Calculated Obsolescence or Random Self-Destruction?

My 2003 Chevy truck tried to self-destruct first quarter of this year.

The first sign was the fact that I noticed a reduction in antifreeze quantity. Out of nowhere, I was having to service the antifreeze regularly. There was no evidence of leakage anywhere on the ground, which is not a good sign. The stuff doesn’t just evaporate; the engine was consuming it.

Fortunately, I have a dependable technician. If you don’t know how to pick a reputable technician, get our video, “Basic Car Maintenance For Pretty Hands!®” and let our trainers, Jewels Marie and Torrie give you a few tips on choosing a reputable technician.

My technician said that my engine, although well taken care of, was a victim of a manufacturer’s error. Dexcool, which is the antifreeze that is required in my truck, is known for eating away at a certain gasket in the intake manifold of the engine. If left alone, will trash a perfectly good engine in a very short time. I discovered my situation in the beginning stages, but unfortunately not all operators are as fortunate.

Like all chronic troubles, it is always best to find problems like this in their infancy stage, before they cause too much damage, when it is less costly to have repairs done. However, the gasket I had to replace involved a great amount of labor. The cost was $400.

Thank you Chevy! For installing a cancer in my engine from the day it was born.

I try hard to take care of my engines. I purchased a Buick Skylark brand new in 1983 and put 190,000 miles on it. The only thing that went wrong with it was the transmission (it went out at 70,000). We put a new transmission in it and eventually sold it. The guy that bought it from us may still be driving it, I don’t know. But I know how to take care of an engine, I don’t need the manufacturer making it harder on me by installing crap that guarantee it’s demise. I have a hard enough time beating normal, everyday wear and tear.

This entry was posted on April 5, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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