Time to get rid of the Integra?

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I took it into the Honda dealership after I couldn't get the hood open, and on the way out of the dealership I was about to merge onto the road, and the brake pedal went to the floor. I put it into reverse and backed right back into the garage. They looked at it and told me one (or more) of my brake lines have rusted out and are starting to leak. They warned me about the brake lines last time I was in there, but I didn't realize how urgent it really was. I thought I'd get a second opinion, so I left the shop and the brakes almost completely went out, and there was a trail of brake fluid coming from one of the lines. They quoted me $1,250 to replace the lines and also the fuel lines since they said they were old and corroded and have to be removed to replace the brake lines. The strange thing is, I just paid a different shop to have the fuel lines replaced last year after they claimed they needed to replace the lines when replacing my leaking fuel tank. I just put around $1,000 into the car about 3,000 miles ago (timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, distributor cap/rotor, plugs/wires, etc.) so I'm hesitant to put another $1k+ into it. I paid around $1,000 to replace the gas tank, brake pads/rotors/calipers and gas lines just last year, also. I should also mention that it's currently at the shop about 40 minutes (almost all highway) from my house, so I can only imagine what the towing bill would be for that long of a drive, just to bring it somewhere else to get a second opinion...

Does anyone have any thoughts? I love the car, but part of me is thinking it's time to finally get rid of it. Just cut my losses, I guess...
 
Sounds like it is time, although if you do this repair what will be next? 5k in various repairs is still vastly less than a new car. A grand a year in repairs is cheap, compared to payments.

How rusty is it? Thinking very, and that it is time. Brake lines aren't too bad but fixing sheetmetal will get old fast.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Sounds like it is time, although if you do this repair what will be next? 5k in various repairs is still vastly less than a new car. A grand a year in repairs is cheap, compared to payments.

How rusty is it? Thinking very, and that it is time. Brake lines aren't too bad but fixing sheetmetal will get old fast.


Both rear quarter panels have substantial rust, as do the rocker panels. The driver's side door is also getting rusty at the bottom. The clear coat on the hood is starting to fade and there is a small bubble of rust just starting on the hood as well (coming from underneath). The front passenger side suspension is creaking/groaning as well.

I'm averaging about $2,000 in repairs and maintenance per year for the past 3 years or so.

I forgot to mention that I hit a raccoon with the vehicle a few years back and the front bumper is cracked and the inner fender had to be cut out as it was dragging on the tire, so water and such sprays up under the hood easily. There also seems to be an exhaust leak as I've noticed the exhaust getting progressively louder.
 
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I took it into the Honda dealership after I couldn't get the hood open, and on the way out of the dealership I was about to merge onto the road, and the brake pedal went to the floor..


Oh, it's nothing more than just a random coincidence....riiiight!
shocked.gif

Or they possibly purposely did something to your brake line.


$tealership ??? Possibly.
 
At 20 years old, heavy rust, and $2K per year in repair bills it's probably time to start shopping for something different.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I took it into the Honda dealership after I couldn't get the hood open, and on the way out of the dealership I was about to merge onto the road, and the brake pedal went to the floor..


Oh, it's nothing more than just a random coincidence....riiiight!
shocked.gif

Or they possibly purposely did something to your brake line.


$tealership ??? Possibly.


I thought about that, but they've seemed to be quite honest to me for the past year I've known about the shop every time I bring it in... although anything is possible. They did mention the rusty brake lines to me a few times before, too.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Watch Scotty Kilmer's video, it's short and its a Honda too.

http://youtu.be/fL7BQKPhV2k


Did you see the comments that said he's wrong for using compression fittings?

Quote:
Got to ask but in the UK all brake pipes must have a flare made directly on to the pipe using a special flaring tool, you cant use compression fittings it just wont be safe for the pressures found in modern braking systems.


Quote:
holy [censored], is scotty kilmer really using compression fittings for brake lines? gonna get someone killed doing this. Your brakes are a pretty vital bit of your car, don't half [censored] it. Brake lines are flared for a reason. They're under hundreds of pounds of pressure, and a compression fitting just isn't up for the task.


