c/car-trash-or-treasure

I disagree about fixing that rusty bumper on a 2002 Corolla

I heard someone at the shop say you should always junk a car if the bumper has rust holes because the frame is probably shot too. Well, I patched my 2002 Corolla's rear bumper with a $15 kit from AutoZone and it passed inspection fine last month. Has anyone else here had luck fixing rust without replacing the whole car?

1 comments

riverreed•16d ago

TIL that hot glue on a cracked radiator hose can get you 20 miles home

My buddy Dave in a AutoZone parking lot in Tucson told me to shove a bolt in the hose and wrap it with electrical tape after I laughed at him for suggesting it, and I drove that 87 Civic home without overheating, so now I wonder what other half-baked fixes actually work well enough to call a car a treasure.

2 comments

uma_johnson•18d ago

Paid $800 to fix a burnt valve on my 2005 civic

The shop said it would be cheaper to junk the car, but I did the math and the body and frame are still solid. Two years later and I have put maybe $200 more into it, has anyone else kept an old car running way past its book value?

3 comments

margaret_taylor42•18d ago

I used to always say fix it, but a trip to the local pick-n-pull made me rethink

Stopped by Pull-A-Part in Nashville last weekend to grab a taillight for my truck. Walked around and saw three cars that had perfectly good engines and transmissions but were stripped for parts because the owners gave up on them. Ended up realizing that sometimes the labor cost just isn't worth it, especially on a 98 Civic with rusted frame rails. Has anyone else found a car they thought was fixable was actually a lost cause once you saw it up close?

3 comments

kai_butler83•18d ago

My 2003 Camry with 210k miles and a cracked radiator

I picked up a 2003 Camry from a guy on Craigslist for $800. The radiator was cracked and leaking bad, but the engine ran smooth. I spent $120 on a new radiator and hoses, did the swap in my driveway over a Saturday. Now it's been running perfect for 4 months with no other issues. Is a cracked radiator a no-brainer fix or would you have just junked it for scrap?

3 comments

margaret_kim13•19d ago

Tried painting a dented fender myself last weekend and it came out looking like a bad tattoo

So I got this 2010 Ford Focus with a nasty dent on the passenger side fender from a parking lot hit and run. I used to just take everything to Maaco or a body shop but that costs like $500 minimum around here in Phoenix. Watched a few YouTube videos and decided to try sanding, filling, and spray painting it myself for $40 in parts. The color match is off by a mile and you can see the sanding scratches if the light hits it right. Honestly it looks terrible up close but from 10 feet away it's fine lol. My neighbor said I should have just left the dent and got a junkyard fender for $60 instead. Has anyone else tried the DIY paint route and regretted it or actually had it turn out decent?

2 comments

rubyschmidt•19d ago

That 2003 Honda Civic with the dented quarter panel I bought for $900

Five years ago I would have spent a full weekend with a slide hammer and bondo trying to make that dent perfect. Now I just slap a junkyard fender on it from the pick-n-pull in Lynnwood for $45 and call it done. When did I get so lazy, or is it just realizing a 20 year old car is never gonna be showroom quality? Anyone else just stop caring about cosmetic stuff on high mileage beaters?

2 comments

the_oscar•19d ago

Spent $180 on a new alternator for a 98 Civic with 220k miles.

Car had been sitting for two years but the engine sounded fine. Three weeks later the transmission started slipping. Should I have just sent that thing to the scrap yard from the start?

2 comments

eric_murray26•20d ago

Thought I could buff out any scratch until a 2003 Civic proved me wrong

Buddy brought over his beater Civic last week. Paint was trashed, deep gouge on the passenger door. Said I could fix it easy. Two hours with compound and a DA polisher. Barely touched it. That clear coat was paper thin. Told him to just hit up the junkyard for a door shell. What's the worst scratch you couldn't fix?

2 comments

grace_white•22d ago

Appreciation post: the guy at the scrap lot who stopped me from junking a perfectly good alternator

I had a 2006 Honda Civic with a dying alternator and was ready to send it to the crusher. The guy working the scale said 'hang on' and pointed out the bearings were shot but the windings were fine. He showed me how a $12 bearing kit from RockAuto could fix it instead of dropping $200 on a reman unit. Has anyone else had a salvage yard worker save them from making a dumb decision?

3 comments

jesser79•22d ago

Rant: That 'rust converter' spray I laughed at actually saved my old truck's frame

I was dead set on cutting out a rusted section of my 1997 F-150's frame near the rear axle in Austin last month, but the guy at the parts counter talked me into trying a $12 can of Rust-Oleum rust converter instead. I wire-brushed it down, sprayed it on, and after three days it hardened into this black coating that actually feels solid and isn't flaking. Has anyone else had this stuff hold up long term, or am I just delaying the inevitable here?

2 comments

oscarw83•23d ago

Hit 275,000 miles on my old Toyota pickup yesterday

I bought that truck new in 1995 for $11,500 and never expected it to make it past 150,000. The odometer rolling over that number made me wonder if a new clutch at 200k was treasure after all or just delaying the inevitable. Anyone else have a car that surprised them by lasting way longer than it should have?

2 comments

casey16•24d ago

Spent 4 hours on a cracked dashboard before I realized the fix was $12

I was ready to junk my 2005 Civic over a huge dash crack until a guy at the Pick-N-Pull in Tucson told me to just get a dash cover from Amazon. Has anyone else wasted a whole weekend on something that had a cheap easy fix?

2 comments

xena_fox39•25d ago

Put $500 into a salvage title Camry and now I'm kicking myself

Bought a 2010 Camry with a salvage title for $1500 last month thinking I got a steal... the body was straight but the radio was busted and it had a dent in the rear bumper. I spent $300 on a new radio and $200 on pulling the bumper dent and repainting it. Now the transmission is slipping and the guy at the shop says it's gonna be another $1500 to fix. Should I just cut my losses and junk it or try to sell it as-is for parts?

2 comments

ross.kevin•25d ago

That time my 2002 Civic's alternator died on I-35 in rush hour

Honestly, I was stuck in stop and go traffic near downtown Austin last Tuesday and the battery light flickered on. Then the radio cut out, power steering got heavy, and my dash dimmed like a old flashlight. I coasted to a gas station off the exit and called a buddy to grab a reman alternator from O'Reilly for $110. Was it worth fixing or should I have just junked the car? Has anyone else dealt with a alternator failure at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

felix147•26d ago

Guy at the Pick-n-Pull changed my mind about fixing rust holes

There was this old dude in a greasy Carhartt jacket pulling a door off a 90s Civic next to me at the local yard up in Tacoma. I was staring at a quarter panel with a rust hole the size of a baseball, trying to decide if I wanted to mess with it. He looked over and goes "if you can't poke your finger through it, just fill it with a fiberglass patch kit and send it. These cars ain't museum pieces." I was all set to cut it out and weld in a new piece. Ended up just grabbing a $12 Bondo kit and it held fine for two years. Changed how I look at beater cars honestly. Anyone else had a random stranger talk em out of overthinking a repair?

3 comments