Annoying car stuff

[xiphias]

So, we haven't had heat in the car for a while; last night my father took a look at it (my parents had tendyl and my cousin Michael who has a livejournal which I forget what it is because he doesn't use it, and my friend since I was in fourth grade Aaron over for dinner), and he noted (correctly) that the water pump was busted and would need to be replaced. And that this was actually important to fix, because otherwise, our car's engine would melt itself when the weather got above freezing.

In making his diagnosis, Dad put more antifreeze in the system, and accidentally spilled some. When the shop called us this morning, they identified the following problems:

1. The water pump is busted: about $250
   
2. The left front wheel rim is bent again from hitting another pothole: about $65
   
3. Someone spilled enough antifreeze on the serpentine belt to damage it, necessitating its replacement: $115
   
4. Someone put the wrong kind of antifreeze in the system, and the two kinds are not miscible, and actually manage to form a sort of gel when they're poured together, so that the system needs to be flushed and refilledtwice: $180
   
   I knew about the water pump, and the tire, and I was expecting somewhere around $300. The extra $300 for Dad's help is . . . annoying. Especially since the serpentine belt is brand new. . .

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

bleh. I should know better than to post comments before having my morning coffee.

Rim: shouldn't be any more than $20 from a junkyard, unless you've got extra-fancy factory aluminium rims or something. If you do, and they're repeatedly getting ripped up on potholes in winter, you may want to get a set of "winter" tires and rims. Get a set of steel rims that fit your car from a junkyard, and put snow tires like Goodyear Blizzaks or Nokian Hakkepellittas on 'em. (The only reason I don't do this is lack of storage space.)

Re: antifreeze. I own a '98 Saturn that uses the orange "Dexcool" antifreeze; the owner's manual and both repair manuals I have for the car specifically warn about not mixing orange stuff with green stuff.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

We have a '96 Oldsmobile Cutlass, blue. I don't think they *make* fancy rims for it. Steel rims sound like a nice idea.

Is there a downside to steel rims in the summer?

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

pretty much every car has a "fancy rims" option. Even my Saturn does.

Steel rims are heavier (more unsprung weight, car doesn't handle/ride as well) and don't look as pretty; that's about it. Typically the "fancy rims" option is also married to the "extra-fat tires" option. (More rubber on the road == better handling car.)

If your car has hubcaps or wheel covers that have to be removed before you can access the lug nuts then it has steel rims already.