Is it really that, or an illusion - Page 2

gwbuild · 02-19-2019, 05:49 PM

For me, problems are part of the adventure of owning a van like ours. It gives me great satisfaction to diagnose a problem and then figure out a fix. I'm a bit mechanically inclined so that helps, but I have friends who can't check their own oil so these types of problems would be torture for them.

larrie · 02-19-2019, 05:54 PM

Beastly Boy has a good point. I too have seriously considered selling our van due to the minor frustrations like the one in this post. The problem is I cannot figure out what to replace it with. The space and the conviences that a van provides are hard to match.

While frustrations can definitely put a damper on a trip they come with the territory. Vans like people start to developer health issues as they get older. Unfortunately unlike people there is no medical insurance available to help pay the cost of the repairs. You need to be able do it yourself or pay for the maintenance on the van. If you cannot then renting may be a good option.

The important thing for me is to stay flexible and look at alternatives. I backed out of the first part of the trip due to illusions. I leave in a week for the second part of the trip. Will meet my wife in Reno, visit friends and drive up the CA and OR coast starting just above San Francisco. We have allowed 10 days for this portion. It should be fun.

WhitH · 02-19-2019, 06:07 PM

Sounds like a blast Larrie. Glad you got it back up and running in time to go out and have some fun.

Beasty Boy · 02-19-2019, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrie

Beastly Boy has a good point. I too have seriously considered selling our van due to the minor frustrations like the one in this post. The problem is I cannot figure out what to replace it with. The space and the conviences that a van provides are hard to match.

While frustrations can definitely put a damper on a trip they come with the territory. Vans like people start to developer health issues as they get older. Unfortunately unlike people there is no medical insurance available to help pay the cost of the repairs. You need to be able do it yourself or pay for the maintenance on the van. If you cannot then renting may be a good option.

The important thing for me is to stay flexible and look at alternatives. I backed out of the first part of the trip due to illusions. I leave in a week for the second part of the trip. Will meet my wife in Reno, visit friends and drive up the CA and OR coast starting just above San Francisco. We have allowed 10 days for this portion. It should be fun.

Have fun larrie. It's beautiful drive up the Ca coast. Planning on that drive myself (with BeastyBoy) maybe in May to SF to see the turbo catamarans and then up to the redwoods. Happy campin to Ya.

Twoxentrix · 02-19-2019, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beasty Boy

The cool part of this story is Jeff is going to let me use BeastyBoy any time I want.

I get the argument for just renting opposed to owning, but in my mind the logic (and convenience) only applies to minimal or occasional use.

Really nice guy if he's going to allow you to use the Rig "anytime" - but, what if something happens while you are in possession? I would feel obligated (or at a minimum to handsomely contribute to the repairs) - I'm assuming you'd take the same approach... so why not just own the van???

Wowbagger · 02-19-2019, 08:03 PM

Beware "Get-There-itis" - the overwhelming urge to get to your destination that makes you overlook warning signs. As a pilot friend of mine said, "The best trip is the one you DIDN'T take because you 'had a feeling' and you found out it was right."
Maybe you could have replaced the coil and been fine. But maybe being low on trans fluid is trying to tell you something - it is possible for two things to be wrong at the same time. Or maybe you just missed out on a great trip for no reason. But would you rather that, or to be stuck in the backroads with a good coil but a bad trans?

86Scotty · 02-19-2019, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beasty Boy

A response I expected from you Scotty. You must be under 40 y.o.

So,tell me, how is it having a bad attitude(as you imply) to AVOID having
problems?

I'm 45 and my name is Eric. I can't believe people like you who would want to rent something rather than simply maintaining your equipment. Do you rent cajones too when you need them? Gimme a break, man. Vehicles are simple machines and not hard to maintain. I'm not going to rent anything because I'm afraid to maintain it. A Ford van is probably one of the most reliable vehicles ever made. Do you rent your socks too or just wash them? Do you rent an apartment all your life because you're afraid to actually have to take care of your own home?

Also, there's this: Machines break. If you rented a van is it any less of a problem if it breaks? You still have to deal with it.

Sorry to stink up your thread Larrie.

JWA · 02-20-2019, 04:52 AM

As I read through this I start wondering if my newly installed Ford reman'd 5.4 with a from the first start up noticeable vibration couldn't be something extremely simple. I suspect an internal problem missed during the rebuild process. This engine was purchased from a Ford dealership so does have a 3 year 100K mile warranty so I'm not too concerned I'll be out any more significant money.

So this week it'll be back in for a compression test to verify or dismiss a suspected internal issue. I really wish a DTC was triggered regardless what it signified-----it's be so much easier to find and fix.

All this is to say I completely understand Larrie's frustration with himself for temporarily ignoring something that could have been addressed more quickly---its too easy to "get inside our own heads............." when we're even a bit mechanically inclined or experienced. We say to ourselves "it just can't be that simple.........." and yet sometimes it really, really is.

As for eliminating vehicle ownership simply because it will eventually need some sort of repair seems silly. Not really sure how renting something that's the same as what we might own is a cure---as already mentioned a vehicle could develop mechanical issues regardless who owns it and it still falls upon the driver to deal with it.

BTW Larrie---glad your issue was relatively simple to fix---thanks for your experience and sharing of advice.

larrie · 02-20-2019, 10:21 AM

In society and the world as a whole renting is becoming more popular and to some people it makes a lot of sense. For example; I recently heard that Chevrolet is restructuring its product line. As more people live in cities owning a car is making less and less sense. People are starting to wonder why they should pay $50,000 for a vehicle that only gets driven a couple of hours a day and sits parked most of the time. With ride hailing services, on demand car rental, and car sharing services becoming popular it may make sense for some people living in large cities to rent. If you want an example of how far car rental can go check out Turo.

I am not saying that renting is good or bad. It is just the way society is headed. If my van was not paid for I would be questioning the reality of owning one too.

MadScience · 02-20-2019, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrie

1. Do not be so excited about leaving on a trip that you put off test driving the van a few days before you leave.

This is a huge reason I'm unlikely to ever trade a van for a larger RV. A van can be cycled into daily driver duty once or twice a week. That makes it much easier to keep it in a known condition.