So Long, I Barely Knew You.

"McMike" (mcmike) 10/30/2014 at 10:25 • Filed to: BIL, tutu153

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2001 Civic LX 5-Speed with the tape deck, you left this world too soon.

This was my sister's car. I went with her to buy it new back in 2001.

Like my Mother, she goes to the dealer for everything. Oil changes, inspections, tires, bulbs, you name it.. They are a service writer's wet dream, and I'm happy about it. Why? Because I know their vehicles will never be neglected because they do everything he tells them to do. It's nice not to have to worry about their cars, or have to try to figure out what noise they are making over the phone. I already have my own fleet to maintain.

And their computers.

In 2007, with her first child on the way, she upgraded to a CR-V and the Civic became her husband's car. It was a nice update to his beat-up Pathfinder he had at the time. As a matter of fact, he clunkered the Nissan to get the CR-V.

All is well.

Fast forward to a few years ago, and sis gets a Pilot. They get rid of the CR-V, and he continues to drive the Civic.

Until yesterday.

I started getting texts and emails about him being broken down on the side of the highway, and she wanted me to start looking on CL for a replacement car, as she thought the car was finished.

I asked a few (of the obvious) questions, and these were some of the answers I got. The car is currently sitting at the dealership waiting for their next move.

I am guessing it was because no service done for five years.

Not one drop of oil in the car, which is what i suspected. He's saying that the oil light never came on. The maintenance light has been on for 20,000 miles.

Needs a new engine - $4,100. Buying a new car. Totally trashed.

Mechanic called and said that the engine is totally seized up. Needs new motor. Roundabout $4,100 to do it there. What do I do with it Civic? Haul it to the dump?

Results of the autopsy:

2001 Honda Civic, DOA October 29 3PM

Time of death: October 29, 12:00pm

Records show last PM performed fall of 2007. Best guess on last cleaning - fall of 2007. Maintenance required light on for last 20K miles.

Condition of exterior - windshield broken by bicyclist replaced. Hood and fender dented by bicyclist - not repaired. Hubcaps - three and a half. Front and rear bumper scared by years of downtown city street parking.

Condition of oil in crankcase - inconclusive as there was none to sample.

Engined seized - replacement cost $4K

That poor car. It was still a $2-3000 sale on CL.

I know people give up on their cars. I know people drive them into the ground and call someone to come and get them. I have just never done it.

Does anyone in the DC area know the best place to call to have it hauled away for cash/scrap?

Edit, I added photos of when it was new.

Raphmoe > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:30

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Another beige mobile bites the dust.

sellphones2493 > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:31

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Carmax will give you $500 for it. Look on CL and there's usually a bunch of places that'll take it from you.

Maximum_Odyssey > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:31

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Wait, I might be misreading this, but are you saying the Civic was sold to the service writer? Because I have no idea who else the man is that you are talking about in your story. With that said, $100 in oil would have prevented this.

Also, completely surprised that the engine lasted as long as it did. Seven year old oil...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:32

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Spend $30 on an oil change 5-6 times? Total $150-$180 over the course of seven YEARS? Nah, bro. Car ain't worth that, bro. Might as well toss away the $2k for the Craigslist, bro.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:32

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Even my mam who knows nothing about cars makes sure the oil gets checked and often asks me to have a look for her when I visit. Surely the car started having some pretty severe symptoms as it got lower and lower on oil before it seized completely.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:32

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Put it up on CL for $750 as needing a new engine ;)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Maximum_Odyssey 10/30/2014 at 09:33

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The BIL, I think.

Maximum_Odyssey > Raphmoe 10/30/2014 at 09:34

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Dude, no. The civic should not be equated to Toyota, especially the 2001 vintage. They were actually a decent drive.

Raphmoe > Maximum_Odyssey 10/30/2014 at 09:36

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Agree to disagree, it's an anemic bloated mess.

CalzoneGolem > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/30/2014 at 09:38

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This.

Someone will want the shell if it is in decent shape.

McMike > Maximum_Odyssey 10/30/2014 at 09:41

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Changed my post. Car still belongs to BIL, and is sitting in the morgue behind the dealership, waiting for him to pick it up/scrap/burn it.

McMike > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/30/2014 at 09:42

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Funny thing is, when she told me to look for $8-10K cars for him, I replied with $2K cars.

I thought they were perfect. They were all pre-dented, already dirty, and would be cheap to replace when they ran out of coolant/oil in a few years.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:45

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An entirely cogent argument which I'm sure she will ignore - or at least he will.

Maximum_Odyssey > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:46

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You know that the minister asks before he performs the wedding ceremony if there are any objections. Not knowing that $100 in maintenance prevents a car from dying early would be a valid reason.

