Car trouble sucks
 

I was out running some errands today and I stop at the store. When I come back out and try to start the car it is dead. Won't crank over - just dead. I assume it is battery related. I get out, don't see anything obviously wrong, but try a few things and have no luck.

I have it towed to a shop. They tell me it is either a dead battery, a dead alternator or both. After several tests and an hour of troubleshooting, it turns out to be a $5 part. The freaking negative batter cable clamp had a crack in it and wasn't making good contact.

I knew it was the terminal before even starting to read the second paragraph, congrats on being a newb.

Tits or tires....

both give you trouble from time to time :2 cents:

I've been lucky, and never had problems. Then again, I usually drive newer cars.

We did have a problem with my wife's truck a few years ago. We were driving from LA to Sacramento when the suddenly there was smoke from the cooling system. It was the temperature housing unit, cracked, and because by the time were towed to a shop it was 6pm it was too late to get the part they needed. Lucky for us we had a friend who lived an hour away and was able to drive us home.

But I've never had a car refuse to start on me and leave me stranded other than that once.

Same thing happened to me two weeks ago, except my car stalled on a frontage road and I had to wave people around me. got it started back up and drove to the parts store where both the battery and alternator tested good.

My problem was the negative battery bolt, cost me five bucks :)

Never was a more truthful statement spoken.

word


thats the first thing you check

For the most part this car has been great. It is older (1996) and ugly (2 years ago a carport collapsed on it and did enough damage to total it out so I bought it back from the insurance company for $180), but it runs great and has low mileage. I only drive it in the winter. The first of June I get the mustang out of storage and drive it through the summer.

Hopefully this wasn't a warning sign that the car is about to enter that phase where it wants to nickle and dime me to death.

The funny part was as I looked down at the motor I had this feeling it was something very simple that I was overlooking. . . it turns out my newbness was in full effect.

If it really took an hour to find that problem you need to find a shop with techs that know what they are doing. cables and terminals should have been the first thing they checked.

Temperature housing unit? That mechanic must have seen you coming! Did he change rotory girder too?

You are thinking of the headlight fluid pump...rotary girder. What a tool.


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I was there about an hour waiting for them. I don't know exactly how long they were actually working on the car. From what I understand they checked the the battery, starter and alternator. When those checked out okay they started checking cables.

That sucks

better to waste an hour and 5 bucks then an alternator. if i remember costly no?

Yeah, I would guess an alternator would have been a couple hundred dollars with labor. As it was they charged me $25 to do a check and see what it was then they put that amount towards fixing the problem. So I ended up paying $30 to have it fixed.

cars are a bitch

I've haven't driven a car or had a driver's license since 1996. The day I stopped driving was so liberating.

After 20 years of being at everyone's beck and call, I quit. You want to go somewhere? Take the bus.

I live in Toronto. I just hire cars if I need to go somewhere. Fuck gas prices. Fuck insurance companies. Fuck the idiots on the roads of Toronto.

You idiot fucks cannot drive.

I went without a car for about 9 months many years ago. At times it was cool. If I was out and had few drinks I just take a cab home and don't have to worry about getting my car home. Also the city I was living in had great mass transit. My problem was my job required me to sometimes travel to nearby towns and that was a bitch. Eventually I got another car, but only drove it when I needed to go out of town. Of course, where I live now life without a car would be nearly impossible.

get a bicycle like everyone else in Portland

Good thing it didn't cost much.

That's why a smart man leases both.

.

You must live outside of PDX then. I have a truck and a motorcycle and only drive if I am bringing lots of shit or out with the misses and we traveling a lot. Parking here is a bitch and the parking authority are harsh. It is so much easier to take the max or walk.

Yeah I actually live about 20 miles outside of Portland. For a while I lived right downtown and you are right, parking was a pain in the ass. The apartment building I lived in didn't have any parking of its own so I had to either pay $250 a month for a spot in a nearby lot or park on the street which meant dealing with the meters during the day. I actually moved after about 4 months of living in that place because of the horrible parking situation. Had there been somewhere I could have parked for free I would have just left my car there and walked/biked or took the max/bus everywhere.

Cool story.
ps: If I lived in the united states I would prefer living in Portland.

you should get them a case of beer for not fucking you over. your situation was ripe to work you over with a new alternator and battery & new windshield wipers.

Very true. I guess that is one advantage of living in a very small town. If you start fucking people over the word gets out pretty quickly. I have actually had the best luck I have ever had with mechanics since moving out here. Several years ago when I got my mustang and started the restoration on it the body guy I took it to actually gave me a bunch of tips and lent me a few tools so that I could do the interior work myself and save some money. He could have easily just gave me a quote and had me pay him. I was blown away by that.