In fact the way hes doing the repair is illegal in some areas.

http://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2021845
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Clearly sabotage. Dealerships often sabotage $500 beaters betting they can get the owner in a new $47K MDX


The more I think about it, the more I wonder about that... although I'm not sure why they wouldn't have sabotaged it sooner when I've had it in there for other services in the past? It's a strange coincidence that they failed just as I was leaving the shop, though...
 
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
They warned me about the brake lines last time I was in there, but I didn't realize how urgent it really was.

With brakes, it's never not urgent. Never.


Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
The strange thing is, I just paid a different shop to have the fuel lines replaced last year after they claimed they needed to replace the lines when replacing my leaking fuel tank.

Then have the dealership show you pictures of the "old and corroded" fuel lines. If the previous shop didn't give you good fuel lines, get your money back or sue.


Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I just put around $1,000 into the car about 3,000 miles ago (timing belt, water pump, valve adjustment, distributor cap/rotor, plugs/wires, etc.) so I'm hesitant to put another $1k+ into it. I paid around $1,000 to replace the gas tank, brake pads/rotors/calipers and gas lines just last year, also.

I was in a similar situation for a year or two, until just a few months ago. Here's how I figured out what to do:


1. Take the amount of money you're thinking of spending on the repair.

2. Add whatever your car would be worth if you sold it in its current state.

3. Figure out how much longer you'd want to own this car if all goes well. If you don't know, call it 3 years or something.

4. Figure out what your annual upkeep cost has been for the past 2-3 years. Multiply that by the number of years you figured out in step 3. Add that to the total.


So, you'll have:

[cost of repair] + [sale value of busted car] + [projected cost of upkeep]


Then, ask yourself this question, and do your best to answer honestly: If you were to use that money to buy a different car instead, could you reasonably expect it to be equal or better compared to what you now have?


In my experience, it takes a lot more to get a "yes" to that question than one might think. My last car saw a number of relatively costly repairs, and yet it didn't make sense to replace it until the head gasket had clearly failed.
 
Hey Derek,I'd call around to a few local shops,maybe some mom and pop brake shops. I bet you could find someone who'd fix it really cheap. I'd love to see how many miles you can put on your Acura! Especially since you just did the timing belt. I say keep her :^)
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Clearly sabotage. Dealerships often sabotage $500 beaters betting they can get the owner in a new $47K MDX


No they don't. You're pretty naive if you think service and sales are in anyway on the same team, bud...
 
If there was not rust issues, I'd say fix it.

But the rust will just keep causing more....might be time!
 
You're getting to the point where you have to essentially recondition the car by dumping a lot of money into it, or let it go. My opinion is that's it's a wash.

You've put money into the car and at a certain point -as long as the engine and trans are fine- you might as well go all the way and change the rusting lines and stuff and keep driving it because you've essentially refurbished the car and it will stop breaking at some point. On the other hand, if it's rusting, I'd personally have a lot of trouble justifying dumping money into a car that is aesthetically going downhill fast...
 
If its got body and frame rust you need to quit wasting money on it. With 200k+ miles and rust it is junk at this point. You already kept it too long and spent too much on repairs, take the loss and move on. Do a little research and go buy a well maintained 2-3 year old car that still has some portion of warranty left on it and has been garaged all its life. Try to find something that won't turn into another rust bucket.
 
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Get a quote for all needed work from an indy and decide at that point. If you spent 2000$ per year the last 3..honestly i would of given up the 2nd year. Although..if an indy can fix for less and you plan to keep it awhile than go for it..with a car that old id avoid the stealership..little story..dealer quoted me 1300$ to do shocks all around including parts. Decided to buy my own parts and have an indy install them, had shocks, spark plugs, intake gasket, serp belt, 2 new boots for front shocks, new low beam bulbs, and a wheel bearing and an alignment done. Total cost: 850$ (parts+labor). I had dealer do my first bad wheel bearing (+alignment) and it cost me 475$...
Find a reliable indy!
 
Originally Posted By: Nickdfresh
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Clearly sabotage. Dealerships often sabotage $500 beaters betting they can get the owner in a new $47K MDX


No they don't. You're pretty naive if you think service and sales are in anyway on the same team, bud...


I think he's being sarcastic in reply to the poster above him
 
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