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Aw, c'mon! Enough!

post #1 of 11
10/28/11 at 4:52am
Thread Starter 
Went out to start Clarence this morning. He had a layer of frost, so I started clearing the side windows. Til I was done, the windshield and back window were cleared. Got back into the car.....and the "Engine Malfunction Light" is back on. For cryin' out loud.

Got back out and checked the gas cap. Got back in and checked the windshield wipers, the wiper fluid, etc. Headlights. All that good stuff. Got to work and my co-worker was driving in at the same time. He checked my tail lights, brake lights.

*long drawn-out heavy sigh* Guess I'll be calling the garage. Again.

This is....what?.....the fourth time now since spring?
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post #2 of 11
10/28/11 at 5:31am
I'd try a different garage. Sometimes I feel like a certain garage may be purposely setting up your car to bring you back again and again.
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post #3 of 11
10/28/11 at 7:47am
Try a different garage. As nentioned, some don't really fix things but just patch them together. Some do it to keep a steady stream of income and some still do it because they think women are stupid, not mechanically inclined, etc. I lost my good mechanic when he retired, tried the other one in that town and he struck me as an idiot, so I made a decision to take my major problems to a dealership where I know the owner, the head mechanic, etc, and I know they ain't gonna mess me around. Go in there, am greeted by name from almost everyone from receptionists to salesmen to shop crew, get a straight answer, and they estimate on the high side, and the much lower bill is lovely to see; they had to fix one of the windows, needed a motor and estimate was 350, bill was 100.00 less including taxes. Shop around, you will find someone who will treat you right.
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post #4 of 11
10/28/11 at 1:41pm
Wow, yeah I'd be frustrated too. Good luck with it, hope it's cheap and fixes everything!
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post #5 of 11
10/28/11 at 1:46pm
Can you take it to someplace like Auto Zone first? I had the engine light come on days in a row and DH took it to Auto Zone and they ran diagnostic tests on the computer (didn't know cars even had a computer until then), and everything was fine. It turns out a fuse was blown in some thingamagiggy and the computer wasn't getting the reading and telling me something was wrong with the engine.

As you can see, I know NOTHING about cars, but what I thought was going cost hundreds of dollars to fix only cost about $5. It's worth a shot.
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post #6 of 11
10/28/11 at 2:14pm
Yeah Autozone will give you a free computer reading of why the check engine light is on.
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post #7 of 11
10/28/11 at 2:22pm
On our '99 Honday (which we have since sold) the check engine light came on. Mechanic said it is "sometimes" that the gas cap has to be replaced. Tried that, a few weeks later the light came back on, he checked it again and the 2nd "cure" was some kind of switch or something. Anyway, after around $280, we decided to sell the car. I understand the person who bought it had the check engine light come on some time later. Don't know what happened, but maybe it was something simple and we spent money unnecessarily.
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post #8 of 11
10/28/11 at 4:09pm
Oh how frustrating!!!! Maybe he's just complaining about the cold.
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post #9 of 11
10/29/11 at 4:21am
I second the free computer reading from Auto Zone.
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post #10 of 11
10/29/11 at 4:47am
Sounds like we have the same car... mine was just fixed (supposedly) in September and yesterday started acting strange again. I wish I could afford a new one. Good luck to you.
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post #11 of 11
10/29/11 at 5:45am
Thread Starter 
Twice this year it was critters chewing on wires. Once it was the gas cap not on properly (we still think somebody may have been coming around the neighborhood during that time because people had reported thefts in cars....I posted about that before. And thankfully, the garage did not charge me for that time).

Yesterday, the first thing I did was remove the gas cap and put it back on. The garage weenie said the last time that it could take 2-3 days for the computer to go through that same check, but if it was the cap again, the computer will realize that it's OK and the light should go off. And at this point, I think I'm going to wait and see. (I was more than a little embarrassed that I didn't think to check the cap the last time , but I figured it was just chewing rodents again.)

And if the light doesn't go back off, well then, it's time for another visit. Unfortunately, I don't think we have an Auto Zone around here.
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