Thursday, June 02, 2011

I'm Not Mad, I Always Look Like This


Some day I'm gonna spring for charm school, or sumthin' like it.  You'd think it hurts me to smile, wouldn't ya?  I have my reasons for looking a bit perturbed... all shall be revealed.

So here we are in Barnes & Noble and I AM slightly pissed off, come to think on it.  I arrived at the Mazda store at the appointed time and was the first guy there.  So far, so good.  Then it all began to go downhill from there.  First of all:  no wi-fi.  Well, there IS wif-fi, but it ain't for the payin' customers and only one person in the entire establishment knows the access code and she has the day off.  Say what?  That was me, really, asking the not-so-rhetorical question about the wi-fi.  Yeah, I find the answer hard to believe in this day and age, especially in auto dealerships with service departments that specialize in rape and mayhem to your bank account.

So there was that about the lack of wi-fi.  Then the really bad shit hit the ventilating device, and I'm talking about the violence to be done to my wallet.  I knew goin' in that I was gonna get bent over a barrel when it comes to the price I'll pay to get everything done that needs doin', dealers bein' dealers and all that.  The service department lady sat down with me about a half hour after I checked in and said she "wanted to go over a few things" to make sure I understood what it was gonna cost to have all this stuff done.  I steeled myself for the litany of charges... and they ARE egregious... but she still managed to shock me: 65 Yankee Dollars to replace four spark plugs.  That was too damned much... and I came slightly unglued.  I told her I could buy spark plugs all day at Advance Auto Parts for two and a half dollars each, or less, which comes out to about ten bucks for four, worst case... if I'm doing the math right.  She smiled wistfully and said the cost of the plugs was only 12 dollars, the rest bein' labor, which cost she would graciously waive, given the amount of work I'm having done.  "Thank You" was about all I could manage.  The rest of the bill?  That's measured in the thousands of dollars, plural.

And now you know why I look like I do today.

19 comments:

  1. $65 for spark plugs and they don't have wi-fi? Man, you are gettin' hosed!

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  2. Only 12 dollars, Deb... only 12 dollars. You DON'T wanna know how much the rest of this crap is costing. Still no wi-fi there, tho, and I'm almost coffee'd out at Starbucks.

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  3. The worst of it is you had to drive two hours and cross the state line. The worst of labor cost is that working fast only means two things: sloppiness and more profit.

    I'd be chuffed, too.

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  4. Here's hoping you find some fair weather and good drinks when you get back home.

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  5. This is why I do just about every job on the cars I can. Though I'm not familiar with TGH, I had a Windstar years ago, to change the spark plugs they recommended lifting the motor out to get to the rear spark plugs.

    I have to ask, what kind of genius would arrange to have a part that you need to change somewhat regularly (never mind those "100K" spark plugs, which really don't last that long) in a place where you have to take apart the vehicle to get at them?

    I put on over 200K miles on that old Windstar, but half the jobs I did on it required lifting the engine out, at least part way.

    Labor costs for car repairs are high, especially for dealers. Local shops are a little more reasonable.

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  6. How nice of them to waive the $53 of labor for the spark plugs. Geesh.

    I bet they didn't have free donuts for you either. Our local Toyota dealer offers free donuts and wi-fi in their service department, so I've been told by my husband.

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  7. I look quite similar to "your pose" while spending money on things that don't really bring me joy. I recall some folks asking why I'm not smiling in this particular moment and my standard response is that I was a forceps delivery and "this is my smile". Only once has a construction guy laughed and laughed (at/with, don't care really it's all the same with me) me.
    Most folks just walk away.

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  8. It's about 6 PM NM time. I hope you are enjoying a steak and wine or something wonderful that makes you happy.

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  9. Ivan: It looks like they got it all right. I'll be in Lubbock until 1400 hrs tomorrow, so I have recourse if they didn't.

    Andy: Thank ya, Sir! I had a damned good meal and a couple of good brews to end my day, so all is better... if not well.

