~ Old Car Question Here ~

[Anonymous]

I live in SoCal where we are currently experiencing an extreme heat wave.

I have an old car ('99 Ford) that during regular weather would overheat when I used the A/C, causing the temperature gauge to go into the red (HOT) zone,
then would smoke out of the hood when I turned off the car.

I took the car into the shop about six weeks ago for this specific issue & they gave me a new radiator + water pump plus did a few other things.

Yesterday was deathly hot & I was driving w/the A/C on which I have been doing the past six week w/zero issues.

Well the car started driving slower when I tried to accelerate plus the temperature gauge went into the red/hot zone too.
After I pulled into a parking lot and turned the car off, I noticed white smoke emitting from under the front hood.

I told my Dad that I just spent $900 to repair this problem and would call the shop on Monday or Tuesday.
I felt the mechanic should fix it because on my invoice he guaranteed his work for a year.
C
Then my brother's friend who is a mechanic told me that since my car is so old, even w/only 110,000 miles, that it is to be expected due to the age of my car

He suggested just not using the A/C during the extreme heat.
He said he sees this in a lot of ten years + vehicles.

I do admit, I did see more cars than usual stuck on the side of the road yesterday....

What do you guys think??

P.S.
I cannot afford another car at this time unfortunately even though I know in theory that is the best option. Thx!!

[Anonymous]

Bring it back to the mechanic and they should repair it again. The shop we go to only charges us for parts if they don't fix it right the first time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring it back to the mechanic and they should repair it again. The shop we go to only charges us for parts if they don't fix it right the first time.

Parts AND Labor should be included.

Why should a customer have to pay out of pocket for replacement parts?

[Anonymous]

No matter what, most older cars will not be able to handle excessive heat and engine/air conditioned power.

Even with a brand spanking new radiator, a coolant flush and a new temperature inserted.
Best to get a new air filter and see if that rectifies the overheating.

Oil change and top off fluids too.
When the weather is very hot, it is normal to see many broken down cars, even stuck in lanes because people let the temperature gauge spinner enter the red area and then the car overheats and comes to a complete stop.

[Anonymous]

It's probably a different issue this time, like the A/C compressor is failing. I think that because you mention the car's performance seems much worse when the A/C is on.

The smoke can be just from oil spills on the engine block, or pinhole leaks in your oil or cooling system.

Your best option if you don't wan tot spend money is to turn off the A/C and keep your windows down when it's hot. Old A/C's are expensive to replace as they may still use freon or other now-banned refrigerants. As you probably know, your best solution is to get a newer car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's probably a different issue this time, like the A/C compressor is failing. I think that because you mention the car's performance seems much worse when the A/C is on.

The smoke can be just from oil spills on the engine block, or pinhole leaks in your oil or cooling system.

Your best option if you don't wan tot spend money is to turn off the A/C and keep your windows down when it's hot. Old A/C's are expensive to replace as they may still use freon or other now-banned refrigerants. As you probably know, your best solution is to get a newer car.

+1
Excellent advice here.

[Anonymous]

Fords are known for over heating and breaking down.

[Anonymous]

I had a 99 ford escort and I basically had to add coolant every time after I drive it with the a/c on...

[Anonymous]

^^^^ Yep Fords are junk.
Known for radiator and smoke under the hood in the Summer.



Honda and Toyota are better quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^ Yep Fords are junk.
Known for radiator and smoke under the hood in the Summer.



Honda and Toyota are better quality.

Fords are junk.
+1

[Anonymous]

1999 is not an "old car", OP. That's just a "car".

Old cars are 50+ years old, and have character.

[Anonymous]

At 25, a car becomes a "classic."

By default.

But a '99 car is considered OLD.

And a brand new radiator = the car should never overheat and smoke.

Your mechanic did a crappy job.
No matter how "old" a vehicle is, if the radiator is new the vehicle should never overheat.

If it does, blame the shop that put in the radiator and the company that manufactured the vehicle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At 25, a car becomes a "classic."

By default.

But a '99 car is considered OLD.

And a brand new radiator = the car should never overheat and smoke.

Your mechanic did a crappy job.
No matter how "old" a vehicle is, if the radiator is new the vehicle should never overheat.

If it does, blame the shop that put in the radiator and the company that manufactured the vehicle.

You don't know much about cars, do you?

The white stuff coming out of a radiator isn't "smoke". Stick to posting about things you actually know about and leave this to people who understand such things.

And there is no officially recognized designation of "classic", and certainly not 25 years. Some states allow "historic" tags at 20-25 years, depending on the state, but that's largely an emissions classification, and means nothing otherwise. A 20 year old car can still be repaired with off the shelf parts. A truly "old" car uses parts typically only available from special suppliers.

[Anonymous]

Your car isn't that old, it's just an American piece of junk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your car isn't that old, it's just an American piece of junk.

+1

Yep perfect description of a common domestic car.

Buy Japanese.