• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

What car repairs are worth it?

A

archcommus

Diamond Member
So my Sable is thirteen years old with almost 130,000 miles. I'm thinking the oil pressure might be low and it burns some oil, as well. Otherwise it seems to run fine, though. How can I decide if these repairs are worth doing or not? I would say yes, to help the things that could be hurting the car, and because it runs well otherwise, but I would say no, because all of that could easily cost over $500, and that's a lot to spend on PREVENTATIVE repairs for a car this age.
 
Once a car is out of warranty if it averages out to say more than $500 a yr 'some yrs being better than others' its nickel and diming you to death.
 
Originally posted by: desy
Once a car is out of warranty if it averages out to say more than $500 a yr 'some yrs being better than others' its nickel and diming you to death.
Click to expand...

sounds like a good rule of thumb to me....

<scribbles that down>
 
not worth fixing IMO.. 13 year old car is barely worth what the repairs might cost, if not even less.

I would drive it til it dies, but definitely check your oil and make sure you are not low often, as long as it's always topped up and you are keeping an eye on things, it should continue to run OK for a little while longer.
 
It really depends on how much oil it's burning/leaking. If you have to add a quart every week, then I'd probably have it looked at as a gasket may be blown or something. If it burns a quart between oil changes, then I wouldn't worry about it.
 
I would just drive it till it dies while using the money you would have put into repairs towards a down payment on a new car. 13 years is alreayd pretty damn good no matter what car you're driving.
 
Depends, insurance and car payments on a newer vehicle would probably run you 3-500 a month. So, even if it costs 500 you'd be better off by fixing the klunker in two months.

The question you are asking is are you happy driving the old klunker for 2 more months versus sinking the money into something new and starting all over again.

Personally, I'm tired of driving our paid-off cars and would like something new, but, they are paid off so I just have to remind myself that every now and then, even if it costs a few hundred here and there to keep things going.

 
my roomates 94 Mazda 626 has around 70k miles but he found out the tranny is broken. Mechanic said around $1800 for new fix or they charge $700 for labor if he can find a used tranny...

what are ur experts opinions?...he said he wanna just dump the car.
i said he find a used tranny and get it fixed for around $1k, then sell the car for
around $2k..then at least get something back.
 
Originally posted by: acemcmac
Originally posted by: desy
Once a car is out of warranty if it averages out to say more than $500 a yr 'some yrs being better than others' its nickel and diming you to death.
Click to expand...

sounds like a good rule of thumb to me....
Click to expand...
I personally take a different approach. When repair costs approach* the cost of payments on a newer vehicle, then the old vehicle is no longer the better choice. As it is, it is hard to replace an aging vehicle with a better one for $500 a year. Thus it is cheaper to keep the old car at that price. For $1000+ a year, we may be singing a different tune.


* Notice I didn't say 'surpass' since there is personal value gained by the pleasure of driving a newer car. This will vary from person to person.
 
With an old strugglebuggy, the most cost-effective thing to do is to just keep driving it until the wheels fall off.
 
I am personally plenty satisfied with my car, I'd drive it for the next four years if I could. So how am I to know if the money for the repairs would be worth it or not? If getting the low oil pressure taken care of could mean the difference between death in six months or death in two years, then wouldn't that be worth it? But what if I spend $600 and then it dies on me for another reason in three months?

In other words, if repair costs are substantially lower than car payments then it's worth it. The question is, will doing the repairs buy the car more time, and if so how much?

It doesn't burn much, about a quart ever 3k miles. I'm mostly concerned about my red oil light coming on when I'm idle after I've been driving for about fifteen minutes.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
With an old strugglebuggy, the most cost-effective thing to do is to just keep driving it until the wheels fall off.
Click to expand...

Yep.

Burning a little oil is nothing... as long as its not more than a quart per couple thousand miles, its no problem. If your transmission died or something, then yeah, ditch the car... but a quart of 10W40 in the trunk isn't going to break the bank.
 
Right, I don't intend to get the burning oil cause fixed, I'm wondering if I should see if the oil pressure's low and fix that if it is. But that would cost money just to CHECK, and then it'd be guesswork to fix it - maybe the oil pump? Replace it. Maybe this? Replace it. Maybe that? Replace it.

So I would say no, it's not worth trying. But, if the oil pressure IS low, letting it go could make a big difference in the length of the life of the car.
 
Losing a quart of oil every 3k miles would be normal if that car was new. Nothing unusual there.
The oil light is from low oil pressure. The idiot light only comes on when the oil pressure goes below a certain (and usually very low) level. Definitely a concern there. As it only comes on during idle and with warm oil, it might not be fixable though. It could be that your engine internals are now too worn after so many miles for good oil pressure to be maintained in a low rpm environment.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Losing a quart of oil every 3k miles would be normal if that car was new. Nothing unusual there.
The oil light is from low oil pressure. The idiot light only comes on when the oil pressure goes below a certain (and usually very low) level. Definitely a concern there. As it only comes on during idle and with warm oil, it might not be fixable though. It could be that your engine internals are now too worn after so many miles for good oil pressure to be maintained in a low rpm environment.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. Does it make a difference that the light flickers and is not constant, and the longer the car has been driving for, the brighter it flickers?

One other thing that's important to note: last July, I thought that MAYBE it could just be the oil light sensor unit itself was bad, so I got it replaced for only 50 bucks. That FIXED the problem, the light stopped coming on, for good! That was in July. Starting early last month, it started to come on again.

