My Baby Is Going :(

[bdonkersgoed]

Hey everyone,

Well, I think I am finally giving up on my beloved ES :(

The car has just too many problems, many due to it's age (1992) and the fact that stupid Canada has harsh winters and road salt. I have way to many rust-related problems, and my clutch is going to go in the next month or so, so it is time to part with my ES :(

I have just bought a 1999 Volkswagen Passat 1.8Turbo, so I'll see how that goes. I know VW isn't known for stellar reliability, but it is 7 years younger than my ES, so it should give as many HUGE expensive problems. It is also more powerful feeling than the ES and only has 53,000 miles. I hope it all goes well.

BUT, do not fear, as soon as I am done school and have some money, I will be back at the board with a brand new Lexus on hand! I haven't lost my love for Lexuses . . . I just cannot afford it anymore.

Regards,

Bryan

[NeiLtYmE]

you were a very enthusiastic fellow Loc'er. it was fun reading your posts and learning from your input's.

Hope you enjoy your New car. VW's are good cars too.

I dont know about the hole saving money part though.

Im sure youll be still around.

- neil

[amf1932]

YOU PICK OUR BRAINS AND NOW YOU'RE LEAVING!!!

I'm only kidding. :D You'll always be part of the LOC gang, whether you have a Lexus or not.

Good luck with the new wheels.

[SKperformance]

too bad did you use it as a trade in?

[Lexusfreak]

sorry to see you go bdonk :( I hope you pop by from time to time to say hi & let us know how things are with your VW. Piece of advice, get your new ride rust-protected before the snow flies & best of luck! B) I have a good friend as I mentioned before named Doug (he is the owner of the business) in Mississauga that does fantastic work at VERY good prices......his website is www.gemautoprotection.com Tell him his buddy Brenden Heys (2001 Beige Lexus ES 300) sent ya! ;) He'll take good care of you & your new ride.

[bdonkersgoed]

Thanks guys for the kind words . . . will still be around from time to time. At least I have found a second home is clubb5.com (for VW Passats) that is extremely extremely active. Hopefully by the time I get my new Lexus down the road, LOC will be just as active. The people on LOC are so kind and willing to give help/suggestions.

NeiLtYmE, I know I am still going to hae repairs with the VW, but at least I don't have to worry about the timing belt, clutch, fuel lines, brake lines, rough idle, huge body rust, cv joints, low idle, high pressure lines in the A/C (which no longer works) etc. etc. These current problems are just too much to bear . . . The Passat is like brand new, so hopefully major problems should surface for a while, and by that time I'll be wanting a Lexus again :P

amf1932, I appreciate the input that everyone has given me, and I'll still be around the board every once in a while. At least the questions that are asked are now in the LOC history and can hopefully help members in the future . . .

skperformance, no, the dealer I bought it off of doesn't do trade ins so I am going to have to sell it myself, and I don't expect to get much at all given it's condition. the only positive is that it has brand new brake pads, rotors, calipers, and rear suspension. Kind of sucks that I spent all that money just before getting rid of it :(

Lexusfreak, thanks for the reminder on rust proofing . . . it is deifinitely worth looking into, and if I get it done, I will be sure to mention you name B) Maybe you'll get a discount the next time you have your car done

Well, I'll see everyone on the board every once in a while. Best of luck with your Lexuses, and may God have mercy on me and my new Passat :P

Regards,

Bryan

[Lexusfreak]

Best of luck bdonk ;) I actually get such a good deal on the rustproofing & detailing at this shop now that if it was any better Doug wouldn't make any money on me lol I'm personally going back again in either October or November for another "heavy duty coat" of rustproofing, undercoating & paint sealant. Try & schedule it so you have a few days of good weather after the work is done for the stuff to cure & dry properly. :)

[bdonkersgoed]

How much does a rustproofing job like that cost again? I forgot . . .

Thanks,

Bryan

[Lexusfreak]

A complete rustproof job (which includes the black undercoating stuff) is roughly $250 - $350 (usually includes a complete detail inside & out as well). Don't quote me on that however.........that's just a general range as it depends on the size of the vehicle as well. Give Doug a call & see what he would charge. For return visits to "re-apply" or "touch up" is quite a bit cheaper as you already have a good base on the car. But he puts a complete coating on again to reinforce everything.

[bdonkersgoed]

Well, I flew to Ottawa and picked up my '99 Passat on Saturday, and enjoyed most of my 5-hour drive home.

You guys won't believe this . . .

I was about 4 kms from my town when I woke up to realize that I was on the gravel shoulder. CRAP! Instinctively, I pulled hard to try and get back on the road (because you don't think really well when you just wake up). My front tries caught the pavement, and my rear end pulled out. I did a full 360 spin, tires sqeualing, and then went into the ditch sideways, back up the other side of the ditch, and I could see that I was approaching a hydro pole! I smucked the drivers's side of my new car into hydro pole and did another little spin on the farmer's lawn. My side impact airbag went off (kind of cool that it worked :P) and I was lucky and escaped with just scraped knees and a slightly stiff neck.

