Yeah, car problems again
When I bought my current car, I was in a hurry. I didn't look under the hood because I don't know that much about cars and figured I wouldn't catch anything wrong anyway.
I was wrong.
There's this goofy thing going on with the radiator and overflow. At some point before I bought it, the hose to the overflow cracked or something, and it was repaired with some sort of putty or substance something like silicone glue but black. It didn't make a secure seal, though, so if it overheated, the coolant in the overflow couldn't go back in the radiator.
So the low coolant light was on pretty much all the time and I learned to ignore it. I put coolant directly in the radiator from time to time (not often enough as it turns out).
I even had an oil change last month and asked them to check the level and put coolant in the radiator.
And yet ...
On Saturday when the car was acting weird, I didn't notice the temperature until after I drove Cayla to church and was on my way back to work. I stopped at home instead, and ended up calling Donna to give me a ride home. But I had to get the car in the garage, because it would be towed if I left it where it was.
Saturday night Donna took me to Walmart after work and I got more coolant, which I put in the car Sunday morning. But it won't start. It made a loud sort of metallic clang when I tried, so I'm pretty sure it's toast.
I will check with a mechanic, but I'm guessing that the car isn't worth fixing - the repairs would be way too expensive. I can sell it for junk, probably get $200 to $250? But that's not enough to buy another car. I can't see myself walking to or home from work on a regular basis - it's clear across town. And I hate relying on my sister for rides - she shares her car with her daughter, who also lives across town. So I'm stuck ... not knowing what to do next.
I had hoped this car would last until I get my tax refund next year.
I was wrong.
There's this goofy thing going on with the radiator and overflow. At some point before I bought it, the hose to the overflow cracked or something, and it was repaired with some sort of putty or substance something like silicone glue but black. It didn't make a secure seal, though, so if it overheated, the coolant in the overflow couldn't go back in the radiator.
So the low coolant light was on pretty much all the time and I learned to ignore it. I put coolant directly in the radiator from time to time (not often enough as it turns out).
I even had an oil change last month and asked them to check the level and put coolant in the radiator.
And yet ...
On Saturday when the car was acting weird, I didn't notice the temperature until after I drove Cayla to church and was on my way back to work. I stopped at home instead, and ended up calling Donna to give me a ride home. But I had to get the car in the garage, because it would be towed if I left it where it was.
Saturday night Donna took me to Walmart after work and I got more coolant, which I put in the car Sunday morning. But it won't start. It made a loud sort of metallic clang when I tried, so I'm pretty sure it's toast.
I will check with a mechanic, but I'm guessing that the car isn't worth fixing - the repairs would be way too expensive. I can sell it for junk, probably get $200 to $250? But that's not enough to buy another car. I can't see myself walking to or home from work on a regular basis - it's clear across town. And I hate relying on my sister for rides - she shares her car with her daughter, who also lives across town. So I'm stuck ... not knowing what to do next.
I had hoped this car would last until I get my tax refund next year.
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