We made the mistake of paying off our car

[Mermaid02]

Paid off our car last month and now the check engine light is on and it doesn't "feel right" if you know what I mean. I think it might be the transmission. Seems like every time we get a little money ahead or pay off a debt something comes up. Who can relate??

 

[cabanafrau]

I started off 2016 with root canal and then a crown, so I said the year would be 2016, the year of dental hygiene. Then the next month the stove went kerput, followed the month after by the dishwasher.

Yep, I feel your pain.

 

[mrsv98]

Yea, Murphy's law. I just noticed that the two most frequently called numbers on my phone are the dentist and the mechanic....

 

[diznygirl]

Did the stove then planned to replace the shower pan but then a root canal/ crown and the car wouldn't go.

Root canal covered by insurance, but only part of the crown. Transmission covered under warranty, if that's what it is. But looking at lowering the cost of the shower.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That happened to us recently too! It's always something!

 

[gillep]

Yes! Due to how pay periods align I received an 'extra' paycheck a couple months ago, and then my dog had to spend the night at the vet due to illness, and then my pool's filtration unit completely died and we were convinced to replace our pump at the same time, those items added up to way more than that extra paycheck. It really is always something. Sorry about your car, I am trying to get another year or two out of mine as I haven't had a car payment in over 7 years and I do not miss it at all!

 

[Erzengel]

We have a gas fireplace and after 6 years, I turned off the pilot light to "save money". Now that it's getting colder, their no spark and I can't get it to turn back on.

 

[PrincessJo]

We leave for Disney this weekend and were excited to actually have some money in the bank.

First, my son's car needed $500 worth of work about 3 weeks ago. That same week the dryer died and we spent another $500 on a new dryer and installation. The next week my car service light came on. $130 for some work and an oil change. Later that week we had a clog in the Master bath. We thought it would be a quick $90 fix, but no. $2200 to reroute the pipes to accommodate the new AC we put in in June.

We'll have less money to spend at Disney, but I don't care. I want out of here

 

[leebee]

I thought we were going to be OK for the rest of this year but suddenly we are getting medical bills from 2016! Yup, bills that are over a year old, in some cases. Both DH and I had surgeries last year that involved overnight hospitalizations (I was in 3 nights, he was in 1), multiple lab and X-ray analyses (only covered 20%), etc. I really, really thought we'd met our family OOP max for last year, but apparently not and now... gotta come up with over $2K, not sure where it's coming from.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Paid off our car last month and now the check engine light is on and it doesn't "feel right" if you know what I mean. I think it might be the transmission. Seems like every time we get a little money ahead or pay off a debt something comes up. Who can relate??

I wouldn't be worried until given a reason to. Here are the 5 most common check engines.

1. O2 sensor.
2. Gas cap not sealing properly.
3. Mass Airflow sensor
4. Spark plug or wire is out.
5. Cadylitic converter failure.

Only one of those is all that expensive.

By the way, your more serious problems will mean a blinking check engine light rather than a steady on and a major transmission problem will do more than just not "feel right"

 

[Marchand63]

Oh yeah!! I told DH after we paid the house off, we'll have extra money. His reply was never heard of extra money, the universe will always find a way to grab it.

 

[Kay123456]

Paid off our car last month and now the check engine light is on and it doesn't "feel right" if you know what I mean. I think it might be the transmission. Seems like every time we get a little money ahead or pay off a debt something comes up. Who can relate??

I swear they make parts that fail almost to the day after youve reached a certain number of miles. At 37000 my trucks check engine light came on. O2 sensor. Thankfully I bought the soup to nuts extended warranty and it was covered. But seriously, yes... happens all the time!!!

 

[Owlpost23]

Oh yeah!! I told DH after we paid the house off, we'll have extra money. His reply was never heard of extra money, the universe will always find a way to grab it.

The biggest NO NO there is! Don't EVER say that! We just say we're holding our own and leave it at that.

 

[Marchand63]

The biggest NO NO there is! Don't EVER say that! We just say we're holding our own and leave it at that.

Hun is that you?!?!?

 

[Owlpost23]

Hun is that you?!?!?

Hi,honey!

 

[Marchand63]

Hi,honey!

 

[Kimberle]

The check engine light comes on a lot when the gas cap is loose. Fill up with gas (even if you're not low). Then twist your cap to make sure it's tight.

I've also found my light will occasionally come on when the season changes to "cold" and my tires are a bit low. So, check your pressure.

 

[Mermaid02]

The check engine light comes on a lot when the gas cap is loose. Fill up with gas (even if you're not low). Then twist your cap to make sure it's tight.

I've also found my light will occasionally come on when the season changes to "cold" and my tires are a bit low. So, check your pressure.

There is no gas cap in this vehicle- so it's not that. Hopeful it's not anything major- but it's SO darn frustrating.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Ours did the same thing. I paid off our van and literally the next day the check engine light not only came on, it started flashing and the van was running weird. Luckily it just needed spark plugs, so it wasn't a huge expense, but it was a weird feeling that it happened the next day after we paid it off.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Don't ever let the universe know you are getting a tax refund. The car, medical, appliance bills will magically equal more than the refund!