Comments on: I hate cars. http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/ Cycling, hiking, camping, etc -- now back in southern Indiana. Words and photos. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:11:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: John http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5841 John Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:02:28 +0000 http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/#comment-5841 I am one of those that if it were possible, I would be a full time year round bike rider. Alas, the distance to work is too great and there is no public transportation. I am one of those that if it were possible, I would be a full time year round bike rider. Alas, the distance to work is too great and there is no public transportation.

]]> By: MRMacrum http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5828 MRMacrum Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:23:33 +0000 http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/#comment-5828 Yes, the internal combustion engine does indeed suck. And anyone who actually feels they can get get by without one is my hero. But as much as I find their existence a necessary evil at best, I also have become dependent on them to function in the area which I live. Living in the sticks would be a damn sight tougher without at least one vehicle. Anyway, welcome to the world of "real" car ownership. Even when the payments go away, they find a way to pick your pocket. Yes, the internal combustion engine does indeed suck. And anyone who actually feels they can get get by without one is my hero. But as much as I find their existence a necessary evil at best, I also have become dependent on them to function in the area which I live. Living in the sticks would be a damn sight tougher without at least one vehicle.

Anyway, welcome to the world of “real” car ownership. Even when the payments go away, they find a way to pick your pocket.

]]> By: furiousball http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5810 furiousball Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:04:25 +0000 http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/#comment-5810 oh man, my pathfinder is over 120K miles and it needs a tune up which involves taking off the manifold. my father and i are going to attempt to do this ourselves. pray for us, the other option is a about a $500 bill - pray, please oh man, my pathfinder is over 120K miles and it needs a tune up which involves taking off the manifold. my father and i are going to attempt to do this ourselves. pray for us, the other option is a about a $500 bill – pray, please

]]> By: Revrunner http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5808 Revrunner Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:51:11 +0000 http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/#comment-5808 Yep, been down that road, so to speak, just recently as a matter of fact. Only this was for a 1999 Toyota Corolla with WAY over 100,000 miles on it. Probably closer to 200,000 miles now. Spent $2000 to get it back on the road. But I figure it was worth it to give my son some transportation at college. He mostly rides his bike on campus. But there's just some stuff he's got to do by car. Yep, been down that road, so to speak, just recently as a matter of fact. Only this was for a 1999 Toyota Corolla with WAY over 100,000 miles on it. Probably closer to 200,000 miles now. Spent $2000 to get it back on the road. But I figure it was worth it to give my son some transportation at college. He mostly rides his bike on campus. But there’s just some stuff he’s got to do by car.

]]> By: Noah-it-all http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-5806 Noah-it-all Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:16:03 +0000 http://www.apertome.com/blog/2007/12/13/i-hate-cars/#comment-5806 I know I come off like a know-it-all sometimes, but I actually know a little bit about a great many things, and a metric-crap-ton about a very few of those. Mid-90s Fords are definitely in that niche of stuff I know a great deal about. First, the obvious. The brake light comes on both when your parking brake is on or when the brake fluid sensor is reading low levels of fluid. This can happen just from the fluid displaced by the calipers when your brake pads wear thin. Not surprisingly, blowing a seal on the wheel cylinder and leaking fluid will also cause low fluid levels. The cylinder itself is probably $50 or so. Getting to it is a little tricky but it really is something that the average joe can fix in a driveway or parking lot in a few hours with a floor jack and hand tools. You have my email address. If you want to e-mail me what all the shop has said was wrong before, and what other symptoms you're having, I can guide you through fixing the stuff, or at least tell you how to know if you're being taken to the cleaners. I can't find my 1995 Ford repair manual CD-ROM (for my '95 Escort) but it had the Taurus manual on it as well, and IIRC the taurus didn't change much or at all from '95-96. I know I come off like a know-it-all sometimes, but I actually know a little bit about a great many things, and a metric-crap-ton about a very few of those. Mid-90s Fords are definitely in that niche of stuff I know a great deal about.

First, the obvious. The brake light comes on both when your parking brake is on or when the brake fluid sensor is reading low levels of fluid. This can happen just from the fluid displaced by the calipers when your brake pads wear thin. Not surprisingly, blowing a seal on the wheel cylinder and leaking fluid will also cause low fluid levels. The cylinder itself is probably $50 or so. Getting to it is a little tricky but it really is something that the average joe can fix in a driveway or parking lot in a few hours with a floor jack and hand tools.

You have my email address. If you want to e-mail me what all the shop has said was wrong before, and what other symptoms you’re having, I can guide you through fixing the stuff, or at least tell you how to know if you’re being taken to the cleaners. I can’t find my 1995 Ford repair manual CD-ROM (for my ’95 Escort) but it had the Taurus manual on it as well, and IIRC the taurus didn’t change much or at all from ’95-96.

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