occasionally some one gets a tad up tight over another trying to get a very specific answer to their question while attempting to help one another. A problem with a forum format inhabited by people who do not know one another and can't see touch or smell the problem so it needs to be described in a manner that can be understood.
Today at church one of the ladies was saying that she had spent close to $700.00 at her favorite repair shop with her Pontiac Vybe, one of the corporate platform gm cars or as I prefer one of the badge engineered wonders with no clue who actually made the thing, not being able to start.
It is now not starting for the 3rd time requiring it to again be loaded on a roll back and carried to "her" mechanic to be diagnosed and repaired.
So I agreed to go and look at it.
To make a long story short. It has a map light with a push on push off switch as part of the rear view mirror that when you adjust the sun visor it is occasionally turned on, not noticed and left that way. Causing the battery to drain dead. She does not drive it much and had not driven it this time since Wednesday and it would not start to go to church in.
The Point?
Listening to her story, one of non-technical, asking questions as to why things were done and what did she mean when she said what ever and wondering why the "Mechanic" changed the Battery (it was 2 years old) and on the 2nd try changed the alternator (because the battery was dead) neither reason by itself was justifiable to change those parts by itself and when did her remote key lock thingy quit. (every time the car won't start do you think the key lock thingy needs a new battery?)
We or others ask questions because what ever is being being said does not make sense to me or some one else.
A lot of problems with cars come from not knowing what is going on with them nor how they work or even as basic as Do you have a manual? No that is what forums are for.
Have some patience. The original Saturn, an in house design from a now defunct company was when it was designed and is now an incredibly complex car.
And I as well as others are still learning about some of the complexity when trying to figure things out.
It has long since been passed when you could fix most problems with a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and some juicy fruit gum.
I once adjusted a set of points in a distributor using a match for a feeler gauge and a tire iron for a screw driver because that is what I had at the moment.
So I ask, how many readers actually know how to do that?
Derf blew me away awhile back with a perfectly good explanation as to why using Platinum spark plugs in an S car was a bad idea. An illogical thought process to me until Derf Explained it. And in a million years I would not have come up with that one on my own.
The Lady is out $700.00 because she accidentally turned on the map light.
The real question is, where is she going to find a mechanic that actually can figure out how fix something. And I don't have an answer to that one.
I do know this, I fix my own because I don't know anyone else that can screw them up cheaper than I can.

 

I'm with you UnclJohn. I don't trust "mechanics" or dealerships to work on my stuff. They seem to want to just throw parts at a vehicle and hope they find a cure. Then when you ask, "what was it?", they just tell you the last thing they did. On the rare occasion I've actually had to use an alternative, I demand my old parts back so I can inspect them. I let them know right up front that I want the old parts and if that's going to be a problem, I'll go somewhere else.

 

Of course, getting back the defective part(s) excludes the ones that "had to be returned for a core charge"...

 

Me...........I'm going to guess the few regulars pretty much have an idea whats going on with the car they drive, and whether you do the repairs youself or take it in you know what to say along with what to look for to whom ever you talk to about it. So that covers us.

Now when people come on this forum and want us to tell them what the problem is and how to fix it is when it gets tough. The biggest majority have no idea whats going on and they don't tell us whats going on. They post a long list of parts they replaced with no rime or reason as to why they replaced said parts. Others come in ask for help like they are writing a dime noval. They go on and on about oil changes, when the oil changes were done, then they add when tires were replaced, then off another direction about their brother in laws cousins neighbor that once had a car that did the same thing back in 1897. Everyone of us has asked over and over to get the codes read. We have posted over and over who will read the codes for them at no cost, yet people come in here without ever reading a single post and ask..........I have an engine light whats the problem. If a person seems lagit to me I'll answer, if not I will not answer. To me it seems like half the people asking questions are doing so just to see how many people will reply to them. Others look like they are using an online translator posting questions from another country half way around the world. I try to care enough to help people but it's getting tougher and tougher with each passing day.

 

I try and fix what I can. I am good at changing parts but not always figuring out what the problem is to start with. That's why I turn to forums where others can point me in the right direction. Although I was once worked as a mechanic it was a long time ago, and was not much compared to today's cars. I worked in a Rambler dealership. I guess that gives away some of my age.

 

I own a Javelin, a Mark Donohue model.
2 Hornets, one is now a project car and am installing a Mercury Marine motor with a 700R4 transmission the other is waiting restoration.
A 1980 Spirit with a fuel injected 1075 Pacer engine in it and a 1980 AMX
All of these were cars sold by Lord Bros Rambler Nash and ****** dealership at one time or another.
I also have an extensive for me anyway, library of books that cover the cars I own, owned or would like to have owned.
The books are cheaper than the cars but valuable resourse when it comes to fixing things.

 

Knowing how to use yahoo and google is a valuable resourse, people should try it.

 

Can't disagree with ya there, RJ ........

 

Very true. Since I joined here I also learned that YouTube has a lot of repair videos on it. I always just thought it was like home family stuff. Now I go there a lot.

 

I like the forum because of the regulars. I use it because of the regulars. I don't mind helping those that seem to be helping themselves. Problem is 90 percent come on here and ask the same questions that have been asked from the time the first Saturn forum came on-line nearly 20 years ago. If they had spent any time reading or searching any number of Saturn forums they would have the answer to the one question they would ever use a forum for. Not to mention almost all of that stuff comes up in most all other search engines. Then like you say Trike youtube has a butt load of information on VIDEO for the viewers pleasure. Talking to sw2cam he says he deletes 99% of the accounts that sign up because they are players, pozers, pimpers, spammers that have IP addresses from out of the country or show up in spammer alert sites. How all that works or how he finds it I dunno, but it keeps this site free of the bull**** I see on all other Saturn sites. Not to mention the crap that Derf and Ocean get rid of day in and day out. It would be nice to have a few more trusted people on this site but I'll stay here just the way it is.