The Car Care Thread

[ramonaq]

The brake lights on my car won't turn off, even though the car is off. I'm assuming there's some spring still connecting to the light-maker-thingy (why yes, that is the technical term), but I've pumped up and down on the brake, I've tried to yank it up with my hand, I've driven it a bit -- no dice.

Any ideas? And will my battery be drained in the morning?

[Sunnyhorse]

Mr. Sunnyhorse just called from the Mini service center, where he had taken Coop for scheduled service. Apparently the mice in our garage have eaten the insulation on our spark-plug wires. Little fuckers.

[Deleted]

I have a 2003 Ford Expedition that's been acting up lately. When I start the ignition and put it in reverse, it sometimes shudders and sputters for a few seconds as if the engine's about to conk out, but then it kicks in again and I'm on my way. What could be causing that?

It's had the oil changes, etc but it also has tons of "bad road" miles on it from surf trips and Baja excursions, so I'm kind of dreading the worst. Should I take it in or can I put it off for a while? I only drive it a few times a week anyway.


ETA: ahh, thanks JenniPoo and Keith!

[jennipoo]

Keith says to check your transmission fluid, saltpeanut.

And Sleepy, there's a switch right under your brake pedal. It could be stuck.

[ramonaq]

Thanks, Jennipoo. I tried that, but no luck. I just disconnected it and forgot about it. Oops. Not good, I know.

So, now, the brakes are squealing like a stuck pig. What does that mean? Can you tell I know dick about cars? I swear, I was meant for public transportation, end of story.

[jennipoo]

Usually if your brakes are squeaking it means you need new brake pads.

[lpatrice]

I am in the market for a car. I would actually prefer something used, and something that I could drive into the ground. I don't plan on getting another car until I absolutely have too. I don't even know where to start. I hate car payments, so I would want as low a car payment as possible, I have good credit ( a little more debt than I'd like) but I always pay my bills on time. Any suggestions? Any ideas? Everyone says go with Honda, but I don't know, I don't worship at the alter of Honda....yet?

[woodchipper]

lpatrice, I have a Subaru (Outback station wagon, to be specific) and love it. My in-laws have had nothing but Subarus for the last 20 years, 15 with the same car (and they have a 40 minute commute, often in bad weather). I've never had any major problems. Good luck!

[Sunnyhorse]

We've owned two Mitsubishi Eclipses (a 1991 and a 2000, both four-cylinders, the first turbocharged), and they were fabulously reliable cars -- we had 190,000 miles on the first when we traded it in on the second, and the second had 80,000 miles when we sold it to our BIL when we bought the Mini. They (used to, anyway) share a platform with the Mitsubishi Galant, if you're searching for a four-door. Both cars are American-built, if that makes a difference to you.

Like Woodchipper, my sister swears by her Subaru. She lives up a mountain and does a lot of driving in shitty terrain/weather, so it must be a good car.

[Deleted]

lpatrice said:

I am in the market for a car. I would actually prefer something used, and something that I could drive into the ground. I don't plan on getting another car until I absolutely have too. I don't even know where to start. I hate car payments, so I would want as low a car payment as possible, I have good credit ( a little more debt than I'd like) but I always pay my bills on time. Any suggestions? Any ideas? Everyone says go with Honda, but I don't know, I don't worship at the alter of Honda....yet?

Hondas and Toyotas are good bets. They run like trains.

See if you can find a copy of Consumer Reports' car-buying guide. It gives reliability data on all major systems of a car on a model-by-model basis going back at least five years.

Compare the make, model, and year of whatever you're considering with the Consumer Reports data to see if it's worth the risk. They use a system of red dots (good) and black dots (bad). Just browse through and see which models have lots of red or black.