Just bought a used 2007 Buick Lucerne at 107k Miles, an everlasting rollercoaster. :(

[ThatGuy2780]

Hi, first off I'm new to this sub, and new to cars in general. Since I've bought my car i've done my fair research and learned some of the basics when it comes to changing oils and liquids, brakes, system flushes, and certain compenents of the engine and what they're intended purpose is. Now I just purchased a 2007 Buick Lucerne CX for approximately 3000 (107K miles), and while it seemed like a good offer, I'm starting to believe that the offer was too good to be true like I once thought.

Here's the scenario:

Now I know used cars come with certain issues, and I wanted to take that knowledge as a way to learn about cars and how to fix them. I bought the car through a dealership and initially I noticed the car was pretty dusty on the inside before they cleaned it (likely it's been sitting somewhere for sometimes, could be many reasons), the TPSM monitor was faulty (stays lit despite tires being at the proper 35 PSi), and the Gas gauge wasn't accurate or would often fluctuate at times. and when I would drive on the e-way and go over a slight hump in the road, the car would swerve slightly to the left or right, but it was nothing too bad and I could keep control. Other than that everything was pretty much working properly and running. I felt that for the things that was wrong with it, I paid a fair price.

Up until Recently

I started to use the car to Deliver for UberEATS. I saw it as a way to get to know the car and how to use it, as well as a way to find out any additional problems with the vehicle by extensive use. Things I began to notice are the rims and tires ran really hot about after 30 minutes of driving. It'll be to the point where if I touched the rim, it couldn't hold it there for longer than 5 seconds (less when I've run it for longer). Now I used to drive around a '09 Pontiac Vibe before and never experienced an issue where I could feel the heat come up from under the tires. So I thought it was a brake issue. From my research I know changing brakes wouldn't be too hard of a task and that I could do it on my own and save some service fee money. Another thing I noticed is that it would get really warm in the cabin sometimes. I felt like this was an issue from the hot brakes, or the engine was running really hot, but my temp gauge always stayed at middle. I like to ride with my windows down sometimes in the evenings since it's cooler and I prefer natural air, but for some reason it was still feeling pretty warm in my car. Keep in mind, I checked all my fluids the day after I bought the car and it checked out. Not leaks, or signs of covered up leaks, and fresh coolant to the max line.

Taking it to the shop

I wanted to diagnose this heat situation and the fact that my brakes were squealing at any stop I made now (it's pretty embarrassing IMO) but I didn't have to proper tools to do it at home. Plus my jack was completely rusted up and wouldn't turn. So I took it to my local Pep Boys Auto Shop and asked them to inspect my brakes and suspension. They could tell me if it was actually something wrong with my brakes and I can use that information to go about repairing them myself. Here is where the weird stuff really come into play... When I went in for my appointment they took my car in and began to inspect it. I watched my car on the lift and watch as the guy walked around and inspected it with a clipboard. About 15 minutes after, the mechanic working on my car comes into the lobby and tells me he thought I was getting an oil change so he *accidentally* took my oil cap off (or something), and now he has to give me a free oil change. At the time I heard Free Oil Change and was sold because my car read that I had a 28% oil life remaining so I figured I just got lucky. Afterwards he inspects my brakes and finishes up with his inspection. He comes out and goes over with me everything he saw. For the most part it was things I noticed. Faulty TPSM system, and bad rear shocks. I asked him about my brakes squeaking and he mentioned that my brake pads weren't worn out, and I even asked to see them and he was right. They weren't that bad. The rotor was warped and rusted at the top but otherwise I didn't need new pads. He recommended if bought [CRC Disk Brake Quiet](https://www.zoro.com/crc-high-temp-...4hVimUug6BdUDCoHEKWTyxoC-obw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) he'd put it on for me free of charge. I agreed and went and bought it. When he finished up it was all good to go, and I was waiting to be invoiced. But too bad it nearly took an additional 45 minutes for me to get invoiced. Once that happened they ultimately said I could just leave for waiting so long offering me free service. I bit quickly and left, but I didn't receive any paperwork. I had to come back because the mechanic thought for some reason I didn't want the Brake stuff that I BOUGHT (which was a big red flag for me). Now I'm starting to think I made a mistake. BTW the brakes were still squeaking after I left. (I figured I just need new rotors and could afford to do so in a short time)

