I Hate My Car

[Yppej]

The other dealerships are an hour away. I emailed two of them for a brake quote a few weeks ago and neither responded. They also both have language on their repair orders that there is no warranty on any of their work and they ask you to sign that you are waiving even the implied warranty of merchantability.

I was surprised the independent shop didn't have a gauge to measure metric pressure since even American cars frequently use metric measurements now since they are sold abroad as well as domestically.

[mschrisgo2]

My only experience with flickering lights and gauges in a car was many years ago... and a “foreign” car- an English sports car, a Spitfire. From almost day 1, things electrical flickered, sometimes to the point of interfering with use. Since I was commuting 100 miles RT to college twice a week, I really wanted/needed peace of mind that I wasn’t going to get stuck on the side of the road some evening, so I took it to several service people, all to no avail.

Finally, someone recommended a guy who was trying to get out of automotive repair and into another (cleaner, LOL) line of work, but he agreed to see me, and my car. He listened patiently to my story, turned the car on, flipped switches, nobs, etc. then he imparted a small bit of wisdom- “flickering lights generally indicate loose connections.”

OK, I’ll buy that. So how do we fix it? He offered me a deal I could not refuse: For $100 I can completely rewire you car in about 4 hours. And I guarantee you won’t have any more electrical problems.

Bingo! I left the car with him, drove his car off, returned in 4 hours, he was finished, and just like he said, No More Electrical Problems, ever.

Now that was a long time ago, and a much simpler car, but I would be willing to bet that your car has loose connections some where, i.e. sometimes it’s fine, other times dash lights come on, things jostle loose when you bumpety-bump down the road.

My suggestion is to see if you or your son can find a guy who is really knowledgeable in automotive electrical- think, word-of-mouth referrals here -who likes a challenge. The let him have at it.

I would bet you can find someone who is underworked and bored in this pandemic, who will be happy to take it on. Just remember, you will want to pay him well, as you will not have any more angst over your car.

[Yppej]

That sounds like a very good idea Mschrigo. My son is going to try another mechanic Monday, one who has worked extensively on my parents' foreign cars over the years. I inherited the never give up on a car if you can help it philosophy from them, and my son even more so.

[SteveinMN]

My only experience with flickering lights and gauges in a car was many years ago... and a “foreign” car- an English sports car, a Spitfire. From almost day 1, things electrical flickered, sometimes to the point of interfering with use.

For years, the primary supplier of electrical items like headlamps, switches, etc., for British cars was a company called Lucas Electrical. Their reputation was so poor that founder Joseph Lucas often was referred to as "The Prince of Darkness".

mschrisgo, that's a great idea. In VW diesel land, where I live, there are Web sites devoted to the cars/engines and people referred to as "local gurus" -- people who generally have full-time jobs but love to work on their cars and who, often, will work on other people's cars, for much less money (or beer) than a pro mechanic would charge. That's probably not the case for every brand (I've never found a local guru for our Kia but maybe that's saying something about the car) but it might be another way to find someone who knows the ins and outs of your car model and can access the brains of others who know it, too.

[razz]

I had a flickering light in the 90's so bear that timeframe in mind. Anyway, over a few trips to the garage, it was finally discovered that a wire or two had been munched on by mice. It required replacing the whole electrical harness but the problem cleared up. I usually bought a used car with 50-80 thousand km and drove it for more than 10 years with little more than regular maintenance of oil changes, brakes, tires, and annual oil undercoating against rust. They looked good at the end when serious problems arose.

[Yppej]

Could be wiring - I have no garage and sparrows like to crawl under my car - but given the ticking it also could be a genuine lubrication problem affecting the valves.

[Yppej]

Today I drove the car to work for the first time since DS took it for an oil change and the oil pressure light did not flicker at all. This leads me to believe the problem is not electrical but oil pressure related and that the oil is thinning too quickly after oil changes.

[Yppej]

The clunker passed inspection but I cannot get any details from DS as to what repairs etc were needed to get it to pass. He is in a noncommunicative mood.

[SteveinMN]

At least it passed. A bit of good news in that car's timeline.

[mschrisgo2]

I wonder if your oil light comes on when the oil is too full... I had a car that did that once.