I got out of the car right away, and a truck stopped to see that I was OK. I also woke up all the people in the house and they came out too. I couldn't believe it was happening! The SECOND car that I crashed on the first day of owning it (because I was rear-ended when my Dad just bought his rebuilt Mercedes)!! But this time, it was MY fault!

After getting out of the car, the guy from the house (who knows my parents :P) pointed toward the hydro pole. I had knocked it so hard that it snapped off at the top and was hanging by a small piece of wood still left intact. I was super lucky that the wires hadn't fallen to the ground! I wasn't even thinking about live wires when I got out!

Anyways, I kept telling everyone not to call the cops until my dad got there (it was 12:15AM). They swear they didn't call, but two cop cruisers showed up within 10 minutes anyways. I told him I had fallen asleep, which I REALLY regret now. Now, not only do I have the friggen accident, but a careless conviction as well! That is criminal charge equal to drunk driving, 6 demerit points, $320, and it will automatically double my insurance preiums. Add the accident to that and the fact that I was paying $5000 a year with a clean record, and you can see that I am in serious trouble here. I have called Pointts (ticket fighters) and they are confident that they can get the conviction reduced, which is good news (although it will cost me $700)

Anyways, I have been doing lots of calling to avoid insurance in the matter. I have got Ontari Hydro to bill me for the pole instead of my insurer so that they won't find out, and I already paid towing (which the jerk ripped me off for $350 for 4 km towing!) and I will pay the farmer to fix his lawn. I have no idea what the pole will cost. I'm guessing $2000 - $4000 for the pole and about $4000 for the Passat . . . all that I have to pay out of pocket :(

Another funny thing, my brother was driving to my hometown to pick me up the next day, and his transmission blew :P He went with the other towing company in town and only had to pay $107 for 30 kms of towing!! Anyways, my brother-in-law had to come to my town and pick us ALL up :P

What a weekend. I have the worst luck in the world! The best-case scenario is that I can clean this all up myself for about $8000, avoid insurance and keep my Driving Record 5, and get my Careless reduced to a lesser charge.

I hope all goes well! I really need my car, and don't know what I'll do if I can't get affordable insurance :(

I work at an insurance company, and was able to do a worst-case scenario for insurance . . . my quotes were coming out in the range of $14,000 - $21,000 a YEAR!!! Yikes!! I really hope things work out!

So, luckily, I never put the Lexus for sale yet, so it is back to driving that until the Passat gets fixed :P Maybe my Lexus put a curse on the Passat because it was *BLEEP*ed off at me for abandoning it :P

Anyways, the whole situation just sucks. It all costs tonnes of money either way, and I am broke to begin with. I have no idea what I am going to do :cries:

Regards,

Bryan

[Lexusfreak]

OMG dude, how did you fall asleep at the wheel?? :( I feel bad for you man.....that's aweful. I hope at least 'points' canhelp you out as far as insurance premiums are concerned.......how much damage to the Passat? $8,000 to fix it?? OUCH!

[amf1932]

Maybe my Lexus put a curse on the Passat because it was *BLEEP*ed off at me for abandoning it

Yes, I believe that! Lexus's don't like being second fiddle.

Seriously though, I'm glad you're OK 'cause all the rest is secondary. From now on everything will be looking up......I'm certain of this. ;)

[bdonkersgoed]

Well, I am guessing it will be about $4000 for my car and $2000 - $4000 for the hydro pole. Take note that this is all Canadian currency . . .

I have spoken to my insurance broker, and things are maybe not as bad as they seem. Worst case scenario is that I claim the accident and get convicted of careless, and I will end up with about $8000 a year for insurance.

Basically, I am confident that I can have the charge reduced. I am also pretty sure that I can pay for all damages out of pocket and avoid insurance (about $8000). This will cause my insurance to only be $3000 a year, which will then go down to $1500 a year the year after. It is definitely worth while to pay for all damages myself.

Anyways, thanks for the sympathy. Hopefully I can get this mess cleaned up soon. I think my Lexus is happy that I am driving her again . . . although I think she is still mad at me for my affair with the Passat :P

Regards,

Bryan

[SKperformance]

glad you are ok

,traitor.

kidding

That is one nice bill you are going to have ,can you say rumplestiltskin

[bdonkersgoed]

Just think of all the mods I could have done with the $8000 I just blew on nothing

I makes me sick just to think about it :(

Regards,

Bryan

[SKperformance]

Screw the mods , you could have gotten a nice older SC

[bdonkersgoed]

I could have bought a 1999 GS300 Premium Package with 150000kms with all the money I am spending on my car :cries:

I LOVE the GS!

Regards,

Bryan