Dont worry, its been making that noise awhile...

Wow. That's impressive neglect.

 

I always liked the gents bringing in brake rotors worn into the center fins...asking to get them turned/renewed at the parts store.

One afternoon, a fellow drove through our front door, stopping in the center of the front store lobby...he needed brake parts .

 

While I agree with @MarkieMark ’s sentiment, problems like this aren’t always the result of stupidity or simple negligence. Living hand to mouth is the more likely cause. How many folks have $400 put aside in case of emergency? How few have ten times that? How about a credit limit on a clean card to cover a costly emergency? I’m fortunate to never to have had to face a situation like that. I’ve known people where I worked who had to beg a ride until they could get a car repaired.

We’re a pretty fortunate group here. I see posts all the time about bringing home a guitar or amp just because we liked it. I’m guilty of checking prices when I shop and buying it anyway if I want it bad enough. Easily, half the country doesn’t live that way. They drive along in what they have the way it is until it drops from exhaustion because they don’t have other options.

 

Oh my. That's bad..... very bad....

 

Yikes!

Mrs. Steerforth’s car has a maintenance plan, she just takes it in and they take care of everything. I paid for that so I don’t have to deal with it.

But the truck and the tractor I still fix myself if something goes wrong.

 

My wife has a weird thumpa thumpa going on in her rear
left tire. Took it in a few times, and they checked.,
could not find anything. I heard it could be a
number of issues from brakes, to ball joint, etc,etc.

 

Sounds like it could be the dead body of her last husband...

Have you checked the trunk?

 

No worries, it will Buff out.

 

I guess if there are no lights on, it must be ok to keep driving .

 

This. I’ve been there. I’m not anymore, for the most part. But I’m still not far from it. If 2-3 things happened at the same time, I’d be hosed. And they wouldn’t have to be super big things.

There were absolutely times in my life when I drove a car with parts that looked as bad as those pictures, or worse. Because I didn’t have a choice. It wouldn’t take a whole lot to put me right back there.

It’s said that over 60% of Americans don’t have enough put back to pay their bills for three months if they lose their job. 80% couldn’t go six months. And less than 10% could make it a year.

Having been in the position of having to choose between fixing the car, or buying food, for an extended period of time, I can tell you the car can end up in pretty bad shape.

 

I pulled into a gas station with my 1975 Chevy Malibu. I went in to pay first and the guy looks out the window and says “Hey man, yer car’s on fire.” I look out to see a fire coming out from my rear passenger side wheel well... fuel pump side!
I went running out there, started the car and moved it away from the pumps and used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
Turned out my wheel bearing was bad but I didn’t know it. Replaced the wheel bearing at the gas station later that day and drove that car another 50k miles.

 

Many decades ago, I was working for a small dealership outside of Boston. A tow truck pulled in out yard...Fri afternoon..pretty warm out. A very attractive young lady jumped down from the truck's passenger seat. As the truck driver lowered her Toyota Solara..( convertible Camry)...every young tech ran out to assist the young damsel in distress. One tech opened the hood...pulled her dipstick, and ran it down his tongue...it was bone dry. When she was questioned as to when her last oil change was, she scrunched her face and said..."they come with oil, don't they?" The car now had 61K miles on it..she bought it new.....

 

Working on my own vehicles and helping out friends with theirs, I think about these things as I approach an oncoming car at 75 mph while riding my Harley.

Crank up that radio and you will not hear the ills of that two-ton vehicle that you are driving.