My car is killing me.....

[Poohbug]

My car is killing me with stress.

Maybe the budget board can help. It is not the car I drive but the car my husband drives to work. It is 2006 Ford Freestyle and after throwing $350 at it in the last month we have another BIG problem. Something is wonky with the electrical. Gauges go off and on, fans blow on their own, even the odometer goes off. (Which is a good thing because it has 132,000 miles on it.) After getting a new battery and having the alternator replaced(which made it worse), our next step is a new computer that costs $900 for the part alone. Then we have to pay to install and program it. This may or may not fix the problem. I looked up the value of the car on Edmunds and the thing is only worth $4000.

We now have to decide if we should put the money into it or put the money towards something newer and reliable. It is so much money but the car is paid in full and it is nice not to have a car payment.

Meanwhile, my husband has been driving my car to work and I am stuck with no transportation. I just want my car back.

Thanks for letting me vent and if anyone has any advice, I will be happy to read it.

 

[3boymthr]

We had the similar problem with my Freestyle (lights going off) and it was the computer. Lucky for me it was covered under the warranty. Can you find a friend/relative who is willing to crawl around in the car and see if there is a problem with the wiring? Something visible such as rotted cables, etc. That's another thing that could possible cause and electrical problem. Of course, that can be equally expensive to replace.

Financially, it's a tough call but you have to remember that $900 or even $1200 is only three car payments on a $20,000 car - with a low/moderate interest rate for 6 YEARS.

 

[Missy29]

That reminds me of my car I had in high school, it was a Ford Escort and the windshield wipers would go off whenever they wanted to. It must be nice not to have a car payment but in the long run I think having a reliable car is much more nicer. I would sell the car and put the money toward payments for a newer car. Good luck

 

[Dsnyfireman]

I worked 9 years as a dealer tech and saw these kind of things a lot! It maybe as simple as a bad ground for the computer or the chassis ground. I know sounds stupid but most electrical issues end up being ground related. Before you put on a new computer tell them to really inspect all grounds and electrical plugs for corrosion or dirt or loose. It may still need a computer but the new computer will need good wiring and grounds to work so double check them. If you are at all car handy this can be done by you to a point . Take a set of jumper cables and hook it to the GROUND or NEGATIVE post of your battery and to the frame somewhere clean and free of paint or lots of rust. Make sure cables stay clear of fan, belts and pulleys , start car and let run , see if issues stop. It may not correct the issues even if a bad ground but it will help to eliminate some chassis grounds, also try hooking from batt. To body of vehicle as well. But a 2006 with 130000 miles is still fairly new and with proper maintenance it should go to 200000 miles easily. Hole this helps, and even though a dealer charges more per hour, when it comes to difficult problems they can save you money by testing computers and alternators before just replacing them. Good luck.

 

[pixiewings71]

Remember if you sell the car you need to tell your buyer about these issues. We were having the same problems in our 2002 Neon, we parked it and bought DBF a new car, we did sell the Neon after a few years of sitting but we made sure we told the buyer what the problems were. If we didn't we could be held liable for any problems that might have occurred. We documented all the issues and had the buyer initial next to each issue. LOL The buyer has an Uncle with an auto shop so he took it in there and they fixed it up for him. Best of luck!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Remember if you sell the car you need to tell your buyer about these issues. We were having the same problems in our 2002 Neon, we parked it and bought DBF a new car, we did sell the Neon after a few years of sitting but we made sure we told the buyer what the problems were. If we didn't we could be held liable for any problems that might have occurred. We documented all the issues and had the buyer initial next to each issue. LOL The buyer has an Uncle with an auto shop so he took it in there and they fixed it up for him. Best of luck!

I had a Neon that had some sort of weird electrical problems too... maybe it just goes with the territory. Something kept running the battery down and it wouldn't start. It was like a 2500 lb paperweight. I lost count how many times it had to be worked on in the short time I had it. I got it brand new, and the problems started a few months after I got it. I got so tired of messing with it, I ended up trading it off for a Ford. The car was still well within the factory warranty when I got rid of it, it was still Dodge's responsibility to fix it.

We have a friend who also had a Neon that had a similar problem, they messed with it a long time, actually took it to a few different Dodge dealers, it was fixed eventually. It took like a year or so to find somebody that could do it.

 

[tvguy]

First, you need a good mechanic that will diagnose the problem, not keep hanging parts on it.

If you are looking for the lowest cost per mile, barring collision damage or rust, it is always going to be cheaper in the long run to fix a car, rather than replace it. If you have close to to 140,000 miles on a 7 year old vehicle, you drive about twice what the average driver puts on a vehicle, so your costs will be higher that other folks. If you go out and buy a $30,000 replacement vehicle, between sales tax, registration fees, and depreciation....you're going to lose $7,500 from the time you drive it off the dealers lot, and the time you pull in your driverway. You could fix your problem, replace the engine, transmission and ac system for less than that.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would say get something reliable. If your current car has electrical problems it could also effect other major things like the engine. I would hate for your DH to be on a highway and have the car all of a sudden stall!

Its better to be safe than sorry. The new model years will be coming out soon so you should see an influx of used cars to chose from. Or maybe you can snag a deal on a new 2013 that the dealers need to off load.

Whose to say that if you do fix the electrical that something else major doesn't crop up and you are in cycle of just repairing when you could be investing in a reliable mode of transportation.

Good luck with your decision.