Steering You Right with Sharon Peters: Car Doubt
Q: We own a BMW 325 I bought new from a dealer in 2004. It has 97,000 miles and we’ve kept up with the maintenance. In July, while driving on a busy street, the car died and was towed (to a terrific mechanic). He removed and installed a new throttle position sensor and programmer sensor ($514). I’m a senior and am now afraid to take long drives, drive on the freeway, etc. Bottom line: Is this car safe for long distances? Will it die again? Do I trade it in? I’m taking only short drives near home now. I’m nervous about this.
A: My first thought: Clearly, the mechanic effectively addressed the issue that caused your scary situation in July. Happily, you got someone who knew what he was doing. That problem’s over.
That said, you have a 14-year-old car. It’s got low mileage, and you’ve kept up with routine maintenance so any worry that belts or hoses would crack/break to cause a catastrophic event similar to the last one are slim.
Still, I repeat, you have a 14-year-old car and even when there’s low mileage, parts can fail. These complete, unexpected shutdowns don’t happen often but can happen. The alternator can drop dead, as mine did on my 9-year-old Acura last year when I was 1200 miles from home; the fuel pump can go; the computer can go wonky.
Any of the aforementioned problems can occur in a car not as old as yours. But there can be a greater chance of equipment failures in an old car.
The biggest issue for you to consider, as I see it, is that you’re worried, you just don’t trust your car any more. That’s a tough way to live, especially when you’re in a busy-traffic region, and/or don’t have confidence in your ability to sense mechanical issues before they become catastrophic.
If you have the means, I’d say get a newer vehicle. And don’t feel a moment’s embarrassment about it. A friend whose car was smashed by another vehicle last year got the full workup and repair, but always felt afterward the car was “not quite right.” After fretting for months, even though she was assured all was fine, she traded it in. She’s happy driving again.
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What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.