New excitement turned nightmare...

[Steeda90GT]

How much are they quoting you for the head gasket repair. It shouldn't be too much.

 

[Steeda90GT]

I like to look at a monthly payment of a reasonably priced vehicle that is in reasonable shape. Actual value is meaningless, it's about the value to you.

This is how I look at it too. I always ask myself, what is it costing me per month to drive this vehicle.

About 5 yrs ago, I was faced with a busted transmission (reverse went out) I was quoted $1500 for a new unit, installed and everything. However, I was contemplating on whether that would be a good fiscal move....so I was this close >< to selling it. I even posted an ad on CL for it.

Long story, short. I decided to plunk the $1500 down and, get a new transmission. 5 yrs, 50k miles later and everything is still running strong. Best decision I ever made on a vehicle.

 

[moogvo]

I guess the big factors are as follows... I put less than 10k miles a year on a vehicle. How long will it take me to see a return on investment? Then, with 132k miles on it, what else can I expect to see needing attention in the next 6 months/1 year? I bought a Silverado on CL 3 years ago for $4500.00. Two weeks later, the transmission started slipping. I dropped a tranny in and drove it for the next 3 years. I only put about 25k miles on it in that time. It started to exhibit drive by wire problems and the torque converter started acting up... Locking and unlocking going down the highway. So it was a no brainer... I was not going to dump thousands into a truck with 190k, even though the engine was running as smooth as glass.

The X, on the other hand, SEEMS to have no other real issues. Hell! It is even hard to tell there is anything wrong with it now, aside from the rough idling and CEL when cold. The rest of the time, I have seen no other symptoms... Not even a loss of power (of course, I don't know how much power it is SUPPOSED to have since I bought it in this condition.

I could PROBABLY sell it on CL and get my money back out of it, but as my wife and I discussed, that would be wrong to sell something that needed major repairs and not disclose that information. Otherwise, I would get next to nothing by selling it.

At this point, I am pretty much FORCED to fix it and hope that there isn't another major failure lurking in the shadows. So the BIG question now is this - Is the X WORTH putting this much money into?

Book value aside, Yes. I think it probably is. I will have to keep it longer than I want to commit to in order to get my money back out of it, but given the fact that I drive several long trips each year in combination with the overall great shape of the vehicle, I think it is something that I will ultimately be happy with.

To give a color representation of how clean this thing really is... I would normally have already made holes all over it to mount 2-way radios, strobe lights, antenna and other stuff. Instead, I have been looking for a way NOT to butcher the car to install these things. I have NEVER felt ANY apprehension to drilling and cutting to install my equipment... Somehow, it is different this time. The X is just in too good of condition to go cutting on it. Having said that, Once the repairs have been made, I will install my stuff as normal since I won't have to worry about selling it. By the time I get finished with it, it will have MANY more years and miles on it so it will have little value left, so there is really nothing to lose.

OTOH, I COULD fix it, stick it on CL and MAYBE get MOST of my money back. The entire dynamics of this car have changed for me now. It's almost like being married to someone you think is incredibly awesome that you trust beyond all else, only to find out after 7 years of blissful marriage and beautiful kids that she has been cheating. You can forgive and reconcile, but something just gets lost that you can never get back, and it really isn't a money issue.

 

[moogvo]

Ok... UPDATE!!! So I went to the dealer to pick the car back up to take it to a shop to have it fixed. the owner/salesman I bought it from was not there, but his assistant was there. She spoke VERY little to me and cut eyes at me a time or two. There was also a customer looking at another vehicle... Do you know how BADLY I wanted to tell him that he had better RUN?! I will have my turn to do that.... and I WILL make sure to take the liberty to do exactly that... when the time is right.

In any case, there is a repair shop in the back of the building... NOT the same business, and in fact, the shop does no work for the dealer... but the owner of that shop told me today that the problem with my car was definitely known about before I bought it because he heard the owner and his mechanic discussing it out in the lot one day.

So then... NOW, I know that he lied to me. not that I gain any legal rights because of it, but the dealer, however, has loaned me a car to drive while mine is being fixed. I would HATE for something to happen to it before I took it back... like a blown head gasket from lack of coolant or some such unfortunate travesty... That would be really sad. It is SUCH a nice car...

I am allowing him to turn me into a ******* like him. Someone please tell me why it would be wrong for my drill to accidentally bounce up off of the driveway and go through the radiator just before I make the hour and 30 minute drive back to the dealer to return it?

 

[BrianDye]

Someone please tell me why it would be wrong for my drill to accidentally bounce up off of the driveway and go through the radiator just before I make the hour and 30 minute drive back to the dealer to return it?

I cant seem to find anything at all wrong with that...

Accidents happen...

 

[fifthranger]

I cant seem to find anything at all wrong with that...

Accidents happen...

This reminds me of the movie Days of Thunderwhen Tom Cruise and his nemesis destroy the rental cars on the way to dinner with the "boss", and they walk in late with stares and say "We had car trouble, I believe radiator problems, isn't that right". Anyway, I feel for you, and I know "the eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" analogy would fit, and the only thing I can say is that they would turn around and screw someone unsuspecting like you. The dealerships pass the problems on, so you wouldn't hurt them, you would hurt the next "honest customer".

 

[moogvo]

Of course... I COULD drain the oil and drive it till it stops and then put the oil back in... This would surely turn around and screw me somehow, I'm sure.

500 dollars plus parts is the last price I got.

 

[lounge lizard]

loosen the hose clamps on the rad. hose. make them finger tight. then drive it back to the dealer.

then when they say something. " hey! it was fine the whole time I had it! "

 

[moogvo]

Haahaahaa!!! That's FUNNY!