Yesterday

I was doing my routine ubering late night, it was a cooler light so I wasn't too worried about my car getting too hot (previous days its was between 80 - 90 degrees outside). During my drive, I would hear my car bubbling. I'd check under and see something driving, but when I further inspected it, it was likely just the water from the AC. (it was clear) Later I heard the noise again, and saw the bubbles in my coolant tank. It would go for about 2-3 minutes but then would stop. As I'm ending my trip and heading home on the highway out of nowhere my Temp gauge rises to the top, my coolant light turns on, and I immediately pull of the highway to the said of the road. I open my engine and inspect my cooler tank, and it's completely empty. I mean not a drop of coolant in there. I'm really confused because I've been opening my hood pretty frequently and I've never seen my tank empty, but who knows. Maybe I missed it. I drive to the location gas station (during that short 2 minute drive my check engine light is now on), I fill it with about half of the bottle and head home. It wasn't full to the line but I wasn't sure if I was just pouring it in, and it was leaking somewhere. I drive home with the check engine light still on and park and pray for the night. This morning I checked my car again and noticed the coolant tank hasn't leaked all the way out. Cool i thought. I put the rest of the coolant in the radiator topping it off as I could, and when it reached the top, I put the rest in tank. The check engine light is no longer on and my tank is no longer "leaking" but I skeptical of something else being faulty. Is it possible that the mechanic drained my whole tank as a way to make more money off of me in the long run, or do I have to worry about an blown gasket. While I did check for a milky cap in the engine and white exhaust, none of it was present.. So I'm just ultimately confused as to what in the **** in going on. Any advice or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Johnscsx]

Pep Boys isn't a bad place. Those national chains have to be very careful with their work, or the reputation of the entire chain suffers. That said, they are also very good at finding problems that you likely didn't know you had, so that can bring some unpleasant surprises. But, the more you know about the problems with the car, the better you will be able to deal with them.

The TPMS sensors are probably the originals, and the internal batteries are probably dead. Do a search on TPMS on this forum, which I have written about extensively.

Your rims will get uncomfortably warm to touch after driving. If it's not smoking hot, you're probably OK. Another thing you can do is see if one rim is hotter than the others. If they're all the same temperature, and the tires are not burning off the rim, you're probably OK. If you really want to be sure, put the car up on a jack and try to shake the tires from side to side, and up and down. If you've got a bad wheel bearing or need suspension work, that's the way to check.

With regards to your coolant problem: Is it leaking on the ground? Anything noticeable coming out of your tail pipe? The system has to be pressurized or it will overheat within 10 minutes or so. Make sure the coolant tank cap is screwed on all the way. That's what pressurizes the system. If you got a bad cap, it's an easy replacement.

Don't put water in the coolant tank, that will slowly destroy your cooling system. Use a 50/50 mix of Dexcool/distilled water. It doesn't cost much, less than $15 a gallon at Walmart.

When you run your engine, coolant should start to slowly move from your engine into the coolant resovior. When your engine is off and is cooling off, the coolant moves from the tank back into the engine. If you're getting air bubbles in there when you start running the engine, it sounds like a lot of coolant has already leaked out somewhere. Check your oil. Is there something in there besides oil? You gotta figure out where the coolant is being lost.

If the car overheats, you need to change the oil, because the oil can't handle temperatures above the normal operating range for very long. The car computer should give a change oil message after the engine overheats.

Take your car to any auto parts store and have them put a scanner on it. That won't cost you anything, and it could help isolate some problems.

Pour a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner in with your next tank of gas. That can dissolve sulfur deposits that may be causing your gas gauge sensor to stick. It's about $5 a bottle at Walmart. That can also help clean out other kinds of gunk from the fuel system that may be due to the previous owner using cheap gas. (Don't use cheap gas; you don't need Premium fuel, but buy your gas from one of the national branded stations.)

 

[jemhanlo]

Bubbles in the overflow reservoir indicate the presence of air in your coolant system. This could be caused by a leak somewhere; possible head gasket, water pump, hoses, etc. Could be an issue with the radiator cap not providing adequate pressure. If the pressure rating of the radiator cap is lower than specified, the boiling point of the coolant is lower as well. It could be that your coolant system was recently serviced and new coolant was added without "burping" the system http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Burp-your-cars-cooling-system/

I suggest you try the easiest items first; inspect for leaks, radiator cap, burping your coolant system before spending alot of money on costly repairs that may not be warranted.

I also suggest you check to ensure the thermostat is new or has been replaced recently. Although you may not be experiencing an issue with the thermostat now, it may not be long before you will. It's a relatively simple and cost effective replacement item that will protect your engine from exposure to high temperatures.

Good luck