# Fricking Car Problems **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 12, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124 "2005-07-12T03:56:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/1 "2005-07-12T03:56:35Z")
Vehicle is a tool which human folks use to travel from Point A to Point B. When I buy a vehicle after saving for years and taking loads of fricking loans I expect the damn thing to work without a problem.It doesnt matter that the car in question is 11 years old and a pretty unpopular sports model in the market. But this crap just had a radiator leak in the morning when I was expected to work at 6.30 am. It just worked fine last evening and when I checked the water level in the morning the whole damned radiator was empty…!!! Why cant these idiots build something which doesnt spring up leaks , broken hoses , damaged seals without an apparent reason… I am gonna write an email to Mitsubishi complaining about the high cost of maintaining their fricking contraption…Following are my main points… 1. I buy a goddamn vehicle just to travel , not because I love it and care for it. 2. I dont wanna check the bloody thing every week to see how it’s holding up. Car is something that I just use, its not my life. 3. Build the goddamn thing with some more long lasting materials. 4. I dont grow money on trees and currently using a vehicle consumes 40% of my monthly salary with the highcost of fucking liquid called petrol. I cant afford more mainintanence cost. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/2 "2005-07-12T04:12:22Z")
> [@AtomAnt](#): > > It doesnt matter that the car in question is 11 years old and a pretty unpopular sports model in the market. Yes it does. That’s a classic example of buyer beware. Indeed, most of our problems in life are of our own making. There’s a reson why the words “due diligence” exist. > [@AtomAnt](#): > > 1. I dont grow money on trees and currently using a vehicle consumes 40% of my monthly salary with the highcost of fucking liquid called petrol. I cant afford more mainintanence cost. Again, you bought an 11 year old car. The onus was on YOU to do the due diligence. Any fool can tell you that even a 1 year old car can be a shit heap if was run into the ground. This rant gets a 1 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/3 "2005-07-12T04:21:50Z")
> [@Boo Boo Foo](#): > > Yes it does. That’s a classic example of buyer beware. Indeed, most of our problems in life are of our own making. There’s a reson why the words “due diligence” exist. > > Again, you bought an 11 year old car. The onus was on YOU to do the due diligence. Any fool can tell you that even a 1 year old car can be a shit heap if was run into the ground. > > This rant gets a 1 out of 10. Excuse me for not being able to afford a new car…Not may can afford a brand new car even for that matter 5/6 year old cars with 200% tax imposed by our assholic government. ---
**Author:** ![ejtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b77776/32.png) [@ejtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ejtx)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/4 "2005-07-12T04:26:09Z")
Dude… your car is 11 years old. Stuff like this is going to happen - I know. If you get 11 years out a radiator you’re actually doing pretty good. Judging from your description, chances are we’ve got the same exact car. Is it an Eclipse? It sounds like you might benefit from a little preventative maintenance. Hoses and seals generally don’t give out with any warning. Check everything out and replace what is necessary as soon as you can afford it, hopefully before they crap out right before work in the morning. Things like hoses and belts are cheap and easy to fix, relatively speaking. If major stuff like the engine and tranny are still running smooth there is no reason you can’t hang on to the car for a long time. The last time I swapped out a radiator in an Eclipse the cost came to about $90 with a core exchange. It’s not that big a job and you can save a decent amount of money if you do it yourself. /'95 Eagle (Mitsubishi) Talon - 220k miles and still running strong. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/5 "2005-07-12T04:31:38Z")
It’s frustrating, but remember one thing at all times: a car is basically a personal industrial machine, no different in complexity or substance from a machine press or some other type of heavy machinery. Just like those machines, preventative maintenance will help, but eventually it will fail, and productivity will be lost. And just like those machines, it’s not cheap to fix. You just have to be pragmatic about these things. Sorry about your luck. I threw a timing belt one time far away from home and was stuck there overnight and most of the next day getting it fixed. All I could do was shrug and fix it, and that’s pretty much where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/6 "2005-07-12T04:34:12Z")
