I frequently write estimates for brakes and tires on vehicles that are perfectly safe to drive, it must be the missing carpet on the OPs car that scares people.
I suspect there is some exaggeration also, I don’t believe that a car could last 260,000 miles by changing the oil every 50,000 miles.
Are we stooping to Yo Momma jokes ? Oh no… Let us not denigrate to that level please.
Blackbird
@Nevada_545 I wish I was exaggerating. Seriously, oil changes every 50k miles.
I guess since I’ve made it everyone’s business I should say that my mom isn’t elderly, and is actually a safe driver, but not a safe vehicle owner. However, I work 10 to 12 hour days and travel A LOT. It’s not my responsibility to make sure my mom (who, to be frank, is a grown adult) is taking care of her car.
As for me I take very good care of my vehicles. I don’t know much about car care beyond oil/filter changes but I always took my 2008 Nissan Altima (which I gave to her recently, as well as a stern talking to) to the dealership for it’s regular maintenance. I’m now the proud owner of a Dodge (fiat) Dart and plan to do the same.
@db4690 I’m not making any assumptions about the age of OP or OP’s mom. I was explaining what was happening in the other threads, where the age bracket was known, and using them as an example to show that it is par for the course for us to criticize dangerous driving behavior whether the person who engaged in it posts here or not.
In the early 1980’s I had a friend with a Corolla who never once changed the oil. She’d brag about never changing the oil. She just topped off as needed. That car lasted her at least 125K miles before she junked or sold it. She never washed it either. She said if it rained, then it got washed. I have to say it was a pretty sorry looker … lol …
I agree with the not-washing part… That’s why rain was invented.
There are people who get away with extreme intervals between oil changes. I don’t trust that I would be one of them.
There are also truly kind, decent, and otherwise intelligent people who simply don’t know or care about cars. My feeling is that God won’t judge them on that, so I shouldn’t either.
If the OP had gotten the car from a friend, I’d say take it to the boneyard. But many years ago my dad reached a time in his life when he could no longer drive safely and I stored his beat up Gremlin (yup, an AMC Gremlin) in my yard, and kept it inspected and registered. Knowing the car was there meant a lot to him… it meant we cared. It allowed him to pretend to himself that he’d get better and be able to drive again. If there’s a lot of emotion in this situation as well, than the OP should change the rack and keep it… but first try the additive that was recommended, although it usually won’t stop massive leakage.
Ken Green’s suggestion is good, but I doubt if the OP has the knowledge or tools to rebuild the rack… or I think he’d have known exactly what was wrong.
Bottom line: if there’s emotion in mom’s old car, it needs a rack. If not, the boneyard might be the best decision. Racks are expensive to replace, and it doesn’t sound like a wise investment here.
Now I will walk around all day thinking that God above may or may not be judging me on my car etiquette…
In a way I will be ok in that category as my knowledge and experience mechanically has allowed me to be very giving and helpful to countless strangers and friends alike… Its almost always accepted as a true help or favor when you can advise or repair someone who is stuck.
At least I view it thata way… I dont accept payment in a broken down repair situation on the side of the road. I view it like a lucky break for the stuck party, and in a way it makes me feel good inside…so that cant be bad. Just a helping hand whenever I can lend one…and sometimes even when its not convenient…its the least I can do…this stuff is childs play for me. It Literally was too… ha
Maybe Mechanics will indeed get be into the Pearly Gates ? I view it as a good thing anyway…lol
Blackbird
Honest mechanics will. Crooked mechanics will be doomed to spend the rest of eternity arguing their bill with a lawyer who used to be an accountant.
Now we have to wash our cars too!!!
I just wait until spring when the farmer starts his irrigation of his crops. The thing shoots water over that side of the road pretty good. I just do a u-turn and get the other side done.
I’m bringing the grand kids this year and they can soap the truck up until the sprinkler gets close.
Yosemite
I think ALL mechanics will be denied entry . . . because society has demonized the automotive repair industry, and rightfully so, up to a point
You can thank my colleague who put on the correct pads, but the wrong rotors, which were too small
You can also thank my colleague who charged for parts which were never installed
Yosemite writes how to get a free car wash …
the farmer starts his irrigation of his crops. The thing shoots water over that side of the road pretty good. I just do a u-turn and get the other side done.
lol … your story reminds me, last summer an irrigation pipe for the local Safeway parking lot entrance blew its top, and every time the irrigation system turned on a tower of water washed over every car going into Safeway. Most drivers seemed to be annoyed by this. But I made a note of when the system turned on and tried to make my Safeway trips at that time so to get a free carwash … and like you, I made sure to exit via the same path, to wash the other side … great minds think alike I guess … lol …
@GeorgeSanJose
You do realize the scenario you described results in water spots which are almost impossible to remove . . .
