Car trouble!

[tjscraps]

My car is pretty new - it's a 2021 Ford Edge, that I got at the end of 2020 - so it's about 2.5 years old. The first couple of months I felt like taking it back, I had a bunch of problems that were all due to a faulty sensor in the brake pedal. Since they fixed that though I've been good!

Til this past week, when it was -40'C outside and my heat quit working. I dropped it off last Friday at the dealership and have had increasingly alarming calls about it since then - first it was 'low fluid' then '2 leaking hoses' now it's a 'major fix' that will require 2 weeks to repair. Thankfully they've given me a loaner and whatever it is is covered under warranty, but I'm missing my car and also hoping nothing more happens with it!

Anyone else plagued with car troubles? What's your way of dealing with it? Cars are not something I understand, so I never know what to do when something goes wrong!

 

[Kiana]

We have a saying here for Fords.....
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

lol, no but seriously, sorry you're having issues. I hate car issues, they always come at the most crappy times and they always ...always...cost WAY more than you think they will.

 

[Karen]

We have a saying here for Fords.....
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

lol, no but seriously, sorry you're having issues. I hate car issues, they always come at the most crappy times and they always ...always...cost WAY more than you think they will.

My hubby drives a Ford and this is pretty accurate! Over the last couple of months we have put over $5,000 into that darn truck. It's a 2010, so it's definitely not new, but MAN are repairs expensive lately! With one kid in college and my car still has one year to pay off, we don't want another car payment, so the repairs were necessary to keep his truck driving down the road.

Sorry about your repairs Trina, but man am I glad that it's under warranty and that they've given you a loaner! Hopefully that's the last of the repairs for a long time for you! Those kind of things never happen at a good time either!

 

[jk703]

oh goodness... of course, today, this thread pops up!

DH has a FORD Edge. It's old, but not in bad condition at all. From 2008, and has about 90,000 miles on the car. It's been in pretty good shape, and we don't beat it up. No accidents. 2nd owner.

Yesterday, dh went to go have it checked cause it was overheating. Water pump needed. Problem is, it's under the engine. It where Ford put it... but that means this is a $2k job - they have to take the engine out to fix it. So, instead of $750-$1K, it's double. Then we worry the trans may go. Gut feeling and at times, it has slipped - not a lot. That would be $6K minimum.

So.... we are now looking at trading in as is.... I'm hoping to get $3500, since it has mechanical issues. I know we will get $1500-$2k.

But, booo... now I will have a car payment I don't want! Ugh! Stress.

 

[umyesh]

Sorry about the car troubles Trina. I’m glad it’s under warranty at least!

We have had our share of car troubles. Currently my SUV likes to shift really hard, but it does this every winter so I’m hoping it’s fine again come spring. Older cars are easier to fix but also have more problems since they’re old.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

We have a saying here for Fords.....
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

lol, no but seriously, sorry you're having issues. I hate car issues, they always come at the most crappy times and they always ...always...cost WAY more than you think they will.

Or ...
Found
On
Road
Dead

My Dad has a 2003 Ford Mustang ... he is TERRIBLE about having regular maintenance done ... and that includes oil changes. Amazingly it hasn't had too many problems over the years.

I love Chevys, but I've had the worst luck with them. So when my 2007 Chevy Cobalt bit the dust in after having multiple issues for years, I bought a 2016 Civic. It's been the best car I've ever owned. In a few month I'm going buy myself a new CR-V and pass the Civic down to my grandson once he has his driver's license.

 

[dawnmarch]

My last car was a "fun" car -- I bought a Mini-Cooper. It was very sporty and I loved driving it but it was SO EXPENSIVE to fix anything. Literally, any time I took it in for even little things, it ended up being $800-$1000 to fix. And it had expensive run flat tires that seemed to need replacing a lot even though I don't drive much. I guess it's owned by BMW so maybe that explains some of it but it got old pretty quick. By the time I traded it in, I knew there were a bunch of things that needed fixing (it was regularly leaking oil, for one thing) but I had been doing the "well, is it dangerous to drive?" calculation to figure out what to fix and finally just decided it was a lost cause.

