car rant!

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sbwertz

sbwertz

Member
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
3,678
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I am NOT a happy camper! We had a severe hailstorm here in October, and everyone in Phoenix, it seems had to be re-roofed. There are still roofing crews everywhere, and as a result, roofing NAILS everywhere.

I apparently picked up a roofing nail in the sidewall of my tire. It wasn't leaking, so there was no "low tire" warning. Then I hit a pothole on my way to Flagstaff, and the tire blew out at 75 mph. Instantly. It destroyed the tire and the inflation sensor inside the tire.

It is a little plastic module, held in place by what is essentially a large hose clamp.

Mind, these are now mandated on new cars. You have no choice. It cost me $190 for PARTS to replace it...$50 of it for the glorified hose clamp!

Big Nanny is watching over you! We can't be trusted to check the air in our own tires anymore.

OK. I feel better now. Thank you.
 
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As a mechanic who has had to replace many air sensors. IMHO, you were screwed on the sensor. Cost is approx $50. I know they gotta make money on mark up but that's rediculous.

Glad you weren't hurt also.
 
I also learned that at 68 I can still change a tire! Actually, thankfully it was a rear tire and the car hardly wiggled when it blew. Glad it wasn't a front tire.
 
Yeah, sounds like the mechanic gouged you pretty good. Did you get it fixed in flagstaff? If so where? One of our storage customers is a pretty honest guy and owns a car shop. If you want I can send you his name for future reference. Glad you are alright.

Boy to I know about roofing nails and tire damage.
 
Haynie said:
Yeah, sounds like the mechanic gouged you pretty good. Did you get it fixed in flagstaff? If so where? One of our storage customers is a pretty honest guy and owns a car shop. If you want I can send you his name for future reference. Glad you are alright.

Boy to I know about roofing nails and tire damage.
Click to expand...

No, I took it to Ford. I went to my mechanic but he didn't have the tool to reprogram it, so I went to the dealership.
 
Ahhhh, ford.
Found
On
Road
Dead

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: he says as he ducks for cover.
 
One more good idea brought to you in the name of maximizing fuel economy ! Of course , you can be absolutely sure that the additional fuel costs associated with producing the raw materials for , the manufacturing of , shipping , stocking etc of the extra parts , the extra miles you drove to get to your dealer , even all the costs associated with the un-needed pens you will have to make and sell to pay for the repairs , were fully factored in , and found to be miniscule in relation to the huge vehicle lifetime savings achieved by keeping your tire pressure up - bet they even factored in the cost of the pills to keep your blood pressure down .
 
I'm a mechanic's daughter. I always keep tires aired up. Learned it at my daddy's knee.

Actually, the thing I like best about my Ford Focus (other than the fact that it is RED) is the great fuel mileage I get with it. I drove it to OK and back and got 38.6 going (downhill) and 36.7 coming back (uphill). (6000 foot drop from Flagstaff to Tulsa). Speed limit all the way. I was amazed.
Sharon


1080Wayne said:
One more good idea brought to you in the name of maximizing fuel economy ! Of course , you can be absolutely sure that the additional fuel costs associated with producing the raw materials for , the manufacturing of , shipping , stocking etc of the extra parts , the extra miles you drove to get to your dealer , even all the costs associated with the un-needed pens you will have to make and sell to pay for the repairs , were fully factored in , and found to be miniscule in relation to the huge vehicle lifetime savings achieved by keeping your tire pressure up - bet they even factored in the cost of the pills to keep your blood pressure down .
Click to expand...
 
Haynie said:
Ahhhh, ford.
Found
On
Road
Dead

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: he says as he ducks for cover.
Click to expand...


No No... that's
Fix
or
Repair
Daily
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


Actually I say this in jest... I drive a 1991 Ford Ranger to and from all of my shows... I bought it used from a friend who ran pizzas in it for a short time... until he got rear ended and the front in was driven into an SUV and bent the driver's side front fender and drove the bumper down about 15 degrees or so on the same side... knocked the fuel gauge sensor lose or out of place in the gas tank, so that the only way I can keep track of the gas level is to watch mileage....jammed the rear tail gate so that I carry a large screw driver to open the tail gate... his pizza running also abused the transmission so that I had to have a major overhaul on it shortly after I got it.... I've had it just over 7 years and now have 158,000++ miles on the truck (it only had 49,000 when I bought it and commuted 28 miles each way to work while in Houston....don't drive as much since retiring... it gets used once or twice a week for a garbage run (12 miles round trip) and then to the shows.. none of which are more than 50-75 miles from home - and I don't do show all year long) ... she has started every time I need her and runs like a champ...
 
Last edited:
TellicoTurning said:
Haynie said:
Ahhhh, ford.
Found
On
Road
Dead

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: he says as he ducks for cover.
Click to expand...


No No... that's
Fix
or
Repair
Daily
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
Click to expand...

I thought it was First On Race Day !!

I have a lot of respect for Ford because they took no bailout money.
 
G1Pens said:
TellicoTurning said:
Haynie said:
Ahhhh, ford.
Found
On
Road
Dead

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: he says as he ducks for cover.
Click to expand...


