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Maus

Automotive > Honda Stuff
 

Honda Stuff

My car wouldn’t start the other day, the engine just whirred without quite turning over, so it reminded me I’d meant to scrub off the battery terminals, which had lots of white-green crud or corrosion last time I’d looked. So I got some WD40, rags and a little brush, and got in the car to open the hood. Then the lever to the hood release snapped. It just wobbled back and forth.

Online there was a video or two of men opening their hoods without the hood release, but I tried to see the catch on the front of the car, and couldn’t see it or reach anything. So I did that thing where you join AAA and then immediately call for emergency road service. It was going to cost me an extra $50 since benefits don’t kick in the same day — but the rep on the phone couldn’t make her system accept my payment, even with a supervisor’s help — so they waived the fee. One lucky thing.

Anyway, a road guy came out, and managed to open the hood by cracking open the compartment inside the car and pulling the hood release cable with pliers. Then he cleaned the battery terminals by pouring a mix of baking soda and water over them. The corrosion came right off, it was surprising.

But I ended up buying a new battery anyway, since mine was so old. I’m kind of glad, too, since the baking soda mix ran down into the battery case, and when they took the old battery out that could all be cleaned out.

Still haven’t gotten the hood release repaired… I have to finish moving out of the storage unit first. It’s all a bunch of worrisome expenses, but hopefully they’ll come slowly enough to manage. And I learned things about the car. I pray to a car god now, asking for my 13-year-old vehicle to last a while.

posted on Oct 19, 2018 11:06 AM ()

Comments:

Reason #98,975 I am glad I don't have a car BUT I do miss not having one!!
comment by greatmartin on Oct 19, 2018 8:51 PM ()
That hood latch business is really something - pliers, cables, opening the fire wall - yikes!
comment by traveltales on Oct 19, 2018 6:08 PM ()
I was fairly sure someone from AAA would know about this, so I was lucky. I was looking at the hood and latch itself, wondering how to pop it.
reply by drmaus on Oct 20, 2018 12:36 PM ()
May the car god watch over you.
comment by elderjane on Oct 19, 2018 2:54 PM ()
You can get more on your car if you do as Teal suggests when you are ready to get a new one. We donated a motor cycle Ted couldn't sell and the tax write off was more valuable than a sale would have been.
comment by elderjane on Oct 19, 2018 2:54 PM ()
My husband had his Mazda 11 years - at the end, the A/C didn't work, replaced it and that didn't work -- New York summers were killing us. We couldn't get a trade in, so we got a tax write-off for a donation. We then got an Isuzu Rodeo that had been returned to the dealer on a bad deal. We paid $22,000 marked down from $28,000. We had that for 16 years. Ed kept repairing it, even had it repainted and the guy who did it had to re-roof it since it was corroded. That kept it going another two years. We then got a trade-in for a Toyota Highlander. When Ed left the dealer with the new SUV, they were checking to see if they still had their wallets. He drives a hard bargain. It took us all day. Ed still thinks he could have got a better deal. Maybe it's time you did something about a new car, because your car is getting too old and you will constantly be repairing it and you won't get a trade in if you wait forever.
comment by tealstar on Oct 19, 2018 1:20 PM ()
Wish I had Ed's skills. I'm afraid I'm going to be repairing for a while yet, though.
reply by drmaus on Oct 20, 2018 12:32 PM ()

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