Unfortunately db, the scenarios you described earlier cause people to have justifiable anxiety attacks every time they have to take their car to a shop. There are a whole lot of good, honest, very competent mechanics… unfortunately, there are also a whole lot of bad and/or crooked ones too. And one the car is in the bay, the customer is putty in a crooked mechanic’s hands.
I sadly believe that anybody who has owned cars for at least ten years has had the displeasure of having done business with at least one crooked and/or incompetent mechanic. There are too many out there spoiling the reputations of everyone.
I have no answer. Or question. I can only hope that the almighty sorts them out at the golden gates.
mountainbike
I’m well aware of my chosen profession’s bad reputation
At least now that I’m fleet, I don’t have paying customers telling me to my face that I and ALL of my colleagues are a bunch of lying, incompetent, and thieving scumbags
Some may disagree with me on my next opinion . . .
I believe the crooked mechanics are worse than the incompetent mechanics
The incompetent mechanics might theoretically read up on stuff, take some evening classes, etc. and someday be halfway decent at their jobs
But the crooked mechanics have made a conscious decision that they want to enrichen themselves by cheating
I’m not trying to rationalize anything now . . . some of the crooks didn’t start off that way. In some cases, the wife exerted TREMENDOUS pressure on the husband, because she wanted a fancier house, car, etc. The wife would give the husband a vicious tongue-lashing every night, telling him what a loser he was, and that he needs to bring home a lot more money.
And gradually, they resorted to cheating, lying, charging for parts not installed, etc. And after a few years, it was so ingrained, that they barely remember what it was like being honest
Seen it a few times
Unfortunately, a lot of mechanics are demonized as low-life thieves in many cases because the customer just does not like the bill, does not understand that one repair does not cover 19 other faults on the car, they’re upset over warranty not covering A to Z, along with a dozen other reasons.
We had an Air Force captain from the local air base one time who called us the biggest crooks on the planet and even started telling all of his compadres at the AFB the same thing.
Our crime and the reason why we were crooks? He had a 15k miles service done on his new Subaru and was pxxxed clean off because warranty would not pay for it. Somewhere along the tarmac he had come to the conclusion that scheduled maintenance was a warrantable fault.
Just one example out of a thousand or two…
@db4690 says …
You do realize the scenario you described [spraying water on your car without wiping it off] results in water spots which are almost impossible to remove . . .
You know, I’ve never noticed that here. True, failing to wipe the water off with a clean towel after a hosing does leave water spots. But next time I do an actual wash and wipe job the water spots seem to come right off. Maybe the water is a little softer here.
“We had an Air Force captain from the local air base one time who called us the biggest crooks on the planet and even started telling all of his compadres at the AFB the same thing. Our crime and the reason why we were crooks? He had a 15k miles service done on his new Subaru and was pissed clean off because warranty would not pay for it. Somewhere along the tarmac he had come to the conclusion that scheduled maintenance was a warrantable fault.”
Now you’re getting me worried about the sanity and/or the intelligence of the folks who are in our military!
Yes, I know that the bizarre thought patterns of that one person shouldn’t tarnish the image of all of the reputable, responsible, and sane folks in the military, but if the actions of one disreputable, irresponsible, and possibly insane mechanic can sully the reputation of all mechanics, then perhaps this “broad brush” approach should be applied to all persons in all professions. You know, just like the presence of one incompetent or unscrupulous doctor means that all doctors are incompetent or unscrupulous…
Before anyone jumps all over me, I’m just giving everyone something to think about when they generalize about any group of individuals…
Maybe the captain was just a young person, first time new car owner, and misinformed about what a new car warranty covers. I’ve had instances where I thought a sales-person had told me something – any sales, not necessary related to cars – but when they later explain when I come in to complain I recall that I hadn’t listened carefully to what they actually said, or was engaging in wishful thinking.
@GeorgeSanJose Believing what the salesman says is indeed wishful thinking. The brochure clearly spells out warranties and the owners manual goes into further detail.