No No... that's
Fix
or
Repair
Daily
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
Click to expand...

I thought it was First On Race Day !!

I have a lot of respect for Ford because they took no bailout money.
Click to expand...


I edited my post to say I liked my Ford... you got in while I was type the edit... My father drove Fords exclusively the whole of his life... I've had 3 and loved all three of them... even if my first car was an Impala... second two cars were Corvettes, then switch to foreign sports cars for a few years...
 
Next thing you know they'll require windshield wipers on all vehicles! What? They already do? I guess I'll have to check on that next time I go off in my truck. It's been so long since we've had any rain I must have forgotten that we had them.
 
Glad your ok.

I know all too well the pain of roof nails. After our hurricane, we had problems every where for many months. I carried around plugs and a compressor and did so many of my own and others I lost count.
 
nava1uni said:
As an auto mechanic we used the same phrase that Tellico used, but for Fiat it was
Fix It Again Tony. Just fun to use the letters to say something silly.
Click to expand...

Never owned a FIAT, but right after my divorce in Calif. I looked at one... along with a Porsche, another (older) Corvette, an Alfa Romeo and a couple others.... the wife took my 280Z (which I didn't care all that much for anyway...it was an automatic) and in CALIF in those days if the car came with an automatic in the line, you could not buy a stick shift which is the only way to drive a sports car... I liked the Fiat, but the back seat was too small and I had a 5 year old who wasn't allowed to ride in the front seat until after he turned 12... I finally settled on the Alfa Romeo. I kept it for 13 years until started having problems and couldn't find a mechanic in Houston... I needed a drive shaft for it and actually wound up calling the mechanic in Novato who had serviced my car when I lived there to find one... Even Alfa America couldn't tell me which model shaft I needed for the particular car I had...
 
Sharon,
I apologize... sorta hi-jacked your thread without telling you I'm glad you weren't hurt....
I've blown only one tire while driving... a rear tire on my Corvette... it just wiggled a little.... problem was I had just put new tires on the car and didn't have the spare underneath... had to call a tow truck, induce the tow driver to drive from Burlingame to San Carlos to my apartment to pick up the spare.... I don't remember how much the inducement was, but I got the spare back in the spare well and kept it there from then on.
 
I drive a 1991 Ford Ranger to and from all of my shows... I bought it used from a friend who ran pizzas in it for a short time... until he got rear ended and the front in was driven into an SUV and bent the driver's side front fender and drove the bumper down about 15 degrees or so on the same side... knocked the fuel gauge sensor lose or out of place in the gas tank, so that the only way I can keep track of the gas level is to watch mileage....jammed the rear tail gate so that I carry a large screw driver to open the tail gate... his pizza running also abused the transmission so that I had to have a major overhaul on it shortly after I got it.... I've had it just over 7 years and now have 158,000++ miles on the truck (it only had 49,000 when I bought it and commuted 28 miles each way to work while in Houston....don't drive as much since retiring... it gets used once or twice a week for a garbage run (12 miles round trip) and then to the shows.. none of which are more than 50-75 miles from home - and I don't do show all year long) ... she has started every time I need her and runs like a champ...
__________________
Boy do I know what you mean about Ford Rangers. I bought a 94 used in 95 with 9,000 miles. I put 95,000 on it, gave it to my son who put another 100,000 and then gave it back to me, then loaned it to a friend who was out of work and he put another 25,000 on it before he gave it back, and recently I hauled tons of paving bricks, sand, stone, etc. etc. with it to install a 40 x 45 foot paver patio, and the Ranger is still running, with the original engine, at 230,000. Best vehicle I have ever owned.
 
I can really identify with having to sell a car because you can't find a mechanic to work on it. I had to sell my Citroen DS 21 Palas because the last Citroen mechanic in the state retired. Funny looking car, but fun to own. Mine was even this same turquoise blue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_DS
 
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sbwertz said:
I am NOT a happy camper! We had a severe hailstorm here in October, and everyone in Phoenix, it seems had to be re-roofed. There are still roofing crews everywhere, and as a result, roofing NAILS everywhere.

I apparently picked up a roofing nail in the sidewall of my tire. It wasn't leaking, so there was no "low tire" warning. Then I hit a pothole on my way to Flagstaff, and the tire blew out at 75 mph. Instantly. It destroyed the tire and the inflation sensor inside the tire.

It is a little plastic module, held in place by what is essentially a large hose clamp.

Mind, these are now mandated on new cars. You have no choice. It cost me $190 for PARTS to replace it...$50 of it for the glorified hose clamp!

Big Nanny is watching over you! We can't be trusted to check the air in our own tires anymore.

OK. I feel better now. Thank you.
Click to expand...

I did that when my truck was about 5/6 months old got 3 nails from the roll for a nailer the punched two holes in my tire too close to be able to get two patches in and too far apart to get with one ---- New Tire.

Actually blowing the front tire being so bad is kind of a myth with power steering. You can usually keep control as easily as with a rear tire. I've blown two front tires on the highway at around 70 and neither time did I have any problem keeping control.
 
nava1uni said:
As an auto mechanic we used the same phrase that Tellico used, but for Fiat it was
Fix It Again Tony. Just fun to use the letters to say something silly.
Click to expand...

