I'm Scared of My Car

[crh0831]

I'm scared of my car.

I seem to thrive on stress. Always have. I don't know why exactly. I guess it stems from my inability to just let the world go on without me. I have to worry about things. I worry if there's nothing to worry about.

But if there *is* something to worry about? Whoa boy!! I pounce on that subject with all the voracity of a starving Chihuahua on a porkchop. I obsess. I wonder "what if?" I become consumed with the problem and my inability to handle it. In short, I mainline stress. And I'm always looking for my next fix.

But I digress.

While contemplating my recent sleepless, headachy state, I came to a surprising conclusion. I'm scared of my car. I'm a computer programmer by profession. I spent years of my life doing maintenance for apartment buildings. I can replace your toilet, rewire your ceiling fan and install your DSL line without blinking. No problem. But when it comes to cars... they run on magic. And my car is the most magic of all. Open the hood and all I see is wires and tubes and a big metal thing. There's a container filled with blue liquid and something filled with green liquid. And it's dirty. Really dirty. All these ingredients (plus the dirt, I guess) combine to magically transport me to wherever I want to go whenever I stick the key in the ignition and turn it, if the magic is working that day.

I bought a used 97 Saturn SL2 in August of 2001. 39,000 miles on it. Nice. They talked me into the 2-year warranty. I drove it off the lot and proceeded to get used to it. With every car I've ever had, it's taken a few weeks to get used to every sound the car makes. A squeak here, a beep there. What do all these lights mean? Look it up in the book. OK... everything's OK. I take the bus to work everyday and there can be days in a row when I don't drive the car. I'm gonna put very little wear and tear on this baby. From this point on, my car and I become one. I am in tune with the way the brakes feel. The way the steering wheel responds. When to shift. Life is good.

March 2002.

One day, I get in the car and proceed to drive up to the local supermarket. Halfway there, a light comes on. "Service Engine Soon", it says. "Why?" I say. No answer from the car. Everything seems fine and I'm at a loss to explain why the car would be telling me it needs service "soon". My finely tuned body-car connection is reporting no problems. Weird. During my next oil change (which I had performed at the dealer - because I'm a moron with too much money, apparently), the automotive sorcerer tells me that I've run low on magic. Actually, he said the computer imparted to him that there was a misfire in the engine and that my oxygen sensor had gone bad. Why the computer had not told me this itself, I never learned. It was required that he replace all the spark plugs and wires and install a new oxygen sensor. $200.00 (partially covered under warranty) later he tells me that my magic is back up to the correct level and I can leave. Hesitant, at first, I leave. I could swear that my body-car connection senses an increase in magic and I feel happy.

August 2002.

While coming home one night, I hear a squeaking noise coming from my front tires. Not the brakes. Can't be. It's kind of a squeak-squeak-squeak sound I hear only when coasting. I've had a car when the brake sensors started grinding and this was not the same sound. Sound goes away when I brake. Hmmm.... Everything seems fine. No alerts from the body-car connection. A mystery left to be solved another day.

October, 2002

During my next oil change (at the dealership, again), the automotive jester comes out and asks me - "You know that noise you've been hearing?" I think to myself "Yes. But I never told you I heard a noise. What the hell are you talking about?" But instead I just say "Yes." He tells me that the automotive wizard had imparted to him that I am in need of four new tires, as mine are becoming dangerously worn. I ask him how, after only driving 6,000 miles since I bought the car, I could possibly be in need of new tires. His answer is a shrug. This instills confidence in me. "And how much will it cost to replace these potential rubber land mines", I ask. After mumbling several facts about my car, which I already know, he relieves the suspense and says "Just under $400.00, including mounting and balancing".

I think I fainted.

