My mother is disabled and has a 1995 Olds Cutlass Supreme. The vehicle failed inspection for the following things: The Fuel Lines, Fog Light, and Hood Latch needs to be replaced. Fog light I’ve already changed, NP. However, Fuel lines I’m leaving it to a mechanic. We’ve had this one guy fix our stuff for like 30 years. But He won’t replace the fuel lines without replacing the Fuel tank, the fuel filler neck and the control arms for the rear tires. Is this necessary? I agree the filler neck has seen better days, but the control arms have a bout a year in em.
Advice?
If you trust your mechanic (and you have 30 years of history, so I guess you do) I would trust his advice. Having ‘about a year’ on the control arms means they must be rusted and unsafe. I imagine it’s expensive, but if any of these fail your mother will at a minimum be stranded somewhere, or could easily be in an accident.
How much is all this going to cost, and is it worth it to put that much money into a '95 Cutlass that is obviously pretty rusty already?
Your mom is disabled, this car has I assume been meeting her needs, the mechanic has been a trusted ally for 30 years, and you yourself admit that the filler neck and control arms have both seen better days.
I see nothing in your post that suggests that you not continue to trust the mechanic and follow his advice. I see nothing ot indicate that he has anything other than your mom’s best interests at heart. These items are not “revenue generators”, they’re necessary safety items.
I agree the filler neck has seen better days, but the control arms have a bout a year in em.
What do you mean; they were replaced a year ago or they have a year’s worth of life left? If the latter, who made this assessment?