Members outdoorgb Posted October 2, 2009 Members Share Posted October 2, 2009 Removed comments... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted October 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 OK, so I posed this question at another message board that caters to stay at home dads like myself. One of the members there is very knowledgeable and does classic car restorations and I was waiting for him to chime in. He finally did and here's what he had to say: 1: The bushings are not serviceable. You do have to replace the control arm. Ford had the same brilliant idea with the F150. Just another reason I don't own either vehicle, but I make good money fixing them.2: If you are eating tires, you have alignment issues. If the bushings are bad, the alignment will be off. That will kil tires.3: To replace the lower control arm on that car you must remove the brakes, the front drive axle, break the ball joint loose, unbolt the sway bar, then unbolt the control arm. Then reassemble and realign the car.I bet you are spending about $300 for labor and $700 for parts. Pay the man.I'm not happy right now. If I want to sell this car and get more for it than what I still owe in order to finance the cost of a used minivan (which would be more practical for our family) I pretty much have to get it fixed. There's no way I can do it myself either. Hudman - is he right about the F150's control arms? Bottom line: no GAS this year. Oh well, but it's not like I needed a new guitar. I have two acoustics that serve different needs, one of which I just wanted an upgrade for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaurentB Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 For me, it's a matter of both money and self sufficiency, so I do the same whenever possible - plumbing, electrical, carpentry and routine car maintenance. None of it is rocket science. Long ago, I got fed up with guys feeding "a dumb girl" a line of sh** about a simple repair or routine maintenance, so I made a point of learning to do these things myself. On the downside, I had to padlock my toolboxes or my ex would raid them and never put my stuff back where it belonged. Haha, I know a woman who eventually became a teacher in car mechanics after having started mending her own car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C70man Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Kwak, I'm kinda in the same spot ....I have a Volvo that needs brakes...complete overhaul...I let them go too far... Do I keep the car knowing that it has other issues as well....like a windshield wiper that doesnt work (not good in florida) electrical system that works when it wants to, the drivers seat belt broke (mechanism), and now the radio went out....I have no idea what I could get for the engine, which in a strange way runs perfect with 208,000 miles on it. Go figure. If the only thing you car needs is the brake job, I would keep it. If it's a money pit waiting to happen....dump it. There are tons of used cars cheap, at least in Florida...actually amazing choices down here. I have picked up used cars for both my sons and sister down here and they were near perfect (no rust issues) low miles used cars....My problem like most people today...don't have the extra funds to spend on a car right now. The ole Catch 22. If there aren't any real good deals in your neighborhood, check out the used market in Tampa...I have found it to be a lot cheaper with better cars than other major cities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted October 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 I did the brakes. It cost me close to a grand. I also have a year and a half more of payments to make. I also still need to put 2 new tires on it so that I can sell it in good conscience. If it needs $20 bushings that's fine but I'm still not sure why I need to replace all that other hardware underneath. Nothing else was busted and bushings are s'posed to pop right out and right back in, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brahmz118 Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 I hate being at the mercy of auto mechanics, but I know very little about cars. I used to know an honest mechanic who would only fix what needed fixing, but he was laid off last year. I suspect that his manager wanted his customers to have a higher average bill, though that sounds a bit paranoid. I needed to have my 'strut top bushings' replaced. Not sure if we're talking about the same bushings. I still don't know exactly what they are. The labor estimates were through the roof, even though the parts weren't that expensive. Apparently there was a lot to disassemble. I went to a car enthusiast forum, where most people work on their own cars. A number of generous folks said that they would do the work for me for the cost of a meal - if I lived near them, which I didn't. I ended up not pursuing that route, because I needed some accountability if something went wrong. But several people insisted that it was really simple, as long as the car was disassembled and reassembled properly. I suppose some heart surgeries are really simple, as long as the body is disassembled and reassembled properly. I've had lots of GAS-depleting car problems but I continue to depend on them. I couldn't imagine living my musical life without one - my keyboards and guitars and amps have probably put more wear and tear on my cars than I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Cars are sinkholes for cash, no doubt about it. $1,000 for bushings and a brake job sounds pretty high. Maybe your Outback, being an all wheel drive adds some complexity to the front end hardware, who knows, I'm not a mechanic. Anyway hang in there, I been there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Melodeous Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Neil, maybe you should think of your GAS fund as a family emergency fund. If no emergency comes up you have it for the guitar. I know it's just a mindset change but it might relieve some of the disappointment when it has to be used for things other than a guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knockwood Posted October 3, 2009 Members Share Posted October 3, 2009 Next summer I plan to get an old Schwinn with fat tires and put a bicycle engine kit on it. 100-150mpg, 35mph, no registration, fun to ride.I just eat a lot of beans and corn - fly anywhere I want for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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