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Old 05-15-2015, 04:18 PM   #1
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Name: Wayne
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Using car forums to fix your vehicle

Once again I saved a pile of money by surfing internet auto forums.

This Spring I tried out the air conditioning on our 04 Toyota Sienna and it didn't work. I popped the hood and noticed the compressor didn't come on. Jumped on the Sienna forum and read about a common relay fault problem with these vehicles. Did a simple relay swap with the horn relay and wha-la, we have cold air, and the horn failed to operate indicating a bad relay. $30 for a new relay and all is well. One guy on the forum was quoted $1,200 from a dealer and his too only had a $30. relay problem.

Once again the internet auto forums have save me a lot of cash.

PS.... 5 years ago I had a battery parasite drain issue on the G35 and the dealer wanted $2,000 to replace the radio. I pulled the radio and let my electronic wizzard buddy have a crack at it. He spent an hour with it, worked his magic, and it has been working good ever since.
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Old 05-15-2015, 05:12 PM   #2
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You can't own a Volkswagen Diesel without frequenting the TDI forums. There are so many weird and possibly (likely) expensive problems.
I could not suggest anyone buy one of these on my say so, but it serves my needs well.
You need to be able to work on things yourself or have a pile of money for the dealers these days really no matter what make of car you drive.
At ove time I swore I would never have another VW with the possibly expensive problems, be we started looking for an upgrade for our 2009 station wagen and to make She Who Must Be Obeyed happy we ended up with a low mileage like new VW that is just like what we had, just newer and 230,000 fewer miles.
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Old 05-15-2015, 07:19 PM   #3
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Any car can get expensive to own in general if you aren't willing to at least diagnose most problems yourself... dealers are notorious for making simple and otherwise inexpensive repairs into very large ones. Of course, many are also quite guilty of creating/inventing problems that don't really exist.
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Old 05-15-2015, 07:30 PM   #4
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Over the past 10 years, my main daily driver has been a Mazda MX5 Miata. The car was 14 years old with 50,000 miles when I bought it. It is now 25 years old with 120,000 miles. I have recieved much helpful information at Miata.net. I have never been to a Mazda dealer, I have a friend who has a garage, he handles the big stuff for me.
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Old 05-15-2015, 08:10 PM   #5
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Even simple appearing components on new vehicles can be a dadgum puzzle with fasteners not readily visible. I had to routinely go on line to find out how to remove the various light lenses on our Honda van to replace bulbs.
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Old 05-16-2015, 12:54 PM   #6
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Youtube videos are also a great way of learning how to do specific repairs once you have diagnosed the problem. Theres a good chance that you will find the make and model for the specific repair you are doing.
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Old 05-16-2015, 01:26 PM   #7
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I am not a car persons by any stretch of the imagination. They either start for me or they don't! :-)

Also used the car forums though to figure how to install an after market back up camera... do not think I would have ever figured out how to remove the dash cover off the radio/heater controls etc. without breaking something without the help of videos and photos others had posted. Saved me the $150 in labour that a local shop had quoted to do the job for me.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:00 AM   #8
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Name: Jeannie
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Isn't the internet a wonderful thing.

Just yesterday I replaced the power window motor on my truck after looking at you-tube videos for my vehicle. After that, went inside and fixed my dishwasher after watching a couple of videos.

Whenever a problem crops up around my house the forums and you-tube are the first places I check, then order parts from Amazon or other sources before the fun begins. Arthritis is the only thing that slows down the repairs; it takes longer to do repairs than it used to.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:12 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeanS View Post
Isn't the internet a wonderful thing.

Arthritis is the only thing that slows down the repairs; it takes longer to do repairs than it used to.
Isn't that the truth Jean. Many of us just carry on but with "issues" the pace gets slower.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:26 AM   #10
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If buying a vehicle it is good to visit the vehicles forum to see what issues the vehicle has. Just remember people are more prone to post a complaint rather than praise for their vehicle. But the forums are good for picking up expensive maintenance trends.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:28 AM   #11
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I am not going to attempt any major mechanical work, but thanks to the internet I can at least do basic maintenance like changing the cabin air filter, headlamp bulbs, and the like. Manufacturers won't give you a clue on even the simplest things- they want to keep you tied to dealership service departments.
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Old 05-18-2015, 08:46 AM   #12
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Consumers and...dealerships are just like....cows and ...greedy farmers. It's too bad when a cow could jump the fence,..walks direct to..dairy stores, milks herself and...sells her milk to the store....The internet era is just wonderful, to the point of anybody can do basic maintenance for their stuffs, just about...anything. I do not like......any dealership. Lol.
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