Rip Clarence

[Winchester]

He's gone. Remember I said that he stopped and I managed to get him to the driveway last weekend? It was the timing belt. The mechanic no longer does that type of work. And it's really pricey.....even if nothing else is wrong. He also said that, when the timing belt goes, most often valves go and it's not unusual for the head to go, too. We're talking $1,000 to $2,000, depending on how much work is involved. And then another $1,000 for that blasted paint job, which he desperately needed.

Clarence was my 2001 PT Cruiser. I bought him new way back when, virtually sight unseen. Saw an ad from a car dealer in the newspaper, called down, asked what was in him, and said, "Do not sell that car! I'm on my way! NOW!" Went down, took him for a test drive, and bought him that night, and drove him home; he had 13 miles on him at that time. He was the automotive love of my life.

My heart says go ahead and spend the money. It's only money and I have it. My brain says, are you flippin' insane, woman? It's a car!

So....our admin assistant's DH has been looking for PTs to use for spare parts and he's offered to buy Clarence. He and Rick are going into the garage this weekend. I told Rick that I want the little ball on the gear shift. He said he'll clean him out, although he really doesn't have that much stuff in him, the furniture pad that I kept in the trunk to protect the carpet, but that's it. I kept that boy clean. I always did. I treated him better than I do the Hyundai.

Rick and I have been talking all week. He's offered to pay for half of whatever it costs and I could pay the other half. We also talked about just dropping a new (used) engine in; it would probably be cheaper than doing the timing belt, valves, etc. But you just never know. There might be other issues involved as well.

It is what it is.

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm so sorry for your mechanical loss
I'd send a condolence card but I don't think they make them for cars LOL

 

[foxxycat]

Too bad you don't know any other mechanics. How many miles on the puppy? Do you have decent used cars? I am so sorry this is going on. I never heard of timing belts killing the entire engine but I don't know much about those types of cars. I have a serpentine belt but I don't know if there's a timing belt inside-probably! I just only know bits and pieces.

You can always browse self fix it sites for your type of vehicle and search fix timing belt=see if anyone else recommends fixing or abandoning. I found a good site for Tahoe/Yukon trucks and tons of info in there about my truck. Maybe they have one for your car? it's a similar layout as this site.

Maybe you have a junk yard near you? Pick their brains? It doesn't seem too out of site to fix.

How is the structure of the body? Frame? Anything else that needs to be done other than a paint job?

Too bad you were not close to me. I got a great mechanic down the road who does all kinds of heavy duty stuff. He rebuilt the rear end in my Tahoe for dirt cheap compared to buying all new rear differential parts. Well over $4000 and he did the job for $750. Got a used rear end-tore it apart replaced all the o rings and springs and thingies in it. So far it's still driving well.

Sometimes I wish I could snap my fingers and get it done for you.

 

[denice]

My ex replaced a timing belt on one of our cars. Fortunately it didn't tear up the engine when it broke, I think it depends on the engine. Some engines are more prone to that, I know Honda's are very prone to it. It is quite a job though. The entire top part of the engine had to be taken off. He went ahead and replaced the water pump when he did it because the same thing had to be done to replace that.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I just gasped in the hair salon. I'm so sorry to hear this.

 

[Winchester]

Thanks, guys. I know, I know, it's just a car and there are worse things that can happen. But well, I'm not handling it well at all. I will never name another car again.

He had just over 150,000 miles on him.....not many really, considering how old he was. The clutch is three years old, the tires probably have less than 5,000 miles and his battery isn't even a year old. We have all the paperwork. He had oil changes every 3,000 miles, like clockwork. There's a crack in the dashboard; that's from sitting so much in the sun as we don't have a garage. The seats are fine; I kept a furniture pad in the trunk to help protect the carpet. Rest of the carpet is fine.

Clarence took us through the midwestern US twice, the southern US twice, we were in Canada, oh lord, I don't know how many times I went to CT for shopping with one of my GFs, he took me to NJ to see Carol/LaRussa scads of times. He hauled everything from furniture to flowers to groceries, to everything; the apples that car has hauled. I always thought it was so amazing just how much "stuff" I could pack into that car. I loved that I could hop in, open the moonroof, pop in a CD, and just go. I can't tell you how many times he and I drove to NY in the summertime to spend the weekend with my GF, on the road with the moonroof open and Aerosmith blaring away.

I know, foxxycat . I wish I knew somebody who would be willing to do the work. I just don't know people like that. Most of the car people I know are older and don't want to get into that kind of work anymore. And the more well-known guys do charge an arm and a leg for it.

It's my fault for not reading the damn manual. I knew nothing about timing belts, but ignorance is no excuse.

 

[Kat0121]

Thanks, guys. I know, I know, it's just a car and there are worse things that can happen. But well, I'm not handling it well at all. I will never name another car again.

No, it's not just a car. It's something that brought you happiness. We go through a lot of losses in life. None deserve to be trivialized. I understand how you feel. I drive DH's 2006 Ford F150. Is it my dream vehicle? No. I keep it because it reminds me of him. Someone ran a red light back in November 2011 and hit it (and me) head on. He had only been gone 2 months. The first body shop I went to told me it was totaled. I almost had a nervous breakdown in his parking lot. I was not ready to let something else go. I took it to the Ford dealership that he bought it from and they fixed it.

We become attached to vehicles. They are a big part of our lives. If you have to get something else, find something that you will LOVE driving. After all, we spend a lot of time in our vehicles, don't we?

