car-related morning

[solipsistnation]

While driving to Worcester with no passenger-side window, I noticed an unusual sound, not unlike that of two pieces of metal rubbing together. It slowly grew louder as I approached the city, until the squeals and shrieks of rending steel were almost unbearable.

Then I left my car to have a new window put in.

When I came to pick it up, the squealing was still there and, if anything, worse. So I drove over to Saturn of Worcester. As it turned out, the pads were pretty much gone, so new pads and rotors were installed, and the rear brakes were adjusted and so on.

I suspect this has been happening for quite a while. It should have been a hint, I think, that both rental cars I've driven in the past couple of months have had MUCH more sensitive brakes than my current vehicle. My new brakes are, indeed, much more sensitive, and require much less stomping to slow the car down.

I also ordered a new bezel and air control panel. I will replace these myself, and I will install the old factory stereo so I can listen to CDs as I drive.

And ideally, that will be the last car thing I have to do for a while. I suspect the next round will be the transmission, and I suspect that will be somewhere in late summer. I'm REALLY not looking forward to that, either, but my current transmission has 118,000 miles on it, so it's only a matter of time.

Anyway, happy car now, finally. Yay.

Comments

[snarkyman.livejournal.com]

I don't know what you lost, but I have an Alpine CD player with a '92 Saturn mounting kit and antenna adapter that I'm no longer using.

I'll have to check with my fiance to make sure she doesn't want the CD player before I try to sell it.

Please let me know if you're interested.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Unfortuantely, I think the mounting kit stuff is different enough between 92 and 97 that it wouldn't work.

Thanks for the offer, though... I'm not sure if I'm goign to get another replacement stereo or just keep the factory unit until I sell the car...

[criminalgrace.livejournal.com]

When my car did that a couple years ago, I was told that the squealing (in GM cars at least) was intentional. It functions as a warning that the brakes should be checked/replaced.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what they told me, too. Interesting. I suppose it sure gets your attention.

[prowler1971.livejournal.com]

Same is true on Fords.

[qedrakmar.livejournal.com]

Has your alternator gone yet? I just replaced mine at 89K. Only $350 and $150 labor...

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Actually, I replaced that last year when the power steering motor leaked on it.

[qedrakmar.livejournal.com]

Sweet! You got another 100K before you got to worry about that, then. :)

[fidgetmonster.livejournal.com]

guess you'd had your stereo turned too loud to notice your brakes were going :) i'd hardly call getting your stereo stolen a mixed blessing (unless you narrowly missed driving off a bridge because your brakes weren't working). we'll never know :)

note: when you get new brakes, drive them in gentle for quite awhile. apply even pressure (no stomping!), or they'll wear unevenly.