Why me???

[sunshineMN]

With 5 months to go in our Ch 13, my car decides to have transmission problems. I got it just before we filed....2-1/2 years later and now it needs major repairs. The dumb thing only has 50,000 miles on it. Not under warranty....and we still owe $6000 on it (which we're paying outside of our plan.)

Hubby has been barely getting 36 hours in at work every week...witch makes money very tight. And on top of that, his 18yo son moved in with us after he graduated high school...and is now attending college. Making money even tighter. And, I am growing more and more frustrated at my job...yet another thing stressing me out!!

FIVE MONTHS LEFT.....WHY NOW...WHY ME??? Maybe I should find a way to get into an accident so insurance will cover my car, and I can get a new one?!? We're so close. This is sooo frustrating!!!

Could use some encouraging words to get through this stressful time. I feel like I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown!!!

[AngelinaCatHub]

Sunshine my dear, by your name you are sunshine. You know, the sun shines on the good and the evil and the rain the same. This is called life. You are not the only one with more or less problems. We too have had our share including health issues. The car is only a car. Son needs a hamburger flipping job and what is HE driving, if anything? The family is a family for a reason, you are all in this together. I see possible worse things happening. It is the way it is.

What kind of car is it? What is the Trans problem? I'm not a mechanic but I do know some stuff. 50K is a newbie and should not be problematic. The car should have a warranty at that age. Is the trans oil clear and red? Is it up to level?

I feel for you of course. I cannot do much here, but give you moral support. Remember, the guy who complained of no shoes until he saw a guy with no feet. So, I shall leave you in this thought as corny as it may be, but my heart is out to you. 'Hub

[angel7821]

If God brings you to it God will see you through it. Everything happens for a reason. Keep the faith it will all work out.

[sunshineMN]

Thanks for the reminder that things aren't as bad as they could be.

First off, we bought my car (a 2006 chev malibu) as a used car. I double checked tonight, and it is no longer covered under any warranty.
Our mechanic friend said that the problem sounds like a bad carrier bearing. It's a closed transmission so we can't even check the fluid - everything has to be done by a mechanic. Any who...our mechanic friend said that it could be a major job. I've got to take my car back to get a quote on what it will cost....and then we'll have some major decision to make.

Hubby has a truck which he uses for work. He's in construction/remodeling so he needs to be able to drive around during the day. My step son that lives with us does not have a vehicle...besides his bicycle! He takes metro transit to school and bikes to work which is 2 blocks from home. I need a car to get to and from work. My work isn't near any public transportation....and being in Minnesota with cold, snowy winters...I can't really ride a bike! No one at work lives near me, so car pooling is out.

It just frustrates me that this had to happen now. I wish it would hold out at least a couple more months!!

This is only one of the major issues we've got going on right now. I had also posted a thread on hear about how our insurance company did an inspection on our property and advised us that we had to repair/replace our garage roof and paint the facia on our house....or they would drop our coverage. So, we're still trying to figure out what to do about this as well. (We got them to give us until next spring to fix our garage roof....now we just need to figure out what to do about the painting.) We're considering trying to find new insurance....but I'm a bit hesitant since it could be difficult due to being in BK.

Ugh...anyway, thanks for letting me rant. It is comforting knowing that we're all in this BK boat together. "Life" happens to all of us.

[Pjmax]

Sunshine, you'll get through it. Make sure you get more than one quote on the repair. I know it's hard to do that when you can't drive the car from shop to shop, but talk to more than one. Small independent shops may be a better bet than a dealer or name-brand place.
Only 5 mos. to go on your 13 is quite an accomplishment. You deserve a good rant!!

[AngelinaCatHub]

Sunshine, can you ask the insurance to limit your policy to not include your garage? Also, put on Craig list you need cheap paint for the front of the house. Worry about a better job next time.

Also what kind of car? I have a Jetta and that is a so called sealed unit. Not so. I change my trans oil what ever will come out every time I lube. I do not use the VW stuff. I was told it would void my warranty. I now have 220K on it.

I don't doubt you have some problem, but Google the condition. There are answers for every question. I just saved big bucks by changing a 59 dollar relay in my own transmission. Two days of my own labor, but that was a year ago. VW only changes transmissions, they do not fix their own. 'Hub

[AngelinaCat]

I will add that VW replaces transmissions at 3K a pop. 'Hub fixed his by joining a VW forum and reading and studying.

You will make it through this.

[jcsawyer]

Oh Sunshine! This too shall pass. There is a thing at advanced auto that you can put onto your computer for your car. it teaches you how to repair your vehicle. Which I had bought it BEFORE i worked on the window regulator (so much of a pain in the butt). I figured it out in the end and saved us at least $300 in labor ( I now see why in the world they charge that much to put that in a car!).

You are so close to the end dont let this ruin your party. We are just beginning our journey and have to figure out how to make an 11 year old truck (to be fair it only has 65k miles on it) last 5 years. If those are the only things that you have had happen in your time in BK do not fret you are lucky.

