The Inner Workings Of A Coders Brain
Vehicle Repair
FINALLY got to use my $100 Snowblower!
04 years
When I moved into the new house I bought a snowblower from the neighbours the exact same day for a hundred bucks. It needed some work, which I was able to complete, but until this weekend we never really had any snow to use it with. Finally, I was able to use it after two years of waiting and I can honestly say that I am very impressed with it!
Amongst many things, the snowblower needed some work on the engine. A lot of work on the engine. Im pretty sure the oil that was in it was from the factory, and had been there for quite a few years. When it was drained for the very first time it looked like black treacle. It wasn’t until the 2nd time I drained it that I could really see that it was full of metal fragments. In fact, I spent a couple of days working on this specific problem and probbably changed the oil a dozen times in all.
This weekend was quite brutal, we got a total of around 18 inches of snow over 3 days and it was nice to get to use the machine. I tried to capture some earlier videos and they didnt turn out so good. Not only did I take care of my property line, but also 3 of the neighbours. Im not a pro at using this thing yet, but it definately showed me that it was more than capable of moving significant depths of snow very quickly.
New Car For $150 – Can it be fixed? 2004 Dodge Stratus SXT Coupe 2-Door
05 years
I recently purchased a new (old) car from a good friend of mine that has been sitting for almost a year in her back yard, she was already thinking of the cash for junk cars options so I decided it to purchase it. I paid $150 for it. The car had an issue where the tire exploded and she hit a guard rail, and now its sitting with damage and a broken axle. The quote she received to have it repaired at a mechanic was very high, so the car has just been sitting ever since.
As my current vehicle (Honda Odyssey) is on it’s last legs with a dying transmission, I figured I could use a challenge with everything going on in the world, and see if I was able to repair the car, get it inspected and see if I could make use of it as my daily runner for my 100+ mile daily commute, but I definitely would need to install a new car stereo if I get it working, because I can’t drive around without listening to my music. I figure worse case, if I don’t get it working and I have to scrap it, it’s only $150 that I paid for an auto repair.
On initial inspection of the car, there is some significant damage on the Passenger side. The underneath of the fender is all scraped up and worn, the passenger side door window is smashed out, and the tie rods and sway bar links have been bent with such force they have been completely snapped off. The wheel just kinda flops around inside the wheel well. The roof and doors have been leaking and there is a fair amount of water inside the car. The rest of the car isn’t in too bad condition. Nothing that a bit of work can’t take care of, at the end, you are always expected to do some type of work when getting used cars. And for that, maybe it’s better to just consider looking for new cars for sale.
Pictures Below. Can it be fixed? I’ll post updates every so often of how i’m progressing on the car for those interested in following! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below in any of the posts. Thanks!
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