    Anon: GM made a vehicle or two like that, as well... i.e., ya gotta pull the motor to change the plugs. Miatas ain't like that... they have straight four cylinder motors, so changing the plugs ain't no big deal. That's why I got so damned upset.

    Red: Free coffee is as far as these guys went. Well, that and free rides to the mall where there was wi-fi to be had...

    Marc: Say that around me and I'll guarantee ya I'll laugh!

    Lou: Don't laugh... but I DID have a good meal, at Outback. More will be revealed in tomorrow's post.

    Ed: Ain't THAT the truth!

    And now... to bed. It's been a loooong damned day.

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  10. For the jobs that are beyond my skills, tool box, or desire to perform, I take the vehicles to a "local garage". I've never felt overcharged.

    The dealerships are highway robbers in the service dept.

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  11. Concur with all... I'm very fortunate to have a great local (as in 400 yards away) mechanic just outside the sub-division for all the jobs I don't have the time for or the tools for.
    I like turning wrenches; it's very cathartic for me.

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  12. I'm with you, Mr. SN2 (Seaman Second Classs? J.K. Sir.)

    Cheaper for you to keep TGH, or throw TGH away.

    Buck, let's say your car is "bluebook" $6K. And it's working "OK." Then why would you do the maintenance recommended by the owners' manual? That's your multi-thousand-dollar stuff of 60K miles. You have a worthless car that's in pretty good-- ah... great shape, but it's junk in the eyes of people who want to sell you a new one. I'd take a car like yours in a heartbeat for about 6K (if I could use a car like that) and I'm pretty sure for minimal cost I'd get a hundred thousand more miles out of it. Maybe a timing belt, maybe an alternator. That's all I want. A hundred fun kilomiles for cheap (except for that gas price thing).

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  13. I can't add anything to the conversation except to tell my ol' buddy Marc in Calgary that I AM DEFINITELY STEALING THAT...AND USING IT AT LEAST THREE TIMES THIS MONTH!

    I only ONCE sprung for an auto repair that measured in the thousands of dollars plural. I was stuck between the proverbial rock/hard place, so it had to get did.

    And, I'm glad I did. Seemed like a hickie too sucky to bear, but it turned out best in the long run. My final conclusion was that "Well, at least I know what I've got, and to junk this one and move on to the devil I don't know...probably not a good idea."

    Here's hoping that you'll feel the same way on down the line.

    Hope you, and the guy you're selling your concubine to, have a safe trip back.

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  14. I'm with everybody who've commented earlier, I would use a reputable non-dealer service outfit.

    That said, I pay those kinds of bills every couple years for the many boats I have owned over the years. Big maintenance is always big bucks.

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  15. I understand about paying for those repairs, Buck. I even understand driving the two hours across the Llano Estacado.

    BTW - thanks for the clarification about Billings. It is about the company we keep.

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  16. Sparklingly cool pic. Are you using a camera or a camerphone for these shots?

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  17. BR, Sam, Bob, Skip, and Andy: I hear ya about reliable independent mechanics and I had a guy like that back when I owned a Beemer. He was HALF the cost of the BMW dealer, much friendlier, and he did GREAT work... I never had a problem with him. But that was when I lved in Dee-troit, and there's a hella lot of difference between P-Ville and Detroit. That said, I'm kinda-sorta OK with the outrageous cost of dealer repairs. "Resigned" would be more like it...

    Alison: Most of the pics ya see here were taken with my old Canon Powershot G5. I use it one hella lot more than I use my SLR.

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  18. BR, Sam, and Darryl: I'm gonna find me a reputable local shop. As luck would have it my driver's side window went on the fritz yesterday and will only lower half way. I went back to the Mazda store to see if they could put a quick-fix on it and the answer (predictably) was "no. you need a new motor and regulator. $400, please. And we don't have the parts." We WILL find a local shop...

    Buck, let's say your car is "bluebook" $6K.

    Nope. Let's say it's worth $9.1K, Bob. That's what Kelly sez, anyhoo. But, I hear ya. I'm in it for the long(er) haul now.

    Andy: I hear you, too. It helps when ya REALLY like what ya have, as well.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.