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That photo is from 2018 just after purchase when I finished a detailing on the car at 39K miles. It now has quite a bit of alloy wheel corrosion and the rocker rust repairs would be visible today. But it's generally that clean over the main body. Wax it 2X per year. Here's the rocker holes I...

I had a 1997 Lincoln Continental with the Transverse 32v DOHC. But, I think 1996 was the 1st year for the Lincoln Continental 32v DOHC. The hot Mustang got a 32v DOHC engine that year too. I know there's some extra complexity with these engines which includes 2 roller chains. Despite that, I've...

Good responses. Thanks. Could I get another 12K miles on that front end ? Maybe. At a minimum it would give me pause about jumping into the car for a 150-300 mile trip on short notice. The car would probably have to be relegated to within 45 miles of home....usually within 15 miles. The...

1. I started this thread to find out if $5000+ was reasonable. I hadn't done any major work on a car in 10 yrs. I had no clue, esp. on replacement parts for Lincolns. It's not 2012 anymore. Prices are way up all around the automotive market. Googled it and found that up to $5000 was "normal" for...

That is a good point. And this shop does advertise FREE brake and underside inspections....no doubt to drum up future work. It is odd that they didn't even check that front end out. When the car was back to them a 2nd time it occurred to me I should have them check out that front end "clunking."...

Good point. Since I'm retired the past several years, I almost never venture out on Connecticut roads during a storm. Luckily, I'm in a region near the shore that gets much more rain than snow. Snow storms are becoming a non-factor in South East CT. I think we had 2-3 last year....only one...

Umm, yes. Over the past 3-1/2 yrs (ie pandemic years) the prices of many used cars have gone up 50-100%. I bought my 2002 LIncoln back in 2009 with 22,000 miles for $9000 from a dealer. An equivalent car like that today is $15K to $25K depending on the dealer who has it. Private parties wouldn't...

I've avoided the fleecing on my previous cars. Pretty much got out of most of them in the 100K-120K as things started showing up. I rarely had a bill for more than $350-$750 for normal wear and tear suspension parts. I made the mistake of driving one Lincoln to 212K miles. But the number of...

I've considered traveling out 300-500 miles as it seems options are plentiful enough outside my region. Though it's far more convenient to find one in the same state to avoid DMV hassles with having to come back multiple times for paperwork for the one car. Some states do offer "in transit"...

A common mod or "upgrade" to the Lincoln and Grand Marquis air bag cars is to replace the suspension air bags with standard spring coils that can't fail on loss of air pressure. Those mods are typically in the $500-$1000 range. I've looked at them when I had my 2 earlier Lincolns. Though still...

I was under the car on the lift as the store mgr pointed out each item in the front end. The right wheel bearing was sloppy and clunky. All the ball joints, tie rod ends all had considerable slop. And grease boots and bushings were pretty wasted/ripped. The right axle boot had a 2" chunk ripped...

I assume that means the $5000 repair estimate is "not reasonable." Not a bad idea. I had the car at Monroe Muffler about 3 yrs ago and they found nothing at all worth doing on the front suspension....even with a slight knock on that right front wheel area. They did the front brakes &...

About 6 weeks ago I took my 2001 Lincoln to Meineke to have Rear Brakes rotor and pads done for the first time (69K miles). A couple weeks later the rear brake was generating a ton of black "dust" on the alloy wheel. I take it back in and they told me the E-brake was dragging on the rotor....and...

Makes the most sense unless you have reason to believe the previous owner didn't do the proper fluid changes. I'd be more concerned about rust hiding in the wheel wells and lips, rocker panels, bottom of doors and quarter panels, and in front of the rear bumper area. Do a good inspection, wire...

Yeah, that crumpled thing is a old hand towel to collect any residual drip when we put the hot water in service for a couple times each day. Thanks for all the tips so far. Will probably get a better look at that valve and see what's behind it. If that rag is picking up moisture several...

Thanks. Had not thought of that option. As long as that's a good section of copper pipe on that final horizontal run into the valve couplings, it should work. Might be a bit of work to break apart the old valve + fittings. I would put a new valve in place if that all came apart cleanly.

Was looking for some simple and effective fixes for a hard to get at hot water line drip at a union.....in the bathroom wall. The horizontal union is connected to the back of the sink isolation valve. There could be other leaks on those old fittings that aren't currently visible. The 1/2" pipe...

Bought a 1 owner, 12 year old, 12k mile used vehicle in 2012. The battery was 3 yrs old. Within 2 months the battery was "dead." I found the cells uncovered and lots of sulfating. Apparently no one had ever checked it. I added around 16 oz of distilled water to that battery over a couple days...

Ford came up with Mercon V to be a replacement and upgrade to all their transmissions using Dex III dino oil. It has a slightly better additive package but is a semi-synthetic, thereby giving it better protection from heat oxidation and shearing. It lasts longer than Dex III under the same heat...

No one in this group wanted to reveal their intentions too early and give others a chance to come back stronger. On Ebay I rarely bid with more than 6-8 seconds left so that only a pre-made snipe can respond to it. The bidding did jump to around $77K where the 3rd highest bidder was disposed of...