Driver's Side Window of Car Stopped Working

debodun said:
I'm still trying to understand why the garage said there were no fluid leaks. I have a moderate-sized oil spot on the garage floor. Last year they said that the oil pan had a leak and I never got it repaired because they said it was "labor intensive" thus implying "expensive".

View attachment 348850
Click to expand...
Do you have air conditioning?
All cars that have air conditioning leak water. They are supposed to do that.
 

PeppermintPatty said:
Do you have air conditioning?
All cars that have air conditioning leak water. They are supposed to do that.
Click to expand...
The spot if it was antifreeze might leave a little residue. If it was condensation from an a/c running the condensation water would evaporate. Deb didn't mention power steering binding or if that reservoir was low. Deb's picture shows some dark edges and absorption into the floor.
To help understand the difference between potential radiator overflow, a/c condensation & an oil leak, or even power steering leak this video does a good job of showing an oil leak stain on concrete.

Deb doesn't read or respond to my posts so I'll repeat what I posted in #98 that post included a video of why an oil pan gaskets takes time to replace.


The quantity is minimal & using a cleaner every time the spot appears could get tiresome to do.
Some oil dry [looks like kitty litter] won't remove the stain but is easy to use & will eliminate the potential to slip & fall.

According to other Debs posts driving 50 miles a week shouldn't cause much oil loss thru the pan gasket. Checking & adding oil when needed will cost far less than the cost of a pan gasket replacement
 
Murrmurr said:
That looks like water. Sometimes engines will sort of sweat, or condensation builds up and then drips off, particularly when you use the AC. Because I don't see any color, I'm sure it's nothing to fret over.
Click to expand...
If it was water, it would eventually evaporate - this stain stays there.
 

No a/c. Car falling apart. New car. Love that New Car Smell. Don't even get a loan. Pay cash. I know, you don't want to. Just talking about myself. Cheap car, like a Mitsubishi.
 
Pepper said:
No a/c. Car falling apart. New car. Love that New Car Smell. Don't even get a loan. Pay cash. I know, you don't want to. Just talking about myself. Cheap car, like a Mitsubishi.
Click to expand...
I have to consider the place where I'd take it for repairs. Even the Honda dealership is a 27 mile round trip. The only relatively dealership nearby is a Ford place. One of my cousins said her husband bought a KIA and he has to take it to Albany for repairs.

Two rating Web site rank the Honda Civic the top compact car:

https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-sedans/compact

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-cars
 
debodun said:
I ran my car through several online value calculators. Here are the results (this is private party value except for Edmunds which is a trade-in value):

KBB - $3054
Edmunds - $1790
NADA - $3175
Carfax - 2590
Click to expand...
Pick-N-Pull offered me $135 for my '04 KIA Sedona.

But I'm not parting with it. It's got a beautiful one-of-a-kind paint job (by a 3yr-old Paxton).

This is just 1 panel and 1 door. He did the whole van.

Paxton's car art.jpg
 
debodun said:
The car is equipped with AC, but I haven't used it in years because it stopped working. Diagnosis - bad compressor (i.e. expensive repair).
Click to expand...
In other words, you donā€™t have air conditioning so the leak canā€™t be that. I know that both our vehicles have air conditioning and leak out liquid. Even our home heat pump leaks liquid when itā€™s on air conditioning.

I donā€™t know how you stand having a car with no air conditioning but I DO know that it canā€™t be good for your health. I suggest a good used car. You can get a mighty fine used car that comes WITH a much needed air conditioner. It should also come with a warranty. We purchased a Mazda $43,000 SUV with 80,000 kilometres on it for $25,000 . It has all the Bells and whistles ; mainly bought for my husband since heā€™s disabled.

Before that I purchased a used Toyota Yaris for less $8,000 with 40,000 kilometres on it. It was a manual transmission. I loved that car.

You could purchase a nice used Japanese car with a full 3 year warranty for a good price. Might as well use your money now while youā€™re still alive since you canā€™t take it with you. Try and take a friend who knows about cars with you so you donā€™t get taken for granted.