Long story short, I ended up getting a car known for its reliability this time around -- a Honda Pilot. Our dealership has a great service shop -- you don't even need an appointment and they are really quick -- so I keep up religiously with the regular maintenance. So far, repairs have been very few and much cheaper. I bought this car with the plan to keep it for at least 10 years and that seems realistic since it's still in really good shape at 6 years now. Fingers crossed.

Hubby and I used to work for a company that did a lot of work with General Motors so we always bought GM cars but now that I don't "have to", I'm not sure I would buy a Ford or GM even though they supposedly have improved reliability from the old days.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

I had a transmission go out on my car on the way to work once. Thankfully I worked right here in town. My uncle was a mechanic and when I called him, he arranged to have it towed to where he worked and my aunt took me to work that day (I was able to get a ride home). I had great co-workers that were willing to pick me up and take me home for work the next few days until I got the car back.

I had trouble once when on a trip to see my dad with a different vehicle. I had to stop and get it fixed so I could continue on. Then while at my Dad's I had it looked at to make sure I could get back to Ohio in it. I was able to get home without issues then. The Blazer was 13 years old and I had been thinking about getting something newer so I did a month later. My neighbor bought the Blazer for his son and his mechanic friend checked it out real good, fixed some things (in exchange for some work in the mechanic's home) and Nick is still driving it... almost 7 years later!

Except for one vehicle I have always had GMC vehicles. My 2 favorite though were the Pontiac Grand Am's I had in the late 80's/early 90's. I tend to keep cars at least 7 years as well. I liked having a few years with no car payments. I traded in the 2016 vehicle a year ago for a 2022 Equinox. I needed something bigger than the Spark (but it was a good car for me at the time) and I wanted all the safety features I could get. I waited 9 months to get it. I love it!

I got my 2016 Spark just days before my Dad passed away and I could have had his vehicle... a 2007 VW bug. I thought about keeping it and having 2 cars but the more I thought about it, the maintenance on it would have been a big hassle. We have no VW dealers in my area, closest is an hour away. I have always preferred maintenance done on my vehicles by a dealership since they work on them all the time. We have a great dealership here in town that will take you home when you drop a car off and pick you up when it is done. When I worked they would come to my work location to pick up my vehicle, do the oil change and bring it back while I was at work. Small towns rock!

 

[bcgal00]

My 2022 Kia runs fine but my daughter's 2021 Kia SUV (same vehicle but a year apart) was making funny noises. She took it to the dealership but they found nothing wrong. Then weeks later, as we were driving back from a day trip the noise became much louder, we stopped and found out it was because there was a crack between the top of the windshield and the sun roof, which ripped open a lot as we drove and now runs across the whole top of the SUV. It will take months to get the replacement parts so now it is taped and she'll have to go back every month to get the tape replaced. Living in the BC interior, nothing gets done quickly so I will guess that it might get fixed by the end of the summer.

 

[Kiana]

Then we worry the trans may go. Gut feeling and at times, it has slipped - not a lot. That would be $6K minimum.

So.... we are now looking at trading in as is.... I'm hoping to get $3500, since it has mechanical issues. I know we will get $1500-$2k.

But, booo... now I will have a car payment I don't want! Ugh! Stress.

worried about this with our 20212 Chevy Cruze....I don't really want a car payment ....but if it's the transmission, I'd rather trade in BEFORE that goes so I can at least get something $$ out of it.

 

[jk703]

worried about this with our 20212 Chevy Cruze....I don't really want a car payment ....but if it's the transmission, I'd rather trade in BEFORE that goes so I can at least get something $$ out of it.

exactly. And since I know the car is older, but in good condition, I'm not guaranteed it being put back together just as good or that it would last 5 years to put that kinda cash into it. y'know?

 

[Kiana]

exactly. And since I know the car is older, but in good condition, I'm not guaranteed it being put back together just as good or that it would last 5 years to put that kinda cash into it. y'know?

YES EXACTLY!!! UGH - BEING GROWN UP IS OVERATED

 

[HavaDrPepper]

When I traded in my 2nd Grand Am for my Blazer, a mechanic at the dealership bought it. He only had it a couple days and when he headed home from work, the alternator went out! I dodged a bullet with that one!!!

