K12144

Note: managed to somehow post this in the 7th-generation forum, so moving it, complete with replies, sorry.

Okay, I'll preview this by saying I know next to **** about cars, hence why I'm posting (I'm a complete idiot, yes, I know, no need to tell me), and that I tried a search and didn't really find anything similar to my problem. Oh, and sorry so long and rambly. And, of course, thanks in advance for all advice.

I've got a '92 DX sedan that I got in Jan. of 2007. The guy I bought it from told me it had, among other things, new brakes shortly before he sold it to me.

Last month I took it in to a new place for an oil change (I just moved to a different area in the state) where they check out the car when they change the oil. I asked them also to check a braking noise while they were under there; when I brake hard (or sometimes when hitting a large bump), I get a loud CLUNK from the left front. Would that be suspension-related since I get it with bumps too? Not sure how long it's been going on as I just had the CV joints replaced around that same time and I had always attributed that clunk to the joints (braking+turning+noise...yeah).

They told me at the shop that I need new brake backing plates, and that both control arms were bad (no bushings left, whatever that means; I told you I know NOTHING about cars).

I'm just wondering how serious this is, because it all sounds expensive. This car cost me $1200 and they quoted me over $2400 for everything that needed to be done to it (the backing plates, control arms, and some other stuff that didn't sound quite so serious but may in fact be since, again, I'm an idiot--rattling muffler, motor mount, transmission mount, radiator). Obviously I'm not doing that much work to this car. I'm trying to figure out how much money is too much to put into a 15-year-old, $1200 car (I suspect I'm quickly nearing that point, but I can't afford a new car right now [and anything I could afford would be about the same price as this car anyway, so it seems it would be a bit pointless to trade one old car for another], and can't get a loan because I didn't spend my life running up credit cards so have very little credit history. That's a different rant). Really I can't afford to do much in the way of repairs, period, if not absolutely necessary--the move came with a new job, and I've been without a paycheck for a while between the end of the old job and the start of the new one. I've even been toying with the idea of driving this thing until it dies--and if it dying happens by way of the brakes or steering going, I'll just have to hope it doesn't also include ME dying. Money is VERY tight right now. So if you're tempted to give me a lecture about money, spare me; I'm not some little rich bitch who spends all her money on expensive shoes and then whines that she's so poor and hasn't got money for anything else. Hopefully my situation will get better in future as this job pays more than my last job, but this isn't the time for me to be rolling in it and won't be until I have several paychecks under my belt.

I now do a large amount of driving every day--commute into Detroit on I-75, if that means anything to anyone, which isn't that far--20 miles at most, if that--but in traffic jams, which means starting and stopping and slowing down. A car that functions well is, obviously, important (and I don't need my brakes to go right when the person in front of me slams on theirs, y'know?)

I'm reluctant to ask the place that told me all this stuff because I feel I got snowed a little bit by them (long-ish story), I suspect their prices may be on the high side, and of course THEY are going to tell me it's all urgent so I pay them to fix it. My mum's friend is a mechanic but I'm reluctant to ask him because he doesn't seem too concerned about things and I don't want him telling me something isn't a problem when it is (he told me a while ago that my suspension is "sloppy" but that it isn't really something to worry about).

How hard are backing plates and control arms to do? Seems like some folks here do their own? My uncle can fix cars--he's not a mechanic, but he can fix stuff, and it'd be a HELL of a lot cheaper than taking it somewhere commercial, so if that'd be an option...
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7 Minutes Ago #2 (permalink) FGCOUPE vbmenu_register("postmenu_4260528", true);
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Re: *sigh* Need car advice
i didnt read the whole thing cuz i just dont have all the time at the ,moment...
but no bushings in your control arms = bad
brakes = get them fixed

good luck
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1 Minute Ago #3 (permalink) tigre1983 vbmenu_register("postmenu_4260531", true);
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Re: *sigh* Need car advice
The clunking under braking and/or bumps is not the brakes. Most of the time its the ball joints. If they are not greased at regular intervals they dry up and start to wear and make noise, at this point you have to replace them. This could be where your problem started.......the previous owner never lubed the chassis often and now you are in this mess.

If I was you, I would buy aftermarket control arms, bushings, brakes...they would be better and less than OEM and have your uncle replace them. Its really not that hard. Then next time you take your car for service, take your car somewhere else, act like you know what your are talking about(so you don't get screwed) and ask for a chassis lube, oil change, and fluid check and don't let them sell you on more BS.

$2400 is BS, you could buy the new parts aftermarket and have someone install them for about 1G or less.
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1 Minute Ago #4 (permalink) K12144 vbmenu_register("postmenu_4260532", true);
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Re: *sigh* Need car advice
Yeah...the problem with the control arms is that they quoted me about $900 for parts and labor, and the brake backing plates would come with doing the wheel bearings, which they quoted at about $600 parts and labor...I think risking death is slightly less expensive than getting it fixed. Those two things right there would cost me more than the car did.

I think it's a lost cause and I'll just have to wait for something to break while looking for a new car.