Your car is UNSAFE!

[gunsage]

And I swear on whatever personal deity you subscribe to that if you POKE ME AGAIN I will BREAK your finger, and ANY OTHERS that get in my way.

Whoa...poking you with a finger, eh? I only had one circumstance I can remember of someone doing that and ironically, it was when I was working security. I can't even remember why I was being poked. People don't poke me even when I'm NOT working. Not even my COWORKERS do that. Okay, well, there's one guy that punches me when I say something smart, but that's not poking. If I remember correctly, here's how I responded...

Me: *Slaps hand away and point right between SC's eyes about an inch from the face* "Sir, you WILL stop that. It's VERY annoying."

Honestly, that's the not worst I've been treated working security, but it shut him up quick. No, the worst I was treated had to have been from the children facility. Kids are the worst. Yes, adults can be douchebags, but kids can be absolute little bastards. Still, for the most part, that position was relatively laid back, so often I wasn't high strung BEFORE meeting up with the rotten apples, so often I was calm when dealing with them.

And I'll say this. A lot of people complain and go with the old stereotype that their mechanic's trying to screw them. For me, that's never happened. You guys seem to be hard workers and really don't deserve that. I guess it doesn't help any that she threw out the old "You lil whippersnapper" style stereotyping either. HEY OLD PEOPLE! Get a clue and realize we're also in charge of your "INTARWEBS" and we can make them stop at any time! MWAHAHAHAHAAHAA.

[protege]

So anyway, I dunno if the brake mechanic was trying to cheat me or if it really DID need that level of repairs... but it was kinda fun seeing him backpedal when he found out I was willing to junk the car rather than pay to have the repairs done. (I wound up donating the Taurus to charity... I figured they probably have mechanics who would donate their time to fix the thing up, and it was still a good car otherwise -- the interior was in pretty darn good shape too.)

My grandmother's last car went to charity as well. Even though the car was 12 years old, it was in great shape. Well, if you overlooked the front passenger door being a pain to open, that is. She fell in a parking lot shortly before she gave up driving. When she fell, her head hit the pavement and rather than get an ambulance, she thought she'd drive herself to the hospital. On the way, she must have gotten some blood in her eye...and hit a parked car or two. Didn't damage the car much, other than pushing the fender back just enough to jam the door. From what I heard, that car got fixed up before it was auctioned off.

Now for my car...Some of you know that the Mazda failed its state inspection twice. After it failed the first time, I was told that it was going to need both of the oxygen sensors replaced. From the factory, those things would have been about $800 for the pair and yes, I did tell the guy Mazda was on crack. He then said I could get them online, for less than half that...which I did. Had them fitted, went to get the car re-inspected...and it failed again. Since I'd just had that fixed, and it was going to require *more* work (read, a bill of possibly several hundred on a 7-year-old 115,000 mile car), I was pissed. I traded that heap in on a newer car...and let some other sucker fix it

[prb]

To the person who works at Canadian Tire:

Many CT locations try to scam people. My grandmother went in because a tire had a screw in it, and she wanted the hole fixed. They tried to get her for a new battery, alternator, starter and a brake job. The battery was replaced 3 months earlier, the alternator and starter were still under warranty and she had brakes done the prior week. Of course, they wouldn't let her leave unless it was towed out the shop, so she called GM roadside assistance and had it taken to the dealership just down the street, where they found that the only problem was the tire and the transmission was screwed and had to be re-built under warranty. (she already had an appointment for the next day to have them look at the transmission, it wasn't shifting gears and slipped when it did)

[crazylegs]

Was it not worth a call to the local Police to ensure public safety, or even the eqv. of VOSA (Vehicle Operator Standards Agency) as she was driving a deathtrap?

*Yes I know I say involve the police a lot but a fair amount of what I see here could be a police matter

[ditchdj]

Oooh she let them go bad enough so there's "metal-on-metal". Dumb twat could have ONLY spent about 25-30 dollars and her hubby could have changed the pads himself with a clamp and basic tools. Now it'll likely cost upwards of a grand.

[Spiffy McMoron]

I go there to get my oil change, and now that I've hit 80k miles, standard oil is no longer good enough for my car. I need oil that costs me an extra $20. I also apparently needed a tire rotation for $200 and new transmission fluid. Yea, no thanks. The first time they gave me the spiel about the new oil, they gave me a $20 discount on the special oil since I was broke and barely had enough cash for normal oil.

