Car: 2000 Hyundai Elantra
105,000 miles
4 cyl
automatic
Work I just recently had done:
new radiator and thermostat
driver side axle and seal
tune up, oil change, brakes
valve cover gasket
new battery
transmission oil pan gasket and filter
So here's the story:
I really needed a car to get around, I'm a college student so my mom bought me this 2000 hyundai. It drove smooth etc so she bought it from a man who said it had only been driven in the city. She had it checked out and mechanics said it was a pretty ok car. My mom attempted to drive it to me (400 miles away at school) and the thermostat broke due to the high altitudes it wasn't use to etc. Therefore I got a new radiator and thermostat. She drove it to me with no problem after that. I drove it for a week when I realized a cluncking noise when I turned the wheel slightly to the right. Went to BigOtires and the showed me the cv axle needed replacing on the drivers side. So I got that done.
After I got that done I didn't hear the clunking anymore but noticed a few drops of leakage. I tried to drive it somewhere like 2 days later and the car vibrated when my foot was on the brake whenever I stopped at a red light and the rpms kepts dipping low from about 900 rpms to about 400. Then the check engine light comes on. It flashes then stays a solid check engine. I immediately pull over n look under the hood made sure it wasnt running hot and went to a mechanic nearby that I know. When I pull in and cut the car off and he cuts it back on, the check engine light is gone. But he notices my transmission fluid is a half a quart low. He tops it off and I go home. Then I go to autozone to get my battery checked and their machine said bad battery, I get a new battery then go home. I park and look underneath my car to see that tranny fluid had leaked the size of the palm of my hand. I go and call a place that does tranny diagnostic nearby because aamco was closed and the other mechanic was booked as well as not giving any answers.
I take my car to this place and they see that it's leaking from the replaced axle as well as valve cover gaskets slightly leaking and I needed a tune up as well. The said the axle seal was not replaced with the axle and it needed to be replaced so I get all this work done. I got my car and decided to visit a sick friend 30 miles away to make sure everythings smooth. Bad idea. Just as I enterend the city I was going to the car overheated. I IMMEDIATELY pull over because the car was at the H(hot) mark. I look under the hood and dont see anything weird except the coolant was filled to the top. Also where I had gotten the new battery the cables were so loose I literally lifted them off of the battery when i tried to see if they were secure. I wasnt that far from my firend and her dad works on cars. I let it cool off n barely made it to her house before it was hot again.
He looks at my car and says he's impressed by all the new work under the hood. He then says the coolant I had which was the 50/50 prediluted kind wasnt good for my older car as well as he tightened my battery. He said the man that did the radiator probably did not bleed it well causing an air bubble to make it overheat. He then puts new coolant and bleeds it etc. I drive home with my car running the best it had ever ran. I get home and park and once again the car is leaking. I take it back to the place that did the axle seal n tune up. I got a compression test and had no problems.They now said I need a oil pan gasket cause it looked worn and he says the axle was hard to replace etc, I now get a new oil pan gasket and filter.
This is where I get confused: As they change the pan gasket he brings the pan and shows me that there is a broken bearing in my transmission pan. he described it as 1/4 of a bearing. I looked and saw pieces of metal like balls and a part of a circular metal. He now says my car is as good as gone and I needed a whole new transmission. I call my mom and she is irate. We had just had over 1,000 dollars worth of work on top of the cost of the car. I get the oil pan and filter hoping it would stop leaking at least so I can just drive it around town til it dies on me. I come home and park and guess what? Its leaking transmission fluid again! I then t ake it to aamco the next day for the 3 hour diagnostic. They check everything and I call 3 days later and they say theres no sign of a tranny problem, they drove it etc and the only problem they see is it leaking from the axle! I then immidiately take it to the place where I originally got the axle: BigOtires and they had put the wong axle. The replaced it with the right one and the seal which they said they had to remove other stuff just to get it out. Now it's driving fine. My question is where did that bearing come from? Should I sell the car for parts or drive it til it gives out?
