Welp, I really don't know what to do anymore. Got the parts a week or two ago from someone off here, my much needed door panel was the wrong panel and modifications had to be done on it for it to even remotely fit as well as the glass. Apparently my old one had a lip on it, and the new one just screws in. It pissed me off, now I've lost my trunk key set, so now that's locked down and I have no way to get inside my trunk that has my longboard :/ Nobody wants to help me put on my back roof panel and front and so now that sucks too. I was supposed to have a console shift, never got that. So really, my Fiero just keeps getting toasted and I just don't know what to do anymore. I lack to the help to fix what was broken and I just get walked over when I try to buy from some of you guys so I'm really just thinking of calling it a day and scrapping it as this community really isn't much help to younger people. I'm really at a loss at this point. I love my Fiero, but it seems like I just can't ever catch a break...
I have been frustrated with my Fiero at times, but I've always loved this car and got over my frustrations because I realized that it's an obsession and not anything practical.
It's sort of like a marriage. There are good times and bad times but it's the thought of the good times that keep me going. If you're not prepared for that kind of relationship, then it's time to end it and move on.
As far as buying parts from other members, my advice to you is to never do it, but if you must, do your research on the seller and be prepared to get burned once in a while, or in your case every time.
[This message has been edited by cyrus88 (edited 11-13-2014).]
I think it`s true that the forum is not what it used to be but sometimes it takes a little while to get questions answered. Considering a lot of the information is in the archives now the search function is your friend because almost everything that happens with your car has been covered before. Also, I have found it helps to just go on Google and search for what you are looking for and usually something from this forum pops up. The search function on here tends to take almost an exact match to find something but you can be more vague on Google and it will point to this forum.
Does your hatch not pop electrically anymore? I took a rear hatch lock to have a key made. They couldn't make it without drilling a hole in the side, so I had to take a door lock to them instead. Then couldn't get the door lock retaining clip back in. Took off the outer door panel to get the retaining clip back in, but the door panel had to come off anyway.
sometimes a search in the archives comes up with zip, usually because I'm using the wrong search words or a string too long. so I will try it in google and it will come up with the hits i'm looking for on the PFF site. This car is like any other 30 year old car, either you figure out a way to work on it yourself or you are willing to pay someone else to do it. Or as suggested end it, which I think would be a mistake.
Sounds to me that you want to much from people and not enough from yourself. If the door panel was wrong then maybe you did not understand what you needed when you bought it. And how is it that when you misplace your keys it's the forums problem? And I'm sorry that nobody will help you work on your car.
While thing have changed on this forum; overall this is a great group of people. Most are willing to give you the shirt off their back (or part off their car as it may be) given a chance. After just a few post and a bad buying experience you are willing to condemn a whole group of people?
I may be misjudging you but you are certainly misjudging us!
The trunk key and door key should be the same. How do you get into the car without the key? Do you not have the electric trunk release? Was the decklid swapped without putting the right lock cylinder in the new decklid?
If you go to a GM dealer with your serial number, they can cut you a key for your trunk. Good luck with your car Don
If it hasn't already been changed by some previous owner. And sometimes that doesn't always work, using the vin number to get a key made. Yet one more reason to always keep and extra set of keys for all your cars not just your Fieros.
As far as getting things done, there are a lot of older members in FL. and I am sure if you join one of the local Fiero clubs down there you might get a lot more help local to you from some of them who have been where you are now long ago and far away. But as others have said it is ultimately up to you to get the work done yourself. If you aren't willing or capable of repairing the car yourself then maybe the Fiero isn't the car for you, just saying we have all turned a wrench on our cars alone at more times than some of us care to remember. And knowing who is local to you can be your biggest help when it comes time to get help, hey I am obviously way to far away to give you any hands on help but way to disabled most times.
