100,433 new rear brakes

on the last couple of oil changes, the shops have noted my rear brakes getting worn (the last change told me i had 2 mm on the rear pads).  i'm currently building a trailer (in order to tow a kayak -- can't put a roof rack on a rag top), so i wanted to get the work done before i hooked up the extra dragging weight.

i thought i'd had the rear brakes done before (the lifetime guarantee is the reason i returned to brake masters), but it turned out that those were the fronts (not surprisingly).

while i was at the shop, they suggested flushing the brake fluid as well ... and of course they would, this is a major up-sell for repair shops ... but as i thought about it, i realized two things: for one, i haven't yet had the brake fluid change; but more importantly, i don't remember ever seeing it in the owner's manual.

i told them to go ahead and do it, and during my two hour wait, i looked through the owner's manual ... sure enough, it's not there ... which i find very very odd.

now here's a funny thing ... my original front brake pads went 70K miles, but got worn enough that when they were replaced, the rotors had to be replaced as well ... the backs now had gone 100K miles, but did not have to have the rotors replaced ... odder still, they show my fronts as only having 2% wear, even though they've gone half the distance that more than wore them out before.

i don't get it.  i don't even pretend that i get it.  nevertheless, i can't complain about getting that kind of mileage out of brakes on a car that:

1. is so heavy.
2. has driven (and parked) that much in san francisco.
3. has made that many mountain pass drives -- both to CO and CA.

i had a couple errands i wanted to get done today and on my way out the door forgot to check for coupons ... could've saved myself $25 if i had*.

$278, and i now have lifetime pads on the front and the back.  still need to replace my plugs and the next oil change will also need a timing belt and radiator flush ... that'll be more than a grand.

*not that it matters on a day like today -- that's a $500 winner!

the big 1, son

100K miles...as I was rolling out of the dam short film festival in boulder city, NV.
no longer eligible for free rentals on service, nor roadside assistance, which means I've gotta get a moderately harder core AAA policy (my desert drives often take me across MANY miles of uninhabited american landscape).

from this point forward, cancellation of my service contract is worth $25.

so far, so good.

99,413 mile service

what i'd like to do is get a timing belt change before i lose my free-rental-on-service at 100K miles (the service itself is due at 102K) ... unfortunately i'm currently in CA and the prices out here are considerably higher than NV (as they are with everything ... and part of the reason i moved) ... and it's possible that by the time i get back home i will have turned over 100K miles.

so ... i was due for an oil change anyway and used one from my package at "my jeep chrysler dodge" in salinas (they said it was the last one in my pack, but i should have one more) ... i waited for an hour (switching the TV in the lobby to "goldfinger" while i waited, thank you very much) and they came back out to say that i had a wheel bearing going bad ... this doesn't surprise me much since my car has been sounding like small aircraft on liftoff for quite awhile now ... but i'd always assumed that was from a bad camber alignment on my wheels (from a local goodyear place where i got lifetime alignment, and they have summarily gone out of business) ... it was a nice catch by my chrysler (even though the form says "customer states wheel bearing noise," that's not true -- they just found it on their own).

$100 deductible for it?  no problem.  i even asked the enterprise rental guy to give me a FIAT sitting on the lot (further feeding my need) and after a tiny bit of back-and-forth ("we have to give you a chrysler, jeep or dodge."  "um, chrysler is owned by FIAT ... see the 'C' in the FIAT VIN?  that means 'chrysler'"), i got it.

when i got my car back, and the growl is gone ... it'll make my drive back to vegas much more pleasant.

thank you my jeep chrysler dodge ... even if you have a dopey name.

$100 deductible

$335 in SCR ($300 on the wheel bearing/hub wheel and service ... $35 for [what well may be my last on this contract] rental).

{this is a cross-over moment of sorts for my service contract ... i've now saved twice as much as my contract originally cost.}

official powertrain inspection notification

you know, it's funny...the 'net is full of people (especially jeep owners) who think chrysler will go to great lengths to rip them off, including invalidating warranties.  (of course, many of these same people will also modify their vehicles, or not do regular service.)

but the truth is that chrysler would like to keep you in the fold.  even though I've already had my inspection, I received this card in the mail...postmarked MI, it makes reference to prestige (my favorite dealer here in NV).

I amidt I'm a little surprised to see this notice...but pleasantly so...even though i was well aware when my 60 day window was, it would have been difficult for me to miss it thanks to this notice and the aggressive suggestion of getting it done from normandin in CA.

an F for the continual car

http://scorecard.carmd.com/Report/SendGenericReport/c4a00b47-7905-42ed-be4c-d2712c0f6864
which would be worrisome, except -that's right- I have a lifetime service contract.

trivium of the moment

the average car on the road today is almost 10 years old.

-- forbes

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.