105,000 miles
4 cyl
automatic
Work I just recently had done:
new radiator and thermostat
driver side axle and seal
tune up, oil change, brakes
valve cover gasket
new battery
transmission oil pan gasket and filter
So here's the story:
I really needed a car to get around, I'm a college student so my mom bought me this 2000 hyundai. It drove smooth etc so she bought it from a man who said it had only been driven in the city. She had it checked out and mechanics said it was a pretty ok car. My mom attempted to drive it to me (400 miles away at school) and the thermostat broke due to the high altitudes it wasn't use to etc. Therefore I got a new radiator and thermostat. She drove it to me with no problem after that. I drove it for a week when I realized a cluncking noise when I turned the wheel slightly to the right. Went to BigOtires and the showed me the cv axle needed replacing on the drivers side. So I got that done.
After I got that done I didn't hear the clunking anymore but noticed a few drops of leakage. I tried to drive it somewhere like 2 days later and the car vibrated when my foot was on the brake whenever I stopped at a red light and the rpms kepts dipping low from about 900 rpms to about 400. Then the check engine light comes on. It flashes then stays a solid check engine. I immediately pull over n look under the hood made sure it wasnt running hot and went to a mechanic nearby that I know. When I pull in and cut the car off and he cuts it back on, the check engine light is gone. But he notices my transmission fluid is a half a quart low. He tops it off and I go home. Then I go to autozone to get my battery checked and their machine said bad battery, I get a new battery then go home. I park and look underneath my car to see that tranny fluid had leaked the size of the palm of my hand. I go and call a place that does tranny diagnostic nearby because aamco was closed and the other mechanic was booked as well as not giving any answers.
I take my car to this place and they see that it's leaking from the replaced axle as well as valve cover gaskets slightly leaking and I needed a tune up as well. The said the axle seal was not replaced with the axle and it needed to be replaced so I get all this work done. I got my car and decided to visit a sick friend 30 miles away to make sure everythings smooth. Bad idea. Just as I enterend the city I was going to the car overheated. I IMMEDIATELY pull over because the car was at the H(hot) mark. I look under the hood and dont see anything weird except the coolant was filled to the top. Also where I had gotten the new battery the cables were so loose I literally lifted them off of the battery when i tried to see if they were secure. I wasnt that far from my firend and her dad works on cars. I let it cool off n barely made it to her house before it was hot again.
He looks at my car and says he's impressed by all the new work under the hood. He then says the coolant I had which was the 50/50 prediluted kind wasnt good for my older car as well as he tightened my battery. He said the man that did the radiator probably did not bleed it well causing an air bubble to make it overheat. He then puts new coolant and bleeds it etc. I drive home with my car running the best it had ever ran. I get home and park and once again the car is leaking. I take it back to the place that did the axle seal n tune up. I got a compression test and had no problems.They now said I need a oil pan gasket cause it looked worn and he says the axle was hard to replace etc, I now get a new oil pan gasket and filter.
This is where I get confused: As they change the pan gasket he brings the pan and shows me that there is a broken bearing in my transmission pan. he described it as 1/4 of a bearing. I looked and saw pieces of metal like balls and a part of a circular metal. He now says my car is as good as gone and I needed a whole new transmission. I call my mom and she is irate. We had just had over 1,000 dollars worth of work on top of the cost of the car. I get the oil pan and filter hoping it would stop leaking at least so I can just drive it around town til it dies on me. I come home and park and guess what? Its leaking transmission fluid again! I then t ake it to aamco the next day for the 3 hour diagnostic. They check everything and I call 3 days later and they say theres no sign of a tranny problem, they drove it etc and the only problem they see is it leaking from the axle! I then immidiately take it to the place where I originally got the axle: BigOtires and they had put the wong axle. The replaced it with the right one and the seal which they said they had to remove other stuff just to get it out. Now it's driving fine. My question is where did that bearing come from? Should I sell the car for parts or drive it til it gives out?