the average car on the road today is almost 10 years old.
-- forbes
2012-12-12
2012-11-27
95,916 mile service and 5 year powertrain inspection
back in CA i went to normandin with another oil change coupon so i could get another pair of windshield wipers (the NV desert really chews up rubber) ... and again, not hitting against my oil change package.
i was going to ask about doing the powertrain inspection, since i was inside the 60 day window, but had to wait for awhile on the drive so i figured i'd not push the issue and instead ask on my next go 'round. much to my pleasant surprise, the normandin folks were quick to accept their coupon on my cell phone -- even though it's supposed to be printed out.
while i was talking to king feddy on the phone during the change, they upped the pleasure meter by one, calling to suggest they do the five year inspection ... naturally, i readily agreed. (i've read elsewhere that dealers get warnings about your time being up for the inspection, so it's not a huge surprise.)
the whole process took longer than i expected which had me wondering what might be going on (i was in the dealership for about three hours), but their poking and prodding turned up nothing (quite a bit different than those lying, cheating bastards [who looked at my car 65K miles ago] at chapman). which means my lifetime powertrain warranty is good to go for another five years.
as part of my over-all car inspection they also noticed that i had a reverse light out ... normandin was nice enough to replace it completely free of charge ... exactly the kind of thing that can make a rabidly loyal customer out of me -- it's a pity i don't live in CA anymore.
i'm due for a timing belt change at 102K miles, BUT i no longer get free rental cars as part of my lifetime service contract at 100K miles, so i'll get that swtich done at 99K.
$22.
i was going to ask about doing the powertrain inspection, since i was inside the 60 day window, but had to wait for awhile on the drive so i figured i'd not push the issue and instead ask on my next go 'round. much to my pleasant surprise, the normandin folks were quick to accept their coupon on my cell phone -- even though it's supposed to be printed out.
while i was talking to king feddy on the phone during the change, they upped the pleasure meter by one, calling to suggest they do the five year inspection ... naturally, i readily agreed. (i've read elsewhere that dealers get warnings about your time being up for the inspection, so it's not a huge surprise.)
the whole process took longer than i expected which had me wondering what might be going on (i was in the dealership for about three hours), but their poking and prodding turned up nothing (quite a bit different than those lying, cheating bastards [who looked at my car 65K miles ago] at chapman). which means my lifetime powertrain warranty is good to go for another five years.
as part of my over-all car inspection they also noticed that i had a reverse light out ... normandin was nice enough to replace it completely free of charge ... exactly the kind of thing that can make a rabidly loyal customer out of me -- it's a pity i don't live in CA anymore.
i'm due for a timing belt change at 102K miles, BUT i no longer get free rental cars as part of my lifetime service contract at 100K miles, so i'll get that swtich done at 99K.
$22.
2012-10-22
94,008 mile service
using a TXT coupon from normandin in san jose i got an oil change and new wiper blades for $22. this doesn't go against my oil change package.
2012-09-01
the animated continual car
|
2012-08-22
ANOTHER continual car for me?
mmmmaybe?
i rented a fiat 500C (by complete chance ... really!) in vancouver and loved it. i need a new car like i need a bullet in my skull, BUT the fiat has the ability to be made continual and it has some modern updating (e.g. auxiliary in on the stereo) and it drives much smaller than the cruiser.
but the big big one is it gets 30mpg+, whereas the cruiser sits right in at 21. 50% extra would make a lot of difference in n years, especially as the price of gasoline goes through the roof.
hmm.
i rented a fiat 500C (by complete chance ... really!) in vancouver and loved it. i need a new car like i need a bullet in my skull, BUT the fiat has the ability to be made continual and it has some modern updating (e.g. auxiliary in on the stereo) and it drives much smaller than the cruiser.
but the big big one is it gets 30mpg+, whereas the cruiser sits right in at 21. 50% extra would make a lot of difference in n years, especially as the price of gasoline goes through the roof.
hmm.
2012-08-21
90,600 mile service
visiting my mom in CO, so i stopped by PRO chrysler-jeep-dodge-ram.
super-good shop in that they were able to take me on a moment's notice (i don't know why this is so hard for the average dealership) and they honored my pre-paid oil changes.
the weird news is they have a windshield scam (of sorts) here. an assigned person swarmed in, looked at my windshield and informed me that three pits needed to be fixed -- the deductible would be waived and paid directly by the insurance company. all this is true, but really it's their chance to get extra money from the insurance company over a repair that is questionable at best (is a pit really a danger that could result in a windshield crack? no.). BUT, since it costs me no money, there's no reason for me to object. i've never seen this trick used before ...
the service guy said it would take 45 minutes and that's precisely what it was. their "world class 27 point inspection" showed two problems: decaying wiper blades (known) and tires out of camber (ditto).
and isn't it just SHOCKING that they showed none of the problems that lying, cheating, thieving Chapman did nearly 60,000 miles ago?
uh, no, it's not.
i'm supposed to change the plugs at 90K, but wanted to ensure that i could get my car ready for a vegas drive tomorrow so i held off. i'll be doing that soon.
super-good shop in that they were able to take me on a moment's notice (i don't know why this is so hard for the average dealership) and they honored my pre-paid oil changes.
the weird news is they have a windshield scam (of sorts) here. an assigned person swarmed in, looked at my windshield and informed me that three pits needed to be fixed -- the deductible would be waived and paid directly by the insurance company. all this is true, but really it's their chance to get extra money from the insurance company over a repair that is questionable at best (is a pit really a danger that could result in a windshield crack? no.). BUT, since it costs me no money, there's no reason for me to object. i've never seen this trick used before ...
the service guy said it would take 45 minutes and that's precisely what it was. their "world class 27 point inspection" showed two problems: decaying wiper blades (known) and tires out of camber (ditto).
and isn't it just SHOCKING that they showed none of the problems that lying, cheating, thieving Chapman did nearly 60,000 miles ago?
uh, no, it's not.
i'm supposed to change the plugs at 90K, but wanted to ensure that i could get my car ready for a vegas drive tomorrow so i held off. i'll be doing that soon.
2012-07-25
How Minor Repairs Can Boost Your Car Insurance Rates | Insurance.com
interesting article from the insurance companies themselves on part of the way your rates get jacked from a relaxation of bumper standards.
http://www.insurance.com/auto-insurance/saving-money/car-insurance-and-repair-costs.html
http://www.insurance.com/auto-insurance/saving-money/car-insurance-and-repair-costs.html
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