I need car help!

[oesdog]

Ok - 7 yrs ago I passed my test so as an older lady I was really pleased with myself. DH said whoever passed their test first out of me and the kids would get his sports car. I passed my test in the June DD in the November and DS not at all! So I got the sports car - though I couldn;t drive it because I have Fibro and it was a stick shift. DH part exchanged it in for the most beautiful little Peugeot automatic and I was in love. I called her Matlida after my great granny and I felt safe and confident behind the wheel of the little 3 door puddle jumper. Folk laughed at it and said it was tiny but I could reverse her and get into small places and she was great! But now all these years on she is 9 yrs old. The exhaust fell off twice! Which was scarry and then the sensors started packing up in the engine and the engine warning light came on. We got £600 worth of work done to the engine and of course got the exhaust done so a bit happened over the years. But I loved her and I didn;t care she was old. Then a few weeks ago the engine light came on again and she went back to the local garage. He turned the light off and said not to worry its a sensor in the cat. ???? Well it was ok and that was all that mattered. Then a few days later the light came on again. The local fellow said never mind I will turn it off again but come to me before her test and I will make sure its off so she passes. Well I was pretty sure he was just dealing with the simptom and not the cause but DH said it was fine and we had agreed no more repair money so I shut my mouth and drove. Then DH drove her and unfortunately he noticed she sounded like a bag of bolts! Of course I knew this all along. It turned out she had a the hole in the Cat and would need a whole new exhause system and cataletic converter. Due to her age this was not financially viable so DH said what about trading her in.

We had a fellow near us who had cars and he had a lovely 5 door Renult hatch back that was both Stck shift and Automatic. It was a big car , bigger than I was used to. DH said he loved it! I got the feeling it was more his choice than mine but I know automatics are hard to get here so I was ok with it. So DH did a dealw itht he fellow and told him she had a problem with the Exhaust system and would need work done. We sent matlida away and I felt like I wanted to cry - felt like a betrayal of trust but then when I got the new car I felt like I had progressed, graduated to bigger things. It was for one more modern though I still can;t get my head round her not having a key? She just has this square thing and I can;t read the buttons on it and have to guess if the car is open or locked? I have driven her on and off but only once when I was alone. She is bigger inside and better room for the grandaughters baby seat and getting the disabled boy in and out and DH manages to get in and out ok and is more comfortable. ( he is also disabled) With his growing disabilities I have started doing more stuff and driving is one of them. We needed a car we could both drive and was ok for him. Anyhow things started to go wrong.

The first few days I had her we noticed the brake were sticking so we sent her to the local garage and the fellow put new brake discs and pads on the back wheels. Then DH drove her and she was fine so I took her to get my grandaughter from nursery which is about 3 miles away and as I came back into the village the engine warning lights came on with the BIG stop message and the ABS lights. She went back to the garage and DH went to see the fellow who had Matilda as we still have to pay him money for the new car. - DH said he would take the money for the brake work off the cost but then this issue. We took her back to the local garage but still last night the STOP engine lights came back on.

DH went to see the fellow we got her from and said he would have to pay the bill for the car - or give me Matlida back! Of course he didn;t want to do that as he has a buyer for Matilda. I guess I felt a bit sad about that but at the same time know this care is better for our needs if it was ok? But I am still in a situation were I am frightened to drive it any length so I am no better off than having the old bag of bolts I was so fond of.

I don;t know how serious ABS light are????? I just know my old bag of bolts would have cost about £500 to fix and this one has cost £1,200 ( it is up in years though 7yrs old while Matty is now 9 yrs old!) already and of course my fear of her size and strength and not knowing where the light switch is yet?

DH is more and more frustrated with me and keeps asking ME to make a choice between them??????? I don;t know the first thing about under the bonnet stuff? I miss my old Matilda and the safety I felt in driving her. I miss the confidence I felt and now I just feel scared and upset and lost. All I know is there is knocking comming from the front left wheel and I worry that it will drop off but DH said it wont but then he said Matilda's exhaust wouldn't and it did? Agh - ???? Help.

Oes

 

[SillyChicken]

Just about all the lights bells and whistles come on my old truck... but we still drive it. ABS come on all the time.. engine light etc. Brakes are fine. Most of the time, they're just sensors that need replaced. Engine lights are generally emissions issues... sensors again. One thing easy to check is your gas cap. The engine light will come on if the cap is gone or lose fitting and that's a quick easy one to fix.

I know how you feel about your attachment to your car...I've had many cars that I really miss and regret selling (or someone else wrecked)

good luck!

 

[oesdog]

Thanks for the post. - I have not yet filled this car with fuel.
It doesn;t have a cap at all. It is a flap that opens and a sleve you put the nossle into DH says its a one way thing -? It apparently seals itself. I am a wee bit afrade of it! My old car you had to take the key out of the ignition and undo the fuel cap with it. It was good because I used to put the cap on the top of the car with the key in it so I never forgot it! Also I never locked myself out of my own car either. So this one I will have to be careful of as I am thinking I will lock myself out of the car doubtless witht he baby or Danny inside!

Oes - I am not feeling the "love"

 

[SillyChicken]

no, it doesn't seal it'self.... the little flap may help to some degree with debris etc, or help prevent you from using the wrong type of fuel,,,, but it opens inward.. so there is no sealing the tanks and lines when gas is being drawn from the tank, it draws the flap inward if anything and doesn't create the pressure most cars use to regulate gas/emissions etc.. You need to get a gas cap, it seals from the outside and, seals even more if there is suction in the tank. I'd be willing to bet your engine light goes away if you put a cap on it... and I guarantee it'll be cheaper than the mechanic!!

There's nothing to be afraid of....

This came from a vehicle repair site, maybe it'll help explain what I meant above. this can happen if the cap is loose, so imagine what it's doing if it's missing!
http://www.drivewire.com/part/fuel-delivery/gas-cap/
Gas Cap and Fuel Tank Cap
The gas cap on newer cars and trucks is part of the emission control system and must be completely tight for the car to run properly. The fuel systems use a vacuum recirculation system that keeps the gas fumes from going into the air. If you do not tighten the gas cap all the way the check engine light will come on the dash. If this happens, simply tighten the gas cap, and wait a few days. The light should eventually go out. If the check light does not go out, there may be more wrong than a loose gas cap.


It's at least a good place to start.