 

[foxxycat]

I just did a search for PT cruiser 2001-2003 in PA and looks like they run about $2000. I bet you could find another one for not too much money! Craigslist is another good place. Just have your mechanic look it over when you test drive it. The key to look for is low miles...you never know! Jon found this beautiful Crown Vic with only 35,000 miles in the newspaper and he got 4 years out of it. the Head cracked and the dealership wanted $1000 to fix it. He decided to get a new car..stupid in my opinion but he was always driving beater cars and wanted something he didn't have to fix..too bad I can't get him to buy a new tractor/back hoe so he doesn't have to work on it.

Cargurus I think was the site I was looking on. Maybe a new PT cruiser?

 

[Winchester]

Rick and I had a long talk. He told me to do what I want; he's not going to stand in my way since it's my money I'm spending. So...I've made some phone calls: new timing belt, new whatever it takes (valves, water pump, etc.). I want some estimates at this point. I'm not saying we're going to do this, but I need to know. Most of my problem is that the guys simply don't want to deal with it. And I can't say that I blame them.

I don't want a new Cruiser. And people have spent money on stupider things, I reckon.

 

[weebeasties]

I sympathize with you. I had a little 93 dodge spirit that I named Brave Little Toaster. It was the first car I bought on my own. I loved that thing. Over the years it had various mechanical problems, but it never left me stranded. She always brought me home. I felt so safe in that car. We had to sell her 3 years ago and I still miss her.

 

[Primula]

I've never learned to drive, but I can relate to Pam's sadness. I remember a colleague of mine who bought a new minivan to replace her old one. She told me the next morning that she was so sad imagining where her old minivan had spent the night.

 

[bodester413]

That sucks. Those PT Cruisers are a fun cars. You might get lucky though....depending on what engine it has.....Some of them are what they call non-interference engines and less likely to suffer damage after a timing belt breaks....It's amazing how attached we become to cars.....The longer we have them the more memories get associated with them....

 

[Winchester]

So......$2,000 later. Clarence is getting a new(er) engine with a brand new timing belt and a brand new water pump. The mechanic is going to the garage next week to pick him up and fix him. I need to call the other guy for the paint job, which is another $1,000. He should be on the road before the end of summer. I hope. I told the guy I was more than willing to go up during my lunch hour on Monday to write him a check for half the cost; he said it was not a problem. He's the same guy who put the new clutch in him, so he's familiar with the car and he knows I'm good for the money.

Rick offered to pay half the cost, but I turned him down. This is my thing and I need to do it.

BTW, Paul, the guy who's doing the work, told me about a woman whose Toyota was totalled. She took it to him to repair. He told her he could sell her the exact same car for about half the cost of the repair. She said no, that it was not the same car and she wanted hers fixed. So I'm not the only nutcase out there.

Thanks so much, all of you. Even if you thought I was a real nutjob, you didn't tell me. And that mattered. Thank you.

 

[foxxycat]

I don't think you are a nutcase!! Hey we all have our own quirks..and maybe I will buy a PT Cruiser-they seem like nice cars for someone like me who always has "Junk" to Sell. Hey it's cheaper than another Tahoe..and maybe I can get a roof rack to cart around my kayak but that bugger is 14 feet long..not sure if the car itself would blow over with that big honking thing ontop of it..either way I am glad you found something that works.

How many miles on that engine? Yes the Waterpump should always be replaced if you are removing the headers and intake. It's all got to come out anyways. All gaskets too. As long as they have an engine hoist it won't be too bad. Hey it's your baby! Who knows? You may get another 100,000 miles out of him!

 

[jcat]

You remind me of my eldest niece and the very first car she ever bought (a used Honda).

She finally broke down and got a new one after 3 engines and >400,000 miles. Yes, I do understand the attachment.

 

[Primula]

How many miles on that engine?

150K, Pam said.

 

[Winchester]

The new(er) engine has 75,000 miles on it and only comes with a 90-day warranty. Clarence has 150,000 miles now. But Paul says he trusts the guy who has it, so well, it's a chance I have to take. With the new timing belt, the new water pump, and a < one-year-old battery, I will take the chance. At least I don't have to worry about the damn timing belt for a while.

I'm sorry, but.....it's worth a chance. If I get bitten, so be it. When we thought Clarence was going to be sold, Rick looked at me said, "What the hell do we do now?" And I couldn't say anything. He didn't really want to get rid of him either, although he was more realistic than I am.

I've had new cars. Clarence was new, my Olds Calais was new, my Turismo was new, the Tucson was new. No car has ever meant as much as what this Cruiser has meant.

Bless you, jcat. I know what your niece was going through. You'll have to tell her that I understand.

 

[foxxycat]

Sounds like the new engine will be just fine. It's just broken in. I think it will be fine.

I know I was nervous the first month after they replaced the rear end..I was expecting it to fail but knock on wood it's still going strong. 2 years later.

 

[Mother Dragon]

Oh, I'm so very happy you're keeping him. My heart was hurting for you. Just think of the new engine as a heart transplant. He's going to feel better than he has in a long time. You two still have many adventures ahead.

 

[Winchester]

There you go! One of my GFs said the same thing. She told me to consider the engine as a transplant and the paint job as a face-lift. She is one of my closest friends and she and I had a lot of good times with that car. She was happy to know that he's not gone yet.

The dashboard has a crack in it. I found another dashboard, same color and in great shape, so we're going to change that out, too, while we're at it. (Rick has always said that I babied that boy. He understands the "thing" with Clarence and he really likes him, too. He was telling one of his co-workers about it. The co-worker asked him if that was the same Cruiser that he drives to work every once in a while; he said, "Only when she lets me drive him!". And that's pretty much true. There have been times when his truck was in the garage and he was going to take Clarence to work. I've made him drive the Tucson and I drive Clarence.)

I'm excited and looking forward to driving him again.