But don't give up on the car just because of a few little bumps in getting it running, hell we have all had those things happen to us over our lifetimes as Fiero owners, My first was an 84 2M4 and had a seized engine when I bought it. but a little Mystery oil and a few weeks with a 2x4 and a sledge hammer got her running for a few years for me.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Sounds like some one sent you a door panel for an 84. I had the opposite problem when I got a door panel from a major Fiero parts supplier that was listed as an 84 panel but had the lip on it from a later model. First the sent the wrong side door, and then the proper side door from the same car that still didn't fit right. They made good on the panel, so I won't name the supplier and posted this just to tell you that frustrating thing do happen with any make of car. I've owned my Fiero for seventeen years, and about the first five years were spend on getting it to the point that I could drive it anywhere. There were time that I though about getting rid of it, and it sat for awhile more then once, but in the end I liked the car too much to get rid of it.
I now have a car that I trust to drive anywhere and often win awards at car shows. I has 232,000 miles on it and just got a new paint job.
Luckily, Florida has a lot of members, and a lot of Fieros. Here, not so much. The Fiero requires a lot of work. As stated by others, you have to do that work or pay to have it done. Fieros aren't for everyone. My first was a learning experience. As it sounds like you may have done, I got on over my head making changes. Too many things, too quickly. I became very frustrated, also. In the end, there was no one to blame but myself. Even people who have been around Fieros and the forum get frustrated. A case in point is JohnWPB, also in Florida. Let's just say that he probably wishes his problems were so relatively small.
My advice? Take a breather. Join a Fiero group. See if the Fiero is really the car for you. Help them with issues they may have. Go to a junkyard and practice working on a Fiero there. Invite the Fiero group over for a barbeque or someting. Let them look at your Fiero. Just share it with them. Don't expect them to fix your car. They'll have ideas for you to implement.
When you get back to your Fiero, pick 1 problem. Nothing you've mentioned is insurmountable. Think through each step. If you need help or have a question, politely post it on here. People on the forum aren't infallible, either. Whatever may have happened, it probably wasn't malicious. Once you get the first problem fixed, share your results, then move on to the next problem.
Your post was long on complaining, and short of specific information. For example, I didn't see much info on the car itself. Year, model, etc. Without that type of info, it is hard for others to help. If you order the wrong lights, body panels, etc, that's on you. Also, the types of problems you're having I'll characterize as typical with Fieros--or any car this old. We just learn to deal with it.
Take all my advice with a grain of salt. I'm just learning the ropes, myself. I've been doing this for almost 4 years, through several Fieros.
I think it`s true that the forum is not what it used to be but sometimes it takes a little while to get questions answered. Considering a lot of the information is in the archives now the search function is your friend because almost everything that happens with your car has been covered before. Also, I have found it helps to just go on Google and search for what you are looking for and usually something from this forum pops up. The search function on here tends to take almost an exact match to find something but you can be more vague on Google and it will point to this forum.
Use this search in Google for ANY forum but will use this as an example: "2.5 leak site:www.fiero.nl" substitute after "site:" with any known website to easily search their archives or threads.
Also as said above. Walk away, take a breather. If you aren't clear headed, your asking for a world of hurt. After a few hours or day, you'll have an "aha" moment. Any mechanic worth his salt has gone through this, it's logical problem solving. Sometimes, you just have to step away and get a clear head.
[This message has been edited by mckaymotoworks (edited 11-13-2014).]
First - there are differences between the years with some fairly major differences in some of the parts - don't ASSUME all Fiero parts are the same.
Second - as a general rule only buy used parts from someone that has a good rep online - that way you will get exactly what you need and ask questions before, never assume anything.
Third - ask a question, be patient someone will usually help. Also helps if you post a picture of your problem and be specific (ie: year, engine, tranny, etc).
Fourth - they are 26+ years old and will require work and regular maintenance. If you bought a car that "needs work" from the start, expect it to need a LOT of work. My experiences have shown me that there is a great number of people that own cars (any make/model) and drive the crap out of them and do the bare min to keep them running (on the road). When it gets to be too much, they just pawn them off to someone else. Now throw in a car that is 26+ years old, there is going to be a lot of issues as they would have just "added to the pile".
