Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and repair

2006 Honda Pilot Headlight Replacement

GatorFan2000 — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:36:30 -0800

I have a 2006 Honda Pilot, and noticed that my right headlight went out. Each headlight is comprised of two headlights, a top and bottom one. The top one seems to be working, but the bottom one is out. The top bulb is easy to replace, but the bottom one is a little bit more tricky, as there doesn't seem to be an easy way to remove it. Can anyone point me to a schematic or something? I think the replacement bulb size is H11, I just don' t understand how to replace the lower bulb.

Would you like to play internet mechanic? Bonus points if you can recommend a mechanic or Hyundai dealer in Chicago.

nooneyouknow — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:09:21 -0800

Would you like to play internet mechanic? My car is having problems, one involving the brakes and two mystery problems. Bonus points if you can recommend a mechanic or Hyundai dealer in Chicago. My car is a 2004 Hyundai Elantra Sedan. FYI, I have 17,000 miles on the car. I don't know if this is important, but I read somewhere that not driving your car a ton was a bad thing.

Brakes - The amount of pressure I have to apply to the brake pedal varies a lot. Sometimes I only have to press the brake pedal down a little, sometimes I have to press it all the way to the floor, sometimes it's anywhere in between those extremes. This first started happening some months ago. I thought it was because of wear on the front pads so while I was at the dealer for a different issue I had them look at the brakes. They said the front brakes were fine but the rear brakes needed to be adjusted. After that, it was okay for a while, but the amount of pressure needed started varying again. So, I took it back to the dealer and said "My rear brakes need to be adjusted". They acted like I was speaking Greek. They looked at my brakes and said the rear brakes were at like 50% but didn't say anything about adjustment and offered to do some work on my front brakes for $250.00. That seemed quite expensive so I declined and took it to Meineke. The mechanic at Meineke said my front brakes were fine and that my rear brakes needed to be adjusted. So they worked on them and the brakes worked okay for a bit but now they are acting up again.

So, what does it mean that the rear brakes needed to be adjusted? Why doesn't adjusting them keeping the problem from reoccurring? Am I looking at having to get new rear brakes? Any idea how much that would cost?

Mystery 1 - In October, I took the car on the expressway for the first time in some months, and once I hit about 60 mphs it started shaking like it stole something. I don't know if the whole car was vibrating but it felt like it. The steering wheel was shaking so much that my entire forearms were vibrating. Any clue what this could be about?

Mystery 2 - When I turn the steering wheel to the left, there is this noise, it kinda sounds like metal on metal. But, it's not constant, it's noise-silence-noise-silence, like a record skipping. Sometimes its loud, sometimes it's quite soft. This only happens when the car is in motion and it never happens when I turn the steering wheel to the right. Any clue what this could be about?

I used to take it to the dealer where I bought it for service (which only involved getting it inspected every year and routine maintenance, I haven't had any problems with this car prior to the ones listed above), but I'm reluctant to take it back there since they acted like they had no idea of what readjusting the brakes meant when they had done it previously and suggested brake work that it seems I didn't need. So I would appreciate any recommendations for a decent mechanic or Hyundai dealer in the Chicago area.

Minor accident, am I being an ass.

evilelf — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:20:20 -0800

SUV backed over my tiny Miata, what should I do? Well, instead of trading in my clunker Jeep in for a minivan this summer, I decided to buy a 17 y/o Miata to help survive my horrible commute (at least on the nice days). The Miata is in great shape (low miles) for it's (17y/o) age. Unfortunately, last night a huge (Acadia) SUV backed over it while parked on the street (I was not in it). The owner of the other car was nice and coo-operative (I'm pretty sure I have all the info I need from them) and the damage looked minimal. Thing is while it looks like it may 'buff out' (the damage is only to the nose piece which is body colored plastic), I really do not have the time/inclination to fix it myself. I am going to get professional estimates in the morning. However, I feel a bit of an ass going after the person who backed over it for a professional repair (the car is 17 years old after all). If it were my Jeep I would have said just let it go, but this car was pretty much mint.
The person who hit me claimed they had not had an accident in 40 years (though I drought they were much older than 40), but my car had not had one in 17!
Opinions?