 

[moogvo]

It is frustrating that I have this awesome explorer with a bad head gasket. The guy who was going to fix it has disappeared. He was going to be reasonable on the price too. This is someone I know. He won't answer his phone and he didn't show up today to pick up the x.

Not sure what to do about it now. Everywhere I go wants to charge me almost $2500.00 to fix it. I will gladly pay for repair, but that is nuts! The dealer is a POS and won't do anything for me. I have gone to several places and left reviews and told my story, but that doesn't get the truck running.

What a pain!

 

[moogvo]

Well... It seems that the noise I made on the Internet over the weekend, in conjunction with the complaints I filed with the BBB, NC Department Of Justice, Rip Off Report and the conversation I had with the DMV inspector this morning motivated the dealer who sold me this vehicle to "Make things right".

He called me frantically after leaving yet another auto auction asking me what I wanted him to do. I told him that of the 4 shops I had been to, 2 of them told me that they would not do a head gasket on a 4.0 with 130k miles on it. One other shop quoted me $2600.00 (Which included timing chain, water pump and all new gaskets throughout). He told me that at that point, I should just go ahead and have the engine rebuilt. the remaining shop told me $2400.00.

I told him that I wanted the vehicle to be in the condition in which he represented it to be in the first place. Whether that means a head job and timing chain or a low mileage used motor... Makes no difference to me. I told him that he was going to have to offer me some reasonable written warranty and a written guarantee that the work had been performed correctly, and that the engine is up to spec.

he asked me if I would not rather just get my money back. I told him that I had already spent an additional $500.00 to fix minor things on it, and to add a tow hitch and vent visors. PLUS... I paid $250.00 for a shop to diagnose the blown head gasket and replace the intake gasket... So no, I don't want my money back unless you're gonna ante' up the additional I spent.

At the end of the day, the thing that really grabbed him by the grits is the fact that he sold it without having it inspected. BIG no-no in NC. He can lose his dealer's license over that. He knows it, and he knows that I know it. He also knows that I have been talking to the Inspector who would come over to his lot and shred his place looking for infractions. Apparently she doesn't care for his style of business.

So the reality is that he is only cooperating with me so I don't send her to bend him over a table... Doesn't really matter to me WHY he is making it right, just that he is. We'll see...

 

[windsors03cobra]

So you still going to tear up his loaner car ?

LoL research what your buying next time.

 

[moogvo]

Naaa. I was a lot of talk about the loaner car. I really have a great deal of respect for cars... even ones that aren't quite my "flava". I couldn't do anything bad to it. It's not the car's fault the guy is a putz. I took it back to him this morning and gave it back to his assistant. I couldn't keep driving it knowing what I was about to stir up.

Next time... Yeah. I will go over every single inch of it with a fine tooth comb... TWICE. I will take the scan tool, block tester and wear my overalls. THEN, I will take it to 2 shops to have THEM look it over with THEIR fine tooth combs.

I am not a TOTAL hores'e patoot... I am willing to be fair and pay for a share of the repair. Dang! That's LOTSA rhyming! He may or may not have known about the problem. That isn't for me to say. There is a number that I will not go over. I also expect the repairs to be done correctly. I am drafting up an agreement that he will allow me to take the vehicle to have the work inspected by a certified tech before I accept the repair. I will MAKE SURE that he will not fill it up with leak sealer and call it a day.


Lesson Lernt!

 

[joe doe]

500 dollars plus parts is the last price I got.

thats what i paid my mechanic to do all my gaskets .(head gaskets and everything in between)the parts from ford were about 300.00 .

well worth doing since the x is in such good shape .you can get 200k miles out that engine easy with regular oil changes .

now if the trans fluid has never been touched you will be tempted to change it .do not do it .
if somethings working leave it alone .

i should have followed my gut myself but i didnt .

i changed my trans fluid at about 130k miles and not soon after i lost reverse .

when they pull your heads dont be surprised if they say you need new heads too .

these heads are known to crack .

good luck.

 

[moogvo]

The dealer is far more optimistic than I am. He seems to think that he is going to get this done for less than 1500.00. I don't think so.

 

[BrianDye]

Bottles of head gasket repair juice is only about 10-20$

 

[moogvo]

Bottles of head gasket repair juice is only about 10-20$

Yeah... no doubt, right? LOL!

Ok, so after having a couple of conversations, he has decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if he just drops in a low mileage replacement engine. We have been talking about the mustang swap. he found an '08 with 34k miles on it locally that he is willing to go pick up. I told him that every single component on the outside of the engine would have to be changed over, and that he will only be able to use the long block from the mustang, but his mechanic says that it is no big deal. We'll see.

 

[BrianDye]

Oh man, this sounds like your either gonna end up scoring big time, or hes gonna find a way to f you again!

 

[lounge lizard]

I would start documenting everything. getting signed agreements. record phone conversation and let him know you are doing it.

just in case you need this info in a court battle when everything falls apart and you end up with nothing.

it would really be cheaper for him to give your money back and let him deal with it on his own time.

 

[moogvo]

Agreed. I have a 7 page contract that guarantees me pretty much complete satisfaction. He has 2 weeks or less to have the repairs completed to factory specs. He has to produce evidence that the engine IS what he claims it to be. I get to take it to any mechanic I choose to make sure the repair is done right and I get a 90 day warranty. It's all in writing in a contract I had drawn up. I have the option of returning the vehicle if the repairs are not performed to my satisfaction for a complete refund of my money if I am not satisfied. I don't think I am going to get screwed... again. I think that at this point, he pretty much knows that I mean business.

This thing is SUPER clean. It looks almost new. It still smells like "New Car" inside. The ONLY blemish on the interior is the center console lid covering. It has a hole worn in it. I already have the replacement material to fix it. At the end of the day, I don't think 4 Grand is a bad price for what I will wind up with...