Well, I've used the special "high mileage" oil on my old car, and I'll say that I was really satisfied with it. I thought the car ran great, it didn't leak, and I thought was worth the extra couple of bucks ($10-15, give or take). That being said, you don't need high mileage oil. The regular stuff works just as well as the pricey stuff, provided you get your oil changed at the proper interval.

The price immediately dropped to about $600 (hmmm...) still too much for what the car was worth. We settled on the bare minimum to get it safely drivable (about $160 or so worth of parts and repairs), and I used it long enough to shop for a new car.
<SNIP>
(I wound up donating the Taurus to charity... I figured they probably have mechanics who would donate their time to fix the thing up, and it was still a good car otherwise -- the interior was in pretty darn good shape too.)

What the mechanic in question was probably quoted the price of some better-quality parts, thinking that you would keep the car for a while. Part of the reason he did this is because:

a) It does give him a higher profit margin. I wouldn't argue otherwise.
b) If a customer doesn't have to come back because the job wasn't done good enough the first time, that customer is going to be pissed. Getting better parts reduces the chances of this happening.
c) Doing extra work while the mechanic is in there would end up saving you in the long run. For example, the timing belt on my old car decided to go, and I took it into the garage where I worked. They did replace the timing belt, but they also replaced the water pump as well, because it was going to go soon, and I'd have to pay extra labour to get it replaced then.

Think of it this way: if something in your fridge smells, you take it out. However, you figure that since you're in there, you check the rest of the food over and see if it's on the verge of spoiling, and throw out what needs to be thrown out. It's the same principle, except you pay a guy $100/hour to clean out your fridge for you.

To the person who works at Canadian Tire:

Many CT locations try to scam people.

Yup. I know this. After I quit Crappy Tire, I got a job at another garage. But CT was having a sale on some winter tires that I liked, so I went there to get them installed and get an oil change. They installed the tires, changed the oil, and gave me a printout of what needed to be replaced on my car. I can't remember what all they said needed to be replaced, but I remember upper and lower balljoints, 4 shocks, rear sway bar links, and pitman arm were on that list. I looked at the total--$1200 or so--and took it to the shop I worked at. The tech looked at my car, showed me what was wrong--the shocks did need to be replaced--and said, "If it was my car, I wouldn't bother with any of this." I did replace the shocks--at the garage where I work at--but that was it.

For what it's worth I won't get anything inferior of the following:

1) Engine oil and filter. On my new car, I'm running Mobil1 synthetic oil.
2) Brakes. Seems pretty obvious, right?
3) Tires. Same thing--they're what's keeping my car on the road and going where I want it to. It's just a basic safety issue.

[prb]

For what it's worth I won't get anything inferior of the following:
1) Engine oil and filter. On my new car, I'm running Mobil1 synthetic oil.
2) Brakes. Seems pretty obvious, right?
3) Tires. Same thing--they're what's keeping my car on the road and going where I want it to. It's just a basic safety issue.

Yup.
My grandmother took my advice and went with full synthetic Mobil1 (the cadillac includes free maintenance and they offered "normal or synthetic" - either for free), and i talked my mom into semi-synthetic (she doesn't wall full synthetic for some reason)
Brakes, I've had experience with cheap ones, on my grandmother's Buick. Her lease was up in 3 months so she decided to get the cheap ones because it would be good enough until then. When she returned it she needed new brake pads again, but they didn't charge because she got another GM.
Tires, she once the original ones are used and need to be replaced she gets not the cheapest, but not the most expensive. Middle-of-the-line michelins are what she got on the Lumina, then the Buick only needed ones 1 week before the lease ended so she cheaped out.

[Primer]

The Sears ..... new tires

Jiffy Lube ..... oil change,

ok, both of these experiences were on my 1969 Saab 96, back about 1985 or so.

Sears sold me 4 new tires (bias ply, before radials were standard). I headed down the highway towards home, only to have one of the tires going "thumpa-thumpa" all the way. I took the first exit and headed back. The "kid" tried to tell me I had a bent rim. I had to make him spin the empty rim to prove that it was the tire, and not my rim. He very reluctantly replaced the tire. I've not been back to Sears auto since.

I went to Jiffy Lube for an oil change, only because they were close to where I lived at the time, and I was being lazy and did not want to do it myself, for once. Halfway through, they asked me where the transmission fluid gets filled. I told them I wanted only the oil changed, not the tranny fluid. They finally admitted that they pulled the wrong plug and drained the tranny fluid instead of the oil. I had super high quality tranny fluid in there, that my mechanic had put in when he rebuilt the engine and transmission. I had to show them where to put in the transmission fluid, and where the oil pan was so they could change the oil.