On the plus side, the view I get with a cracked mirror is pretty funky.

pemberkins — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:42:48 -0800

What's the best way to fix my driver's side mirror? Due to an unfortunate combination of my early morning stupor and the parking space from hell, my drivers' side mirror is smashed. The actual assembly is completely fine - most of the glass is still attached, even, it's just all cracked.

My first thought was to just replace the glass myself. However, I've already tried to purchase replacement glass for my car (a 2006 Honda Civic) from two places. In both cases, the order went through okay, and then I received a message a couple days later saying that the piece was out of stock.

So here I am, a week after the fact, and I still have this broken mirror to deal with. Does anyone know of a reliable place where I can get replacement glass? Or, do you think it would be better to find a mechanic/body shop/Honda dealer to replace it for me? (Keep in mind, I don't need the whole assembly replaced, just the glass itself.)

Bonus: If I get the new replacement glass myself, what would be the best way to get all the old glass off without doing myself an injury?

How can I learn NYC's street repair status?

mhz — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:08:30 -0800

How can I learn NYC's street repair status? Is it possible to learn the scheduled start/stop of road repairs in New York City? They're always fixing roads, and every once in a while another stretch is 'scratched' up (whatever it is that they do,) and is a pain to drive on and downright scary to bike on.

Is there a place to find out when these projects are scheduled for? When they're at least supposed to end? All I could find with Google was bridge and tunnel status, nothing about regular street.

Should anyone have specific current information, right now I'm concerned mainly with Bedford Avenue from approximately Willoughby to Flushing, as well as the few blocks of Flatbush Avenue that are currently scratched.

Thanks!

Can I get my money back?

3dd — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:27:51 -0800

The AC of my Mercedes Benz 2002 stopped working so we took it to a well known Used Car Dealership for a check up. They charge me $150.00 just for the check up and gave me an estimate of about $3,000 to fix it (basically they said all the system had to be replace it). I didn’t want to spend that kind of money so we took it one of those ‘basic repair shop’ chains and they fixed it by changing a $25.00 sensor. I want my $150.00 back, I live in Florida and don't know if I am entitled to a refund? If I am, what is the best way to ask for it? I’m pissed at them but I want to behave civilized and effective.

What went wrong when I tried to replace my car battery?

jacobm — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:28:41 -0800

I just changed my car's old dead battery with a new, just purchased one following the directions here. Even though I clamped the connectors down hard enough that I can't move either of them, the car seems to be completely dead --- it doesn't appear to be getting any power whatsoever. Any ideas what could be wrong? Long extended explanation, just in case people are interested / think there's a larger problem:

We have two cars, and one of them hardly ever gets used. Last time I used it was in May, after it had been sitting unused for probably several months. When I left home, it had trouble starting up (but ran fine once it started); and I needed a jump to get it started coming back. I tried to start it again the next day, and it wouldn't start.

So I ignored the problem until today. Tried to start it up again, and got some lights to turn on, but the engine wouldn't go. I jumped it with the good car, and it ran fine; I let it run for about 40 minutes (with the engine running above idle for at least 15 minutes that time). Then I turned the car off and immediately on again, but it still didn't start --- if anything, it seemed more dead than before.

I concluded the battery couldn't hold a charge, so I went and bought a new one. I followed the directions, but the car is now completely unresponsive; I see no evidence that it's drawing any power whatsoever.

I'm assuming I installed the battery incorrectly. Does that sound plausible, and if so what should I do about it? If not, what should I try instead?

It was everywhere I tell you.

