Car Repairs

pennypinch · #1 07-08-2010, 03:28 AM

It is ridiculous how much some car parts cost. Even the little things like plugs and wires are getting more and more expensive.

My van was starting to miss here and there while I was driving so my husband changed the plugs and wires. I only drove it home from work since he did it just this evening but it did seem to be a lot better.

We also just had to get a tire to put on the front passenger side. It was wearing on the inside which most likel means that the wheels need aligned. I wonder if I can have that done without buying all new tires and if so how much will it run me? An arm and a leg I am sure.

Oh well I guess there is no choice in the matter. We have to keep it running because it's all I have and I certainly cannot afford car payments right now!

The parts are expensive enough!

moneysense · #2 07-08-2010, 05:33 AM

I have a 1994 Chrysler Le Baron and the Tensioner Pulley is going bad on it which makes the serpentine belt come off, leaving me with no power steering, and the battery will discharge, plus it will over heat if driven too far.

To buy the part new is $79 but this is a part that you can buy used and be able to drive as usual until you can get the money together to buy the new part.

Thank goodness some used parts are good to use and are actually ok cause otherwise I wouldnt have any car to use at all.

Rae74 · #3 07-08-2010, 06:30 AM

i dont really know how much it will cost you or if you will need new tires or not. i dont know that you can get cheap used tires everywhere now days. the tensioner pulley went out in my car not too long ago to.

it sucks its not that hard to fix it but you have to buy the part, take off the tire, try and make your way to get the screw and its just a pain in the but. everything is getting more and more expensive now days and its bad because they keep jacking up the prices on everything what are we going to do when it gets to much for us to pay?

beaston · #4 07-08-2010, 06:32 PM

An alignment will run you (on the high range) $40-$50. If it was caught in time, you won't need to get new tires. Most of the time you'll only need to get a 2 wheel alignment and not all 4, so make sure you don't fall for that if you don't really need it, seeing as how a 4 wheel alignment will cost much more. All you need to do is visually inspect the tires (while on the car, or off) and see if the back wheels are wearing different from each other, and then the same for the front. If the back tires are fine (most of the time they are, since the front wheels take most of the abuse,) then you only need a 2 wheel alignment.

Keep in mind that usually cars get out of alignment because of poor road conditions (potholes, running over a curb, etc,) but if they'll do it for free, have them check and make sure that an alignment isn't just providing a bandaid fix for something else that is wrong. Which would basically mean that if something else is causing the misalignment, you're just going to have to get another one in the near future, in addition to whatever it takes to fix what's really wrong.

Also remember that if one tire needs replaced due to uneven wear, then it's a good idea to replace both tires. If you don't, it's a good possibility that you'll run into problems later on.

moneysense · #5 07-09-2010, 03:29 AM

When you get a front end alignment done, be sure to have them check the toe in and toe out during the alignment. This way you have a good alignment done at the same cost as a regular alignment but with the added bonus of it being totally correct.

Where we get our alignments done, there is no additional charge for them to check the cast and camber on your front tires.

DynoDollar · #6 07-09-2010, 04:51 PM

Beaston is right about changing out both tires if one is worn on one side and not the other.
I use to use my best tire as a spare and then buy two new tires, but only just before or during the alignment process.
Generally, you would pay for the new set of tires first, at the place where the alignment is being done, and then have them do an alignment.

I remember when I was young, I use to have alignment problems with almost every car I bought. Even the new ones need a front-end alignment after so many years.

Hey, but not now.

I bought a 2004 car that has only needed to be checked and not aligned, due to its upgraded suspension.
A car's suspension has a lot to do with how long your alignments will stay in place.
Cheap, older, or weak springs are what cause most alignment problems, and bad shocks...and curbs too of course (stay away from the curbs).

pennypinch · #7 07-12-2010, 02:49 AM

Thanks for the info everyone!

I do think I am going to have to check into getting an alignment. I do avoid the curbs lol, but I think it still needs one. I have no idea when it was done last so it probably is do anyhow. Hopfully it won't cost me too much!

dimetime · #8 07-18-2010, 05:41 PM

When it comes to cars, parts and repairs can seriously cost you a whole lot. I remember a time when a quart of oil was only .89 and now in some places it can cost you $3.00!!

This is why when it comes to most repairs on a car I can do myself. However there are some that I am not able to do and this is where friends, family and friendly mechanics come in handy,LOL.

Most of the time someone will tell me what is wrong with a car and I can usually take care of the problem myself. This is something I learned to do a very long time ago and has saved me a bunch of money over the years.

Asking around, comparing prices, looking into used parts and so on are all very good ways to help keep your car running smoothly but also to make sure that your wallet doesn't get injured in the process

beaston · #9 07-19-2010, 12:29 PM

Speaking of car repairs, my friend and I just changed the rear wheel cylinders on mine (part of the brake system) because they were leaking. We got the parts online which cost a whopping $10.

He had a can of brake fluid already, but those only cost a few bucks and you don't need to replace that much fluid for this job, anyways.

Now if someone were to take the car to a garage to fix, this simple repair that took less than an hour to complete would have ran a good $150, if not more; especially on a car that's newer than mine, which is 11 years old.

So, before you take your car to a garage, see if you know anyone that can either do it for you for cheap, or even free...

btw, if you need to get car parts, be sure to check out www.rockauto.com. They have pretty much everything at cheap prices, and ship orders fairly quickly. I priced an alternator for my car through their site, and it was a good $60 cheaper than what it would have cost at any of the local auto parts stores.

dimetime · #10 07-19-2010, 06:05 PM

It is crazy how much it costs anymore to take a car into a garage for a mechanic to check it out and make repairs.

I was dating a mechanic and he once told me that he did an oil change on a newer volvo and it cost the owner nearly $65.00!!!!

Now lets be honest here, changing oil is not something that takes hours or even takes a lot of knowledge. I change my oil all of the time myself and it saves me a lot of money.

I think that people should have better common knowledge when it comes to cars before getting behind the wheel.

Before I started driving I had to know how to check ALL fluids in the car, know how to change a tire, how to change the oil, check fuses, replace bulbs and more.

There isn't many simple things that I can not do to a car and I have been thankful for that knowledge many times through my life.