't care about the car right now.

But, they did call today.

Thermostat is stuck closed; one of the things I mentioned after the tow.

They are going to change the water pump.

Newton is not responsible so it's coming out of my pocket.

They also said the exhaust is cracked where the engine was purging the coolant through the overflow tank. They cited, "a safety issue and needs to be fixed" when asked what a "safety issue" was they said, 'Oh, it won't pass inspection and can gave CO enter the cabin.'

My reply?

I laughed. Then said, 'I don't *censored* care about the exhaust. Fix the t-stat and the water pump.'

I then drank another landshark beer and went in the ocean for a few more hours.

*censored* it, this is the first vacation my family have been on since my wife and I went on our honeymoon in 2008. As long as the car is done by Saturday when I leave Murrels Inlet, SC. I'm gonna keep drinking, eating good food and buying my two kids and wife whatever they want. The car, can sit on the back burner. Pilot light is off. I don't care.

Welcome to the "other" part of my world ...



Edit to say BULLSHIT on that dealer - they replaced the head gaskets before, right? IF they did that then THEY should've replaced the T-stat, especially if the car is several years old & with more than 50k miles. I say it's still on them. I'd take 'em to court!

That makes sense, the tstat should have been replaced. When I changed the water pump on my truck last year I replaced the tstat "just because".

while in Murrels inlet, get to Capt. Dick's marina and go fishing for black sea bass

Does the OEM repair manual call for replacing the thermostat during a head gasket repair? If it does, that is something you can point to. Anything else is subject to debate.

Wood'nCoal wrote:That makes sense, the tstat should have been replaced. When I changed the water pump on my truck last year I replaced the tstat "just because".

I said the same thing. Hell, I did a t-stat on my Neon every year when I did a tune up. At a few bucks it was cheap insurance.

Get the *censored* off the FORUM & go have fun with the family.

I'm On Fire wrote:I said the same thing. Hell, I did a t-stat on my Neon every year when I did a tune up. At a few bucks it was cheap insurance.

Back in WW II, so I have read, airplanes failed more when parts were replaced on a schedule, compared to waiting until they started to go bad. Makes sense -- if you replace a part that is working with one that is new but untested, what are the odds the new part is worse than the old, or the mechanic makes a mistake? Just another way of saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Lucky you didn't FRY that Neon!

There you have it, Bob's theory of t-stat maintenance. No charge, all advice today is free and worth it.

BUT, if you never repair or replace said part AND it fails you have what we had happen on Saturday. Stuck in the middle of nowhere.

What'd I say you young woodpecker.

I'm On Fire wrote:BUT, if you never repair or replace said part AND it fails you have what we had happen on Saturday. Stuck in the middle of nowhere.

So it's like being married. No matter what happens, it's your fault.

freetown fred wrote:What'd I say you young woodpecker.

LMAO

The joys of owning a smartphone. I can take my beer and disappear into the bathroom and lurk on the forums.

So, we went to pick the car up from the dealer yesterday. My wife got in it and proceeded to follow me in the rental to the airport so I could drop it off.

Three miles down the road my wife calls me. 'The car is STILL over heating!'

We turned the car back around and went back to the dealer. Now I was pissed. I walked in and just started yelling. They pulled the car back in the garage and checked the temp of the radiator. One side was cold, the other hot.

They are now going to replace the radiator. I then explained that this is getting ridiculous and that our vacation was over. I asked how long until it was fixed, this upcoming Friday. I said that was unacceptable because at this point, between the tow, cab, replacement of the t-stat, original hotel we can't afford it. I asked that at this point they discount the radiator repair, they Either rent us a car, put us in a hotel or loan us a cafe from their lot.

They had no problem with discounting the repairs work. But the woman we were dealing with,didn't have authorization to do anything else. I made her call the manager of the dealership. He gave us a car.

I also talked to the tech. I asked him that after he replaced the t-stat if he put a load on the car. He said no, that they idled the car all day in the garage then took it down to the light at the corner and back. I said that after he changes the radiator to run the car, take it down I-95, he said he'd take it down the parkway near the dealership. It's closer and he'd still be able to run it 55+ miles an hour. He also said he'd drive it home for two days, he lives 40 minutes from the dealer. Hopefully this is it, I'm sick of this.