2009-04-06

29,595 mile service

this is the first big service on the car. up to here it's just oil changes, tire rotations and air filters; 30,000 miles includes spark plugs, inspection of the PCV valve (whatever the hell that is), air filter and adjusting the generator belt drive tension.

unfortunately, this also gives me my first shot at getting majorly up-sold. if you call a service center and ask for a "30,000 mile service on a PT cruiser," you're likely to get a whole catalog of items that aren't in the owner's manual (or are at much later mileages). the answer they'll give you, always, is that it's what they recommend.

i'm in NV right now, giving me four choices of dealerships to choose from (and i already called from the bay area about this service as well -- it's about 15% cheaper here than back home).

a quick call shows a whopping difference in price. most NV dealerships are wanting on the order of $750, but i find one, united chrysler jeep, that will do it for $250 minus the amount of my oil change coupon.

i go in, get my rental and get the service done. the dealership on the whole feels a little shoddy, but i'm not arguing with the service, nor the price.

$239

(my brother is appalled that four spark plugs are $167. "i'll teach you how to do that.")