So I thought the problem was just the sensor, but I guess not. But if the oil pressure was low that whole time, why did it stay off for nearly half a year?

 
Originally posted by: archcommus
Right, I don't intend to get the burning oil cause fixed, I'm wondering if I should see if the oil pressure's low and fix that if it is. But that would cost money just to CHECK, and then it'd be guesswork to fix it - maybe the oil pump? Replace it. Maybe this? Replace it. Maybe that? Replace it.

So I would say no, it's not worth trying. But, if the oil pressure IS low, letting it go could make a big difference in the length of the life of the car.
Click to expand...

See if you can find a place that will give you a free diagnostic and estimate?
 
I say try to keep 'er running. My car is only 7 years old and she has 180k on her. No, I don't spend 500 a year on her, more like 50 for oil and stuff. Make her last.
 
Nowhere around here will diagnose for free, they'll charge $50 just to check if it's low. Why? Because to get to it belts need to be removed. It's not towards the top like it is for most cars.

But also read a few posts back about what I did in July, that might change what you think about the situation.
 
Originally posted by: archcommus
Nowhere around here will diagnose for free, they'll charge $50 just to check if it's low. Why? Because to get to it belts need to be removed. It's not towards the top like it is for most cars.

But also read a few posts back about what I did in July, that might change what you think about the situation.
Click to expand...

Bribe your local mechanic with a carton of Marlboros?

Keep looking, I'm sure there's at least one garage or shop that will check it out for free, or at least under $20.

Edit: Read the other post too, I'd still recommend checking it out and getting a repair estimate before tossing the car. Getting another set of wheels will definitely cost you more than $50... its at least worth the knowledge that you aren't tossing away a decent car.
 
Well that's sort of besides the point anyway. Assuming it is low, would it be worth the money to get it fixed? Such an issue requires guesswork. They could TRY replaing the oil pump, they could TRY replacing gaskets, but who really knows for sure. Wouldn't it suck to spend hundreds just to drive home and see the light come on again?
 
Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
Originally posted by: archcommus
Nowhere around here will diagnose for free, they'll charge $50 just to check if it's low. Why? Because to get to it belts need to be removed. It's not towards the top like it is for most cars.

But also read a few posts back about what I did in July, that might change what you think about the situation.
Click to expand...

Bribe your local mechanic with a carton of Marlboros?

Keep looking, I'm sure there's at least one garage or shop that will check it out for free, or at least under $20.

Edit: Read the other post too, I'd still recommend checking it out and getting a repair estimate before tossing the car. Getting another set of wheels will definitely cost you more than $50... its at least worth the knowledge that you aren't tossing away a decent car.
Click to expand...
I have no intentions of ditching the car until it dies, the big question is would money put towards ATTEMPTING to fix the oil pressure be worth it.
 
Originally posted by: archcommus
I am personally plenty satisfied with my car, I'd drive it for the next four years if I could. So how am I to know if the money for the repairs would be worth it or not? If getting the low oil pressure taken care of could mean the difference between death in six months or death in two years, then wouldn't that be worth it? But what if I spend $600 and then it dies on me for another reason in three months?

In other words, if repair costs are substantially lower than car payments then it's worth it. The question is, will doing the repairs buy the car more time, and if so how much?

It doesn't burn much, about a quart ever 3k miles. I'm mostly concerned about my red oil light coming on when I'm idle after I've been driving for about fifteen minutes.
Click to expand...

Unless you want to spend a LOT more than $500.00, keep driving it. 1 qt/3k miles is not bad at all. As for the oil light - the first thing you should do is replace the oil pressure sender. Then if it STILL does what you describe, simply add 1qt of Lucas Oil Stabilizer per oil change. Change your oil every 3-4 k, and all will be well.

I hear that crap all the time, "I bought this car for $500.00 2 years ago, and it needs $30.00 in repairs. Piece of crap! I'm gonna junk it and get a new car w/500.00 month payments"

Real good logic.

If you're sick of it - get a new car. If you want to keep driving it, do what I said above, and start doing some preventative maintenance. (Spark plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, etc..)

*** EDIT ***
Ok, I read more of the posts. You replaced the sensor last year, it stoped flickering, and now it's doing it again? Have you been changing your oil in this time frame? If so - sounds like the aftermarket sensor went bad again. The only real way to know is to have a someone attach a diagnostic oil pressure guage.

It makes sense that it just flickers, then gets "brighter" the longer you drive, as the heat has caused the oil to be thinner, hence less pressure @ idle.

I had a car that had the same problem. (Turned out oil filter media broke away from mounting plate) It would do the same things yours is doing. I knew it WAS bearing damage as I hooked up a mechanical oil pressure guage. First I tried to be suave and replace the crankshaft bearings (w/o replacing the crankshaft) and that didn't work, the crankshaft was simply worn too much. After that, I used the Lucas additive I mentioned above. I drove that car for 3 more years, pulled a 3500LB boat with it from Tampa to Panama City, towed that boat on a regular basis, and towed my newer car back here ona dolly with it WHen I did sell it, I sold it for the body, the motor was still running good.

It is now a Stage II Grand National 😀

I wonder why you are so hesitant to spend $50.00 for a qualified diagnostic to see if you should keep the car or drop a lot more than $50.00 into a new car.

$50.00 is cheap to know exactly what is wrong with it and not have to guess or assume. 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top