Re: Coupe GT rant

[Dwight Varnes <mxbreed@lancnews.infi.net>]

Some days cars can really get to you, I know. But (and it may sound like
simplification) it just a clunk!  Car still runs, stops, turns. Kind of
silly to bail out on it at this juncture, especially since it's worth
nearly nothing (good for me, bad for you).

Anyway, you haven't experience automotive frustration until you've had
an Italian car or a Jeep CJ.

Randomly replacing parts is NOT a good diagnostic procedure (and I'm not
picking on you personally here, just generalizing). Admittedly, it's
easy enough to find a mechanic who can fix your Ford-Chev-Nissan pretty
much anywhere. Good VW-Audi types are a little harder to find, and you
cherish them when you find one. I had an annoying rattle in my CGT not
long after I bought it. Sounded like a loose caliper (it wasn't).
Checked, tightened, etc. Good tech diagnosed a LF strut. Was totally
blasted, rattling around in it's housing. Car drove fine (or I thought). 

Being able to diagnose problems is a gift, I think. Rattles/knocks
rarely come from the steering system. If it's a loud crack, I'd vote
it's chassis related, which means I'd be looking at control arm bushings
(you did), subframe (you don't want to), strut mounts (??), etc. Things
that attach things to the body. 

At any rate, I think you're asking a lot of a nearly 15 year old car to
not give you worn-out noises on occasion. Your only escape is to pay
hundreds a month in payments on a boring Accord made in Ohio.
-- 
"Life is too short to drive boring cars."

Dwight Varnes, insurance appraiser and car nut
1970 124 Spider (restored, mostly)
1986 Audi Coupe GT (bigger engine at machine shop)
1989 VW Jetta GLI 16v (the wife's ride, needs restored)
1984 Nissan 4x4 Pickup (rust never sleeps)
1965 Buick Skylark conv. (more fun than you'd think)