McMike > Raphmoe 10/30/2014 at 09:50

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I disagree. Sometimes beige is best. They aren't snooty enthusiasts like us, so a efficient, reliable vehicle is great.

The car had lots left to give, and was still worth $1-2K on trade in, and maybe $3K on the street.

The root of this story was the lack of maintenance. It breaks my heart to see a perfectly good anything discarded due to neglect.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:51

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So what you're saying, is that her husbands incompetence lead to the death of the Cvic? Or just not maintains the car in general?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:56

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samsmith > McMike 10/30/2014 at 09:58

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I think the most concerning thing about this whole ordeal is that a CEL went unchecked for 20,000 miles. And no one bothered to check the oil...? Some people must think that cars run on magic?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Maximum_Odyssey 10/30/2014 at 10:04

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I wonder how many miles in that 7 year period with that old oil. Has gotta be a record of some sort

McMike > samsmith 10/30/2014 at 10:05

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I'm not sure it was the CEL. There is a maint required light that comes on ever 10K miles, and I'm pretty sure that's what she meant.

Then again, she texts me every winter with a picture of the TPMS light and asks if she need to go to the dealer for it.

McMike > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 10/30/2014 at 10:09

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No oil change for (I'm guessing) 20K miles is what did it.

Lack of PM would just result in a pricy repair, not sudden death.

Apparently, he did neither.

McMike > Maximum_Odyssey 10/30/2014 at 10:12

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I don't want to talk about it.

I need a cooling off period before I see him again. I'm afraid of what I would say.

samsmith > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:12

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Well, check engine light, maint req light, pretty much the same thing. Means you need to check your fuckin car!

McMike > samsmith 10/30/2014 at 10:14

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I think they should combine them into a single light. A flashing dollar sign would do it.

Too many M's > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:15

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NO oil to sample? None? Seriously, your brother in law should have his man card revoked for not even being able to put in or even check the damn oil.

samsmith > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:19

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Or a voice that comes through the radio to tell you "hey, your shit is broken"

McMike > samsmith 10/30/2014 at 10:27

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Not good enough. He would turn the radio off.

For some people, disabling the vehicle, and only allowing it to be unlocked by the dealership every 10K miles would probably save a lot of cars.

At 1,000 miles before, the light comes on.

At 500 miles before, the audio warning comes on.

At 250 miles, it goes into a very inconvenient limp mode.

When it hits the mark, it disables and a tow is required to reset it.

When they call in, this is how the conversation would go.....

Owner: "How much does the 1oK mile service cost?"

Dealer: "$450"

Owner: "How much does it cost to reset the car only?"

Dealer: "$450"

Owner: "Can you call me a tow?"

Malforus > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:28

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Seriously, the right answer is a car that when they fail to do the proper maintenance and the motor dies it is cheaper to replace.

Malforus > CalzoneGolem 10/30/2014 at 10:29

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Shell? If its just the drivetrain that is dead you can get $200 easy for the wheels and tires, let alone what the A/C components and brake system are worth.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:33

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smh -_-

miadaman? yes please > McMike 10/30/2014 at 10:45

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IIRC in late 90 early 00s Hondas, if you're talking about the light that changes color from green-amber-red, it's based on the odo reading and doesn't really mean much (esp if tech "forgets" to reset it). If you're talking about CEL etc then it's a different story.

CalzoneGolem > Malforus 10/30/2014 at 10:49

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Yeah someone is wanting civic parts

McMike > miadaman? yes please 10/30/2014 at 10:58

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The one I think she meant was the "MAINT REQ" light, which works the same as you described, but changed in the 7th gen in 2001.

The light flashes and goes off at first, but after a while it will just stay on when it hits 10K.

I really have no idea what light was on. Maybe it was all of them.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > McMike 10/30/2014 at 12:35

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ok, so your sister and mom are dealerized maintenance maniacs

she didn't realize he didn't do an oil change in that time?! How's that possible?

I'm overly crazy and still do my oil changes every 3k miles/3 months. With SynBlend or full syn it's overkill.

But I'd rather overkill and have a longer lasting engine

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > McMike 10/30/2014 at 12:41

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Pathfinders usually are pretty decent vehicles, or so I'm lead to believe, so it surprised me when you said all was well with it being clunkered. Well I guess we all know why that was now...

McMike > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/30/2014 at 13:08

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Mrs McMike has a 2003 Civic. While it's the EX with the VTEC engine and a few other trim differences, it's 90% the same car. It broke my heart to watch theirs slowly die and be out of shape. Like watching one of the twins your friends with waste away while the other is still in good health.

Or seeing Mr Belding today.

