So I Recently bought a 2005 Dodge Neon. little shy of 147k miles, but not terribly rough looking for it. believe it was one previous owner.

I'm not a heavily experienced driver or car guy, but I grew up with my dad doing most of his own car repairs, and I was in school in a time where they actually taught such things, so I am pretty familiar with the rudiments of how cars work in general, and I'm reasonably mechanically inclined, not an idiot, and I can follow instructions from a manual.
I do have access to my dads advice/help, tools and such so that is definitely a leg up for doing my own repairs, which I do intend to do as much as I can both financially and because it seems like it would be nice to have that sorta hands on familiarity with it.

issues that were noticed right off the bat, were:
keyless entry fobs didn't work, I don't think the power locks do either.
radio doesn't turn on.
driver side wiper arm doesn't spring against the glass properly. not sure if its just the joint is rusty/tight or if the spring is no good, or what.
Air Filter box wasn't fastened down properly. it was actually originally slightly out of place, but managed to get it basically into position, but the bolt fastening it down seems to be missing.

we are/were hoping that the first two of those are either battery (in the fob) issues and/or fuse issues. there is also a fuse fault chime/light.

the other two bits, we weren't super worried about as it seems relatively easy to fix.

I got it inspected by the dealer, and the problems they found were:
Air filter dirty (obviously easy fix, so not gonna address that again)
Bad front brake pads and rotors.
uneven wear and tread separation on tires so they reccomended new and an alignment.
Upper and Lower Torque Strut mounts torn.
Oil Pan Gasket leak.
oh and they listed the non-working fobs part with a $100 quote to diagnose it, and listed the wiper blades as needing replaced.

Having them fix all that on their initial quote would cost similar or a little more than I paid for the thing to begin with. so yeah, no.

From what I've researched online, it looks like excluding the tires and alignment, these issues should be pretty reasonably DIY-able and not TERRIBLY expensive part-wise.
I have a Haynes manual coming in a few days, and I already ordered a front Brake kit,

I don't have any intention to go crazy souping it up or anything, but if I can make it run better/longer or just be nicer for only a little more than I'd have to spend to keep it running at all, I'm generally into that.

Any suggestions on the particular issues/repairs noted? any upgrades or fixes that might give a good return for the cost or other suggestions to make the most of this?

 

So funny update that someone might be amused by, or maybe some random internet stranger might come upon the same situation.

the IOD fuse was pulled. so now the electric locks, keyfobs, and radio work fine.

and the wiper just kinda needed the hinge loosened up a bit, mostly fine now.

 

If you ever find water in truck or back floor pans. It's coming in from the rear tail light gaskets. The gaskets are about 1/2" thick foam gaskets. Also time for new timing belt, water pump and smaller items in that area.....Coolant flush. Replace brake Fluid. Replace trans. fluid and filter. You probably did all these things. LOL

 

funny enough, I actually did recently notice some rather confusing moisture in the trunk. I'll have to check those gaskets. would be funny if thats actually very pertinent information.

haven't done those yet. at the moment I've got the torque struts replaced, the inner and outer tie rods done. (and an alignment) next on the docket are front brakes, Oil pan Gasket, oil, and filter change. also need to do the muffler too, it came to my attention the muffler hanger is rotted to ****, but the rest seems ok, so for now its fine.

I was considering doing a coolant flush and replacement, and had entertained the idea of doing brake and transmission fluid too, but wasn't entirely sure if its worth doing those proactively like that or if that was excessive or trying to fix things that ain't broke.

the newest issue besides all that, is that the battery went dead while dealing with tie rods, and now when idling in gear, sometimes the RPM droops to like 500-600 and starts getting super rough.

 

So when I replaced my tie rods, (this was taken before that) I noticed this weird looking bit. this is on the front passenger side. any ideas what the deal is with this spot that looks like it was cut and then welded back or something? should I be worried about this at all? neither the dealer or the tire/alignment shop seemed to make note of it, so I'm guessing it isn't some sort of critical issue, but it seems peculiar.

and is the rust on the bit under and forward of the tie rods something to be concerned with? the driver side isn't as heavily rusted.

 

Love the car, I have the same car but the previous owner ordered it with the rear spoiler. Love the color! Is your spoiler in your rear view, I'm 5'-10"?

99% sure the rear light gasket are leaking. Gaskets are a stupid set up. The only way I could get it sealed was to use home 100% silicon on the gaskets. What a mess, use rubber gloves. If you park downhill in a storm it will fill up your floor boards too, look under the rug.

Looks like a DIY person cut the frame open to get to the bolt behind it? It's a small hole. You could have a shop finish welding it to stop water from getting in and grind down so you can't see any weld. At home wire brush it then used auto grease cleaner ( painters use) and then use a spray can of auto metal etch primmer and a can of RUST-OLEUM oil based enamel paint. I go to Advance Auto if you have the extra cash and plan on keeping the car, also it will be easier to sell.... if not just use what ever you have on hand. I order online because they always have 25% off coupons google it. Then pu parts at the store. Just saying.

*** Oh I just remembered the head goes bad on these often too, on the 2.0. I had a burnt valve at 100,000 cost about $400.00 in parts. I did timing belt, engine mounts, coolant, etc.

My oem rear muffler hanger just rotted to. I just used a piece of wire. I passed state inspection.lol They do sell a hanger kit that you can add, cheaper then a new muffler or exhaust pipe.

You need the coolant flush because it turns to acid after awhile ( there's a test for that) and rots out the radiator. Is your coolant orange. I would change to green but you MUST get all the orange out. Start a new question here for more help. Advance auto takes the old coolant.