Eddie Mars — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:45:58 -0800

Car trouble: How loudly should I yell at my dealer's service department? Yesterday I took my car (Nissan Rogue) to the dealer to have a broken seat latch fixed. Since it was due for an oil change, I had the service department change the oil while it was there.
Today driving home from work, I noticed an oily smell coming from the vents. I popped the hood and found oil everywhere. After hunting around, I found the oil cap sitting on top of the radiator fan. They'd forgotten to put the cap back on.
I checked and my oil was fairly low, but still OK, so I'm not worried about engine damage thankfully. My question is, will all this oil in the engine bay cause me problems? When I mean everywhere, it was everywhere. Pooled around every bolt head, dripping from the hood, everywhere. I'm especially worried about the air vents, since I could see oil draining into them.

So, when I call my dealer's service department to yell at them tomorrow, what should I demand they do? Do I need a complete cleaning of the engine bay, or am I overreacting here?

Reasonable Car Repair?

kanuck — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:48:43 -0800

What are reasonable expectations between car repair shops / mechanics and their customers? Specific scenario inside.. Having moved relatively recently, I'm in the process of finding a good car repair shop / mechanic. I've got an older car that needs some HVAC work, so I took it into a shop that an acquaintance recommended to me. They diagnosed it and gave me a quote: 3-4 hours labor, parts costs in the $500-1000 range (depending on whether I'd like everything under discussion replaced).

1) based on various internet parts sites, they have a 100% markup on the parts in question (I'm looking up OEM/OES parts from companies like Bosch and Bohr).
2) the shop claims that they can only get the parts from the manufacturer (which no doubt charges maximum prices).
3) they want me to pre-pay for the parts.

How reasonable is this?

I've put down a small deposit @ other shops in the past for major repairs.. but no more than a few hundred $.

I don't grudge the shop some markup on parts since they deal with the overhead of orders/returns, but charging 2x the internet retail cost?

Is it crazy to think that if I could find several reputable-looking sites that sold these parts (new, OEM brands) in about 5 minutes, that they should be able to source in a similar way?

Is it reasonable to say "I'll order the parts myself and you guys do the replacement"? Should I expect the labor charge to suddenly go up in that situation?

Since parts need to be ordered anyway, I will have to get the car back first. I expect to be charged labor for the diagnosis, is there any reason I should feel bad for taking it somewhere else to get the work done? Are these all red flags that I actually should just take the car somewhere else?

Can anyone diagnose by car problem?

WickedPissah — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:24:11 -0800

What the heck is wrong with my car? And no, you are not my mechanic. Alright so I have an automatic 2004 Subaru Legacy sedan. Just had some work done to it but a new problem just started to pop up. I should point out I first noticed this just before I had the work done, so it is not related. But if it helps I had some oil leaking onto one of the spark plugs causing hesitation.

I am asking in the hopes of softening the blow when I do have it looked at this week.

So when I am at a stop light or sign and I hit the accelerator hard there is a rumble/vibration right under my seats, maybe a little further back. It can be felt and heard. If I accelerate very slowly this does not happen. No problems turning wheel, no noises while turning so hoping it is not the differential. It only happens in the above situation. I do notice that when I am at highway speeds that there is an occasional rumble but much higher frequency.

Possibly related. There has been a rattling of what sounds like a heat shield when I am driving. I have looked under the car to find the culprit but don't see anything noticeably loose. The sound also seems to be coming from the center of the car, under the driver seat, center console. Think there is a cat converter under there.

So any suggestions? I have been looking online and the only possibility I came across was something to do with the drive shaft or drive shaft bearing if I remember correctly. Does that make sense?

I am really really really hoping it is not my transmission. Really. I don't notice any slipping when driving or other transmission red flags. For what it is worth.

Honda parts

Krrrlson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:48:35 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good source for Honda automotive parts (online or near Boston)? I'd like to buy an AC condenser, AC receiver pipe, and a few other random parts that I can replace myself. I am looking for a reliable online store or something local to Boston. Bonus points for not getting ripped off.