I have been back to (a different) Jiffy Lube only once due to an emergency. I developed a radiator hose leak on Christmas eve morning, just as I was about to head up to Dallas. They were able to trim the hose and put on a new clamp and got me back on the road.

For the past 4 years, we (the family) have been using a Goodyear place near us, but since they got a new service writer, I've not been happy with the way they treat me. It may be time to shop around again.

[Imogene]

Just remembered my brakes story

One night, back when I still lived in MO, I took some friends to a riverboat casino, cause one of them really liked DDR, and the arcade there had a few machines. Plus, he was the only one of the group of three of us that was too young to go into the casino, and I'd never been in one yet, so we all hung out in the arcade.
On the drive back to their apartment, I had gone only a few blocks before my rear tires suddenly stopped rolling entirely. Luckily, it happened right in front of a gas station, so I pulled off there, and called home (at a time when I didn't have a cell phone) Dad came to pick the three of us up, took us to their apartment, and left the car (a 90 something Taurus) at the gas station overnight, got a tow for it in the morning. Found out that part of the brake had broken off on one of the rear tires, and wedged itself in between the pad and the rotor. Forced that brake to clamp down hard on the tire.
Yeep, that was expensive, from what I hear. The parents paid for that one.

[Slytovhand]

oooh - my turn my turn :-)

Firstly - I had a great mechanic when I was up in Bris-vegas (if you're up there, look for Angelo in Wynnum). He would actually admit to me when he didn't know something!!!! And once, with an issue, I asked how much, he told me he hadn't done one before, so wasn't really sure (in an honest sort of way). To me, honesty sort of equals trust.

Secondly, if I go to see a professional, and they give me advice, I figured I'd have to be a hypocritical idiot to just ignore it. Otherwise, what's the damn point in going to them in the first place?

On the not so good side - I had some work done on a car, and within 10 mins, I couldn't even get it out of 2nd (where I didn't have a transmission problem before I went in there. They then tried to say it was something I had done. HA!

And recently, I had an issue where I thought a tyre was going low. I took it to the mech's, and they checked it, and didn't find anything. Went home, and a couple of hours later - dead flat! I took it to the local servo (yes - silly, but still) and re-inflated. Couple of hours later - flat again :-( I went back and made my complaints (after getting it replaced. ).

And later at a chain mechanics (and there ain't too many of them down in this bit of the world) did a basic service and check-up and went on and on and on about all these different things. Not trusting it (and having real bad experience as well, I took it to another lot who basically said 'WTF are they talking about - there's nothing wrong other than basic wear and tear, and nothing really urgent (although this should probably get done)".

The way I look at it, people are people. and business is business. Angelo works on the idea that if he is good as a person, he will have good business. Not everyone does....

[R3unbreakable]

Uh..

Finger poking = assault.

Call the cops next time.

gimme a break for a sec, poking someone and blowing the assault whistle? thats taking it to far, he held his cool throught the ordeal and thats what counts, its her conscience that will take the blame when she smashes into a schoolyard

[Rapscallion]

gimme a break for a sec, poking someone and blowing the assault whistle? thats taking it to far, he held his cool throught the ordeal and thats what counts, its her conscience that will take the blame when she smashes into a schoolyard

Legally speaking, it is assault. It's also not just her conscience that will take the blame - it's the people she hurts in the process.

Rapscallion

[habitofbeingright]

since we are all confessing our mistakes in automotive abuse. I deliver pizza at the moment.
I had heard some noises and got it checked out at a local sears
i hate hearing "you really should see this"
my pads were down to the metal
my front rotors were very scored
my front brake lines were cracked
calipers were in question able condition
one of the drum brakes needed replacement
both drums needed new shoes and hardware
the wheel cylinders need replaceing
and the fluid itself looks like army coffee (mud) ((american army for clarification))

this was quoted to be in the high hundreds
i drove it back to my place and to date have done all the front parts and have the rear brake parts
i wanted to wait for my vacuum pump to come in the mail for the wheel cylinders

wish me luck on the rest
oh and btw if you do have to make a choice between front and rear brakes remember that the front does 80% of all braking

[habitofbeingright]

for anyone that cares i got the vacuum pump in today so i can also fix the drum brakes

[retaildrone]

GAH people are stupid!

It sucks to have to shell out that kind of money when something in the car breaks, had to do it today in fact to the tune of $600! I'd rather have to shell out the $$$ than get into an accident and kill myself or someone else!