A few parts SC's

[Jadedcarguy]

I haven't posted anything in a while so I am suffering from SC buildup. Allow me to vent......... LANGUAGE WARNING


Behold! The cost of technology!

COF:Cranky Old Fart
Me: Some other guy......

COF: I need a spare key made<holds out a transponder key>
Me:<oh shit> OK, sir, that is a transponder key, they cost $38 plus the labor charge to program it to your vehicle.
COF:ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
Me:<through gritted teeth>.....No......
COF:FUCK YOU!<stalks out the door>
Me:Thanks for coming in!

For those who don't know, most new cars come with a "chip" key that requires programming before it will start the vehicle. It is a pretty effective anti-theft technology, but it does cost more. Tough shit. Deal with it.

No receipt? No return.

DA: Dashmat Asshat<I'm a poet and didn't know it>
Me:

OK, I hate dashmats. They never fit like the picture shows, the color is never an exact match to the car interior, and this generates SC's. I hate dashmats.

I see DA walking in from outside. I have dealt with DA before, and I don't like him. He is a latino that is POSITIVE that white boys like myself are out to screw him, and when he doesn't get his unreasonable way he plays the race card. He's a dick.

DA: I need to return this. It doesn't fit.(Custom embroidered dashmat. I can't return it to the vendor. Anything with embroidery is ours for ever and ever.)
Me:<great>Do you have your receipt?
DA: No.
Me: I can't process a return without a receipt. You either need to bring that in or try to talk to the counterman who sold it to you. They may have a copy.
DA: This is bullshit! It doesn't fit! How can you sell me a dashmat that doesn't fit?
Me: Did you verify the application info with the counterman before you ordered it?
DA: No, but so what? He should have verified it with me!
Me: Right.......

At this point, my accomplice, J, walks in. J sold DA the dashmat.

DA: He sold it to me!<points at J>
Me: Good. J, have fun. I'm having a smokey treat.

After this was all over, I asked J what happened. Apparently, DA ordered a dashmat for his brother's truck, and got the year a full decade off. Of course it didn't fit. DA also tried to throw me under the bus by saying I was rude and a racist because I didn't just cave in. J did a no-receipt exchange for him and apparently that's what I was supposed to do. Not. Without. A. Receipt. That's policy. I stick to it.

[Bright_Star]

Good lord! People really need to stop throwing the race card around like it's supposed to motivate a retail worker to cave in to their stupid demands.

[Jadedcarguy]

Good lord! People really need to stop throwing the race card around like it's supposed to motivate a retail worker to cave in to their stupid demands.

True. Sadly though, a LOT of businesses are so afraid of getting their asses sued that they just go along with these morons. I am proud to have NEVER caved to someone playing the race card. I have pretty decent management who will back me, though. Policy is policy, skin color is irrelevant. Not really a difficult concept.

[Neo_Classic]

I can't stand going to get anything done to my car because it's like all the SC's come out to the auto place. I always sit in amazement at people who drive friggin' BMW's and Mercedes trying to haggle the price of tires. I mean you paid damn near 50 even 80 thousands for a car and now you won't pay to keep it nice and running for as long as you can have it?

[Jadedcarguy]

I can't stand going to get anything done to my car because it's like all the SC's come out to the auto place. I always sit in amazement at people who drive friggin' BMW's and Mercedes trying to haggle the price of tires. I mean you paid damn near 50 even 80 thousands for a car and now you won't pay to keep it nice and running for as long as you can have it?

I see that a lot with Corvette people. The Z06 costs about $80K. We had an owner come in with a busted airdam that he broke taking a speed bump too fast. These things are pretty low. The airdam was pretty pricey, over $100 for a little strip of plastic. He made up some swear words I had never heard before. I culdn't feel sorry for him though. He broke his expensive toy. The watch he had on was a Tag Hauer, which cost more than I paid for my truck. He had the money, he was just being a dick.

Car repairs really do bring out the inner SC in a lot of people.

[Catwoman2965]

For those who don't know, most new cars come with a "chip" key that requires programming before it will start the vehicle. It is a pretty effective anti-theft technology, but it does cost more. Tough shit. Deal with it.

Yes, I discovered this when I got my "new" car in December...Key was $75 plus a WHOLE lot more to program it...I had 2, just thought I'd get another one to give to the parents, just in case... Needless to say, I still only have 2 - but hey, I didn't pitch a fit, just said thank you very much to the girl on the phone at the dealer, and have a nice day.

All my cars up to this point had keys....that's it, no fancy transponder or anything...but now I know - DON'T LOSE THEM!

[myswtghst]

All my cars up to this point had keys....that's it, no fancy transponder or anything...but now I know - DON'T LOSE THEM!

This is actually why my parents have the spare key to my VW. If I lose mine, I know they'll still have the one they kept.

[Jadedcarguy]

...but now I know - DON'T LOSE THEM!

Losing those types of keys is bad. If you have a spare that is already programmed, it will "only" cost you around 100-150 bucks. If you do not have a spare...........sad day for you. The car must be towed to the dealer and new keys and remotes must be programmed. All in all probably about 300-400 dollars.

Some locksmiths have the ability to come to you and do the same thing, but they won't be any cheaper, although you may come out ahead since you don't have the tow bill. Either way, it ain't cheap.