It's Alive!!!!

scose — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:47:09 -0800

I have sulfuric acid, de-ionized water, and basic lab equipment. Can I revive my crappy car battery? My battery holds very little charge. A couple of days ago, I left the radio on in my driveway for about one minute and the car wouldn't start when I got back. If I let it sit for more than a few days, it's iffy whether it will start.

Is there anything I can do, like drain out all the fluids and put in a new sulfuric acid solution? Or should I just purchase a new battery?

Also, don't worry about giving me safety advice. I know how scary H2SO4 is, but I'm a broke student and could do without spending ~$100 on a battery!

Need a dispenser here.

Diskeater — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:42:04 -0800

Front windshield washer fluid dispenser doesn't dispense. This feels like an easy fix....is it? At the start of the year, my girlfriend and I bought a new 2009 Nissan Versa while visiting family up in Vermont (we live in the Boston area). The car had to be delivered from another dealer so she went up a week later to get it and discovered a crack in the windshield. We took it back to the dealer to be replaced at their expense and had some friends drive it down to us last weekend. They reported that the front windshield washer dispenser doesn’t work. Awesome.

When I try to dispense the windshield washer fluid, the wipers activate and it sounds like it’s trying to dispense the liquid but nothing happenes. The rear dispenser works just fine.

I’ve tried holding the lever down for a while to get out any air packets but that did not work. I doubt the nozzles are frozen because the temperature hasn’t been below freezing for quite a few days and they used the “good” fluid that won’t freeze ever.

Since everything sounds like it should be working fine, I’m assuming that the dealer didn’t hook everything up properly when they replaced the windshield and this should be an easy fix but I’m not mechanically inclined and I don’t know enough to trace which tubes go to where.

I’m assuming that this is an easy fix if all that needs to be done is hook up a tube to a nozzle but I don’t know where to look. I would like to attempt to fix this issue before calling the dealer because if I can get it done myself, all the better.

Can anyone offer any tips? Google / Nissan forums were no help. Thanks!

What repair fixes a misfiring 4-Runner?

carsonb — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:42:47 -0800

Why does my uncle's 1998 V6 Toyota 4-Runner misfire at highway speeds? Last month we drove from Los Angeles to Tucson and back, and at what seemed to be random points while we were driving the engine would buck repeatedly. Once it started, it would continue at all speeds, with the engine running particularly rough at low/idle RPM. We took it in to 3 different Toyota dealerships along the way, and to it's home dealership once we got back. They were all happy to service the vehicle, but none were able to fix it and two insisted they couldn't find any problems with the vehicle. Before we go on, my uncle has always insisted on dealership service. His 4-Runner is in pristine condition, to the day on all of its tune-ups and servicings, and only has 130,000 or so miles on it.

The problem first started near El Centro. We limped south along hwy 86 to the dealership there, where they diagnosed a misfire on 'cylinder one'. They 'made some adjustments' but didn't replace or repair anything, and as we left the truck ran fine. In fact, it ran great all the way through Yuma and Casa Grande, but by the time we were passing Picacho (just north of Tucson) the problem had started again. Throughout this leg of the trip we didn't see any instrumental indication that the engine had a problem. (No check-engine light.)

Then Christmas came, and all the dealership service bays were closed. Eventually we got it into a dealership in Tucson, where they couldn't find a whit wrong with the vehicle. Since it was due up, my uncle went ahead and sprung for a full tune-up while we were there. He didn't test the truck at highway speeds after getting it back though...

And sure enough, a few days later as we were rounding Gila Bend on the way back to LA, cruisin' along at a stately 70mph, the engine started bucking again. The check engine light came on occasionally. This time we limped further, all the way to Yuma, where the young salesschmuck told us after 3 hours of diagnostics that they could start by replacing 'the coil', that the distributor needed replacing as well but since they were in the middle of nowhere they didn't have the part on hand. Fine, said unc, so they replaced 'the coil' and sent us on our way. We weren't 20 miles outside of Yuma before the engine started misfiring again.

We make it home (14 hours, Tucson to LA) and my uncle takes his truck into its home dealership, where it's been serviced since he bought it new. According to him, they can't find a single thing wrong with it, including the distributor. There's nothing they could do, apparently.