When I awoke, my brain processed the things I knew I knew:
1.) Dealerships charge more than any place else for everything.
2.) All car repair facilities test your car knowledge by mentioning some ubiquitous part that needs to be repaired / replaced and then gauge how much you know about cars by the corresponding look on your face.
3.) Something about a penny and Lincoln's head and worn out tires.
4.) There was no way in hell I would pay almost twice my monthly car payment to replace something that should not have been bad in the first place.
5.) My car was clean because Saturn washes it after every oil change.
6.) I was due to be running out of magic again sometime soon
7.) I still have a squeak-squeak-squeak sound that may be the brakes or the tires or something else.

I drove my shiny car with bad tires home. Not so happy this time.

November 2002.

This time, my body-car connection definitely senses a problem. Car does not sound happy to be starting up. Grrr-grrr-grrr-grrr-GRRRUUUMMPPH! Finally turning over! Yaaay! That was weird. I drive away happily. Unfortunately, next time I start the car, it gets a bit worse... Grrr-grrr-grrr-grrr-grrrr-GRRRUUUMMPPH! No lights tell me to service anything soon so I am left to wonder about this new predicament. I drive away again. One sad morning, I am greeted by nearly thirty seconds of grrrrr's before the car will start. I suspect she's low on magic again. Magic doesn't quite last an entire year nowadays.

$85.00 and new battery later, the automotive apprentice tells me that my car was indeed low on magic and was nearly depleted. Luckily, the new battery will supply lots of magic, backed by a warranty, for years to come. I am happy again.

December 2002.

Coming home from the supermarket I gradually begin to notice the steering wheel pulling to the left. "What the hell?" Was my car trying to avoid making the right hand turn into my driveway? No. A flat tire. Pulling into the garage with the automotive wizards words sing-songing in my brain "you need new tires...you need new tires..." I got out and inspected the damage. Well, it was flat. There was no air in the tire. It looked pretty simple. Luckily, my father-in-law took pity on me and assisted me in patching the tire right there in the garage. The whole time, in my head, I'm seeing pictures of me and my wife and daughter singing happily along the highway with one patched bald tire and three regular bald tires, when the patch shoots out of my tire causing it to explode in a frenzy of torn rubber and sending me and my whole family off an embankment, plunging to our fiery deaths.

Present day.

Well, each and every time I have to get in the car has become a mini-adventure.

"Will I make it to the supermarket?"

"Is driving around with bad tires and a squeak-squeak-squeak only making the problem worse, thus costing me more money in the long run?"

I've begun declining invitations to go places unless I can get a ride because I'm scared that I won't make it there if I have to drive my car. I watch the dashboard with heady anticipation each time I start the car now, waiting for an illumination to tell me that the magic is running low again. I'm imagining things that are playing havoc with my once-perfect body-car connection. The dashboard has begun to rattle, ceasing only when I punch it, which is starting to feel pretty good. I fantasize about owning other cars that I see throughout the day. I find myself gazing lovingly at their tires with their deep treads and shiny rubber sidewalls. I imagine what it must be like to get into a car a drive it to a destination and only have to concern myself with the laws of the road. I wonder how bad it would be if I had to ride the bus everywhere I went. I fantasize about having a bunch of extra money and using it to fix my flaky car.

I try to keep my mind off the potential for problems but it doesn't work for long.

I'd go for a ride to take my mind off it, but...well you know...

I'm scared of my car.

[saturnPr!de]

o.....k........

[unkle bik]

welcome to the forum.
Go Browns.

[Nuke-Em]

All this stuff that's happening to your car is normal stuff that will happen with any car. For one, you bought your car used. The problem with used cars is that you don't know how the previous owners cared for the car, if at all. Tires, batteries, etc. are all things that wear out with age. The tires probably had a decent amount of tread when you bought the car and you just drove until the tread naturally wore away. By the way, $400 for good tires with mounting and balancing is pretty much the norm wherever you go. By not replacing them, your car became more susceptible to a flat tire. As with anything, batteries die. Since it was a 97, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was the original battery. Basically the only problem you've had with the car is the O2 sensor--and even that is nothing to really complain about. The only thing left is the squeaking which would require more information on your part to diagnose. All in all, I'd say your car is running fine for its age. With regular maintainance and getting things fixed when they need to, your car should last you a very long time. Don't be scared of it--just take care of it.

