Any Car Smart people out there???

odusgolp

Ball joints, brake calipers, tie rod end, strut.....could be any of these. Best thing to do is go into the mechanic and tell him you have very little money and would like to get an estimate and diagnosis on the problem so you can save up the money and come back to get it fixed. Once they "think" you don't have a lot of money...they probably won't tell you 10 others things that really don't need to be done.Then have someone that you know replace what needs to be replaced.

I like this tip, thank you.

odusgolp

I... know zero about cars. Let's preface this with that...

My 11 year old Tribute is making a very odd rattle/clunk whenever we go over a series of bumps. It sounds much like the wheels are just going to fall off and my car will bottom out *LOL*

My ex-husband drove it and said "I don't know, maybe you need your tie rods replaced." Keep in mind... he doesn't know much about cars, but a tish more than me. And from what I've read, that's not a difficult or expensive fix if it is the problem.

I'm curious before I take this sucker in (as I don't have a trusted mechanic), any guesses on what could potentially be the problem to cause that kind of feeling? My car isn't even worth $1500 at this point, so I'm kind of toying with simply replacing it instead of bringing it in at all... hence the random question.

Is there any odd or uneven tire wear ? (less tread on the inside of the tire vs. outside )

Like this

Actually no, they're wearing pretty evenly right now.

odusgolp

FYI: I'm feeling dumber and dumber with each post.

God, I love you people *LOL*

dinosnopro

I... know zero about cars. Let's preface this with that...

My 11 year old Tribute is making a very odd rattle/clunk whenever we go over a series of bumps. It sounds much like the wheels are just going to fall off and my car will bottom out *LOL*

My ex-husband drove it and said "I don't know, maybe you need your tie rods replaced." Keep in mind... he doesn't know much about cars, but a tish more than me. And from what I've read, that's not a difficult or expensive fix if it is the problem.

I'm curious before I take this sucker in (as I don't have a trusted mechanic), any guesses on what could potentially be the problem to cause that kind of feeling? My car isn't even worth $1500 at this point, so I'm kind of toying with simply replacing it instead of bringing it in at all... hence the random question.

Is there any odd or uneven tire wear ? (less tread on the inside of the tire vs. outside )

Like this

Actually no, they're wearing pretty evenly right now.

If it does not pull to one side when you let go of the steering wheel, I would say it is a safe bet it is shock / struts. C.V. joints will clunk or click while turning, and tie rod ends or ball joints will cause uneven wear on the tires, and cause the vehicle to pull to one side.

cbear017

My guess is worn u-joints or slip yoke splines.

marsellient

"Smart Car" is not. I call it Dumb Car. :bigsmile:

She's looking for "Car Smart People" -- folks with knowledge about cars -- not "Smart Car people".

I had a **** Lexic moment.

I read Smart Car at first, too...lol. (And that's what my DH calls them, too.)

OP, good luck. Car trouble is a pain.

RBXChas

I too, would guess it's shock/strut problem. It may be time for a different vehicle.

I'm sooo torn on what to do... paid off vehicle? vs. repairing whatever is wrong??

I also am going to need new tires within a year, which is a minimum of $600 and a brake job by spring.... So, do I sink up to $2000 on this car? Or take that $2K as a downpayment on something new?

Mind you, the Mazda has some body damage and... well, we've been through a lot together I didn't really believe in treating her well with regular maintenance when we first fell in love *sigh*

Hmmmm, I'm no car expert (I clicked on this because I wasn't sure exactly what you meant - I kind of thought Smart Car, too), but I would ask around about a reputable mechanic and have them take a look to tell you what needs to be done. I know how expensive tires can be, so that's a hefty chunk of change there that would be avoided with a new car. Even $1,000 worth of repairs would be enough for me to ditch a car, if it had body damage and assuming I could afford a new car payment. We got rid of our awesome Honda Accord last year for these same reasons (it needed about $2,000 in tires and maintenance/repairs, and it had just been in a minor accident).

No_Finish_Line

its probably a blown strut. But it could just be the top nut coming loose.

If its you need a new strut they would probably want to replace at least two if not all four. say 125 a strut (which is a little cheap) so 250 plus maybe two hours labor, idk maybe 400- 450 to have it done at a shope would b reasonable. IDK i'm no expert on what it would cost at the shop, always replaced myself

odusgolp

its probably a blown strut. But it could just be the top nut coming loose.

If its you need a new strut they would probably want to replace at least two if not all four. say 125 a strut (which is a little cheap) so 250 plus maybe two hours labor, idk maybe 400- 450 to have it done at a shope would b reasonable. IDK i'm no expert on what it would cost at the shop, always replaced myself

And thank you for this!!