So what the hell? What could be causing the misfire? Why won't any mechanics diagnose the problem? What are they, what are WE missing? My poor uncle has poured thousands of dollars into repairing his beloved vehicle, and it's still not fixed. I'd love to be able to help him get it running right again.

Blinker stopped working on my 2000 Dodge Neon

SpacemanStix — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:22:26 -0800

My blinker on my 2000 Dodge Neon has been working only intermittently. Could this be a fuse issue, or would it not be working at all? The most common response is that the blinker will blink two or three times (in either direction) before giving out and needing to be reactivated. There have been times that it doesn't activate at all, and times where it keeps going fine for a short while without any breaks in service. I don't know enough about car repair to do anything requiring new parts or wiring. Could this possibly be a faulty fuse? This is probably the extent of my ability to fix it. If so, I'd like to try and see if this works before taking it in for more expensive repairs.

Is the mechanic ripping me off?

fogster — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:54:05 -0800

What would you charge to diagnose a check engine light and replace the thermostat in a 2003 Toyota Highlander? My check engine light came on, and I worried about damaging my engine, so I'm going late to work while I wait for repairs.

They charged $89 to "diagnose" the check engine light, and $189 (parts and labor) to replace a faulty thermostat.

It seems to me that it would take 2 minutes on an OBC-II reader (which, coincidentally, cost $89), and that a thermostat would be a $5 part. But then again, I'm the one at the dealership because I have no idea what was wrong.

Is $275 reasonable for this, or is this $265 profit on $10 parts an work?

Windshield wiper repair

pushing paper and bottoming chairs — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:13:24 -0800

The windshield wipers died on our Buick Park Avenue (model year 2000). Dealership states it is not a blown fuse but a bad motor. How much should this cost to repair? Dealership has quoted us 550--600 bucks to replace it with an after market refurbished motor (includes parts at $243.00, labor and tax). Are we being ripped off? Neither my husband nor I are mechanically inclined, so we don't know if this is a reasonable price for this type of repair. Seems high to me.

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my car?

lblair — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:45:56 -0800

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my '98 Toyota Corolla? How much is a reasonable price for getting this done? Hey everyone. According to the guy at Autozone, the reason my check engine light is on is due to a bad purge valve. He attempted to explain it to me, and I sort of understood, but I don't really know a lot about cars. What I basically want to know is whether NOT fixing it right away can hurt my car. (He said it wouldn't, but I only trust Autozone employees . . . not that much.) He said the only thing that would happen is I would fail an emission test if I ever had to take one. (I don't think I will have to take one, but I want to try and keep my pollution under control!) He also said it would probably cost 200 bucks.

Basically I am broke right now, the soonest I would reasonably be able to afford to fix this is spring. Is waiting going to have a big impact on my car? Is it going to affect my gas mileage or anything like that? Does $200 sound about right?

Thanks!

Help my fix my boneheaded car mistake!

frankdrebin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:20:31 -0800

I pulled out an AC/heat vent on my 2005 Kia Spectra 5 and now I can't get it to go back in. Help me either figure out how to get it back in, or at least ID the parts I'm looking at to help focus my Googling. A couple years ago, the wheel you use to adjust the airflow on my passenger side air vent got kicked and slid out of place. Drunk with power and overconfidence after a successful DIY stereo installation, I had the crazy idea that I could just pull out the vent and pop the wheel back into place.

In the process of trying pry/pull the air vent out in order to "fix" it, I managed to get the air vent stuck looking like this. It's not entirely clear from the picture, but it's out at maybe a 20 degree angle, and the right side is still flush where it should be. It feels like I pulled something out of a slot, and because of the angle it's stuck at, can't get it back in.

It looks like the right side is connected to the car by a screw under this piece in the center, and I feel pretty confident that if I can get that piece off, I can get this all realigned and back to the way it was before I started.

