This car is driving me nuts!

ok, It isn't my car, it's my girlfriend's, I think it's a 2003 but I can't remember, Tiburon. It's falling apart and she complains and complains and complains, so I say ok I'll fix it, and as soon as I get out the tools she yells at me cuz it's not the right time to take it apart, or she's scared I can't put it back together, but she can't afford to take it in to a shop. So I guess my options are to listen to her bitch and cry about her car and jump over the center console whenever she drives me anywhere. or 2, let her borrow my baby for a week or two while I tear her car apart while she's not able to watch and bitch more. The only problem with option 2 is that my baby is exactly that, my baby. NO ONE has ever driven my car since I got it except me, my 98 Camaro Z28. I've only known this girl for 3 months, I'm afraid to let her borrow my car, AAAAHHHHHHH! :crying:

I guess I'll give the list...
-passenger side door won't unlock manually or electronically
-needs oil change. DESPERATELY
-needs timing belt
-needs the rest of the fluids changed (100,000mi on car and everything still original, except oil has 40,000mi on it):disappoin
-driver side window works when it feels like it, not often
-rear windshield wiper INOP
................................:cya:............. .............................
-during driving the power surges, you can see the lights dim at night quite dramatically. She thinks it's a blown fuse, but we all know that's not the case, besides I checked them all, I'm thinking maybe a bad ground somewhere? I have no idea, any suggestions?
-no biggie here but the moonroof sticks shut sometimes so you have to push it up for it to open, anyway to adjust the glass or lube it?
-she won't even let me change her tail light that's burnt out.
-SRS Airbag Light on dash Illuminated...no idea why? probably have to take that to the dealership
-probably much much more.

What do ya'all think? Any suggestions on how to get her to let me work on her car? (She lives an hour away and I'm on a military base in dorms so I don't have the space or many tools) Also any suggestions to fix these problems? the biggest thing is to get her fluids changed and timing belt, second is the door, guess I'll just have to get it open to take the panel out and inspect it, HOW THE F**K DO I GET THE DOOR OPEN?! :banghead:

Thanks for all your help!!!!

I guess I'll give the list...
-passenger side door won't unlock manually or electronically
-needs oil change. DESPERATELY
-needs timing belt
-needs the rest of the fluids changed (100,000mi on car and everything still original, except oil has 40,000mi on it):disappoin
-driver side window works when it feels like it, not often
-rear windshield wiper INOP
................................:cya:............. .............................
-during driving the power surges, you can see the lights dim at night quite dramatically. She thinks it's a blown fuse, but we all know that's not the case, besides I checked them all, I'm thinking maybe a bad ground somewhere? I have no idea, any suggestions?
-no biggie here but the moonroof sticks shut sometimes so you have to push it up for it to open, anyway to adjust the glass or lube it?
-she won't even let me change her tail light that's burnt out.
-SRS Airbag Light on dash Illuminated...no idea why? probably have to take that to the dealership
-probably much much more.

What do ya'all think? Any suggestions on how to get her to let me work on her car? (She lives an hour away and I'm on a military base in dorms so I don't have the space or many tools) Also any suggestions to fix these problems? the biggest thing is to get her fluids changed and timing belt, second is the door, guess I'll just have to get it open to take the panel out and inspect it, HOW THE F**K DO I GET THE DOOR OPEN?! :banghead:

Thanks for all your help!!!!

Wow, now that's a list.
1. The door not unlocking, more than likely it's the actuator, which is incorporated into the door latch as well. Will it not even unlock with the key from the outside? If not, I'm afraid you will have to bust the door panel to get into the door to open it. We have had to do that twice here at the dealership, but they were both Sante Fe's.
2. CHANGE THE OIL NOW!!!!!!
3. With 100k miles, you better do it soon. They should be changed at 60k, so you are pushing it.
4. Get that tranny fluid changed asap as well, or she might be buying a transmission in the near future.
5. The window, possibly the window switch. Do you have problems with it from both switches? I think on that car, the signal from the passenger switch goes through the main window switch before going to the window.
6. Rear wiper not working, probably the motor. We've done several.
7. surging could be many things.
8. sunroof. lubing the tracking might help.
9. taillight, tell her if she doesn't let u change it, she can get a ticket.
10. airbag light, gonna have to take it to dealer for that one.

