Hi friends! So, my husband and I have had a bit of car trouble. The engine in our 2019 VW Tiguan completely failed due to the turbo being incorrectly calibrated. This caused the head gasket to crack and destroy the engine. This was caused by a manufacturing error, but because our warranty ran out in February 2025, we now have to pay for this expense out of pocket.

We have one other vehicle that is not suitable for driving in wintertime weather in the high country: a 2011 Toyota Camry with 210,000 miles on it. We still owe over half of the amount of our original loan on the VW, so even if we sell both cars, we will still be making payments until the original auto loan with NCSECU is paid in full.

This has been a very stressful and unnerving time for us. I work 2 part-time jobs and my husband works one full-time job. We couldn't survive without at least one reliable working vehicle. On top of the car trouble, we discovered that our water heater has cracked and has been leaking hot water into our basement for at least a week or so, causing mild flooding and extremely moldy conditions. We are renting our home and depending on the extent of mold remediation needed, we could loose our housing as well. We realize that the line between being housed and being unhoused is very thin. Especially here in the high country of western NC where affordable housing is practically non existant. Losing the ability to drive to work and collect a pay check could be the very thing that flips the script for us if the moldy basement and need for remediation dosent get to us first.

Please, if you have any extra funds in your budget, we would gratefully appreciate any help to either pay for the full engine and turbo replacement or to help pay off the original auto loan so that we can start fresh with a different vehicle and a new auto loan.