Brake fluid gets moister in it after awhile, also it turns black.

If you plan on keeping the car: Would not do a flush just do a few drains, but you could keep the filter on it the second time. A flush runs the dirt through the systems. If the fluid is black you DONT want to do a flush you will almost always kill your trans by moving the dirt into the trans. It's best the do it every around 30,000 miles make SURE to use the correct fluid. You don't need the stuff from the dealer, store brand stuff at Advance Auto, is ok.

Ask a lot of questions even if it sounds dumb, or you just end up wasting you money and redoing stuff. I used You Tube A1Auto.com (AES tech.) because I need to see videos before doing repairs.

Have fun with the car!

 

I do have the spoiler too, and I don't have a problem with it, but the other person thats driven it with me who has consulted on some of the repairs and stuff, absolutely HATES it. his own car doesn't have a full spoiler, and its a totally different color than his vehicles, so it jumps out at him and drives him nuts. I'm over 6', but I don't know how much that helps.

yeah, I'll definitely take a look at that. I don't think what I saw before is a huge deal, but definitely sounds worth having on the list to tend to.

yeah, I showed that picture to someone I know at work who is a bit of a car person and they figured similar.
I was thinking that maybe just grinding down the worst of the kludgy welds, polishing up the rust as much as possible, then JB Weld to fill in the gaps and smooth it over? I had been thinking of maybe doing some cleaning up and going over the wheel well with Rust Reformer and rubberized Undercoating type stuff. seems like it might be just the thing for this sort of situation.

for Advance, one of my CC's has a 10% cash back promo as well so for some things they are definitely a good option for me.

I am not planning to sell the thing while its still remotely operable, lol, I do want to try to baby it a bit and keep it rolling as long as possible.


I'll keep that in mind.

yeah, it came with some wire holding it up, lol, didn't notice at first, and neither the dealer inspection or the tire shop noticed it either. I'll have to check. the muffler unit itself looks better than I would have expected, the pipe portion immediately before the muffler is about what I'd expect, but the hanger on the out-side of the muffler looks like some rusted to hell wrought iron or some crap, looks like it would give you metal splinters just by looking at it too hard. might have to look into that aftermarket hanger.

I remember I checked, and I'm 99% sure when I did it was green. I'll look into testing for if its acidic.

yeah, I think my main consulting person tends to go with a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach, but I am inclined towards preventative maintenance that is cheap seems very worthwhile sorta thing. and knowing that X was done at Y miles, seems like its rather worthwhile on its own.

yeah, I've seen some of the disputes about transmission fluid flushing on youtube, the Dip Stick for the transmission fluid looks like its basically the right color, and I was thinking that basically just doing the drain and top off thing, run again, drain and top off again, thats what you mean right?

oh yeah, I've seen a few of their videos for the harder repair stuff, Watched some ChrisFix for some other stuff too.
basically I grew up with car repairs, but haven't actually done it myself until this.

I'm also planning to add an auxiliary battery(on amazon, it looks like an isolator relay and 35AH battery would be like $100) and and wiring it to have always-on USB power, maybe eventually install an inverter and stuff too. like, I don't have a specific immediate need for it, but I really like the principle of being able to have a bit of power like that. also planning to upgrade the radio. not an audiophile, but I would like to be able to ya know, have music off my phone and such. maybe a backup camera, dash cam, ect.

 

Sounds good about with the weld repair. Do it at nite, or less humid day. That stuff drys real fast when it's hot, kind of drys up like Bondo.

I have been doing the 25% off code at Advance for 25 years now, for orders online then pick up at store in 15 minutes, order price keeps going down. I think it's for orders of $25.00 now. My manager has a code for 30% off. If you call around they may give you it. But you have to be one of those coupon kind of people. lol I see people do orders online right at the store. lol

With the trans. yes that's what I meant. But I'm not an expert. Just what I heard from years of being of forums and talking to people here and to aes techs. Just remember most garages don't have AES techs. no patch on there arms. You could add a extra magnet inside pan too. ?? Just saying.

*** I hate to bring my car to shops because some techs?? don't love there jobs. I just did an wheel alignment, and they didn't bother to order parts from advance auto that were in stock to finish the job. They told me to order parts from Chrysler and come back. I had one place drill out my steering wheel shaft spline??? So he could put the steering wheel back on center. because he forget to set it straight during the alignment. I saw a tech about to drive back a car without the wheel lug nuts on a car next to me. I asked him " Are you going to back up this car ?" he said yes. The tech before him removed the jack, and didn't finish the job.

Don't forget to always disconnect the battery every time, when doing elec. work. Don't ask. lol Maybe hide it in the truck.

Don't forget the car wax often. We moved south and there is a spot that has no clear coat.

 

Also take a look a your engine rubber mounts. I just found the upper one was torn. You can't see it until some one steps on the gas. Also if your car shakes it could be a bad pass. axle shaft bearing on the trans. My axle shaft was very hot to the touch. It looks like I need to replace the shaft and bearing. Looks like is a common problem on all Dodges.

 

funny enough the torque struts were one of the things noted when I got a dealer inspection as having been torn, and I did replace those.

I think the shaking/rough idle issue I am having might from what I've read, be related to the battery having died while I was doing the tie rods, it wasn't present at all until then, when it was first driven after that, it was pretty much every time it was idling in gear, and it seems to be happening less and less frequently. I'd guess maybe a third of the time now? from what I've read online it seems like there might be some ECU learned idle behavior or something that might have been lost with the battery drain that its recovering now?

I did look up the muffler hangers that were mentioned, it does look like they are suited to exactly this situation, so I will probably grab one of those.