1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Well, put me down for the heater core replacement. I read the previous posts, and it was me to a "T" - mysterious slow coolant loss, coolant smell in cabin and engine bay after a hard run, nothing on the driveway, no coolant in the oil, etc. Indie mechanic said the system was holding pressure pretty well so was probably only leaking a few drops now and then. While I was choking on the price he quoted, he discouraged me from driving it this way a few more months (in SoCal winters not much call for a heater anyway) because he said I would still be risking things getting moldy inside as the slow leak continued behind the instrument panel. No waiting, though - he keeps a few cores in stock because he "does a lot of them." And he's mainly a Volvo shop!
Question: I recall with my college/Army/grad school beater ('68 Datsun 510) back in the '70s that replacing a one bad radiator hose usually led to another one failing before long. Could this be a consequence of having the water pump and all the hoses replaced a few months ago? Finding the new weakest link after everything else got stronger, so to speak.
I want to keep the car indefinitely, so I decided to pay the man, but I confess to a few minutes of regret when I thought about what a new 9-5 Aero leases for these days.... My average cost per month for maintenance and repairs on my 900SET over the last three years has been about $250 (including this job) - less than the lease payment on the Aero with GMS discount if I gave them my '96 as the up-front.
What would Dean or Anders do?
/Geoff
96 900SET 86000 (his)
02 9-5 Linear 00500 (hers)
93 Volvo 850GLT 98600 (was hers, now it needs a good home)
posted by 24.205.4...
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