Trade in a upside down car?
I have a 2008 Honda CrV which i bought from a used car lot Sept 2011. Around late Dec early Jan, then engine started running hot on the car. I took it to get looked out, found out had a head gasket crack, I got that repaired in March ($1500 later). Its now July and my honda is starting to have the same problems as before. It was 104 degrees about 3 weeks ago in Atlanta (where I live) and I had my ac on and stuck in traffic on the highway and the engine started running a little hot again. I turned off my ac but the engine was still running hot, it would almost get to the "H" then it it would drop back to the middle. And it kept doing that over and over. The next day before I got out my car to head inside my office I was just fixing up my hair but had to the engine on and the temp on the engine starting creeping up again, but only slightly. Since the engine hasn't been running hot. Yesterday, I was driving to work, the check engine light, vsa came on at then same time.I pulled over turned the car off and back on again and only the engine light stayed on. I took it to autozone after work from them to run the code, they said the light came on for a "misfire in cylinder 1". The autozone guy explained that i probably just needed a tuneup, and I explained to him that last time i had a misfire in my cylinder I had a crack in my head gasket. he says "then they most likely did a tuneup when they changed the head gasket, i hope it isnt cracked again". To make a long story short, I stupidly financed the car for $22,000 ( Idk what the f*** I was thinking that day stupidly acting on impulse) I still owe $19,999 on it. I had it appraised my honda before I had the head gasket changed because I didnt want to deal with the headache of getting the replacement gasket. Honda said my car has a value of $10,000 -____________-. I cant go through this b.s again if my head gasket is again cracked! I got duped ad the used car dealership and feel like a fool about it. I need to get this car off my hands, I rely on my work to get me to and from work and Im very fearful that it ll will just stop working or ill blow a head gasket. Should I trade or just pay honda $105/hr to diagnose and pray its not another cracked gasket. BTW the CRV has 76,000 miles. **FYI Im never buying from a used dealer again, only CERTIFIED preened from a official dealer or new**
Update:My coolant level is fine. I had an oil change a couple days ago and they said everything looked fine. They suggested I get my tranny fluid flush. I politely told them no, because I know for a fact your never suppose to do a transmission flush on a crv engine. But i know i need to get the tranny oil replaced. They also told me that my engine air filter needed to replaced. I explained that to the autozone guy and he told me that has nothing to do with my misfire.
Comments
A set of new spark plugs will probably stop the misfire. The heat fluctuation is probably due to a radiator fan not coming on- the car will cool when moving and get hot when it stands still. Run the heater on high with the AC on and things cool down- the radiator fan is the cheif mischief maker. Usually the cause is a bad fan relay- a $15 part. Honda's $105 diagnosis isn't a whole lot better than a free OBD check at AutoZone and a shadetree mechanic eyeballing for coolant leaks. The Honda folks won't waste time guessing anything and know all the parts. Flushing the transmission is not the solution to this. You could change an air filter if you need a new one, but misfire isn't caused by this.
This car is only 4 years old. There shouldn't be problems like you're having.
The April 2011 Consumer Reports listed the 2008 CR-V in the $18,000 to $20,000 category, so you overspent to begin with. It had an overall excellent reliability record at that time, and still does (CR April '12). Resale value is now in the $15,000 to $20,000 range, so the Honda dealer you talked to is lowballing you. A head gasket crack shouldn't result in overheating, just a loss of power from the drop in compression. 76,000 miles means an average of about 22,000 miles a year, assuming the car was first sold in the fall of 2007; this is high mileage. (My 1996 Honda Accord had an average of 13,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2006. It has never had or needed a tuneup since then.)
I am skeptical about the first "cracked head gasket" vis-a-vis the overheating. The rising and falling of the gauge could be due to other things, like a partial blockage in the coolant piping, a faulty water pump, or even a faulty sensor. Were these possibilities investigated? At this point, I would strongly suggest taking the car to an independent mechanic who has an excellent, long-term word-of-mouth reputation in the community, and get him to evaluate the car's situation.
Before you you bought the CR-V, did you see a complete service record, showing that all manufacturer-recommended servicing had been done at the right time since it was first sold? Did you take it to a reputable and competent independent mechanic for a checkup and get an full "thumbs up" before you bought it? These are absolute "musts" before you buy a used car.
I think you may have been dealing with the wrong people. A new car dealership with a fully-equipped service department is your best bet for used cars, unless you have a good working relationship with an independent mechanic who can give you an honest and thorough evaluation of a car you think you might want to purchase.
A spark plug is $3. Try that before trading. Did you check the coolant and make sure it was full? That could cause the thermostat to drop up and down. Or the thermostat may need to be replaced. All cheap fixes.
If you have $9999 cash in your bank account just for this occasion, you can trade.
Out of everything you typed, that was the only important thing there. You owe $19,999 and the vehicle is worth $10,000.
Type smarter, not harder.
The bad news is, if you let the car go back to the selling dealer, you will have to pay the difference of what you owe and what they sell it for.