*Sigh* Kids, especially daughters, and cars

Dueller · 08:53 AM

Well, she's gone and done it. Blew up the motor in her little 318ti I picked up 18 months ago. Despite my repeated instruction on watching the gauges and what they meant, she overheated it and fried the motor.

Our conversation went something like this:

Her: Jim, my car is making a funny noise and running weird.

Me: What kind of noise? Running funny how?

Her: Well it just doesn't want to go and its kinda rattling from the front end.

Me: Is it smoking?

Her: No..I don't think so. Well maybe a little when I come to a stop sign.

Me: Are there any lights on on the dash? Yellow or red lights?

Her: None that I see.

Me: What does the temperature gauge say?

Her: Which ones that?

Me: The one that has a dial and is red on the right side of the dial. It has what looks like a little thermometer in the middle of the dial.

Her: I don't see that.

Me: OK...look on the right side of gauge cluster...what do you see?

Her: No dial...just Adam (her b/f).

Me: Adam? Huh?

Her: Adam. A picture of me and Adam.

Me: Move the frigging picture...WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Her: Ohhhhhhh...there it is. It's past the red and there's a red light on.

Me: OK...pull over and shut the car off. I'll be right there. Where are you?

Her: Can't we do this later? I'm supposed to meet adam to go boat riding.

Me: Just kill me now.

Oh well...fortunately I located a low mileage motor from a former client. This weekend's project.

Rot 911 · 05-02-2008, 08:30 AM

Make her pay for it. Maybe she will appreciate the car a bit more if she has something invested in it.

KFC911 · 05-02-2008, 08:30 AM

Sorry Jim, but I'm just sitting here laughing...no advice WHATSOEVER

!!!

gprsh924 · 05-02-2008, 08:32 AM

I once spent 20 minutes trying to explain the difference between fwd, rwd, and awd to a friend of mine when she was 18 and had been driving for 2 years. In the end she claimed to understand, but I am still not sure.

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

Have Adam help. Seems he was part of the problem.

oldE · 05-02-2008, 08:36 AM

Get her a nice shiney new bus pass.

Les

speeder · speeder's Garage

Just let the car sit for a while, even if you have a motor for it. Let little Adam drive her around. That is a damn funny story, though.

tcar · 12:14 PM

For a lot of people, like your daughter, and my stepson, a car is just an appliance, like a refrigerator.

Also had a partner, grown man, bought a new car. Came in one morning about 6 months later and asked if I could figure out how to open the hood; a blinking red light had been on for a month. Had no idea there was an Owner's manual in the glove box...

Just get in and drive. No oil check or change, just go.

Get her a 15 year old corolla.

Moses · 05-02-2008, 08:47 AM

The hottest girl in my high school was as dumb as a sack of hammers. She asked me to look at her car that had been running badly and now wouldn't start. I turned the key and the motor was seized solid. On the dash was a little piece of cardboard taped over the oil light. "Oh, I put that there a week ago. The flashing red light was bugging me, especially at night."

The dipstick measured no oil.

I still think of the beautiful possibilities if I had been able to fix the car.

Dueller · 05-02-2008, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcar

For a lot of people, like your daughter, and my stepson, a car is just an appliance, like a refrigerator.

Just get in and drive. No oil check or change, just go.

Get her a 15 year old corolla.

Agreed. So many of her friends have new or virtually brand new trouble free cars. With twin stepdtrs we had a lmited budget and they paid for half of their cars + ins +gas. Kids have gotten real funny about gas. They are very conscious about using up their gas. Well, at least the ones who don't have daddy's gas card.

In her defense she keeps her little car immaculate and bugs the crap outta me when its time for an oil change.

Gogar · 05-02-2008, 08:53 AM

Seriously, Jim. Time for a '90s Hyundai or something. Fix the 318 at your liesure and sell it, buy 3 Hyundais. One for her, one for Adam, and one backup. Make sure they're ugly, ugly cars, too.

BGCarrera32 · 05-02-2008, 08:56 AM

Sounds to me like the car needs to sit for a good 6 weeks or so and she can cough up the funds for the replacement motor. Adam will need to be available to help put it in. At least you can accidentally bounce his head off the firewall when he gets in there to help...

Gogar · 05-02-2008, 08:57 AM

Wait, isnt "Adam" the idiotic, Abercrombie-clad spawn of fabulously rich money-spewing parents? Let him fix it. It was his picture that caused all this.

Dueller · 05-02-2008, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

Seriously, Jim. Time for a '90s Hyundai or something. Fix the 318 at your liesure and sell it, buy 3 Hyundais. One for her, one for Adam, and one backup. Make sure they're ugly, ugly cars, too.

Well, Adam has a 2007 GMC crew cab 4X4 and a 2006 Yukon 4wd SUV. The 318ti was a perfect car for her....sporty, economical, slow and cheap. Until now. The motor's only gonna cost her about $750. She has the money in her checking account so I'm gonna make her write it out this weekend.

She has been driving Adam's Yukon and getting 12-14 mpg so she's felt the crunch,

stomachmonkey · 05-02-2008, 08:58 AM

Which is why my daughter (and son) will learn how to DYI whether she likes it or not.

You want a car, you will learn how to take care of it, there will be tests. You will pay for the 1st POS yourself, plus the ins and gas.

She will attend proper driving schools, not Joe Schmoe driving academy but a real program like Barber or equivalent.

Currently shopping go carts, there is a track in my area, $300 per year membership gets you all the track time you want.

widgeon13 · 05-02-2008, 09:01 AM

That is too funny!

I was asked a while back by a divorced gal in our neighborhood (friend of my wife's) to check the oil in here daughter's car (red light ON)! Dip stick was dry as a bone, I added some oil and got it to the mark. Asked when the oil was changed last?? Her reply "oh, I thought it was good for a year"

Think I know why she is divorced!

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

I wouldn't be so quick to blame her - it's typical 4 cyl BMW nonsense- could be a blown head gasket, or a failed water pump or the radiator cracked in half. Totally random occurence.

Not that she should ignore lights on the dash...

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Wow.

I do know a guy who pulled the "check engine" light bulb on his car because it was annoying. Right before he sold it. But I can't say I've ever heard of anyone deliberately covering up gauges (especially important ones!) with pictures.

Sorry to hear, but funny.

gprsh924 · 05-02-2008, 09:16 AM

When I drive the 924, the temperature gauge is the only one that I really pay attention to.

varmint · 05-02-2008, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Wow.

I do know a guy who pulled the "check engine" light bulb on his car because it was annoying. Right before he sold it. But I can't say I've ever heard of anyone deliberately covering up gauges (especially important ones!) with pictures.

Sorry to hear, but funny.

lot of people used to do that. some idiot lights were programmed to blink incessantly unless you got a dealer to change the oil. didn't matter if you changed the oil yourself. only the dealer could turn that light off.

knew a girl in college who made her engine go china syndrome because she never knew that you were supposed to ad oil and water as well as gasoline.