You deserve a nice car that works well WITH air conditioning
 
debodun said:
I have to consider the place where I'd take it for repairs. Even the Honda dealership is a 27 mile round trip. The only relatively dealership nearby is a Ford place. One of my cousins said her husband bought a KIA and he has to take it to Albany for repairs.

Two rating Web site rank the Honda Civic the top compact car:

https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-sedans/compact

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-cars
Click to expand...
Donā€™t get a KIA. A Honda Civil is a smart idea.
We have had 2 of those and they are the best cars in the world for the price offered. A VERY smart move.
 
Murrmurr said:
I love my KIA.

Besides the gorgeous car art, I've never had to take it in for any kind of repair. Bought new tires once, and I change the oil now and then, but that's it.

But I wouldn't recommend one for Deb, based on her cousin's husband's experience.
Click to expand...
Iā€™m sorry MurrMurr. I didnā€™t realize you had one. Oops! IMG_4543.gif

Iā€™ve never had one and the only reason I donā€™t like them is due to their shape. We never had to take our civic in either.

Iā€™m pretty sure the Honda Civic is the number one car in the world, followed by Toyota Corolla
 
Last edited:
Knight said:
The spot if it was antifreeze might leave a little residue. If it was condensation from an a/c running the condensation water would evaporate. Deb didn't mention power steering binding or if that reservoir was low. Deb's picture shows some dark edges and absorption into the floor.
To help understand the difference between potential radiator overflow, a/c condensation & an oil leak, or even power steering leak this video does a good job of showing an oil leak stain on concrete.

Deb doesn't read or respond to my posts so I'll repeat what I posted in #98 that post included a video of why an oil pan gaskets takes time to replace.


The quantity is minimal & using a cleaner every time the spot appears could get tiresome to do.
Some oil dry [looks like kitty litter] won't remove the stain but is easy to use & will eliminate the potential to slip & fall.

According to other Debs posts driving 50 miles a week shouldn't cause much oil loss thru the pan gasket. Checking & adding oil when needed will cost far less than the cost of a pan gasket replacement
Click to expand...
Seems like a waste of time to explain & show pictures of what the stain on her garage floor is. Same with showing why replacing an oil pan gasket is time consuming.
A DIY person with a car that old & metric sockets would probably get under the car, look for where the leak was & try to tighten the bolts there. Hot engine oil is sneaky in it's ability to find a way show up as a leak. More often valve cover gaskets.

But hey who knows maybe others will find looking up a problem to get some insight into why repairs aren't cheap.
 
Teacher Terry said:
My 16 year old Toyota Corolla has only needed brakes, tires and oil changes and actually rates higher than the Honda civic although those are also great cars.
Click to expand...
The ratings Iā€™ve seen have the Toyota Corolla in second place but either way, they are BOTH exceptionally good cars.
 
I lived in upstate New York 40 years ago and no one had AC in their home or cars because they didnā€™t need it. It was never that hot. Maybe Deb doesnā€™t need AC.
 
Teacher Terry said:
I lived in upstate New York 40 years ago and no one had AC in their home or cars because they didnā€™t need it. It was never that hot. Maybe Deb doesnā€™t need AC.
Click to expand...
That might be so but the entire globe is getting hotter. 40 years ago things were different for all of us. She says her grass is burnt. The average day in spring in New York is 26 to 28. Thatā€™s spring.
 
Obviously I have no clue if Deb actually needs it. Plus upstate is a huge area and we lived by cortland and she could be a long distance from there.
 
Deb, do you have a lot of hot weather where you need AC? I prefer natural air so only use my AC when itā€™s really hot. Because Reno cools down at night not everyone has AC although unfortunately itā€™s gotten hotter here in the past 30 years.
 
I took it to an independent garage this morning to see about the oil leak. Dealership said it was the oil pan gasket and would cost over $600 to replace (labor intensive), so I passed on them doing it. The IG said it was the cam plug and a little over $100 to replace. Again, they didn't have the part and would have to order it, so I have to go back when it comes in.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top