> [@ejtx](#): > > Dude… your car is 11 years old. Stuff like this is going to happen - I know. If you get 11 years out a radiator you’re actually doing pretty good. > > Judging from your description, chances are we’ve got the same exact car. Is it an Eclipse? > > It sounds like you might benefit from a little preventative maintenance. Hoses and seals generally don’t give out with any warning. Check everything out and replace what is necessary as soon as you can afford it, hopefully before they crap out right before work in the morning. Things like hoses and belts are cheap and easy to fix, relatively speaking. If major stuff like the engine and tranny are still running smooth there is no reason you can’t hang on to the car for a long time. > > The last time I swapped out a radiator in an Eclipse the cost came to about $90 with a core exchange. It’s not that big a job and you can save a decent amount of money if you do it yourself. > > /'95 Eagle (Mitsubishi) Talon - 220k miles and still running strong. It’s actually a Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt 94 Model…I think its a sorta sports model cos the damn thing looks like a sports car …not sure whether in american context this is considered as a sporty model. I drive it pretty carefully while not putting undue strain on engine. Maximum driving is abt 30 km a day … yeah I know that this is a lame rant…but I am just frustrated with life’s little inconviniences…How much i wish we were back in good old days …like 300 B.C. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/7 "2005-07-12T04:52:01Z")
> [@AtomAnt](#): > > 1. I buy a goddamn vehicle just to travel , not because I love it and care for it. So tell me again why you bought a sportscar? ---
**Author:** ![ejtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b77776/32.png) [@ejtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ejtx)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/8 "2005-07-12T04:57:41Z")
Ah, a Mirage… don’t know a thing about 'em. 😉 For what it’s worth, I totally understand how you feel. Pretty much the only reason I take such good care of my car is because I hate dealing with crap like this so much. But I’ve still got to get a complete brake job done tomorrow, the windshield is cracked from a rock that some stupid SUV chunked at me, the paint is fading, etc. Like Airman said, bad things happen and all we can do is work through it. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/9 "2005-07-12T05:10:05Z")
Nobody is upset with you for driving an 11 year old car, but dude in car years, 11 is way past picking up social security, hell in dog years it is almost dead. Two words of wisdom for you, the first from the very first book I ever read on auto repair, the second from my father. > [@](#): > > Anything mechanically more complex that a crowbar can break > [@](#): > > If you take care of the equipment, it will take care of you ---
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/10 "2005-07-12T05:13:22Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > So tell me again why you bought a sportscar? Small…easier to park…can go faster through the crazy bumper to bumper traffic with easy accelaration by cutting across other ppl… 😃 Sounds crazy to u maybe…but just come to a place where on roads strongest and the guy with quick reflexes survive, sports car will take u from A to B in 10/15 mins less time than a station wagon. And most of all , its CHEAP! nobody wants to buy 2 door sporty cars…market is low for such cars and specially for Mitsubishi… Dont know abt Americans , but the few europeans i had travelled with nearly pee in their pants looking at how we drive over here… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/11 "2005-07-12T05:20:41Z")
I don’t know where “over here” is but I live in LA county. When I think “cheap, works well in traffic” I don’t think sportscar. ---
**Author:** ![Bigang120](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bigang120](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bigang120)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/12 "2005-07-12T05:24:17Z")
I’m with you, the wife and I both drive older vehicles, a 7 year old Escort and a 10 year old truck. I don’t think it’s done on purpose but some of the engineering boggles the mind, you just look at it wrong and it breaks. At least with the truck you can fix it yourself, small cars you need a contortionist and a trained monkey to get to half the stuff under the hood. I don’t know about Mitsubishi, but avoid Ford at all costs. No one carries the parts, everything requires a special tool and it seems like all the do it yourself stuff is hidden under the stuff you don’t want to try to move yourself. I never travel without an assortment of containers and fluids just in case. You can nurse it to work or back if you keep a few gallons of water with you. Best bet, get a Chiltons or Haynes manual for $15-20 bucks and follow the PM schedule if you have anything beyond the original warranty. Checking oil, belts, hoses and filters will help more than you would think. Spending a few bucks here and there beats the hell out of a big expense popping up unexpectedly. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/13 "2005-07-12T05:44:16Z")
