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I received this email from Donny this week. Even though he drives a ‘79 Impala Wagon that somehow translates into “ghetto slide,” his problem isn’t very original at all. In fact, it’s probably the source of a lot of unnecessary work being done on cars and unnecessary money being spent. Here’s what he said:

Subject: 1979 impala wagon “ghetto slide” electrical problem

Just picked up this clunker fer $500 bones. Its been running quite well with no maintenance yet! I jumped in and turned the key, it started to crank, then, everything went dead. Lights, turn signals, starter, heater…EVERYTHING. Could this be a problem in my starter, My ignition module, a computer? Or is it a bad fuse or some sort of relay? Its a 350 CI motor by the way. Any ideas will help. Thanks - Donny

The good news is you probably have a problem that will cost little to nothing to fix. If you turn the key and everything goes dead, you’re probably looking at a badly corroded battery. Corrosion builds up over time, and can even accumulate in the tiny space between the post on your battery and the cable that’s attached to it. All you need to do is clean your battery posts and I bet you’ll be ghetto sliding in no time at all. Of course, the best move is to get them clean before you’re faced with a situation.