ugh!!!! .... camping days may end!

[doitright]

I have a chevy that has 220,000 miles on it and it is still going. I know it may be on its last leg but it is still kicking. Proper care of a car will make it go and go. Had a fit having to buy new tires and a fule pump but it was better than a new one. If my truck leaves me stranded on the road I will be a happy hitch hicker just thinking of all the pot holes we have gone through together and it keep on going taking me foward. I will do my best to keep it up. I know I will not be able to get a new one with times such as they are.

[caseydog]

Well, thanks all ... I appreciate the comments and sympathy! haha

First ... I will NOT do this work myself... I don't know much about cars, never even changed my own oil... it's worth it to me to pay to have it done... but not pay out the wahzoo!

Second.... thanks for a car guy's input Glenn. I actually work for Hertz rent a car and could get a good cheap rental, but also have a good friend who is taking his motorcycle to work everyday and would certainly loan me his truck. he's a great guy like that.

I did happen to get a coupon from a Honda dealer in the mail yesterday and it had a $65 off coupon for timing belt. I know that I need to get the water pump changed at the same time... don't know if it was done back at 110K .... but between the dealer, a co. downtown with a good BBB rating and good word of mouth refer, and my own repair place for 20 yrs and another referral... they are all around $500 + ..

I'm gonna call a couple of others and then between a couple of paychecks , I'll get it done. I've got July festival & camping, August TUBING the river & camping, Sept MO/KS camping, and the party of the year... I gotta tow the Jewel Box !!!

Julie

You don't necessarily NEED to change the water pump at the same time. It is usually done at the same time because that is the cheapest time to replace the water pump, since most of the labor is part of replacing the timing belt. In other words, if you skip the water pump, and it goes bad later, it will cost a whole lot more to replace. So, it's smart to go ahead and do it at the same time.

ANY good mechanic can replace a timing belt. So, if you have a good mechanic that you trust for other things, he/she should be able to do the job, and at a lower cost.

I did not use the Volvo dealer to replace my timing belt when it was due. I saved a couple-hundred bucks. It is a pretty easy repair for a good mechanic. A poor mechanic could mess up an oil change.

CD