Matt

[tomv]

i am experiencing a little fear myself right now. my car...oh no, it's fine.

[saturnfreak01]

wow

[mikthehickNC]

Calm down!!! Everything you described is normal maintenance. It could be so much worse, so quit worrying, you drive a great Saturn after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[erick295]

Maybe this will help you in dealing with those repair places:

When you get the car looked at, don't let them do anything to it without seeing it in person. Walk out to the garage with a technician and have him show you the problem before you decide whether or not it's real. Last time I went to my dealership they told me I had a transmission fluid leak... sounds pretty bad... but I asked to see it, and when he showed it to me, it turns out it was just a little bit of fluid barely oozing out - not even enough to drip. By seeing it I could tell that there was nothing I should have been concerned about - until it became worse, anyway. On the other hand, I've seen some things that desperately need to be fixed... like corrosion on the electrodes near my distributor. I was a little skeptical since I hadn't noticed the engine running roughly, but the tech showed me the spots that were corroded and I could plainly see that it was a problem. After seeing it myself, I felt much better about the $120 it cost to fix.

Seeing isn't always believing, though. Sometimes they'll show you something and just plain lie to you. During an oil change, someone at Lube Master showed me my air cleaner and pointed out "all" the dirt inside of the folds. Well, no poopy Sherlock, it's an air cleaner - it's supposed to have dirt in it I'd be worried if it didn't! Point is, he was trying to convince me to replace it by showing it to me - although even with my limited knowledge I could plainly tell that there wasn't nearly enough dirt in it to justify replacement. Someone else might have believed him.

Also, beware of the "fear factor". A lot of times they'll try to scare you into getting something fixed. They've told me things like having carbon buildup on my throttle body is going to make my throttle stick wide open and cause me to have an accident. Well, that's outrageous - a little carbon in the throttle body isn't going to make it stick like glue. It builds up gradually - you're going to know there's something wrong long before it gets that bad

You've got to remember something about your car, as well. Most of what goes wrong in the wear-and-tear department isn't very noticeable to you. Every time you drive your car, the problem becomes just a *little* bit worse than the last time. Because it changes so little from one trip to the next, you don't really notice that it's changing at all. Case in point: when I had the electrodes replaced, my engine ran 5x smoother and had a lot more power. It had been becoming rougher so gradually over the months that I never even noticed - when I got it fixed, it was like getting a whole new car.

Last but not least, don’t ever go to one of those cheap rip-off joints like Pep Boys to get your car fixed. They’re a bunch of crooks, I promise. Go to your dealership. It may be a little more expensive, but the technicians who are working on it know what they’re doing because they’re used to dealing with your vehicle. Rather than seeing 25 different makes and models a day, they see nothing but Saturns, or nothing but Toyotas, or whatever. They know how to fix your car, and they know how to inspect it for problems. Someone who doesn’t drive 25 Saturns a day may not be able to tell you about your power steering pump going bad, but a Saturn technician is going to notice the unusually stiff steering right away.

Guess my main point is that you shouldn't be scared of your car... be scared of the people who repair it

[John10]

What kind of advance did your agent negotiate on the movie version?

[XtremeGrandAm]

I'm confused our cars have magic?

Sorry I couldnt help it......Your story threw me for a loop.

Yeah thats normal stuff with a car thats not new. I mean thats pretty much 6 years. A battery will go bad, an oxygen sensor is pretty typical and tires are too...

Also welcome to the board

[wei_]

Welcome!
Your car does indeed use magic. Saturns as well as their drivers are made of 'star stuff'. It is the combination of the two that can result in cosmic bliss.

Now, at $400 for four tires, please check into www.tirerack.com. Many people on this board like the Dunlop Sport A2's. They cost $54 each, which = $220. Do you have insurance? Think of new tires as life insurance. With bald tires, you won't stop as quickly.

