Vehicular Hypochondria

"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock) 12/12/2014 at 08:23 • Filed to: None

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I've noticed since getting my car I keep imagining phantom faults that turn out to be nothing. Yesterday after getting in I thought I had heard a loud whine coming from the car and ended up researching turbo failure and getting quite worried.

I went out today and drove the thing and the turbo doesn't make a peep when revving at a stop and the whine turned out to be fairly quiet and probably just normal induction noise or at worst a failing throwout bearing.

So I imagine I'll be researching clutch and bearing failure soon even though the clutch works perfectly...

Am I insane or do any of you guys do this?

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:26

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Yup. I do that. It's incredibly annoying

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:27

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I've only ever done this with cars that I haven't liked. I pay closer attention to my MR2 than my BRZ since it's newer to me and has 210k miles, but I haven't imagined any faults yet. In fact, other people have said that something wasn't right with it even though it was fine.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 12/12/2014 at 08:28

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I think it's exacerbated by the fact that my financial situation isn't great so I worry about having to pay for repairs. I can afford them if I have to but it means me giving up other stuff.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2014 at 08:31

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You might be onto something when you say if you dont like driving the car you obsess more. I do love the car but when I'm bored in stop start traffic I notice more "faults" then after a nice country road drive I'm happy with it again. Might be a case of boredom getting the better of me.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:33

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Same here, because of school I dont have time for a regular job. I work about once a month for about minimum wage. I have about $500 in savings, between gas and insurance I have no wiggle room.

KirkyV > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:35

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I used to do that quite a bit - I spent a fair while rather worried that my head gasket was on the verge of failure - but I just stopped fussing over it at some point. I haven't worried that something might be broken on my car - beyond some crash damage after a Volvo backed into me in a car park - for over a year now and it, rather obligingly, has just kept on going.

I think it's down to a combination of it having been so trouble free for so long, and the way that, if anything does break, I know it'll be cheap to fix.

Sweet Trav > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:44

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I have been convinced that the engine in my monte carlo is on its way out for the last 5 years.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 12/12/2014 at 08:45

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I don't work by choice while I'm at uni. I could probably find the time but I kinda want to enjoy my spare time before I go into full time work. So I basically pay for everything out of student loans.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV 12/12/2014 at 08:48

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Yeah I think over time I'll learn to trust it like you did. I think part of the issue is I barely get to drive the thing (although I'm home for Christmas soon so lots of miles will be accumulated) and that while my car is mostly cheap to fix, the turbos can run £300 if they go.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Sweet Trav 12/12/2014 at 08:51

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Hopefully I'll learn to trust mine after that long.

wkiernan > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:51

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The other day on the way to work I was driving on a section of the Interstate that's under construction about four feet off a line of Jersey barriers, when I heard an unexpected hissing sound, like my brakes were dragging. Uh oh, sez I. The next day, same thing, if anything a bit louder. Car's gone bad, here goes a bunch of my money, sez I. I get to work and start walking in to the office, then I turned around and got on my knees and looked under the car, where I saw the tree branch I must have picked up backing up in my yard, jammed in between the rear suspension and dragging on the road. What a relief!

Sweet Trav > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:53

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when that oil pressure gauge on mine dips to about 5 psi at a hot idle... i get a little concerned.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 08:54

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I have a little bit of a college fund, not enough for all of college but enough for about 2 years of full time schooling. So Im paying out of pocket for now, and my college fund has restrictions on what I can buy with it. A car and car related things is not under the list of "acceptable purchases"

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > wkiernan 12/12/2014 at 09:01

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Haha, I had something similar a couple weeks back. The brakes were squealing pretty bad so I was worried the pads were down to nothing and wrecking the discs. Turned out because of the garbage weather recently some road grit had got caught and it fixed itself.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s 12/12/2014 at 09:04

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I got really lucky and went to a uni with grants you dont have to pay back so I live reasonably comfortably as long as I keep my bills low. I know college is a bit more difficult to pay for in the US though.

Will with a W8 races an E30 > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 09:19

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After I bought my W8 I kept my old DD as a backup for a year because I was so paranoid about things breaking.

yamahog > Sweet Trav 12/12/2014 at 09:26

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Lol, that's the least of my worries with the XJ.

Sweet Trav > yamahog 12/12/2014 at 09:32

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You have to worry about what's the phrase?

"Sudden Intermittent Death"

yamahog > Sweet Trav 12/12/2014 at 09:35

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XJs don't die, they just nap.

Sweet Trav > yamahog 12/12/2014 at 09:37

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Hence the intermittent part.

yamahog > Sweet Trav 12/12/2014 at 09:41

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Sudden Intermittent Napping

Basically me at work pre-coffee this morning.

Sweet Trav > yamahog 12/12/2014 at 09:45

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Go get some hot bean water then.

I'm about to get cup #2

Branden J -Reading the Manual > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/12/2014 at 09:53

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Happens to me every day, the only problem iis half the time it is something, so I just cross my fingers and hope I was wrong.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Will with a W8 races an E30 12/12/2014 at 10:16

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I can see me doing that whenever I replace this car if I have the space.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Branden J -Reading the Manual 12/12/2014 at 10:17

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Luckily I've found nothing wrong with mine other than one of my keys wont work... So far.

PyramidHat > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/13/2014 at 20:54

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My father told me about that years ago - it's called "gremlins": You hear a noise or feel a vibration that's not actually there. You jack it up and check - everything's good and tight and in the right place...

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > PyramidHat 12/13/2014 at 20:59

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Yeah my grandad always says not to worry too much about noises on any car over 5 years old since they come and go. As he says "if a used car isn't making some kind of strange noise, it isnt a used car."