juvenchan

Thank you for all the detail info, mitmaks!
When I was driving around town, often.. some Hispanic waved at me and ask if I want to have them fix my car.... but how can i trust those people?

For the Maaco part, its always better to buy paint ourselves right? what kind of paint will they use?

milirx450h

I replaced the rotors on my 03 ES300 and I remember paying around $40-50 per rotor (non-OEM). If/when you do replace the rotors make sure you throw some paint on them too. Mine started to rust after a month or two.

As for your hood, since you are short on cash and looking to sell yor car in the near future, I would give it a thorough sanding and paint it with a spray can or two.

juvenchan

I know i can do the sanding part,, but I have no equipment to paint the hood tho... especially I am bad in using spray can (I tried pastidip before, my art work was horrible, like zebra stripes )

Appreciate for you advice!

I wish I know someone who live within 100miles .. probably i can learn a lot from him (mechanic stuffs, etc...)

I do have a thousand dollar in my pocket for fixing the car, but not sure if it worth fixing then sell it.. or just sell it like this

juvenchan

Where can i get the PPG Deltron 2000 paint?

mitmaks

Look for local PPG automotive paint distributor.
http://www.ppg.com/coatings/refinish...e=17&Zip=99208

mitmaks

They will use whatever they have on shelf, mismatches/mistint, paint left over from other paint jobs etc. If you want good quality paint you better buy it yourself and bring it to them to paint your car with.

juvenchan

Wow.. you do know a lot things

Since my front bumper is crack, i think i should replace it if i am going to paint the hood , so that the car will look a lot better.. but the problem is, the bumper is two tone, and that will cost more to have the 2 color painted on the bumper..

I calculating whether I can get a car by the end of this year, if not, then i will fix my car and stay with him for another year

There are some weird noise in front of my car while in low speed, like metal hitting metal [ALL assuming driving on a relatively rough road, not like Rally, but not smooth]
1) "cling cling" sound while in low speed but not stepping on the brake or braking
2) "Crank Crank" sound when driving in low speed + breaking

For Q1, is it an engine mount problem? the previous owner changed the engine mount, probably60k miles ago

Heres what I found about diagnosing the mount problem online -> "So if the mounts are broken, you're likely to feel more vibration from the engine, you might hear the engine bump around when you go over bumps, and when you step on the gas, the engine literally will try to lift up out of the engine compartment."
I don't know if I really got that feeling while driving but my car won't shudder while driving (i don't accelerate my car VERY fast..)


Sorry if it makes no sense to you

mitmaks

Sounds like some worn out suspension parts, ie ball joints, tie rods, etc.

juvenchan

are those expensive parts to replace?
I know my car is getting old and need a lot of treatments

mitmaks

They are inexpensive but labor is expensive. Most shops would charge ~$500 to replace ball joint but the part itself is ~$20

juvenchan

Shoot...
I hate myself now.. I don't even have a friend who knows how to do maintenance on their car
does it mean i should sell it , then get something else???
Let me record a video for annoying sound and low idle when i go home tonight or tomorrow

btw, how can you tell whether is the ball joint or the tie rod?

Thanks for answering !!!

juvenchan

Can't get a good quality video ..
perhaps i need to use a voice recorder...

So sad today, when i was driving around LA, the check engine light comes out ...
the driving feel is fine, transmission shifts okay... not sure what happened
I am going to a business trip with my boss tomorrow, hopefully i can bring him to see a doctor soon..