This One... or That One?

Posted on Tue Aug 19, 03:12 PM in Adventures in Automobiling

Sentra repairs to pick from.

The garage informed me of the following last week, with regard to my growing list of auto repairs:

  1. The gas leak is coming from the area where the intake tube is connected to the tank itself. Basically, where you put the pump when you fuel up. I was told this is the best possible repair I could hope for, both in terms of ease and cost. Still, about $250.
  2. I also have a screw and a nail in my front left tire. $25 to patch that up.
  3. The CV boot I was warned about a month back. $250.
  4. I’m about 300 miles from an oil change. $25.

Back when I was told about the CV boot, I looked ahead in the budget and earmarked $300 for it and an oil change in August. Now I have to decide which repairs to make. My choices are probably:

  1. Oil change, tire repair, and CV boot. Why? I can limp by with the gas leak by only filling up my tank to 3/4 (seems to be when the dripping stops), and I’ve read that if driven too long, a deteriorating CV boot can turn into a bad CV joint, which is a bigger replacement hassle and cost.
  2. Oil change, tire repair, and gas leak. Why? Fuel containment just seems like a bigger hazard, and if I don’t drive it much, maybe I can prolong the CV boot.

Or maybe I don’t know what the heck I’m doing and will throw a dart at the wall to decide the fate of my car. It’s starting to feel like that’s as useful as thoughtful pondering.

And then you said...

# Amy wrote on Wed Aug 20 at 01:55 PM:

How about changing the boot and using duct tape on the gas leak? :-)

# gail wrote on Sun Aug 24 at 10:52 AM:

uh Mercy, I’m thinking it’s time to let this car go. Take the money you would have to sink into repairs and use it toward a down payment on a new one. When a car starts needing this type of stuff, like a gas tank repair, it’s a sign that it needs to be put out of it’s misery. It’s not at an age where you could expect it to be stable once you fix these things. Instead, it will be a situation where you are fixing and fixing and fixing. I’d cut yourself loose before you end up spending $2000 or more.

# gail wrote on Sun Aug 24 at 10:55 AM:

let me also add that there are safety concerns at this stage of the game. A bad CV joint effects the steerability of the car which may mean that when you need to make a quick maneuver to avoid an accident, the car may not go where you intend it to. Plus, do you really want to be tooling around town with gas fumes and drips coming out of your car?

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