Lastly, have the squeak squeak checked out. If your brakes are rubbing, they may need adjustment. It shouldn't be too bad of a do it yourself job. Invest in the Chilton's book. It will be a great way to figure out what needs to be done. Also, feel free to ask us.

You're in Columbus, OH. So are plenty of folk on this board. If you were closer, I'd look at your car myself. No charge. We Saturn folk take care of our own.

Once again, welcome.
Wei

[L300Boy]

Welcome to car ownership....

Stop being so paranoid and live your life.

[DesertPuma]

Here in AZ we go through at least one battery per year. (The summers just kill them.)

[Twin_Cam]

Yea, I worry about my car too much also. Especially now with it's gas mileage problems. I can't seem to reassure myself that it's because it's cold out. Oh well. Hang in there, man. Saturns are great cars. And they all have personalities....and.....magic. I guess. It'll take you much longer than 6,000 miles to get used to it. I'm still not used to mine. It makes new noises constantly that never amount to anything. Don't worry so much.

[Anapg77]

CRH you should be a writer. As a auto tech I got great amusement from your story.

[GR898SL2]

Relax. You're in the company of fellow Saturn owners.

Welcome to the board.

[Saturnmeister]

$400 for good tires with mounting and balancing is pretty much the norm wherever you go.

That may or may not be true, but the fact is your Saturn service department is NOT the place to go for tires, because for the same money you'll pay them for the same mediocre OEM tires your car is currently riding on you can get much BETTER tires from a discount tire store or an online outfit like Tire Rack (mentioned above as well). Tire Rack has a list of local tire installers who will mount and balance tires they ship to you without any complaints about having acquired the rubber from a source other than them (at least that's the concept).

Short version: while there are many things that your Saturn service dept. is going to be the best place for, tires are most definitely NOT one of them. Oh, and if you are that handy (as described in terms of wiring and so forth), then you'll probably find that, armed with a set of factory service manuals and some tools, a lot of the basic vehicle maintenance and repair is quite easy to do.

[Dach]

Just start reading all of the posts from the Tech board and you'll see that plenty of people w/less mechanical abilities than you do alot of necessary repairs rather quickly and save lotsa $$ doing it. Not to mention the ' I kicked it's ASSSSS!' feeling from diy stuff.

[100KSW2]

crh0831

Welcome to SaturnFans!

Do you live in NY City by any chance? It sounds like this could be your first car. All the stuff you mention is normal wear and tear. Don't worry, it won't continue EVERY month, particularly since you don't seem to drive much. I would have the brakes checked at your next service visit, based on the squeaks, the wear bars may be telling you the pads are worn out. I have been getting around 40K to a set of front brake pads (compared to 5K on my last car, a Dodge!).

Relax and enjoy your Saturn. If you can replace a toilet or work on computers you could sign up for a basic car repair class at the local Y', or community college. It will make the "magic" seem less so. Some of these things you can fix yourself, but if you decide to let Saturn do it their rates are pretty reasonable on most stuff (they can not beat the chains on stuff like tires, try Just Tires or NTB next time - that should be a few years!). Also, if you are having doubts about your local Saturn service department you could try a different one. There are a few that are not top notch, but most are (they really work hard for those customer satisfaction marks that are the highest in the auto industry - which puts to shame anything in the computer industry, I am a 25 year veteran of that field).

Best wishes,

Jim

[100KSW2]

Originally posted by DesertPuma
Here in AZ we go through at least one battery per year. (The summers just kill them.)

I went through a battery a year for three years in a row here in Philly. They were all Sears DieHard Gold batteries and I thought it was because I had been driving all short trips and because I use my headlights all the time including during the day, but then I read that Sears had gotten a bad batch of batteries. My most recent replacement is a couple years old now and still doing OK. I guess it is a good thing that they have something like an 80 or 100 month replacement warranty here.