2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser - 115k Miles
Girlfriend tried to show me how smart she was and picked up a 2006 PT Cruiser on her own. She's been itching for the "perfect beach car", and decided it was time to pick one up. "You buy toy cars all of the time for the [censored] of it. Why can't I?", she says.
Touche'.
She apparently has been listening to what I've told her about cars, and set her sights on a PT Cruiser owned by a couple living in the upscale section of Miami Beach. Good a place as any to find a perfect beach car, I guess. After pointing out a "terminal oil leak" and beating the price down to a 3-figure amount, she plopped down the cash and walked away with it.
Apparently she had already diagnosed the problem as being a leaky valve cover gasket. She ordered the appropriate parts for the repair and dropped them on the table in front of me, with orders to fix it. I took a look at it myself and discovered much to my chagrin that she was correct.
Here's what the engine looked like inside:
Valve cover:
Overall, I have to give her credit. Car looks like new on the interior, and pretty good outside as well. Front bumper cover is going to be replaced (PT Cruisers grab parking blocks when parked nose-in), but otherwise ready to rock. I'll take some exterior shots and post them in the Photo section later.
PO was using M1 synthetic as both fill and top-off oil, so that definitely explains both the cleanliness and profuse seal leakage. Nothing escapes a vulnerable seal like M1 syn.
Girlfriend tried to show me how smart she was and picked up a 2006 PT Cruiser on her own. She's been itching for the "perfect beach car", and decided it was time to pick one up. "You buy toy cars all of the time for the [censored] of it. Why can't I?", she says.
Touche'.
She apparently has been listening to what I've told her about cars, and set her sights on a PT Cruiser owned by a couple living in the upscale section of Miami Beach. Good a place as any to find a perfect beach car, I guess. After pointing out a "terminal oil leak" and beating the price down to a 3-figure amount, she plopped down the cash and walked away with it.
Apparently she had already diagnosed the problem as being a leaky valve cover gasket. She ordered the appropriate parts for the repair and dropped them on the table in front of me, with orders to fix it. I took a look at it myself and discovered much to my chagrin that she was correct.
Here's what the engine looked like inside:
Valve cover:
Overall, I have to give her credit. Car looks like new on the interior, and pretty good outside as well. Front bumper cover is going to be replaced (PT Cruisers grab parking blocks when parked nose-in), but otherwise ready to rock. I'll take some exterior shots and post them in the Photo section later.
PO was using M1 synthetic as both fill and top-off oil, so that definitely explains both the cleanliness and profuse seal leakage. Nothing escapes a vulnerable seal like M1 syn.
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