Trading in a non driveable car

[LambeauLegs]

Not sure I have the where with-all to tackle this one. But for the sake of argument, whole job, how long would this take assuming the person knows how to do it? They are disc brakes in the back, btw.

If you are looking for an idea of labor costs just replacing the brake line from front to back should take a few hours at the most depending on how hard it is to get the line tucked into where the current one is sitting. Once the new brake line is installed the air has to be bleed out to get a solid brake pedal.

The job I did on my Blazer took about 3 hours total.

The bleeder screws need to open to be able to do this and depending on the age of the car and the type of weather it has been in can determine if the bleeder screws open easily or if they get rusted in and wont open.

In your case having rear disc brakes the bleeder screws on the rear disc calipers are generally easier to open than a rusted up bleeder screws on wheel cylinders on drum brakes because the bleeder screws on the rear brake calipers are bigger and can take more torque to open them before they brake off.

If the bleeder screws on the Calipers dont open easily it helps to wrap the caliper next to the bleeder screws and even tap the bleeder screws as it can loosen the screws up with the vibration.

If the bleeder screws still dont open the next option is to apply some heat. At home a propane torch is about the only option and can work. With heat and tapping the screws and caliper my guess is you could get the bleeder screws open so you can bleed out the air to get a solid pedal.

If the bleeder screws are stuck so tight that they break off then the only way to bleed out the air in the new brake line is to get new rear brake calipers which will run a good amount of money.

I mentioned I bought a roll of brake line and put in one new piece from front to back. The thing is when doing it this way you need to flare the ends so the brake line seals correctly and does not leak the brake fluid.

To do the flaring at the ends of the brake line you need a special tool but where I am I used Advanced Auto to buy my parts and they have the tools you can use. You pay for the tool and get your money back when you return it.

Another way to do it without needing that tool or having to flare the brake line is you can by pieces of brake line like 4ft long and then get connectors to put them all together. You get under the car and measure the distance of brake line you need and then go to parts store and get enough pieces to meet the length you need.

 

[outofyourmind]

It's a 15 year old car that everything is about to go down on the guy. The only good thing I can get out of this is that the engine runs. Fix the brakes then the trany will go down, or fuel pump, or water pump, or power steering pump, or alternator, or ignition switch, or just about anything else that will need to be fixed and sink money into, because, as you know, that's just how "The General" wanted it to be.


Unload it now, get rid of the headache, and get something else not named General Motors.

 

[element1286]

If you are looking for an idea of labor costs just replacing the brake line from front to back should take a few hours at the most depending on how hard it is to get the line tucked into where the current one is sitting. Once the new brake line is installed the air has to be bleed out to get a solid brake pedal.

The job I did on my Blazer took about 3 hours total.

The bleeder screws need to open to be able to do this and depending on the age of the car and the type of weather it has been in can determine if the bleeder screws open easily or if they get rusted in and wont open.

In your case having rear disc brakes the bleeder screws on the rear disc calipers are generally easier to open than a rusted up bleeder screws on wheel cylinders on drum brakes because the bleeder screws on the rear brake calipers are bigger and can take more torque to open them before they brake off.

If the bleeder screws on the Calipers dont open easily it helps to wrap the caliper next to the bleeder screws and even tap the bleeder screws as it can loosen the screws up with the vibration.

If the bleeder screws still dont open the next option is to apply some heat. At home a propane torch is about the only option and can work. With heat and tapping the screws and caliper my guess is you could get the bleeder screws open so you can bleed out the air to get a solid pedal.

If the bleeder screws are stuck so tight that they break off then the only way to bleed out the air in the new brake line is to get new rear brake calipers which will run a good amount of money.

I mentioned I bought a roll of brake line and put in one new piece from front to back. The thing is when doing it this way you need to flare the ends so the brake line seals correctly and does not leak the brake fluid.

To do the flaring at the ends of the brake line you need a special tool but where I am I used Advanced Auto to buy my parts and they have the tools you can use. You pay for the tool and get your money back when you return it.

Another way to do it without needing that tool or having to flare the brake line is you can by pieces of brake line like 4ft long and then get connectors to put them all together. You get under the car and measure the distance of brake line you need and then go to parts store and get enough pieces to meet the length you need.

A little out of my comfort zone as far as working on a car, but thanks for the response Lambeau. I'd have to tow it to my parents house to even work on it, not tools, driveway, or flat spot to work at my apt.

