Little issue; fear of unreliability after repairs

[mrjlube]

So I change the oil last week in my 04 grand marquis with 65,000 miles and take it for a ride and the fiel pump goes out. Had it fixed at an independent.....got it back seems to run ok but for some reason I dont trust the car now. Im nervouse to take it on small road trips now. I have to go 300 miles for work tomorrow in which i would normally take it once in a while but now....i am just scared. Am I nuts...lol?

 

[fdcg27]

You might be nuts or maybe not.
If the fuel pump was not the real problem, as it probably was, you could be stranded by the side of the road cursing.
Not likely, so I'd probably just go ahead and drive the old MGM.
I'd be willing to wager that it'll be fine.
Cars do break and they can be fixed.

 

[dnewton3]

Speaking from experience, there's zero reason not to trust the car.
I owned 3 MGMs, and drove several CVPIs for LEO work.
Our 2005 had 245k miles on it when it was totaled in a wreck. It would still be running well today if not for that accident.
Your fears are misplaced; the Panther platform is one of the more reliable ones out there.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Why isn't the 04' Marquis listed in your Signature?

 

[Trav]

All vehicles have failures at some point and get repaired. Forget it and carry on.

 

[CKN]

Fuel pumps generally last a long time......on the other hand the car is almost 20 years old. Have you proactively replaced belts and hoses, etc.?

 

[atikovi]

Get a AAA membership and keep a cell phone in the car.

 

[Chris142]

I would be more concerned about our fjcruiser with over 200 k on it. Still has original radiator,hoses,fuel pump etc.

 

[nickaluch]

20 year old car I would be concerned on taking it on a 300 mile road trip

 

[ls1mike]

Drive it. I have cars outside with heads that came off and new cams installed. In June I took the Caprice on a 1200 mile round trip vacation. Heads have been off, bigger cam installed. You will be fine.

 

[Soft Cars]

I would have the same anxiety as you do if I was to go to an oil change place.

For the life of me I can't understand why people take chances like that.

 

[ls1mike]

I would have the same anxiety as you do if I was to go to an oil change place.

For the life of me I can't understand why people take chances like that.

He said he used an independent. Fuel pump is pretty easy.

 

[Soft Cars]

He said he used an independent. Fuel pump is pretty easy.

No I didn't mean the OP went to an oil change place. I was referring to the anxiety of having other people work on our cars.

 

[Zee09]

When you lose confidence in a vehicle sometimes it's best to move on....

 

[ls1mike]

No I didn't mean the OP went to an oil change place. I was referring to the anxiety of having other people work on our cars.

Ooooh...I'm getting old...lol. I get that part of it.

 

[CKN]

No I didn't mean the OP went to an oil change place. I was referring to the anxiety of having other people work on our cars.

And unfounded if you perform due diligence.

 

[dishdude]

If it was some bizarre intermittent issue that you were worried parts might have been thrown at it or misdiagnosed, I'd be concerned. A fuel pump is a pretty straightforward repair, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

[CanAmAndMore]

Get a AAA membership and keep a cell phone in the car.

Depending on where he lives, a cellphone may be useless.
Probably 70% of my driving is outside of cellphone range.

 

[The Critic]

Every vehicle has failure points after a certain age/mileage; components have finite lifespans. You just found one of them.

In reality, it is not cost-effective to address EVERY potential failure point. Therefore, after a certain point, some vehicles are no longer good candidates for long road trips.

 

[zzyzzx]

If it was some bizarre intermittent issue that you were worried parts might have been thrown at it or misdiagnosed, I'd be concerned. A fuel pump is a pretty straightforward repair, I wouldn't be concerned.

But often misdiagnosed and really isn't the real problem. That and aftermarket fuel pumps have a bad reputation.