I directly compare the two cars all the time, and it's painful. When we go over there, I walk past it really quickly, pretending it's an abandoned car their neighbors put there. I helped her buy it, and remembered how nice it was when it was new. I have photos at home I'm going to pull up and look at. Remembering when it was cared for.. remembering a better time. I might make a scrapbook.

Jesuschrist, I'm waxing poetic over a 13 year old appliance like it was an old girlfriend that got away. That I drove once.

The car spent several years living in the city. Bumpers are just scared with license plate bolt heads and scrapes from street parking. It received a front fender crease that they never got fixed. He hit a bicyclist with it two years ago (not his fault) and the hood and other front fender were never repaired. Hasn't seen a vacuum in seven years. Hasn't seen a ounce of soap in the same. I'm guessing the wiper blades are in the same boat, since he drove up in a neighbor's lawn last winter in heavy snow because he couldn't see where he was going. Somehow some of the pinstripes fell off. I have no idea how pinstripes can just fall off.

I don't know how she ignored it. Maybe it was the mentality of "his car, his responsibility?" He has owned two beaters before the Civic. I'm wondering if they broke and they just accepted it because they were cheap? Or did he run those into the ground, too?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > McMike 10/30/2014 at 13:12

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he ran them into the ground too. I'm sure of it

Damn Mr. Belding, get your shit together. Sometimes I wish I knew where my old trucks were, or that I could buy my first one back. But I'm horrified of how they've been maintained since they left my ownership.

as you can see from my frequency of oil changes, i'm a little crazy about it.

I just don't know how people can be like that with cars. Because how are they not like that with everything they touch? I don't know how your sister deals with him.

Also, his next car should be a Crown Vic. If he puts oil in it, it won't die. (I know that's a big IF with him)

ever.

McMike > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/30/2014 at 13:30

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Don't get me started on my Sister..... She's good now that she has a dealer she relies on for everything...

Before, she ran cars empty on oil, too. She used to call me and stop by my work to identify the noise. Once I made her give me the keys and told her to walk over to the supermarket and buy four quarts of oil. Do not drive, do not pass go.

She also used to drive all the way home on a flat tire. I can't remember how many used teardrop MK3 GTI rims I bought when she was in her 20s. I think I still have one in my shed.

As a matter of fact, in my wedding toast to her, I credited her for inventing the run-flat tire.

I'm glad she is on the dealership schedule now. She rarely calls me anymore*, the dealer takes care of it all.

I buy her (and mom's) service writer a fifth of whiskey every Christmas.

* Except for when she needs to know what warning lights mean, or how the 4WD works in her Pilot every winter. (I have a pdf of her owner's manual on every machine I have)

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > McMike 10/30/2014 at 13:38

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As much as I hate dealer service (ugh the mark up) it sounds like she needs it because of the structure and their persistent follow ups.

And it sounds like he earns it. I hope you get him good stuff.

McMike > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/30/2014 at 13:49

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The dude is letting them keep the seized Civic on his lot and gave my BIL a free rental for a day or so so he could go car shopping.

I called him earlier to get the autopsy report.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > McMike 10/30/2014 at 13:50

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I'm telling you man, he needs a crown vic.

FrankAtlanta > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 10/30/2014 at 21:41

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He needs to ride a bike.

SALfan > McMike 10/30/2014 at 22:10

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Your BIL should be flogged, severely. When he regains consciousness, he should be flogged severely again.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > FrankAtlanta 10/31/2014 at 09:28

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seriously

Stiiles > McMike 11/01/2014 at 21:07

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That poor car. Right there with you, I hate to see a good, sold, well kept used car get ruined by an idiot owner. My brother killed mom's '86 Golf (bought new, garaged, mint, 92k) in a year, back in 1998 by running into everything, usually in the rain. By the time he was done with it, all four wheels pointed in different directions. My brother is death to cars the same way your brother in law is.

Stiiles > McMike 11/01/2014 at 21:10

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Sometimes you just can't get people to do something, no matter how much it makes sense or how much money they'll save. It's very frustrating.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > McMike 11/05/2014 at 15:53

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I see those things with 300k miles on them all the time. Most of the people I know that had those just quit driving them because they were just sick of drivng them, not that there was anything wrong with the car itself. How many miles were on that one?

McMike > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 11/05/2014 at 15:57

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100-120K. It had many car-payment free years to give.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > McMike 11/05/2014 at 15:59

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Oh, god. What a waste.

promoted by the color red > McMike 11/05/2014 at 17:08

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I'm probably too late, but DON'T SCRAP IT! You can easily get a replacement engine for under $1000 (local CL has them for $550.)

McMike > promoted by the color red 11/05/2014 at 20:14

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Not my car. If it was, you would have never heard about it because it would still be running.