Cindy My youngest son bought a Fiat, cause it looked cool, I tried to tell him that they were nothing but trouble, but then again my dad tried to warn me about Alfa Romeo's I got so sick of working on his Fiat I gave him my 85 Toyota. Now I have a 10 year old Ford Ranger with 120,000 miles and I love it. I'll never own another Italian car, The little punk disses my 1979 VW that has some where near 500K on it (2nd engine I've built for it, in 18 years) but drives a Camaro that keep loosing parts all over the road. Chevy "Like a Rock" they usually just sit there. But on a nice quiet night, you can hear them rust!!!!
 
1080Wayne said:
One more good idea brought to you in the name of maximizing fuel economy ! Of course , you can be absolutely sure that the additional fuel costs associated with producing the raw materials for , the manufacturing of , shipping , stocking etc of the extra parts , the extra miles you drove to get to your dealer , even all the costs associated with the un-needed pens you will have to make and sell to pay for the repairs , were fully factored in , and found to be miniscule in relation to the huge vehicle lifetime savings achieved by keeping your tire pressure up - bet they even factored in the cost of the pills to keep your blood pressure down .
Click to expand...
Actually, much of the reasons for enacting the law was safety. Low tire pressure causes something like a quarter of a million crashes annually in the US. If requiring TPMS to be standard equipment cuts down on this number, I'm all for it.
 
RogerH said:
I drive a 1991 Ford Ranger to and from all of my shows... I bought it used from a friend who ran pizzas in it for a short time... until he got rear ended and the front in was driven into an SUV and bent the driver's side front fender and drove the bumper down about 15 degrees or so on the same side... knocked the fuel gauge sensor lose or out of place in the gas tank, so that the only way I can keep track of the gas level is to watch mileage....jammed the rear tail gate so that I carry a large screw driver to open the tail gate... his pizza running also abused the transmission so that I had to have a major overhaul on it shortly after I got it.... I've had it just over 7 years and now have 158,000++ miles on the truck (it only had 49,000 when I bought it and commuted 28 miles each way to work while in Houston....don't drive as much since retiring... it gets used once or twice a week for a garbage run (12 miles round trip) and then to the shows.. none of which are more than 50-75 miles from home - and I don't do show all year long) ... she has started every time I need her and runs like a champ...
__________________
Boy do I know what you mean about Ford Rangers. I bought a 94 used in 95 with 9,000 miles. I put 95,000 on it, gave it to my son who put another 100,000 and then gave it back to me, then loaned it to a friend who was out of work and he put another 25,000 on it before he gave it back, and recently I hauled tons of paving bricks, sand, stone, etc. etc. with it to install a 40 x 45 foot paver patio, and the Ranger is still running, with the original engine, at 230,000. Best vehicle I have ever owned.
Click to expand...

On the other hand I had an 85 that I had to put a new engine in at 32,000 and a 2nd engine (this one used) at about 65,000 and that engine wasn't running right when I traded it in with about 80,000,
 
High guess?

sbell111 said:
1080Wayne said:
One more good idea brought to you in the name of maximizing fuel economy ! Of course , you can be absolutely sure that the additional fuel costs associated with producing the raw materials for , the manufacturing of , shipping , stocking etc of the extra parts , the extra miles you drove to get to your dealer , even all the costs associated with the un-needed pens you will have to make and sell to pay for the repairs , were fully factored in , and found to be miniscule in relation to the huge vehicle lifetime savings achieved by keeping your tire pressure up - bet they even factored in the cost of the pills to keep your blood pressure down .
Click to expand...
Actually, much of the reasons for enacting the law was safety. Low tire pressure causes something like a quarter of a million crashes annually in the US. If requiring TPMS to be standard equipment cuts down on this number, I'm all for it.
Click to expand...
I personally think that guess is high by about 160,000 .... the figure used for the 2008 TREAD Act was about 1.4% (estimated from a 1977 study by Indiana University) of all crashes. Using 1.4% times around 6,159,000 is about 85,000. A miniscule percentage actually.

The real driving force behind the law was the Ford Explorer crashes that Ford blamed on faulty Firestone Tires and Firestorne blamed on drivers not maintaining correct tire pressure and driving too fast in hot weather.

I'm not for or against the law --- it is the law. I remember the drive behind it though because of a couple of family members owning Ford Explorers so I followed it in the news. It also lead to Firestone being acquired by Bridgestone.
 
G1Pens;1266558 I have a lot of respect for Ford because they took no bailout money.[/quote said:
Yeah but the Country made a profit on that bailout money. So once again Ford cost us money. :smile:
Click to expand...
 
BlackPearl said:
G1Pens;1266558 I have a lot of respect for Ford because they took no bailout money.[/quote said:
Yeah but the Country made a profit on that bailout money. So once again Ford cost us money. :smile:
Click to expand...

Not Likely -- They need GM Stock to go up by about $20 - $25 to break even (using government accounting to determine what break even is) which is not likely to happen because everyone knows the Government has 500,000,000 shares of GM they want to dump....:biggrin:
Click to expand...
 
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