 

[element1286]

It's a 15 year old car that everything is about to go down on the guy. The only good thing I can get out of this is that the engine runs. Fix the brakes then the trany will go down, or fuel pump, or water pump, or power steering pump, or alternator, or ignition switch, or just about anything else that will need to be fixed and sink money into, because, as you know, that's just how "The General" wanted it to be.


Unload it now, get rid of the headache, and get something else not named General Motors.

It's dumb shit that keeps on going with it, fuel filler neck rusted out and was throwing an evap code (took forever to diagnose that code), new rotors every year since these cars have terrible rotor problems, passenger side window motor constantly breaking, needs tuned up, it's prone to misfiring, had to replace ignition coils twice in the past 5 years. Suspension is already a disaster.

But yeah, I'm worried about the big stuff going wrong soon, especially the radiator and fuel pump.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Had a GMC Safari mini van...had 270ish k miles on it and while it was still running much like it was going to need a lot of work, motor was good, transmission still working , but slipping, suspension was shot also, radiator needed to be replaced, etc.

In trade I was offered $500 (basically because it was still running and the body was in a great shape)...I was able to sell it to a painting construction worker for $1,000. I think he replaced the transmission himself, and some other work and he still has it now.

You might get a few bucks from a salvage yard for parts if it's not running at all.

 

[outofyourmind]

It's dumb shit that keeps on going with it, fuel filler neck rusted out and was throwing an evap code (took forever to diagnose that code), new rotors every year since these cars have terrible rotor problems, passenger side window motor constantly breaking, needs tuned up, it's prone to misfiring, had to replace ignition coils twice in the past 5 years. Suspension is already a disaster.

But yeah, I'm worried about the big stuff going wrong soon, especially the radiator and fuel pump.

Yeah, it's time to put this car to sleep and put it out of it's misery. Let the salvage guys part it out. Get what money you can out of it and use it as a down payment on a newer better car.

 

[LambeauLegs]

A little out of my comfort zone as far as working on a car, but thanks for the response Lambeau. I'd have to tow it to my parents house to even work on it, not tools, driveway, or flat spot to work at my apt.

Well my thought is you may be able to find a person who has tools and is able to do the job on his own. Some mechanic who would do a side job much cheaper.

Put an ad on craigslist saying you need a brake line repaired and maybe you can find someone to do it for $200 or something like that and at least get it running. Then once running you can sell for more than junking it.

 

[rmilia1]

You dont need to tow the car in, all the dealership needs is the VIN, miles and general condition report on the car. A 2000 Alero with average miles isnt worth shit anyway( even if its in good shape ) so the reality is that you probably wont really lose too much on trade value. Most cars can be scrapped for 400-500 bucks and frankly that is all your car is worth trade wise even if it is not jacked up. Your best bet is to trade it in for scrap value of 500ish, have the dealer tow it in for you and pick out whatever you like at the lot.

 

[rmilia1]

As an GYI you can buy a nice used car for 8-10K dollars and have a payment of roughly 225 a month on a standard term loan OR you can continue to put money into a car that has no value. If you fixed EVERYTHING on the car and brought it up to acceptable condition its still worth 500 bucks when you trade it or maybe 800-1000 on a private party basis. People that continually fix shit on their cars to avoid a payment are fucking morons because spending 2000 a year to keep a car running IS a payment and its a payment on something that has no value. What you should do is lease a really nice new car for 180ish a month. Have absolutely no cost of ownership issues as it pertains to service and save money on gas as well. You can lease a sweet new car that gets 40 MPG for under 200 bucks a month, never have to worry about anything and make your life easier OR you can continue to throw good money after bad, spend 150 bucks a month on ficing a piece of shit and still have a piece of shit after you fix it.

 

[rmilia1]

Sedan, decent cargo, used 2011 or newer, under 15k is what I'm looking at now; Fusion, Optima, Camry, Impala, Malibu is what I'm looking at now.

You can lease a brand new Sonata or Optima for under 250 a month. Buying a new car is a big decision and shouldnt be taken lightly. By leasing first you occur a lower up front cost and give yourself more options at the end of 3 years. If after that time you want to finsih paying for the car just go ahead and buy the lease out. Its no more expensive to do that than it is to buy in the first palce BUT if your needs change then you arent beholden to what you owe on the car as opposed to what its value is. Depreciation is the greatest cost of owenrship on any newer car and a lease takes that concern away. With the new government guidelines of closed end buyouts, stable residuals and non fluctuating money factors there is zero reason to ever BUY a new car right away. It makes no sense to do and just puts you ( potentially ) right back in the situation you are now where you are concerned about repair issues and cost incurred over ownership time.