[Spiffy McMoron]

ICOF: I need a spare key made<holds out a transponder key>
Me:<oh shit> OK, sir, that is a transponder key, they cost $38 plus the labor charge to program it to your vehicle.

$38?!? That's quite reasonable. At my place of employment, a key like that would probably run you around $65-$70. If you have one of the all-in-one keys (Read: has a door unlock/panic button in the key fob) it'll be $200. We take all major credit cards.

One this I've noticed is that people are incredible stringent regarding the prices of the safety equipment we put in. (I've given price quotes for turn signal bulbs, for Pete's sake--it's $2!) However, I've never seen wallets open so fast and so wide when it comes to accessories. Car starters? Sure. Bug deflectors? Yes please! Shiny chrome crap? Load 'er up! But if you try to sell $150 Michelin's when there are $80 No-Name tires on the table, they'll accuse you of gouging them, every time.

[mattm04]

All three cars in our house hold have the expensive keys. It sometimes amazes me that i am holding over $200 of keys. One of the keys for a Caddy cost around 125, a Chevy 60 something...

[Rine]

I really need to get a spare for my key. It has one of those fancy chip thingies in it but I simply don't have the money. The Ford dealership quoted me $80 to make a spare for my key even though someone else told me they usually do it for fifty. Eighty dollars is like half my paycheck these days.

[Jadedcarguy]

$38?!? That's quite reasonable. At my place of employment, a key like that would probably run you around $65-$70. If you have one of the all-in-one keys (Read: has a door unlock/panic button in the key fob) it'll be $200. We take all major credit cards.

One this I've noticed is that people are incredible stringent regarding the prices of the safety equipment we put in. (I've given price quotes for turn signal bulbs, for Pete's sake--it's $2!) However, I've never seen wallets open so fast and so wide when it comes to accessories. Car starters? Sure. Bug deflectors? Yes please! Shiny chrome crap? Load 'er up! But if you try to sell $150 Michelin's when there are $80 No-Name tires on the table, they'll accuse you of gouging them, every time.

Yeah, GM transponder keys aren't bad compared to others. Audi or VW are off-the-chain expensive.

You ain't kiddin' about accessories either. I've had people get pissed at me because I don't have the little fences that go in the back of SUV's for the dog, their floor mats aren't in stock, and the bug guard is only stocked in black. But if something is broken, I could have 12 on the shelf and they will cry like a mashed cat that it is "so expensive"! I got bitched at the other day because the circuit breaker a guy needed was $8. I'll bet he spent more than that on that evenings dinner. $8! Cheap! He kept calling it a fuse, and no amount of correction on my part was going to sway him. Yeah, fuses are cheap. Breakers are slightly more, but still cheap. Suck it up.

[Mark Healey]

It sounds to me like people are getting rooked. These keys sound like something that could be hacked together with an AVR chip once someone got the algorythms, which would be difficult. There's an insane amount of markup there. I suspect that they were designed so that no third partys can make them.

I drive a 36 year old VW type 3. I can get a new engine (valve cover to valve cover) for $700.00.

I am surprized that they put circuit breakers instead of fuses in cars. I wonder if they make any that I could replace my fuses with. That would be cool.

[Jadedcarguy]

It sounds to me like people are getting rooked. These keys sound like something that could be hacked together with an AVR chip once someone got the algorythms, which would be difficult. There's an insane amount of markup there. I suspect that they were designed so that no third partys can make them.

I drive a 36 year old VW type 3. I can get a new engine (valve cover to valve cover) for $700.00.

I am surprized that they put circuit breakers instead of fuses in cars. I wonder if they make any that I could replace my fuses with. That would be cool.

People may be getting rooked. Personally I don't care. It makes my paycheck. My former hot rod had an early type of chip key that cost about $35. First thing I did when I got the car was make a spare set.

Any security system can be hacked or bypassed if someone spends enough money or time. The point of the security keys is to make it take more time than is reasonable to steal a car, i.e. gone in 60 seconds. And yes, third parties do make some transponder keys. Keep in mind that most OEM manufacturers use third parties to make a lot of their parts, such as Visteon and Delphi. Very common.

Your Type III is a far stretch from a modern car, as well. What was state of the art in that time is now archaic. I mean no offense, but you comparing apples and oranges.

Most of the security features in new cars are pushed for by insurance companies and law enforcement. If the OEM's didn't need to spend the kind of money to develop this stuff, they probably wouldn't.

Another type of security that is becoming a lot more common is the proximity key system, which isn't really a key at all. The current Corvette uses it. The key only opens the rear hatch and glovebox. To start the car, you push a button on the dash. If the computer "sees" the remote key fob, it allows the car to start. If you don't have the fob, you can't even open the door. It sees it from a few feet outside the car. Yes, even this could be hacked by someone with enough time and patience, but it adds another layer of security for what are becoming pretty expensive vehicles. A company called Seco-larm has a proximity key system that can be added to any car just like a regular alarm system. It's pretty neat.

As far as adding breakers to you VeeDub, it wouldn't be too difficult, although you would have to change your fuse box. Go into any auto parts store and ask to see the breakers. They look like large blade fuses.

[Spiffy McMoron]

It sounds to me like people are getting rooked.

There are a lot of people out there that would see that the same way. However, I'm willing to bet that we would all shop a lot less if we saw how much markup there is on the goods that we buy--whether it be a $1.25 bottle of Pepsi, a $17 CD or a $600 power steering rack.