 

[jk703]

YES EXACTLY!!! UGH - BEING GROWN UP IS OVERATED

 

[gonewiththewind]

Car troubles are the worst! I'm so sorry!

I have a Kia Soul (my second one) and it's been reliable. Although just last night when Jay and I were in the car waiting in the line at the pharmacy, it was acting funny while we were idling. We're guessing AC compressor or alternator or something along those lines. We'll just wait to see what happens. It's paid off, and I do not want another car payment right now.

 

[tjscraps]

We have a saying here for Fords.....
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

lol, no but seriously, sorry you're having issues. I hate car issues, they always come at the most crappy times and they always ...always...cost WAY more than you think they will.

Haha - I've heard that one. This is my 3rd Ford, and hubby is on his 3rd Ford truck - they seem to work for us!

So.... we are now looking at trading in as is.... I'm hoping to get $3500, since it has mechanical issues. I know we will get $1500-$2k.

But, booo... now I will have a car payment I don't want! Ugh! Stress.

Ugh!!! That sucks - I hope they give you more for it!!!

I got my 2016 Spark just days before my Dad passed away and I could have had his vehicle... a 2007 VW bug.

VW Bug is my dream car!!!

My 2022 Kia runs fine but my daughter's 2021 Kia SUV (same vehicle but a year apart) was making funny noises. She took it to the dealership but they found nothing wrong. Then weeks later, as we were driving back from a day trip the noise became much louder, we stopped and found out it was because there was a crack between the top of the windshield and the sun roof, which ripped open a lot as we drove and now runs across the whole top of the SUV. It will take months to get the replacement parts so now it is taped and she'll have to go back every month to get the tape replaced. Living in the BC interior, nothing gets done quickly so I will guess that it might get fixed by the end of the summer.

That does not sound good!! Same thing in Central Alberta - takes forever to get anything done if you aren't in Calgary or Edmonton!

YES EXACTLY!!! UGH - BEING GROWN UP IS OVERATED

Yes, yes it is!!!!

 

[amien1]

UGH! Car troubles are the worst! I had a Volvo sedan that I loved right out of college, but man, it was SO expensive to maintain & repair! The oil changes alone were outrageous! That's one advantage & one of the main reasons we went with our electric vehicles- there's over 2,000 moving parts in a gas engine, whereas an EV only has 18. That's just the engine- there's so many LESS things that can go wrong. The only maintenance we've seen is that they go through tires quickly- which is a big deal when we have a very active winter. I also had to change out the filter in my HVAC, but we did that ourselves for under $50!

Our issue right now is that we will have a driver in the next year (daughter just turned 15) and we're really torn on what to do for a vehicle for her. I don't want to buy a cheap gas car for her that we will have to do all the crazy maintenance & repairs! At least we have a year to figure it out!

 

[Scrapping with Liz]

Thankfully we've had pretty reliable vehicles over the years. Our problem is that in the last 2 years, we've had 4 accidents in our family (none our own fault) with 3 totaled vehicles. Shopping for replacement vehicles is not fun.

We are incredibly blessed that nobody was hurt in those 4 accidents (2 of them my teen daughters were driving)!

 

[tjscraps]

Our issue right now is that we will have a driver in the next year (daughter just turned 15) and we're really torn on what to do for a vehicle for her. I don't want to buy a cheap gas car for her that we will have to do all the crazy maintenance & repairs! At least we have a year to figure it out!

We have a newly 15 year old too! She has her learners but doesn't really want to drive much. We have a car for her though - long story short my mom had a fun vehicle (convertible) that she didn't want anymore and gave it to her - 2 years ago when she was 13. I've had fun driving it the last coupe years lol

Thankfully we've had pretty reliable vehicles over the years. Our problem is that in the last 2 years, we've had 4 accidents in our family (none our own fault) with 3 totaled vehicles. Shopping for replacement vehicles is not fun.

We are incredibly blessed that nobody was hurt in those 4 accidents (2 of them my teen daughters were driving)!

Oh wow! I'm glad no one was hurt but that's scary - and replacing the vehicles sucks!!!