Fifth - I see it posted a lot on here with people loosing their keys and such - - you should always have a spare set for all your vehicles for that reason alone (as someone already mentioned). You buy a new car that only comes with 1 set of keys, the first thing you should do is get a spare made up. That being said there are ways to get into the trunk, do a search or make a post about it (also include specifics like if you have a power trunk release, which may not be working or dead battery).
Luckily, Florida has a lot of members, and a lot of Fieros. My advice? Take a breather. Join a Fiero group. See if the Fiero is really the car for you. Help them with issues they may have. Go to a junkyard and practice working on a Fiero there. Invite the Fiero group over for a barbeque or someting. Let them look at your Fiero. Just share it with them. .
I will say one thing though, facebook sucks activity from the forum.
I don't particularly care for the Fiero pages on Facebook. All they're really good for shooting the breeze. Facebook pages are not set up for any kind of efficient retrieval of posted data.
In regards to activity at PFF slowing down, especially in the tech forums... well, let's face it... each and every day there are fewer and fewer Fiero owners because there are fewer and fewer Fieros! It stands to reason that the number of posts here will diminish over time. This is not necessarily a reflection on PFF itself.
quote
Originally posted by 2.5:
I think the forum is quite helpful.
That's an understatement of the highest magnitude. The tech forums here at PFF are absolutely invaluable for any Fiero owner. This is one heck of a resource.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-13-2014).]
That's an understatement of the highest magnitude. The tech forums here at PFF are absolutely invaluable for any Fiero owner. This is one heck of a resource.
^ True story. I've had many cars, this is the most comprehensive site out there for any one specific model. One reason why I decided to ditch the CRX and focus on my Fiero.
...this is the most comprehensive site out there for any one specific model. One reason why I decided to ditch the CRX and focus on my Fiero.
I know exactly what you mean. I need to have at least one car that's somewhat practical to drive my 94 year old father around in, so I've also had a 5-spd '94 Hyundai Elantra for the last ten years or so. I actually quite like this car, but man oh man... trying to find a decent online forum to help with working on this car has been impossible. If there was a Pennock's '92-'95 Elantra Forum, I'd be so very happy.
I will say one thing though, facebook sucks activity from the forum.
I agree; in fact I think ALL forums are hurting these days. Each and every forum I belong to is down from what they were just 2-3 years ago, no matter what subject they're about. I attribute the decline to Facebook.
I agree; in fact I think ALL forums are hurting these days. Each and every forum I belong to is down from what they were just 2-3 years ago, no matter what subject they're about. I attribute the decline to Facebook.
And the Facebook threads are endless dumbassery. You can't tell these kids anything.....
Welp, I really don't know what to do anymore. Got the parts a week or two ago from someone off here, my much needed door panel was the wrong panel and modifications had to be done on it for it to even remotely fit as well as the glass. Apparently my old one had a lip on it, and the new one just screws in. It pissed me off, now I've lost my trunk key set, so now that's locked down and I have no way to get inside my trunk that has my longboard :/ Nobody wants to help me put on my back roof panel and front and so now that sucks too. I was supposed to have a console shift, never got that. So really, my Fiero just keeps getting toasted and I just don't know what to do anymore. I lack to the help to fix what was broken and I just get walked over when I try to buy from some of you guys so I'm really just thinking of calling it a day and scrapping it as this community really isn't much help to younger people. I'm really at a loss at this point. I love my Fiero, but it seems like I just can't ever catch a break...
We've seen this before where a new first-time owner of a Fiero initially appears to be super-enthused... and then shortly thereafter ends up dropping out of sight.
It's possible the reality of the situation kicks in... it's an old car which will require a lot of work (or money) to maintain.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-17-2014).]
I got so fed up w I the my car after I rebuilt it and hit the berm on the freeway going 75 I parked it for over a year till I wrecked my truck and needed a car to get to work. New cradle and rear suspension I'm driving my baby again
- you should always have a spare set for all your vehicles for that reason alone (as someone already mentioned). You buy a new car that only comes with 1 set of keys, the first thing you should do is get a spare made up. That being said there are ways to get into the trunk, do a search or make a post about it (also include specifics like if you have a power trunk release, which may not be working or dead battery).
