I’m thinking about buying my father-in-law’s 92 Grand Marquis from his estate for my 16 year old. He bought it new, it has 75K miles, and looks like new. Unfortunately, the airbag light is blinking; five times then two times and repeats.
Any idea what this means? I presume, at least, that it’s not functioning, which is not good. The expense in my secondary concern.
You’re right, it probably isn’t working!
Since it’s in your father-in-law’s estate, is there a chance you can take it and get a diagnosis and estimate?
I know I wanted my 16 year-old to be as safe as possible and a large car is safer, in general (Insurance co. recommends mid to large size for teens).
This could be money well spent, whether you buy or not. You could have it “safety checked” while in the shop!
It should mean a fault with the backup supply for the airbags. I think that this is part of the airbag controller module. It should be a blue box behind the glove box. It is not too hard to replace, and probably not to expensive to get one from a junk yard.
If you try any of this yourself, follow recommended precautions, like unhooking the battery. That airbag going off can do some damage and give a person a nasty uppercut, burns, bruises, etc.
And remember that an air bag does not need the car battery to go off.
Thanks for the thoughts and wisdom. I’m going to take it in tomorrow for a diagnoses. They won’t tell me what the blinks mean unless I give the $99 (what a shock!).
I’ll look for the blue box and decide after getting the dealer’s estimate.
Thanks again.
They won’t tell me what the blinks mean unless I give the $99
That sounds like a dealer. Why are you taking it to a dealer?
Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car. They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies. They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent.
A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.
There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee. During the warranty period be sure to have all required (as listed in the owner's manual) maintenance done and to document all maintenance work.
I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.
Note: Never ever use a quick oil change place. They are fast cheap and very very bad.