Well, SHIT.

[apocalypticbob]

Thanks for all your well wishes and congratulations on the previous post. Unfortunately, despite replacing the hoses, it is evident that the problem is much, much worse. It is looking like a blown head gasket, at least.

This is, obviously, not good.

To the tune of baseline $1000 not good. If the head is warped or cracked, mulitply that by 4 or 5 for a good estimate.

So, that's that.

Car is still at QT, for now. Got all valuables out of it, and promised to arrange towing on Monday. I will be without a car for the forseeable future. If I had made plans or started to make plans with you for the next couple of months, I'm afraid you'll need to consider them cancelled for now, until further notice.

To say that this sucks beyond the telling of it would be an understatement. For those playing along with the home game, my car is a 2005 Chevy Equinox that I purchased used a year and a half ago, and the extended warranty ran out in December.

I think I'm going to go take a nap or something. I have bruises up my left arm from wrestling those damn hoses last night, and it was all for nothing.

Bye, ya'll.

Comments

[nottygypsy.livejournal.com]

Oh Bob. I hate this for you, I shake my fist and curse at the injustice of it. Why do bad cars happen to good people.

Love you, but love don't drive you around town. I'm so sorry.

[akasha63.livejournal.com]

You seem to have had nothing but bad luck with that thing.

Hope it is the lesser of evils. My headgasket in my 94 Mustang was $1500 & getting all the stuff I had done to my 2001 Beetle (which I am still paying on those repairs) was $1800 (timing belt, water pump, new valves & head gasket with machining the head, plus lots of over BS stuff).

[okgirlnextdoor.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry, dear. I don't know what...but may something good come from this-somewhere.

[berkie.livejournal.com]

SHIT, indeed.

[ladyniniane.livejournal.com]

I am sorry. Very, very sorry. I don't know what else to say right now.

Except that, once I get over there, hopefully I will be able to help out just a little on some of the driving chores. Let's see what happens with your vehicle and then take it from there.

[grizesme.livejournal.com]

I cried because I had no shoes... Damn.. I've been feeling sorry for myself today for the $137 my car cost me today and bemoaning how broke it made me...I'm so sorry your car day was so much worse than mine!!!{{HUGS}}

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Heck, at that price it might be cheaper to look at an engine replacement. I found one for mine in a salvage yard for 200.00. Course, the difference between 200.00 and 200000.00 is nothing if you have neither.

Hugs to you, Amber. Sometimes life just sucks like a tornado and blows like a west wind.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

Suckage, no two ways about it. And I'm so sorry it happened.

[tapestry01.livejournal.com]

Dang, I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

[ravenchilde-art.livejournal.com]

Ya, you had my wince at 'blown head gasket'. Had to deal with the cost of one of those once or twice myself. *hugs*

[naamah-darling.livejournal.com]

SHIT.

I am so sorry, babe. D:

[the-terrible.livejournal.com]

Man. I really feel your pain here; until last year I was grappling with a similar problem every month. I'm really sorry you're having to deal with that. *hug*

[sargon999.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Sounds more like a blown radiator or maybe a few belts. We blew a head and the car just *died*, no warning at all. So the fact that you were able to limp a ways says maybe it's not so bad.

[lapis-lazuli615.livejournal.com]

If you've got any mechanical inclination at all - and I think you do cause most girls would be relatively incapable of changing the hoses (not through lack of smart, through lack of training and inclination) - a head gasket can be relatively not hard to change yourself if you have a place to work and the tools. However, I'm not familiar with that motor and it may be beyond an amateur. You might look at the auto parts store for a Chilton's manual. See if they have one, look at the head/head gasket part and see if it's something you feel capable of doing. It would save a great deal of the $1K cost if so.

It's a thought anyway.

Laz. (who has rebuilt her own engine in the past, with supervision)

[bat-cheva.livejournal.com]

Well, fuck. :(

I'm so sorry about this. I wish I could help. *hugs*

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it will turn out to be something cheaper and easier to deal with than that.

[magdaleneseal.livejournal.com]

Oh SHIT. That sucks. Keeping all bits crossed it is not the head gasket. I'll make an offering to the automotive gods. *hugs*

[klingon007.livejournal.com]

I'd call the dealership you bought it from. Granted, the warranty is still expired, so they aren't likely to just say "Well, ok, we'll do it for free", but if you paid for the extended warranty and never required any repairs, they may give you a break on the cost of the repair (like you pay for the labor, they pay for the parts, or they cover half, or something.).

[naamah-darling.livejournal.com]

I talked to Sargon. We have a four-door Honda Accord stick shift complete and total junker that you can use. It's like I said a total piece of shit, it has NO air conditioning and is hideous beyond belief, but it runs, which is more than your other car does right now.

I know how trapped I feel when I don't have a car. I don't want you to go to that mental place. You have enough to deal with. If you have no other recourse and want to take us up on this, even just for a car you can use for emergencies, let us know! We need to go get the tag done, but we can bring it up some evening early early next week when it's not broiling hot.

Just thought I would make the offer.

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Mom is here until the middle of August, so I'm not completely carless until then, but if we haven't figured something out by then, I may very well take you up on the offer, because being here with no car is just...I can't deal with that again.

[naamah-darling.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no. I will help make sure that doesn't happen, because I remember how bad it was last time, and I know how I react to that and just . . . uh-uh.

[starseeking.livejournal.com]

I want to make a joke about blown head gaskets, but the gutter is just too low today. *hug* It'll be the way to better things I'm sure.

[grizesme.livejournal.com]

If the car still runs and there is no white smoke coming from the tailpipe. It could be a stuck thermostat. Generally when a head gasket blows you will have white smoke/steam...lots of it from the tailpipe. If thermostat is stuck..these newer cars get overheated real quick..

this public service message brought to you from hubbin' Ken.

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I had white smoke and water pouring out of my tailpipe...I'm pretty sure about my diagnosis, unfortunately.

[2giddy4u.livejournal.com]

So sorry to read of this situation with your vehicle! Holding to positive energies thought for the best and less expensive outcome for you.

Does Oklahoma have that stimulus "cash for clunkers" thing going on anywhere? If so, maybe you can trade that thing off on a more reliable vehicle and that way you would not have to force yourself into a voluntary repossession situation. Just a thought.

Big Hugs

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

We've checked on that and it only applies if you're buying a new car, something we can't do and know that Amber couldn't either.

It really, really sucks and I'm sorry, Bob dear.

[2giddy4u.livejournal.com]

What a freaking bummer, always has to be a kinked up catch in something that is suppose to help people out. I am so sorry this is happening, I will hold to positive thought for things to be better and soon! {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

[deire.livejournal.com]

Damn it. *hugs*