Move closer to work....buy a bike!

Seriously though, that sucks. Bus? Carpool? Hitch a ride on a pig farmers truck?

Haha! Pig farmer's truck.

That's the thing, no bus goes from my home to my work. A carpool might work, but if I could find anyone else that makes my commute. None of my co-workers come from that area.

I dunno. I'm stumped. For now, I'm just hoping that I don't get hit the next time my car decides to randomly shut off.

I'd be getting a 2nd opinion from another mechanic. I had a similar problem where my car would just shut off, and it was a build up of carbon.

The car just totally shuts off?? That does not sound like a transmission problem. The transmission has NOTHING to do with the ignition and the car running. If it was a transmission problem, it might not go into gear, or stay in gear, but it shouldn't have anything to do with it stalling.

Is it a manual or automatic? The only time a car will shut off due to a transmission is clutch based, and thats when the RPMs get too slow and you don't have it in neutral.

2nd opinion.

Also, you say you still owe money on it? How many miles does it have? A general warranty goes 36k miles, but a powertrain usually goes 90 and if it IS the tranny, that falls under powertrain.

Hmmm... Good point. I think I will get one, now.

It's an automatic. When I took it to the dealership, the said it was the MAP sensor (MEP sensor?). They replaced it, and it worked, but only for a few months.

Basically when the car starts to heat up, it'll start to shake and buck when I get up around 55-60 mph (the speed limit on 29S is 60 most of the way). After it starts, the bucking will continue, even if I only go 25 mph. When I start to slow down, usually when I get down around 10 mph, the engine will randomly just shut off.

When I'm coming to a stop anyway, it's not so bad, I can just throw it into park and restart the car. But it also happens when I slow down for a light and it turns green before I can stop. You know how people just stomp on their accelerators at those times. I'm always afraid I'll get hit. The other thing is that since this last mechanic visit, it's getting harder to restart the car. The engine doesn't seem to be catching.

So I've had the sensor fixed twice, and a tune up. I don't know what else to do with it.

hmmm.... bucking. its possible that sensor went up again. The MAP is your Air Pressure Sensor. If its out, it could be reading the air flow and stuff all wrong causing havoc. What you need to do, is figure out why your sensor keeps going up.

Is your Check Engine light on? What kind of car?

and when you say restart, does it TRY to restart, like rrrr rrr rrrr, or is it more of a click click, or nothing at all?

Ask around work and find someone with a shop they recommend.

yeah those sensors stop the car BEFORE any real damage happens..depending on how old it is ect...and I would definately get another opinion! What type of car and what year?? I just dont want to see you paying for a car that you dont drive and getting another junker that could break down . and any mechanic that makes the car run worse...ewww that just ****es me off! LOL get another mechanic...complain esp. if you are on a warranty yet. Gosh I hate dealerships!

of course now I have been thinking about it, and bucking is what my car does (5spd) when you really don't have the clutch/gear right. So I dunno. I'm useless when it comes to automatics.

2nd opinion. It might be something simple, they might tell you the same thing.

HOWEVER. if it is something big like the tranny. Take it to the place that you spent $600 at and demand a $600 credit towards the tranny. After all, they had you dump that money in it, and it didn't solve anything.

Save your money and buy a helicopter....that'll save on the commute. Just hope it doesn't develop the same bucking/dying problem...

Thanks guys.

It's a 2001 Chevy Cavalier. When the engine shuts down it has in the past just started right up when I restart it. Now it hesitates, like the engine isn't *quite* catching. It does still start, but then idles really hard and shuts back down again.

I'm taking it to a dealership tonight. They are the ones that originally diagnosed this problem as the MAP sensor. They said that if it's the same problem, they'll fix it for free, if not, I get charged for the new fix AND the diagnostic. Not a wonderful deal, but as good as I'm going to get, I think.

I've already told them not to just go ahead and fix it, since I can't afford anything more at the moment, anyway. I'm hoping that once I find out what the problem is (if it is expensive), I might be able to find someone to do it cheap for me. We'll see.

Until then, I have some absolutely wonderful friends who have lent me an old junker van that they still have until I can get this resolved. It's in barely working condition, but unlike my car it'll, you know, go. That's such a relief. Yesterday I didn't know what I was going to do, and then my car just wouldn't make it all the way home, and I thought I was in real trouble. Now I have to figure out some way to do something wonderful for them in return.

2001 can't have too many miles on it (well, it could). if it IS the tranny, see if its under warranty.

UGH, american cars.

UGH New model Cars, I dislike any car car built after 1980 on principle alone.

I bought it used, so it's probably not under warranty.

1980?! That's before I was born!

I just have a softspot for cars from that time period, not like I was around to see them at ther prime, but I definitly want to rebuild a charger or a camaro someday. preferably one from well before 1980, thats is a bit after the cusp where most cars switched to a newer bodytype though, gimmie like a '68-'76

how funny,, the first car I owned was a 78 camaro, it was beautiful, until I learned how to drive in it,, and until I started racing it.lol. I paid over 8 grand for it when I bought it in 92, lol. In the end I totally trashed it.

Nicole, now you need to restore a '78 Camaro as restitution!

I have a big soft spot for cars from the 50's and 60's. GIMME FINS! However, I love my newer car from 2000.

As for the warranty, i'm not sure if the powertrain follows the car or the owner. Its worth asking at least.

Hopefully its just that MAP sensor again. Its possible.