Peter Vieira
Wow, you're reading this? Thanks! If you're into RC cars and I seem vaguely familiar, it's because I spent over 25 years writing and editing RC car news, reviews, and tech articles in print and online. What else, what else ... I have a degree in Film Studies (useless), most of a degree in Graphic Design (useful), and I'm married to a wonderful woman with horrible taste in men. Thanks to her, we have a terrific daughter who just earned her Journalism degree and is way, waaay more together that I was at her age. Or right now.
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Sunroof glass. I used to work in an architecture firm in downtown LA, the best part of which was free parking below the tower. As you can imagine, this being underground parking – it’s pretty finite. Coincidentally, the building is also host to the local Equinox location, so the [already sparse] parking situation is occasionally made worse by douchebags in widened Gelandewagens and the females of the same species parking across stripes, at considerable angle, protruding into the adjacent spots. One day I found myself boxed in between two of these, with no possible way to reach the door handles of my little sedan, let alone open them. Luckily my sunroof was retracted that day and I figured I’d just climb on the car and jump in like it’s a submarine hatch. So here’s me, in vaguely corporate office drone attire, jumping onto the trunk then again onto the roof and splashhhhhhh – I hear the sound of shattering glass.
It was embarrassing to say the least. And after calling around it became clear that the repair will cost near $1000 at a shop. Then I realized that the retracting mechanism as well as all associated mechanics still worked fine – it’s just that there is now a giant hole in the actual sunroof glass. Which sits in a frame, conveniently bolted to the sliding mechanism using 4 simple Philips screws. So without further adieu I found a replacement on ebay for $150, bought it, ended up taking a bus over lunch to a post office on the skid row to pick it up. All the while the car just sat underneath the CITI tower in downtown, for free. And one evening after work, I rolled up my sleeves popped a headlamp on, and fucking replaced it!! Drove home feeling as if I won the war.
As a broke college student, I bought an ’84 VW Jetta GLI with ~150K on it, but it perfect shape. That was in 1992, so it was eight years old. IIRC it cost $1500, I took an advance on my Discover Card to buy it (!).
I had no money and that maxed out my card. And a couple of weeks later the fuel pump started packing up. I went to the local pick and pull junkyard, found a Scirocco with a pump that looked about the same, pulled it off and paid them the $10 they wanted for it, swapped it into my car and proceeded to put another 200K miles on the car before the tinworm finally got it many years later. The first real DIY repair I ever did to get a car running properly again, as opposed to swapping in a new stereo or whatever.
That car was actually INCREDIBLY reliable over the years. No major issues ever. The only other major thing that happened, and the only time the car ever had to be towed was kind of exciting though. Was driving along and smelled gas – and realized that the tank which had been half full when I left home, as now at 1/4 tank 20 miles later. Pulled over, opened the hood and found that a gas line was spraying gas directly onto the hot exhaust manifold and running down to the cat. Eeek. The cold start injector line had rubbed through. Had AAA tow it home, went to the P&P and grabbed a line and had it fixed in 5 minutes. With that gas line properly secured.
My first car had a recurring short where the tail light fuse would go out. The problem was in the actual socket of the driver’s side tail light. There was a junk yard that had the same car and it’s rear wiring was intact. There was a plug for that section in the trunk. Just unplugged it from the junked car, replaced the whole set from the plug backwards in my own, never had a fuse go the entire rest of the time I owned the car. 1960s cars were so damn simple.
First win was the ’79 vw bus when I was 17 for $600. It was brown, rusty and missing a lot of parts. Found it in the classifieds and used the yellow pages to find a vw parts shop where I got lost and used a pay phone for directions. When I got it reassembled and barely running just good enough with only a Hynes manual to pass the old tailpipe emissions test it was a celebration! That crapbox gave me a lot of fun for a couple years but electrical problems and rusty everything finally had me toss in the towel.
I don’t have a win, I have a conquered nemesis. The speed sensor and in the trans lead frame on the NAG1 transmission on my 2005 grand cherokee wk.
Long story short the speed sensor gets mucked up with debris and your shifts go wonky. It’s not overly complex to replace and the parts aren’t too pricey but that little o-ring on the plug will go bad also and leak fluid causing shorts which also cause wonky shifting.
I replaced the plug and the sensor last fall and it’s been plugging along just fine ever since.
TL:DR if you have a daimler chrysler with a NAG1 transmission and you think your tranny is going out – make sure you check your o-ring on the plug for leaks and then if that’s not the issue replace drop the pan and the valve body and change out the speed sensor.