How to maintain your Delorean for less than $500 a year and put 10,000 miles on it

[Jeff K]

So far my RTVd steering column bushing is holding up fine. I logged about 80 miles today and I must say it was exciting driving around without that stupid rattle. The car handled very nicely and it only cost me about 15 cents in RTV to fix.

Hey, what does "RTVd " mean?

[sean]

Oh well. There is always next year. I wouldn't be in this bind if it wasn't for my stinking radiator problem.

So are you refraining from doing certain things to stay under $500?

[stevedmc]

So are you refraining from doing certain things to stay under $500?

Last I checked, the fancy alternator bracket was more of a fancy update and not a necessary item.

My current bracket works fine and there is no need to replace it other than to have a shiney new part.

Hey, what does "RTVd " mean?

It means I applied RTV.

[sean]

Last I checked, the fancy alternator bracket was more of a fancy update and not a necessary item.

My current bracket works fine and there is no need to replace it other than to have a shiney new part.

But if it was $10 you'd be all over it.

[stevedmc]

But if it was $10 you'd be all over it.

Maybe.

[David T]

RTV

Return To Vendor

Room Temperature Vulcanizing

Take your pick
David Teitelbaum

[Ryan King]

Maybe.

Even though the price may be a bit steep, its worth it to me. When my Hervey pump failed when the pully fell off, tightening the Alternator on the side of the road was damn near impossible with that crappy bracket.

[stevedmc]

Even though the price may be a bit steep, its worth it to me. When my Hervey pump failed when the pully fell off, tightening the Alternator on the side of the road was damn near impossible with that crappy bracket.

I have never had a problem tightening my alternator. Its just one heck of an inconvenience because I use a floor jack to lift the alternator when tightening the belt. The only reason I would buy the fancy bracket is to be lazy and not have to take the heavy jack out of the trunk. But honestly, how often do I have to tension my alternator belt?

[stevedmc]

Total expenses to date: $211.4616

Expense #1 (Radiator Leak) - January 7, 2012 - 44,079 Miles - Total Cost: $117.83 (including tax)
Expense #2 (Radiator Leak) - January 15, 2012 - 44,386 Miles - Total Cost: $7.40 (including tax)
Expense #3 (Replaced windshield wipers) - January 15, 2012 - 44,386 Miles - Total Cost: $17.54 (including tax)
Expense #4 (Oil Change) - January 21, 2012 - 44,643 Miles - Total Cost: $24.4616 (including tax)
Expense #4 (Reinstalled steering column bushing) - January 22, 2012 - 44,693 - Total Cost: $1.35 (including tax)
Expense #5 (bought coolant and water) - February 20, 2012 - 45,000 - Total Cost: $11.88
Expense #6 (replaced rear interior light) - February 23, 2012 - 45,500 - Total Cost: $31

Thanks to Farrar I spent another $31 on something I didn't really need. A while back he ordered us some fancy Porche dome lights and last night I got around to installing mine while at his apartment. It set me back a whopping $31. I didn't need it since my old one worked, but it was falling apart so I decided to replace it anyway.

I'm almost half way to my yearly budget and February isn't even over yet!

[DMCMW Dave]

[B]Expense #4 (Oil Change) - January 21, 2012 - 44,643 Miles - Total Cost: $24.4616 (including tax)

I'm curious about the price of the oil coming out to that extra $0.0016.