This is My Nightmare

What comes next can only be described as a series of very unfortunate events and truly my exact nightmare when it comes to buying a van. Buckle up. This is about to get bumpy.

So, if you remember, when I bought my van, a check engine light came on five minutes after driving it off the lot from the dealer. The dealer couldn’t fix it that day and I couldn’t wait because I had a flight to Montana I was trying to catch. You can read that whole sage here. Fast forward to November when I am in STL. I decided to take it in to a dealer here to have them look at the check engine light that had been on since purchase and do an oil change. (I had taken it to two previous shops who told me the codes were old and not to worry about it). 

On the day I was scheduled to take the van to the dealer, I got in and tried to drive it out of this steep circle drive it was parked in. The power steering is completely out. If you have ever tried to turn a giant van with no power steering, you know. If you haven’t, it sucks and is very hard. I got it to the dealer and told them about the power steering that somehow just went out and asked them to quote the work for me. They did the oil change and diagnostic test then came out to tell me the quote was going to be $2,300. I about stopped breathing. Cost of diagnostic & oil change: $325.

I decided to take it to my mechanic that had worked on my CRV for the past few years to get a second opinion. They are not diesel mechanics but told me that the power steering is not part of the engine so they could still do that. The solution was a new power steering pump. Cost: $530. Great, I get that replaced and the van has power steering again. 

I decided to use a weekend to drive the van back to TN to make the adjustments from the shakedown. On the trip to TN, the engine light comes back on. I got it to my uncle and aunt’s house and it was the same code that has been showing since purchase. We clear the code and I drive back to St. Louis. I decided to try another diesel mechanic when I get back to St. Louis to have them look at the code and try to figure out why it keeps coming on (since I had been repeatedly told it was an old code). The diesel mechanic finds that my non diesel mechanic put the serpentine belt back on incorrectly and it rubbed a hole through the air intake duct. Queue my immediate melt down. Cost: $730. (My old mechanic refused to cover this even though it was their mistake. Will not be going back to them ever again.)

The diesel mechanic replaced the serpentine belt, belt tensioner, and the air intake duct. So I go pick it up, pay my $730, and start driving back to my parent’s house. On the 20 minute drive, the engine light comes back on. I am losing my mind at this point. So upset that this issue has not been resolved and I am out so much money already. I call the shop and they say bring it back so I do and drop it off. The van was at the shop for nearly a month. This is one of the only shops that works on diesels and there was a lot of business coming through so it took a while. 

They finally identify another issue, the air charge cooler duct also has a hole in it. So they call and tell me that and that they can fix it. They fix it and then call to tell me that on their test drives after replacing the part, the van will not start anymore and the starter needs to be replaced. Just put it on my tab. Cost: $1,031.80. 

It is now January and I decide since I have had all this work done, I might as well have the tires aligned before hitting the road again. Of course the diesel mechanic does not do alignments but another nearby mechanic does and can get me in the following week. I bring the van in and they attempt the alignment but call to say that my front two tires are bare and are not rated for the size of my van. They need to be replaced. I had been so focused on the issues with the engine that I had not even glanced at the tires. They were dangerously bare so I told them yes, just replace the tires. Cost: Alignment $121, 2 New Tires $450.

I have now invested $3,696 dollars into repairs on the van since purchase (including the diagnostic and fuel pressure switch that were replaced in the summer of 2021). All of my money was going to the van. All of it. Every paycheck went to pay for this expense because I had just finished a $9,000 build. I was hemorrhaging money and it was truly an awful time to own the van.

Now that everything is fixed and works, I am thankful I had the means to fix all of these issues but if you are buying a van and planning to live out of it, make sure you have some money set aside for unexpected repairs. I am really glad I was able to stay at my parents house during this time because it took so long to get everything settled and I had not an extra penny to spare on paying rent somewhere.