Hey bbs! I’m in a bit of a bind :/
So basically, I’ve been having massive car problems coupled with very low work hours and I’m STRUGGLING to stay afloat.
Here’s what’s happened so far:
About two weeks ago, I went in for an oil change and because my brakes were grinding. I come to find out that I need brand new brakes front and back, as well as new tires because my struts and shocks are shit and my tires were completely bald and even a little warped in places. I also needed some kind of new plug for my oil pan because mine was stripped and it was leaking. The total cost: $880
Just a few days after that, I went to run an errand and discovered that my car battery was dead. Just completely dead. I couldnt even use my key button to unlock my car. I called roadside assistance and they jumped my car. But while it was running for the required 20 minutes, it made two loud hissing noises and a small puff of smoke so I immediately turned the car off. I again called roadside assistance and had it towed back to the mechanic. After a few hours of waiting, I learned that my alternator was bad, as was my battery AND my serpentine belt. All three had to be replaced. The total cost of that: $792
The VERY NEXT DAY my car battery was dead again. So I had it towed back over to the mechanic. They assured me that their work was sound and that they thought the likely culprit was my automatic starter, which I have not used in literal years, glitching and drawing on the battery. So they jumped me there again and I went to a place that specializes in auto starters and other electronic add ons and had the automatic starter removed. The cost: $50.
So then, my car ran fine for about a week, and I thought my troubles were over. Until wednesday morning, when I went to run an errand and discovered that my car was dead AGAIN. I had roadside come jump it and it ran fine for the next twenty minutes. However, after a few hours at home, i had a bad feeling and I went out to check my car and it was completely dead. At this point, my mechanic was closed so I just let it be. I worked the next day, and a friend gave me a ride. Friday morning, when I was off, I called my mechanic and explained that the car was dead again, and died only a few hours after being jumped. So they sent a tow truck and after hours of diagnostics, they determined taht they had no idea why it was doing this, and told me to go to a specific car audio shop because they thought MAYBE the guy who took my auto starter out didn’t do it correctly. They jumped my car and assured me I had about an hour to drive it before it died again. So, I drove to the place and they IMMEDIATELY sent me over to another mechanic right next door so THEY could do a diagnostic first before the audio place would touch it. That mechanic had my car overnight and on Saturday morning they called to tell me they found the problem: the AC compressor was shorting, I guess? and drawing on the battery to try to run the AC even when the car was off. The total cost of THAT trip: $873
To add it all up, I’ve spent $2595 on my car within the last two weeks. My bank account is super low and my credit cards are all maxed out.
My car insurance is due in a few days, and that’s $100. Also, long before any of this car bullshit went down, I had planned a non-refundable trip with my cousins to Disneyland. Because of my job, we don’t have to pay for tickets and they are paying for the hotel. All I need to pay for is my own food and gas, and I absolutely don’t have the money for that. If I can’t go, then my cousins will be stuck with a flight and a hotel booked for california with nothing to do out there because they are depending on me for Disneyland.
I’m so stressed about this that I have like, a panic attack a day about all this.
If you would like to help me out and throw a few dollars my way, HERE is my paypal. If you can’t help, then please signal boost. Any little bit will help me out.
