[Ostracon]

Originally Posted by Tech II

Kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place here, since the cost of the repair is about equal to the value of the car......so it doesn't seem to make much sense to repair it.....in fact, value of the car could be lower(or higher) depending on the condition of the interior, exterior(you said you need a W/S, that is usually covered under car insurance around here), tires, transmission, etc.

Thanks for the reply, Tech II. That was my thinking even before the water leak developed. I have been needing new tires for a while and just picked up a screw in one. (A local shop plugged it for me free, and asked that I buy my new tires from them, which I will for the new van.) The windshield is less than my deductible so it doesn't make sense to claim it and have my insurance rates go up. Just those two repairs alone would zero out any increase in value. This repair would be throwing money away.

Couldn't hurt to try to retorque the bolts(upper plenum would have to be removed) and then use the GM tablets(they have to crushed and put into the cooling system).....

If I can find a mechanic that will do this for me, do you think it would be a good idea to have them loctite the bolts as well, so they don't back out again, (if they did originally)?

GTP Dad, $60/hr? No shop I know would do it for that.....maybe under the table?

This shop's labor rate is $98/hr., which I thought to be high considering it's not a dealership. Of course, I haven't had to do any real repairs on this car in a while, but I don't think inflation would cause labor rates to go up thathigh.