Ditch shiny. Every car is used as soon as it's off the lot. Some of them are just a little more "well-loved" than others.
The biggest reason that people get rid of their cars is they let too many little things go and they become irritating. The things is, even though these little repairs can add up, they're still less than the cost of a new vehicle. Remember the three R's of recycling: Reduce, Re-use, recycle. Recycling is a last resort for when you can't reduce the consumption (of new cars) or re-use the car you have.
Even if you drill a drain in the spare tirewell, it could still plug when it freezes, but that's better than nothing, and it will hopefully keep the water level down a little. It might be worth looking around inside while some else plays a hose over it on a warm day to see where the water is coming in, and look for rust holes or loose or torn weatherstripping around that area (or any area higher up than that). I'd look particularly at the hatch seal near the top, as a first guess.
The exhaust hole should be an easy fix. Look for "muffler bandage" at an auto parts store if you know where the leak is. A shop (any shop) will replace parts rather than patch what you have, just their nature. Look in any exhaust shop's bin and you will see a startlingly large number of perfectly good parts. Sometimes all you need is a piece of tin can and a hose clamp.
As for the heat shield, if the tape isn't holding it, consider using either wire coathanger or zip ties, depending on what you have to attach to, and how hot things get. You might even have to drill a couple of holes in it or in a piece next to it to make it work, but if it keeps things from rattling and rubbing...
Of course, doing all these little bits yourself takes time, something we don't always have. My best suggestion would be to tackle the most annoying things first (not necessarily the biggest), and see how much that reduces your stress level and go from there.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 02:27 pm (UTC)The biggest reason that people get rid of their cars is they let too many little things go and they become irritating. The things is, even though these little repairs can add up, they're still less than the cost of a new vehicle. Remember the three R's of recycling: Reduce, Re-use, recycle. Recycling is a last resort for when you can't reduce the consumption (of new cars) or re-use the car you have.
Even if you drill a drain in the spare tirewell, it could still plug when it freezes, but that's better than nothing, and it will hopefully keep the water level down a little. It might be worth looking around inside while some else plays a hose over it on a warm day to see where the water is coming in, and look for rust holes or loose or torn weatherstripping around that area (or any area higher up than that). I'd look particularly at the hatch seal near the top, as a first guess.
The exhaust hole should be an easy fix. Look for "muffler bandage" at an auto parts store if you know where the leak is. A shop (any shop) will replace parts rather than patch what you have, just their nature. Look in any exhaust shop's bin and you will see a startlingly large number of perfectly good parts. Sometimes all you need is a piece of tin can and a hose clamp.
Electrical issues are much more irritating, and they can be hard to track down and fix, to boot. In the mean time, do you have somewhere you could plug in the car where it is normally parked? Something like this might help:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42292
If you can't get a cord to it, then maybe this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44768
As for the heat shield, if the tape isn't holding it, consider using either wire coathanger or zip ties, depending on what you have to attach to, and how hot things get. You might even have to drill a couple of holes in it or in a piece next to it to make it work, but if it keeps things from rattling and rubbing...
Of course, doing all these little bits yourself takes time, something we don't always have. My best suggestion would be to tackle the most annoying things first (not necessarily the biggest), and see how much that reduces your stress level and go from there.