> [@Bigang120](#): > > I’m with you, the wife and I both drive older vehicles, a 7 year old Escort and a 10 year old truck. I don’t think it’s done on purpose but some of the engineering boggles the mind, you just look at it wrong and it breaks. At least with the truck you can fix it yourself, small cars you need a contortionist and a trained monkey to get to half the stuff under the hood. There exists something known as “planned obscolescence”. If they made cars that lasted forever (which is a practical impossibility anyway) they’d never be able to sell any new ones. So parts are designed to last for a certain length of time, number of hours used, or number of miles traveled. Some last longer, some not so long, but they all break eventually. The reason why things are so hard to get to is because the cars have been reduced in size but the engines and the peripherals are still pretty large and so they maximize the use of space. Add to that the computer controls that reduce emissions and make modern cars user friendly and allow all the power toys that people want and cars are now almost too complex to work on if you’re a shadetree mechanic. Bottom line: cars are the way they are because we demanded that they be built that way: small, powerful, fuel efficient, and reliable without overly polluting. ---
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/14 "2005-07-12T05:44:44Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > I don’t know where “over here” is but I live in LA county. When I think “cheap, works well in traffic” I don’t think sportscar. True enough…but I am from a country which is at widest abt 250 miles and longest 450 miles. So roads are small , under maintained and most of all devoid of any road courtesy…Sports cat might not be the most economical way of driving around, but when u talk abt getting from place to place all depends on whther u jump the traffic lights or u race around a roundbout to get to an exit…sports car makes a difference… ---
**Author:** ![AtomAnt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@AtomAnt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomAnt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/15 "2005-07-12T05:48:47Z")
Sports Cat??? :smack: what the heck am I writing?? Sorry folks I can take anything but vehicle breakdowns just makes me paranoid…one of my deepest fears , car breaking down at 8 am (rush hour) at a traffic light… Imagine the pain, horn bonkering that I have to go through…Damn… ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/16 "2005-07-12T06:07:32Z")
> [@AtomAnt](#): > > the car in question is 11 years old … > And most of all , its CHEAP! And yet it has mechanical problems? Wow, that IS a puzzle! Good luck with the complaint! ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/17 "2005-07-12T08:03:10Z")
> [@AtomAnt](#): > > Imagine the pain, horn bonkering that I have to go through…Damn… You know, I’d’ve thought if someone offered to bonker your horn, you’d be a bit more appreciative! 😃 Sorry mate, but I’m with the others here. It’s 11 years old. Just be glad the engine hasn’t fallen out of the car. Max. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/18 "2005-07-12T10:53:34Z")
> [@AtomAnt](#): > > Excuse me for not being able to afford a new car…Not many can afford a brand new car even for that matter 5/6 year old cars with 200% tax imposed by our assholic government. That’s a bullshit cop out. Moreover, nothing is expensive if you can afford it. The challenge is to earn more money and brag about it. Or, alternatively, you can accept your life as it is - but you lose the right to complain if you take the second choice. You don’t get both. Here’s a hint - I’d say almost every single person on this messageboard has had car problems at some point or another. Your story of hardship is about as unique as cow shit in a cattle yard. Considering that you brought the problem on yourself by buying a dud, your story is on a par with stepping in that cow shit and then wondering how it could have happened. This rant gets a minus one out of ten now. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/19 "2005-07-12T14:00:49Z")
PSA to **AtomAnt** : Suck it up and go on. If you’re looking for sympathy, it’s in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124/20 "2005-07-12T14:11:06Z")
> [@Bigang120](#): > > You can nurse it to work or back if you keep a few gallons of water with you. I’d be sure that the water was leaking to somewhere _outside the engine_ before I did this. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fricking-car-problems/312124.md?page=2)