Sigh....car troubles. Money troubles. I hate grad school.

I have to replace the front control arms and right rear wheel bearing on my car. This is going to hurt the pocketbook. I'd do anything to have graduated by now. I'm guessing this will cost me about $900 when it is all said and done.

Hello, credit card debt!

you'll be able to buy and sell people like me. :hi:

:mad: :grr:

Wow, that's a lot. Was it making all kinds of noises and stuff? :scared: My car is still acting like a jerk sometimes. I just laid out $500 for my car, I hear ya.

And wouldn't you know it, right around the holidays.

At least you have credit left, LOL. I had to pay for that all in cold hard cash. :cry:

One day, we laugh!

I've known this for years. I wanted to wait until I graduate this spring, but I can't put it off for longer. Otherwise, my wheels might fall off!

How the car acts, etc.

Really, I'd just like to worry that my car needs that same stuff so I can make myself sick with worry.

:silly:

Well, if your wheel bearing needs to be replaced, you will hear a whirring noise coming from one corner of your car that is constant with your road speed (i.e. it gets louder and higher pitched as your car, not your engine, moves faster). If you hear the whirring stop when you are coasting in neutral, it means there is probably a transmission problem.

As for the control arms, my car squeaks when going over speed bumps, etc. Also, the ball joints at the end of the control arms are loose. I looked at one when changing a flat tire, and the rubber boot around the ball joint has started to decay. It is a common problem on my car, as the grease used in these joints seems to have been not the best kind for the circumstances.

There is a recall on the front lower control arms for my car, but the dealerships have been dicking people around on this issue. For them to replace my lower control arms, they want all kinds of documents, etc. and the replacement is at their discresion, not mine (as in they decide if the ball joint is worn enough to be replaced, not me). And they only will replace my lower 4 control arms. I am going to schedule an appointment with a dealership tomorrow to see if I can get any of this done for free, but I am not holding my breath. And I would still need to replace the uppers at my expense.

The control arms are the things that hold your wheel to the chasis of the car (other than the axle and the wheel bearing). So basically, if I don't get these replaced, my wheels could come loose. And that won't be fun!

When I make right turns sometimes, it sounds like a creaking sound, like someone's jumping on the bed (um, but it's my car). It's not every time, though. And someone just fixed the tie rods so they'd see that, then? Control arms! Thank you for giving me something to worry about. ;) No whirring thank jeebus.

You've said you've known you've had to get this done for a while though, huh. So it's not like you had to get it fixed right away, but that you finally had to deal with it? I'm hoping to get rid of this clunker sometime next year.

Not looking forward to dealing with dealerships--I bought my car used, it needed a fuel pump, and the dealer gave me their "at cost" price. It ended up being double what I eventually paid a guy to fix it for. :eyes:

But if it's a recall, maybe you'll have it easier. Good luck. I hate car issues. If I could move to the city just to not have to drive, I'd be happy.

Good luck!!

I dunno, then. It doesn't sound serious. If you are looking to get rid of it next year, I wouldn't worry about that.

Never go to the sdealer (read: stealer) for repairs. Their "at cost" prices are usually a 100% markup from other places. Plus, most of the time, you can get a perfectly good used part from a junkyard for a mere fraction of the cost.

I had to replace the transmission in my car a year and a half ago. The dealer wanted over $4000, $3000 for the tranny and over $1000 in labor to put it in. I laughed in their face, and found a slightly used one in a junkyard for $700 and paid someone $600 to put it in. Saved myself $2700 bucks. A lot of the little things that don't require a lift I do myself. I got it on eBay for cheap, because the previous owner used to race it, so I knew I would be replacing a lot on it. But I also knew I could keep it in good repair myself, which I have.

Unfortunately, I am out of money due to lack of internships right now, so I really can't afford ANYTHING. But I'll be able to manage. I have a knack for getting good deals on things and getting them done cheaply.

stay there until you get the PhD or ABD. I left with an MA because I was in a hurry to get out and it was a horrible mistake. MA's apparently are not worth the toilet paper they are printed on. At least mine wasn't, maybe it was just NEBRASKA.

But I am also reapplying to get into the PhD program. So it could be 2-3 years more. But at least I will be able to get a better job between classes...one that pays for my car.

Z3 my wife bought before I met her. $1200 at the dealer. Ouch.

It really does ride better after the repair. Before, it felt like someone had the emergency brake on all the time.

Wheel bearings are cheap, too. I have an A4, and the bearing itself is about $80. I can't imagine a Z3 costing much more.

The other $1100 of that money was their "labor" cost, which consisted of them screwing off for 8 hours, and then taking the ninth hour to actually fix a wheel bearing. It shouldn't take more than an hour, hour and a half if you know what you are doing and have the proper tools (both of which a dealership should have).

Don't ever take it to the dealership again, IMHO. You probably could have paid less than half that and had someone do a better job.

One of my friends owns a shop and he never charges me for labor, only parts.

Both of them are unable to work on my vechicle, now.

One only knows Japanese cars, so he can get me accessories at dealer cost.

The other one specializes in my vehicle, but is out of the country for another month.

Either way, I still have to pay for the parts, which is the bulk of the cost. I NEVER go to the dealer for maintenence. It is always a rip off.