I Hate My Car

[Yppej]

I just did an alignment, tires, it needs rear brakes. In December the oil light was flickering sporadically and the mechanic said the oil sensor might be going bad but no way to tell until it is bad.

Now it's flickering again so I am taking it to a different mechanic. If it's not the sensor it could be something like an oil pump that could wreck the engine.

So I pull over and there's some light on the parking lot but not a lot. I am trying to read the dipstick but I can't see, so I get my reading glasses, then I still can't see because the damn mask fogs up my glasses. I check and recheck and recheck and recheck and finally add a little oil but the light still flickers off and on, especially when I am idling in park.

I have had three codes in the past month - very brief check engine the mechanic thinks triggered by the stability control system when I was trying to drive through the snow, tire pressure light when it gets cold out, now oil pressure light again. It is so hard to know should I keep pouring money into the car? What if I do and it fails its state inspection next month and I spent all that for nothing? But I would rather not buy a new car if I don't have to.

So I don't really hate my car, but I hate OBD systems which flag noncritical (as well as legit) issues and cause you to fail inspection. Once before I had to get rid of a car because I could not get it to pass although it drove fine. I hate that my state mandates inspections. It's no problem to rich people who lease or buy new vehicles every few years. It only hurts the little guy.

KBB trade-in value is $3000.00. For that low a value I would just put heavier oil and STP in it and drive it into the ground ... But the inspection hovers over me.

[iris lilies]

Several states don’t do inspections at all. And then another group does it for only out of state vehicles.

[Yppej]

I emailed the new car saleswoman I met with last year. Her dealership has Kias and the 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty appeals to me.

[SteveinMN]

For what it's worth, we have a 2010 Kia Soul (demo from the dealer) that has been dead-on reliable through Minnesota winters and -- umm -- not-careful driving. My understanding is that the newer ones are not quite so dead simple. But what we thought would be a little gamble of a purchase (Kia not far removed at the time from their only selling point being their low low price) turned out to be a winner for us. I don't have a problem buying a new vehicle since we drive them until it doesn't make economic sense to fix them. But there are ways, like buying a demo, to save some money in the process.

[iris lilies]

I like Kia Souls, I like their styling. I specially like red ones and the green ones. I like their hamster marketers.

[ToomuchStuff]

How much is a state inspection?
How handy are you (could you unscrew the sensor yourself and screw the new one in, special socket)?
If you know you need rear brakes, that will have to be done to pass. Also how long are inspections good for in your area? Could you say get it inspected for instance, with in 3 weeks of when it is do (know what you need to do, or time frame for replacement), then go appropriately?

Oil sensors do go bad, so do oil pumps. However it could be other stuff like sludge (not changing the oil often enough) that starts to clog up the screen (restricting flow), low oil level (keep a rag and flashlight), etc.

[Yppej]

The inspection is $35 and good for one year. I am not mechanically inclined.

The oil sensor does not come on until the car is warm (took 40 minutes of driving this morning) so maybe I could go first thing in the morning and pass, I don't know. But with warmer weather I have read the problem gets worse. And you can put additives or thicker oil in but it just masks and does not solve the problem which if not just a sensor could leave you stranded when your engine seizes up.

If I get the brakes done they may well need calipers so $700ish just for the rear brakes, then who knows how much for the oil light issue. I already put $544 into tires and a tire protection plan that I am now regretting, and am asking myself if it would just be good money chasing bad. I am still thinking about it. The saleswoman gets in to work at 1 and will get back to me this afternoon. At 20,000 miles a year driving I would have 5 years on a 100K warranty and if the purchase price is say $15K that is $3K a year and true I will need some routine maintenances but I think it will be less per year than I would be putting in going forward on a car only worth $3K.

[Tybee]

We had a kia that was great, and they are moderately priced.

[JaneV2.0]

Friends have a Kia and are crazy about it. They're always off on some adventure or another.

I used to joke that if this car ever had any problem, I'd get a new one (after decades of car repairs). So when some anti-theft "protection" kicked in--and I'm sure my battery is dead--I'm thinking a new one is not a bad idea. I can just have one delivered, and they can take the old one off my hands. If I weren't trying to conserve funds, I would have done it already.

[Yppej]

The saleswoman didn't seem interested in my business. She only was interested in selling me what she had on the lot. I said I understood she did not have the model I am interested in this time but could she get me the trunk measurements but she refused. There are other dealers within a 100 mile radius that have it and if she had initiative she could transfer the car in and sell it to me. I already test drove the hatchback last year, I just want some specs on the sedan.

Meantime I called the mechanic to cancel the brakes for now and just focus on the oil light. This went very well. I had asked the previous mechanic about a heavier grade oil now that the car is older and he pooh poohed my idea but this guy came up with it himself. I am going to replace the sensor regardless. He said they recently did this on another vehicle and it worked. It is $73.00. I go in Saturday.