Need help with car info

[birdographer]

Me again. I've tried to Google this so as to not bother you guys, but my lack of knowledge is too total for that to work. I get an answer and... I don't know if it will work since I don't know if it's a minor enough part....

Ok, nutshell: I need something annoying but not vital to go wrong with MC's car so that she has to take it to a repair place (so it is removed from the premises). Something like it stalls at stop lights, is leaking oil, anything like that. It's drivable but needs to be fixed. It is an old (2014-ish) Honda Civic. I need something that would require the shop in this small town to order a part, meaning they would have it for four days or so. Any thoughts on a basic, but not always available, car part for some kind of minor issue? TIA

[2naSalit]

1. Some things...

Severe: clutch going out or brakes failing. Muffler fell off; big crack in the windshield...

Small stuff: Headlights/taillights/turn signals not working or "what's that noise?"

In any case the standard excuse is that it will take time for the parts to arrive. "We can fix it, ma'am, but we have to get the parts first."

In writing and real life.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. you're wise to do research

these are the kinds of details that readers investigate to corroborate.

Manifold Pressure Sensor (MAP sensor)

Idle Air Control Valve

O2 Sensor (oxygen sensor - there can be 2,3,4 of them, depending on the verhicle)

Not sure if 2014 has IACV. IACV when very dirty or blown will shut down air intake causing fuel to build up unburned. engine will buck, get very hot, fuel can spill into exhaust and catalytic converter. You won't get far, maybe 5-10 miles.

[unc70]

3. Honda parts are readily available almost everywhere

Almost anything is available overnight. Almost everything else in two days from the west coast. Either through the dealer or the local auto parts store.

[birdographer]

6. Hmm

Come to our town! The part might be available but they will keep the car for days! We aren't Chapel Hill!

[unc70]

8. Not familiar enough with western NC

Agree that nowhere is like Chapel Hill. 😊 Kidding aside, I am familiar with how things work "down East" in NC, where
I grew up and still have family. I believe you about things in the mountains, but that hasn't been my/our experience elsewhere in the state.

[ThreeNoSeep]

4. Oil pan replacement

Driving in the town the MC runs over a speed bump or armadillo or throws up a piece of rebar that cracks the oil pan on a Friday afternoon and the used replacement part ($60) takes 4 days to deliver from Pete's Junkyard over in Pooterville on account Pete's on a bender. It's only a crack, so your MC can drive around as long as they keep adding a quart of oil every two miles.

[birdographer]

5. HA!!!

THIS is what I need! You laugh, but she's in a town about that size! So, oil pan cracked, she takes it in, they will have it back to her Monday or Tuesday. She does not have to drive much, so adding the oil is fine. This is in the backwoods of northern Wyoming, the chances of ol' Pete being on a bender are pretty good (but perhaps I won't say that...). Wonderful. And a car part that I actually can figure out the use of so I feel confident using it! Thank you thank you.

[mikelewis]

9. Every 2 miles?

That means with engine pressure, you're out of oil in 10 miles and a leak that size is bound to leak without the pump at about 1/10 the rate... where the hell are you gonna buy all that oil? And can't someone just put some putty on it if there's at least a small parts store... no a cracked oil pan isn't a problem a mechanic couldn't patch... you need a bad CV joint that sounds like the devil is coming out of your axel... in a far away place, that could take days and there's no patching that and that's a ticking time bomb... for real.

[bottomofthehill]

7. Check the recalls

On the 2014-2015 Civic and 2015 Fit, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) may have a weakened drive-pulley shaft (the part connected to the crankcase) that can break when exposed to high hydraulic pressure.Oct 2, 2015