Painting isnt hard if you can do it yourself you will save yourself TONS of money. Roofing isnt all that hard either if you buy the supplies. Thats really the cheap way out is to do it yourself if possible.

[Sammie]

Sunshine do we see a smile today? Oh, there it is!

As PJ & JS both said, this is the beginning of our journey. I am in a 13. 4 wks. ago today our beloved 8 yr. old Samoyed died unexpectantly during an operation. This was the day before our 341 Meeting. 2 days after our Meeting the brakes went in our 10 yr. old (only) vehicle. Last Friday, our A/C went & because we were under contract I called the Service Man. When he showed up (which he didn't want to do b/c it was a "free" service call) he informed me that it was the thermostat and that it would cost us "only" $387.00 to be replaced. I told him no. My husband picked up a thermostat at Lowe's for $80.00 & fixed it himself.

As everyone else have said, this is life, a life without credit cards & this is how I got here in the first place. Take a deep breath and look at everything that has to be done, and handle one thing at a time. You have accomplished quite a bit and you are steps to go to get your discharge. It will work out. Keep us posted. sammie

[sunshineMN]

To all....
We do, and have done a LOT of work on our house and vehicles ourselves. It's not that we don't want to....just the opposite, we are always willing to try to fix things ourselves. I've been doing a lot of research on my car problems, and hubby just does NOT feel this is something he can do. He is very handy when it comes to older cars, but these newer ones have too many little things that he is not comfortable with. Plus when I brought up other questions to him about it, he said he wouldn't know where to start working on a front wheel drive vehicle. I trust his reaction cuz I know if there was anyway he thought he could do the work himself...he would. The fact that he's telling me he's not comfortable with what's going on...that right there tells me that we should take it to a pro (at least to get a diagnosis and a quote to fix). BTW....I have a 2006 Chevy Malibu. Anyone know anyone in Minneapolis that would like to take on the job for CHEAP?? LOL

As for the insurance issues....
We do plan on doing the work ourselves. Don't want to exclude the garage from our coverage as hubby has lots of valuable tools and such in there.
The insurance company is giving us until next spring to repair the roof - and we're good with that!! We just don't have the money right now to buy the supplies and rent a dumpster. So, not too concerned about the garage roof.
They want us to paint by the end of the month. Again, we can do this ourselves....I think we can afford a gallon of primer...and we have left over paint from doing some painting a couple years ago. The issue I'm having is that it is now pretty cold out...and paint doesn't really adhere right in the cold. We also planned on re-painting our entire house next spring. I'm still arguing with our agent to see if this too can be reviewed next spring.

So...again, we ARE willing and able to do most things ourselves. The car issue is our most pressing at the moment. I have to have a car! We just need to come up with a way to get the money to get it fixed!!!

Thanks again for all the encouraging words and reminders that this too shall pass!

[lillymarlene]

I agree with these posts, cheapest way out is to do it yourself if possible. A couple of months ago, my bathtub drain wouldn't work, I tried home remedies, the usual drain cleaners, etc., and nothing worked. I had 2 different plumbers estimate this from $250 to $400 to repair. In the past I wouldn't have hesitated to pull out the plastic, because I need a working bathroom. This time I had to say no, since I just didn't have it. Then from the grocery store, I picked up a $5 "new product" bottle of "extra strength" drain cleaner which worked as advertised!

Now, hopefully I'm trying to save towards car repairs. My 12 year old automobile has multiple problems, rear brakes need replacing, rusted rear end, check engine light sometimes stays on and problems with the power steering. Guess I'll be looking around junk yards for replacement parts.

[Pjmax]

Sunshine, my roommates car just had his trannie die a week ago. He had an older Taurus wagon. A small shop a few miles away said they would replace it for $1200 or if roomie bought one himself, they would install for $600. He ended up buying another Taurus wagon for $1250, and sold the dead one to the trans shop (for parts, recycle) for $400. The guy even let him remove a wheel/tire, alternator, which were both fairly new and whatever other parts he wanted. This is is third or fourth Taurus wagon. He keeps recycling parts.

He does most repairs, maintenance himself, which is why he is comfortable buying an older car, (not for me or a lot of people) but replacing a transmission is more involved than he was up for.

Ask around, you'll find someone who will work with you. It may just not need replacing, but you have to find a shop that will troubleshoot a bit before jumping on replacement.

[TheBajan]

My husband has always been comfortable working on our autos. When the transmission went out on our 2000 Chevy Metro he was a bit intimidated. He ended up ordering a refurbished transmission online, checked out a library book to learn how to install it, and we went on to put another 100,000 miles on the car before rust finally killed it off. Total cost... $450 and the transmission came with a full warranty. Don't dis-pare. You're too close to the finish line. You WILL find a solution and make it through.

[sunshineMN]

Everyone keep your fingers crossed....car is in the shop, and they think it might just be a bad wheel bearing, and no problems with the transmission.
Hoping to get the call that this is the case. Would soooo make my weekend!

Think positive thoughts for me!

[dmc-2008]

Positive thoughts your way!!