The problems are that a)I have no idea how to get that part off, and b) I have no idea what it's called.

Any help would be appreciated. I could take this to a mechanic, I'm sure, but I'd love to not have to explain my idiocy to someone face to face.

CarRepairFilter: Can I fix a broken trunk indicator light myself or does this have to go to a mechanic?

jeffderek — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:21:05 -0800

CarRepairFilter: Can I fix a broken trunk indicator light myself or does this have to go to a mechanic? I drive a 2002 Saturn SL2 that until this week had given me absolutely no problems that weren't routine maintenance related. Friday morning the trunk open indicator light came on in my dash area, even though the trunk was closed. I opened the trunk and shut it again, with no noticeable result. It was firmly latched shut, but the light stayed on.

Later that afternoon it went away, but now seems intermittent. It is on significantly more often than it is not. This would be only a minor irritation, but my car won't lock the doors using the key fob unless all the doors are closed. When I hit lock, it beeps at me three times telling me the doors aren't closed (because it thinks the trunk is open), and it doesn't lock the ones that are. Furthermore, this morning while I was driving the trunk suddenly popped open about 20 feet from my house. I'd slammed the trunk shut pretty hard before leaving, so maybe it just didn't close properly, but now I'm worried about putting things in the trunk. I'm fairly certain its closing properly, but I worry.

I called the Saturn dealership, and they wanted $119 to take a look at it, and then of course I'd have to pay something exorbitant to fix it.

Is this something I can do on my own? What should I be looking for? Will the Chilton's or Haynes guide help me here? I'm willing to buy the guide if it will have information I need to fix this problem. Alternately, if this isn't something I should do myself, can a normal mechanic do it or is electrical work more of a dealership specific thing?

I'm completely ignorant of most car repair beyond changing a tire and my oil, but I have significant audiovisual and some electrical experience, and feel fairly confident in dealing with wiring, I just haven't ever worked in a car before and don't know quite what i'd be getting into.

Thanks!

Trusted collision repair shop in Arlington, VA?

UrbanEconomist — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:33:00 -0800

Arlington, VA filter: My wife had a parking lot mishap when a lamp post jumped out in front of her car; now we need to find a good collision repair place. We drive a 2001 Honda Civic and live nearby to the Pentagon. The car is in fine shape to drive, so we don't mind going out of our way far a good and honest body shop. Thanks very much for your suggestions!

Can I fix my broken car a/c myself?

shinyshiny — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:44:18 -0800

The a/c in my car died about 2 years ago. I'm moving to the desert [SE corner of CA], so now this is a problem. I have no car knowledge, and no money. How can I fix my a/c? 1. How do I find out what's wrong without going to a mechanic [if possible]?
2. Is it worth fixing on a car ['98 Pontiac Grand Prix SE] that hasn't been driven in a year?
3. If I can find out what's wrong, can I fix this myself? Or should I get my fixit brother to do it?

I got the car in 2002 used. Also around 2 years ago, there was a serious over heating problem, leading to a new radiator and new hoses. I don't know if that had anything to do with the a/c dying, since I don't know what they took out or messed with. I also have no idea if not using the a/c in so long damaged it.

I just checked the weather, and its over 105 for the rest of the week. I really don't want to melt, and I move in a few weeks. Help!

"Do I need a new transmission?"

girlmightlive — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:34:44 -0800

Have you ever had your car's axle stuck in the transmission? What did you do about it? I drive a 2001 Kia Rio. The driver's side front axle is stuck in the transmission and, after taking it to a local mechanic and a national chain mechanic, I'm not sure if I should get a new transmission or just live with the clicking noise the car makes when I make hard turns. That what the national and local places told me are my options, respectively.

Both said this is rare. On the off-chance that any of you have had this issue, how'd you deal with it? Thanks.

Old Car: How to decide on repair vs. replace?

