CP Help! Where to fix a Dodge Neon...

[KGB33]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

I got this woman her apartment when she was moving into town and it turns out Mayland Heights... wasn't the type of neighbourhood she was looking for. I found out the hard way Friday night that she sleeps with a knife under her pillow... I'll reach a little more gingerly underneath that thing next time.

I lived in Mountain View Apts for four years.Wasn't so bad until I started working for the management company of the building. Found out the area has a huge problem with drugs. The police came many times to talk to us about looking for signs of dealing. We even gave them a master key to main doors so they wouldn't break them down if they needed to. The streets behind the grocery store are even worse. What a dive!

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by KGB33

I lived in Mountain View Apts for four years.Wasn't so bad until I started working for the management company of the building. Found out the area has a huge problem with drugs. The police came many times to talk to us about looking for signs of dealing. We even gave them a master key to main doors so they wouldn't break them down if they needed to. The streets behind the grocery store are even worse. What a dive!

Yeah... she's in some condo complex that overlooks Deerfoot from the Hill... 19th Street and about 14th Ave. NE She asked me to look at it and get it for her, there were like 15 people there for the place, she's lucky she got anything in town (had like 3 days notice). The rent is hella-cheap too, like $600/month for a place 3 times the size of my condo.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Madman

Avenida Auto Centre - 271-1111

Best auto repair experience ever and top notch work to boot.

Don't bring your cars anywhere else. I trust this guy more then my own parents.

It's pretty easy to tell if you got a leaky gasket. Pull a plug wire and see if its oily. Lots of room in a Hemi for oil to slosh around in.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Don't bring your cars anywhere else. I trust this guy more then my own parents.

It's pretty easy to tell if you got a leaky gasket. Pull a plug wire and see if its oily. Lots of room in a Hemi for oil to slosh around in.

Ok... two guys supporting one place sounds pretty good to me, maybe I'll point her to this place, its the front-runner so far.

Thanks for the help!

[Agamemnon]

Bump, any other leads would be handy... thanks all for the input.

[Shazam]

Just as a small aside, Canadian Tire charges $45/hour for service. That's incredibly low. I figure the mechanics are making $10-15/hr. Yikes.

[shoestring]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Bump, any other leads would be handy... thanks all for the input.
Something wrong with the alignment/camshaft

We really should know what is happening with the car.
Can you start it? Good; then what happens?

We did this before, did you try a search?

I recommended and always recommend Laurie at Apollo on 16th Ave and 8th Street North West.
Maybe that's closer .
I asked for an oil change and tune-up and he changed the oil and told me I didn't need a tune-up.
I was trying to reward him for me saving money on another vehicle and he did what was best for the car, flabbergasted me. He will treat you well.

Try the classifieds for real cheap,maybe CalgaryDollars, walk down your back alley, geez ,...mechanics used to be everywhere.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I'm driving an SX 2.0 which is similar to a neon, but faster.

Haha.. no its not.

Unless the "SX 2.0" badge is 100 lbs lighter than a "Neon" badge, they are the same.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by shoestring

We really should know what is happening with the car.
Can you start it? Good; then what happens?

We did this before, did you try a search?

Try the classifieds for real cheap,maybe CalgaryDollars, walk down your back alley, geez ,...mechanics used to be everywhere.

I think the alignment is the issue. I've never been in the car, she just asked me where she should take it, and I'm asking you guys. Its not like I 'can't find a mechanic anywhere', I'm looking to point her towards a good one who's trustworthy. A lot of people use CP to gather info in an unconventional way. Sure I could call a few places and ask 'are you any good?', but I think this approach might garner some more honest answers.

[Madman]

I assure you, when you call Avenida Auto Centre, you'll quickly understand how honest and friendly they really are.

We just got our car back after spending $1600 and was impressed to see that all the old parts were packed up and waiting for us. That might seem like a small thing, but it allows me so see absolutely everything that was replaced. It was nice to have a completely clean car as well, both on the outside as well as being totally vacuumed on the inside.

[pope04]

I had good luck at Apollo Muffler and Speedy Brake - 4002 Macleod Trail. It's a father/son outfit, and they fixed an ignition problem with my Buick that a dealership couldn't figure out.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Just as a small aside, Canadian Tire charges $45/hour for service. That's incredibly low. I figure the mechanics are making $10-15/hr. Yikes.

And mechnanics that work for a shop that charges half of what a dealership does, makes them work on Saturday and Sunday and have done some of the stuff I have seen them do prior to the shop rate drop, I wouldn't let them fill my tires.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by Madman

I assure you, when you call Avenida Auto Centre, you'll quickly understand how honest and friendly they really are.

We just got our car back after spending $1600 and was impressed to see that all the old parts were packed up and waiting for us. That might seem like a small thing, but it allows me so see absolutely everything that was replaced. It was nice to have a completely clean car as well, both on the outside as well as being totally vacuumed on the inside.

Well the point is not that they will replace everything in your car (even stuff that was not necessary to be replaced). Stuff they put in your car is what matters. Dont be fooled by the OE sticker, you are going to pay a premium, which is unnecessary. If its electric, go for Bosch, steering TRW, braking Textar, TRW, shocks Sachs (clutches too) or Kayaba and so on. Just a tip

[shoestring]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

I think the alignment is the issue. I've never been in the car, she just asked me where she should take it, and I'm asking you guys. Its not like I 'can't find a mechanic anywhere', I'm looking to point her towards a good one who's trustworthy. A lot of people use CP to gather info in an unconventional way. Sure I could call a few places and ask 'are you any good?', but I think this approach might garner some more honest answers.

I meant mechanics were everywhere because they didn't need 100000 $ diagnostic tools.

Do a search on CP. We had another thread like this.

If it is alignment,meaning your steering,go to a steering,front end shop. Pretty simple in most cases.

If it is alignment of your camshaft, she has bigger problems and that means ripping the engine apart,I think.
That sounds very expensive. But can she still drive it?
If it is still moving forward I doubt it has anything to do with the camshaft.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by shoestring

I meant mechanics were everywhere because they didn't need 100000 $ diagnostic tools.

Do a search on CP. We had another thread like this.

If it is alignment,meaning your steering,go to a steering,front end shop. Pretty simple in most cases.

If it is alignment of your camshaft, she has bigger problems and that means ripping the engine apart,I think.
That sounds very expensive. But can she still drive it?
If it is still moving forward I doubt it has anything to do with the camshaft.

Yep, she can still drive it. I think the alignment is the main issue, she said camshaft, but may have meant driveshaft? I dunno, not a car guy...

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Barnes

And mechnanics that work for a shop that charges half of what a dealership does, makes them work on Saturday and Sunday and have done some of the stuff I have seen them do prior to the shop rate drop, I wouldn't let them fill my tires.

I got my headlights replaced there (I know, I'm stupid). They left my lights on in the parking lot. Luckily I came there 10 minutes after they said they were done, so my battery wasn't dead.

[shoestring]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Yep, she can still drive it. I think the alignment is the main issue, she said camshaft, but may have meant driveshaft? I dunno, not a car guy...

Driveshaft transfers power to your back,usually, or front wheels.
If she can still drive it,take it into any of the shops we have mentioned and get a quote. Then you will know what the problem is and can get other quotes on the phone.

Sounds like a steering problem to me and that can be as simple as putting weights on the tires. Or major like ball joints ,tie rods,etc ,etc.
Most mechanics will recommend fixing all parts of a steering system because they are so interlinked that damage to one part will adversely affect another part,maybe even damaging it.

[BradMan23]

Ya but it was pretty funny.

In all honesty I was going to post something like that myself. But I was beat I see. ....