Have you checked the car for any open recalls? There are a few that could possibly fix a couple of your problems. With this being pretty much all electrical, you could be looking at one main cause. It could also be the body control module causing a few of these problems as well. First thing I would do is get the taillight fixed and get the maintenance up to date before she's buying an engine or transmission too.

I keep trying to tell her that she needs to change the fluids and her taillight. But she doesn't mind tickets, she's had several just this past two months but none for her taillight, more for stuff hanging from her rear view or her fuzz buster or the tinted windows. She doesn't ever listen to me, that's the problem, she bitches every time. We had a chance to change her oil friday but she wouldn't even let me do that either at the time. I don't know what's going on with this woman. Maybe I can get my buddy to let her borrow their car for a week instead of risking mine. Thanks for all the info though, it's a great start. :uhoh:

in your poll im noticing that the option

"kick her ass to the curb an find a girl who will listen to your advise about a car because you blaitantly know more about them then she does" wasnt an option... and neither was "other" so yeah those are my votes lol...

lol, I should edit it. She wanted me to fill her tires with air the other day because they were low. So we went to the gas station and I grabbed the hose and my gauge and her tires were at 32psi each which is pretty good, that's about average for tire pressures. But one tire was at 40 or so so I start letting air out and she starts yelling at me, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! They're supposed to be at 53, that's what it says on the tire." Wholy shit woman. Give me a break.

lol, I should edit it. She wanted me to fill her tires with air the other day because they were low. So we went to the gas station and I grabbed the hose and my gauge and her tires were at 32psi each which is pretty good, that's about average for tire pressures. But one tire was at 40 or so so I start letting air out and she starts yelling at me, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! They're supposed to be at 53, that's what it says on the tire." Wholy shit woman. Give me a break.

next time she tells you something needs to be done with the car tell her to do it her self

holy $H!T that's alot of miles.. is the oil level @ least up to par???

mom did the same w/ a dodge caravan... now RIP...it came out like thick hershey's syrup.

c'mon.. it won't take that long to change oil/filter... i'm thinking it's already 2 late for that car.

holy $H!T that's alot of miles.. is the oil level @ least up to par???

mom did the same w/ a dodge caravan... now RIP...it came out like thick hershey's syrup.

c'mon.. it won't take that long to change oil/filter... i'm thinking it's already 2 late for that car.

defintly not too late in our work van 6 years old it just got its first oil change like 2 weeks ago all fluids for that matter

<cringes>

wow... just...wow...

i can understand if u din't change p/s fluid or brake fluid for some time-- even some cooling systems can go 5 years/ 100K miles between changes-- but the oil is the lifeblood of the engine.

unless u go super synthetic in it & top it off w/ regular filter changes...
i just don't see the engines lasting.

any more members who neglect changing their oil?

<cringes>

wow... just...wow...

i can understand if u din't change p/s fluid or brake fluid for some time-- even some cooling systems can go 5 years/ 100K miles between changes-- but the oil is the lifeblood of the engine.

unless u go super synthetic in it & top it off w/ regular filter changes...
i just don't see the engines lasting.

any more members who neglect changing their oil?

it was a work van where i work i dont give 2 craps about it

the car is fucked.

i dont understand how someones neglect to even get close to doing any type of maintanence on a car means its falling apart though.

yeah the car has been falling apart for the past 4 months, she finally said she wants me to change it when she comes to visit tomorrow. if I go over 3500 with my car I won't drive it until it's done lol. I do need to change other fluids though, flush the radiator and change my timing belt. 68,000mi...it's due.

its been falling apart because of outrageous neglect.

all it takes is a little bit of effort to keep a car running nice for years.

OMG she just showed up out of nowhere yesterday while I was putting together my entertainment center, so I finished it and said..you ready to go change your oil. She replied "Oh, well you can just check it, make sure it's not low again." "No I am not, we're changing it." LOL the oil was sooooo thick and the engine was hot, it was falling out in chunks. lol. Then when I was putting in the new oil she asked, is that what it's supposed to look like? no hun, I added water to this stuff to thin it out more. what the fuck. I told her I want to change it again next week. Her headlight is now out too, and she asked if I knew how to change them. So while the oil was draining I was tinkering with that and she started yelling at me for messing around with her car. Ungrateful Bitch

all i can say is "I Told You So"

get rid of her ASAP... maybe great person, nothing against her but you know more about cars then she does and she doesnt trust your judgement... thats just asking for trouble...