Juffo-Wup — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:39:05 -0800

I drive a 1992 Toyota Camry with just over 203,000 miles on it. As far as I know, the car is in good mechanical condition except that the rear struts are in fairly desperate need of replacement. How do you calculate the payback period for repairing an old but paid-off car, and how might you use this information to help decide whether to repair the car or buy a newer used car? The Camry is paid off, starts reliably and runs smoothly and quietly. It burns about three quarters of a quart of oil every 3,000 miles, but its rear struts are shot. They make rattling noises going over even the mildest of bumps and over the past few months, the car's ride has become increasingly rough because of this.

So far, I have only obtained one estimate on repairing the rear struts and that estimate was $1,200. That sounds high to me and I plan to get one or two more estimates but regardless of the actual cost, I don't know how to compute the payback period of such a repair. (I'm also not sure that a 'payback period' is what actually needs to be computed in order to make an informed repair vs. replace decision.)

If I were to purchase a newer car, I would most likely buy a 2002-2004 Toyota Corolla, for which I would pay about $10,000. Given my credit rating, I expect the monthly payment on a 4-year $10,000 loan to be about $250. My monthly insurance payment would also increase by about $50, resulting in a net monthly car payment increase of $300. I could afford this but would prefer not to pay it if I don't have to; that is, if it wouldn't cost me even more money to keep my current car running. I expect that I could sell my car in its current condition for about $1,000, which I could use against the first three months' payments or as a down payment, lowering the loan's principal by $1,000.

My initial line of reasoning was as follows: If I pay $1,200 to repair my car, and the car works for another 4 months without needing any further repairs, I will have broken even on the repair since $1,200 divided by 4 (months) is $300. I soon came to realize that this line of reasoning assumes that the car would become undriveable within 4 months if I do not have it repaired. I do not know whether this is the case but I suspect that if push came to shove, I could probably drive the car to and from work (40 miles round trip) for at least another four months without repairing it, letting the ride become rougher until the car possibly shakes some other vital component loose into a state of total malfunction.

As far as other maintenance goes, I replaced the battery and flushed the engine's coolant last year, flushed the transmission fluid (because the torque converter lockup mechanism was sticking; the flush completely fixed this) and replaced the radiator (its plastic end-cap had cracked open) about two years ago, installed new rotors and calipers on the brakes about two years ago, had the air conditioner's condenser replaced about four years ago, and replaced the timing belt at 150,000 miles. I replaced the front struts about 5 years ago as they had gone bad. I'd say the tires have about 25,000 miles left on them.

If I drive the car until it literally dies, I guess I'd be on the hook for the cost of towing it to a junkyard as well as a couple days' rental until I could obtain a newer car. If I preemptively buy a newer car, I feel like I'd be unnecessarily making large insurance and loan payments.

Is there some general formula that can be used in situations like this to help indicate whether a repair is worthwhile? I would also appreciate any specific advice any of you may have.

How to free a stuck brake piston?

sergeant sandwich — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:28:57 -0800

Car-repair-filter: Any mechanics got a trick for freeing a stuck brake piston? So I decide to replace my brake pads this afternoon. I do 3 sets and everything's fine. When I get to the last wheel though, the pads are worn way down, and one of the two pistons on the caliper is funny looking. (I couldn't tell you how it was funny, it just looked odd, for some reason I can't put my finger on.)

Anyway I pull the old pads, grease the shims, slap the new ones in there, and get to the part where you have to push the pistons back into the caliper. The first one went in fine, but the funny-looking one only went in about halfway, and wouldn't go any further.

I tried using a C-clamp and some cardboard to push it in, and opening up the bleeder valve, but the thing still wouldn't budge. So, it's stuck, somehow, probably cocked sideways in its hole. I put the old pads back on (cause the new ones wouldn't fit in the half-open caliper), bled the lines and it drives fine.

I understand that I'm probably looking at doing a caliper rebuild (blahhh), but I'm wondering if there are any trick-up-the-sleeve kind of things that might allow me to free the piston without taking the damned thing apart. If it matters, this is a 1997 Toyota Supra, ABS, two-piston front discs. Thanks!