40 posts for replacing an engine due to a valve cover gasket commonly available at NAPA? 16 year old cars are not for someone who has never been in a NAPA (or similar) store. Just sayin’ is all. Prolly time to trade.
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It has EVERYTHING to do with whether there is enough oil. By definition, a leak means oil is being lost thereby reducing how much oil remains.
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And that is just on this thread .
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NOPE!!! Before you spend one cent on fixing the oil leak you need to find out how much oil you are using, which means you need to check your oil periodically (starting with every fill up) until you know how many miles between the oil getting one quart low (which you then add to the car).
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This doesn’t sound right. Which gasket can’t they find?
I say get another opinion on your Mazda, very low miles for the age. Also if the leak is not bad, can you just top it off and keep driving.
I rarely recommend Mini’s but seems like you don’t drive that many miles and I think Mini has round vents, so look at a Mini Clubman, kind of a wagon, low and relatively roomy.
A long initial post, but no mention of how many miles per quart of oil you are getting. If oil loss/usage is reasonable why not just keep driving it.
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Sorry, Purebred, no mention of miles per quart because it wasn’t stated to me, so I don’t know that number. If you go to the other post in general discussion there’s more replies there, and the dealer guy did say to keep an eye on the oil, checking it once a week, and when it gets real bad then that’s another thing.
Galant, I don’t drive a lot, maybe 5-6k miles/yr, so it’s not driven hard - except for one year (many years ago) when my son put almost 60k miles on it in one year driving out of town for work. Other than that it’s not driven a lot of miles per year. Chronic pain doesn’t let me drive a lot.
As for the minis you recommend, I’ve seen them just in passing and they’re REALLY small, even for me. And not anywhere near the cargo space I’d need. I think getting 4x8 sheets of plywood on top of one of those would end up with the car flying even without a strong wind!
And another reason for a pickup truck . You can purchase a Nissan Frontier new for what many trucks are selling for used.
Edit - If I happen to see a vehicle with 4x8 sheets of plywood tied on top I am not going to get anywhere near that thing .
If, as I suspect, those 5-6k miles include a lot of short-trip, local driving, then the car is driven “hard”. That is actually the worst type of usage for a vehicle.
Yeah, basically driven like you say. Grocery shopping, getting gas, etc. Local stuff within 50 miles.
I can’t get into any kind of truck or SUV due to my foot injury, as I stated in my initial post. So anything like that is out of the question. Also, I’ve toted many a 4x8 sheet of plywood and more on top of the car with no problem. It’s all in how you secure it.
Does this mean that this is not your vehicle?
??? Don’t understand how that would not make it my vehicle. Yes, it’s mine.
Purebred is suggesting that you should know the particulars of your vehicle. You should know how often you need to add oil and if you’re not adding any you’re asking for trouble. The valve cover gasket is a relatively minor problem but bear in mind we’re talking about a 15+ year old vehicle. Stuff breaks/wears out. You mentioned in your other thread spending $3k on headlights. Eventually you’re going to need a part that you really can’t get. We had to replace a Ford Escort because of a leaking fuel rail that was no longer available. Go ahead with the valve cover repair but start looking for something else.
Just a suggestion but Buick makes/made a wagon version of the Regal called the TourX (actually a rebranded Opel), introduced as a 2018 model. The car hasn’t been a best seller so they’re not common but it might be possible to find one nearby. No round vents and probably a lot more tech than you’re used to, including AWD, but still probably as close to a traditional wagon as you’re likely to find. Used prices start in the low $20’s.
For the very few miles per year you are currently driving, I think that the dealer has played into your anxieties. For the next few months, check the oil every 500 miles. I’ll bet you are not needing a quart even by 1000 miles. For a car of this age, and for the short-drive usage you have, using a quart 1000 miles is fine. Just make sure you keep checking and keep adding. (Be sure to check when the engine is cold.) You will learn how much your engine is using. Remember that engines can burn a little oil and leak a little oil without any further problem. Just don’t let it run low on oil.
It’s definitely past tense, as that model is no longer sold in The US.
The OP might be able to score a good deal on a leftover TourX that has been sitting on a dealer’s lot for many months, but since so few were sold in The US, there aren’t likely to be very many on the used car market.
I thought that it was a really nice-looking vehicle, but I think that I saw no more than 3 of them in my neck of the woods since they were introduced in 2008. In other words… they did not attract enough buyers to remain in the US marketplace after just two years. And, at some point, this now-discontinued, poorly-selling model is going to suffer from the same parts problems as the OP’s old Mazda.
The TourX was made as a 2018-2020 model but with Buick phasing out sedans I figured it was out as well. There are two within 20 miles of St. Louis, both 2018’s. I got curious reading this thread and searched Autotrader.com for wagons. Beyond the Subaru Outback, which probably sits too high for the OP, there were also wagons available from Volvo and VW but maintenance costs would probably be a concern. The TourX seemed like a possible shot. As for parts availability, it’s going to be easier for the time being to get parts for a 2 year old car than for a 16 year old one. Again, just a suggestion based on what the OP wants.
For sure, but if the OP follows his/her previous pattern of holding onto that vehicle for the long term, I don’t predict good availability of parts for an essentially-orphaned vehicle after 6 or 7 years.
If Mazda no longer stocks parts for the OP’s vehicle, just imagine the situation for a discontinued, low-production “Buick” (not really a Buick) after just a few years