My minivan might be dying. The “check engine light” is staying lit – I took it to a local mechanic and he says there is something wrong with the transmission. The van also makes clicking noises when I turn the steering wheel, so I’m pretty sure there’s a problem with the power steering, as well. To top it off, the right speaker keeps fading in and out, the left-front window will, from time to time, stop going up and down, and the rear wiper blade is giving me fits. I’m hoping that there is a problem in the electrical system – and that, maybe – a local Chrysler mechanic might be able to replace a few fuses or a computer system – something? As you can no doubt tell, I know very, very little about automobiles. My local “guy” says that it’s more than he can handle, so I’m going to go ahead and take it to a local dealer. Hopefully, they’ll treat me right.
If you have noticed a decrease in posting frequency, I’ve been forced to deal with some “real life” stuff. Hopefully, by mid-week, I’ll be back to my regular schedule. I want to thank all of my readers for stopping by, and for you folks that are new here, thanks for reading and subscribing.
I would look at each problem separately. Sounds like your car needs a lot of maintenance, but it may not be as big a problem as you think.
First, the speaker is nonessential and is probably either a speaker that needs to be replaced or a loose wire. Could be a problem with your amp (which may be just built into the radio itself) but I doubt it.
Wiper blades should be replaced regularly, unless you are having a problem with the motor itself. The blade can be replaced easily and cheaply. If it is the motor it may cost you a bit, but such a thing should cost you no more than 1 hour of labor and you can probably call up Autozone and price a rear wiper motor to make sure the mechanic isn’t stiffing you on parts. Also nonessential, though.
Go to Autozone and get your OBDII read. They do it for free. You get a code that you can see what your car’s computer is trying to tell you. Is it driving funny? Shifting erratically? Is the fluid properly filled and has been changed according to the service schedule?
Clicking noises when turning could be bad cv-joints. The boots crack and they dry out and begin making noises when you turn. Could be a number of things, but I would inspect the boots first – this is a front wheel drive van, yes?
There might be a forum on the Internet where you can ask questions about your specific vehicle and other owners can tell you their experiences. You should probably do a little research on your particular issues (like getting an OBDII scan done) before taking it to a dealership and letting them go to town.
Oh, and on your rear wiper I would check the relay if it is working sporadically.
Car dealership mechanics are some of the most-honest people you’ll ever have to deal with. The really do want your car to be fixed properly the first time. There is no incentive for them to screw you over (rework takes money out of their pockets).
I say this as the son-in-law of a Honda dealership mechanic; I hear all about it.
If I were you, I’d be on the lookout when visiting “Bob will fix anything Garage”.
Butwheaty, I’ve had nothing but the opposite problems with dealerships. Screwing me over each time. The exception has been Honda, gone there a couple times for warranty work and it has turned out just fine.
Good luck putting things back together. We’ll make it through the lull somehow.
What type of van do you have? We just had to replace the transmission in our van this summer – it was 6 years old with only 77,000 miles. Of course we didn’t know there were problems until it was too late and I think it did more damage than you have done since you caught it ahead of it completely going out. Unfortunately our repair was $3200. Glad to see yours is not as much.
Jennifer