The danger of having your car serviced at the dealership

[Clipper]

I took the little Equinox in for it's oil change and service. While they service the car I always wander around the lot looking at the new cars.

I was an expensive "free" oil change. I love the little Equinox but it has turned out to be small when we want to pack up and travel. When we came to NY in July I had it packed to the ceiling in the cargo area as well as on the one seat that was folded down. Last night we took a ride to Kingsport and traded it on a new Blazer.

This is not a new thing for me. We ended up with the 2016 truck when I was getting the 2010 model serviced. I browsed my way right into a new truck while they were changing the oil in the 2010. LOL.

I found an interesting fact when they were searching my credit history. I asked if there was any additional discount for paying cash. He told me that there was no advantage to paying in cash and although they don't add a fee, some dealers charge 12 or 14 hundred bucks if you pay cash because they lose out on a kickback from finance companies. I told him that I was glad they don't charge that fee. Otherwise, they would have lost a sale. I was surprised though that when I asked if they needed a bank check they actually told me that with a credit score over 800 they would take a personal check.

It was closing time when we finally completed the paperwork and it was raining like hell out so we aren't going to pick it up until this afternoon. Their detailing man had gone home and I had talked them into throwing in chrome vent visors over the four side windows so they will install them this morning, fill the car with gas and call me when it is ready to go. There was no way I was going to empty the old car in the pouring rain.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Best of luck in your new car..

[clarencebunsen]

I hope they gave you a coupon book for $10 off oil changes for the next 5 years. You sound like a customer they want back. When we bought the Subaru, one of the features was Nitrogen filled tires. I'm not sure that all of the purported benefits are real but in order to maintain them you need to keep filling them with Nitrogen. One of the few places in the area to get that done is the Subaru dealership.

Barb took the car somewhere yesterday morning. First cold morning of the winter so the car told her she had low pressure in the right front tire. Before I even had my coffee we had an appointment for an oil change and tire fill at the dealer. I might go along, they usually have coffee and donuts in the waiting area. I will avoid wandering through the lot and shopping.

[BHU]

I do my my own oil changes on my truck because I won't bring it to Toothless Joe's Quick Change & I avoid dealerships for service like the plague. I also changed the tranny fluid 3 times on my truck which is a cinch to do. For anything out of my league I have a shop that I trust not to rip me off. My truck is a 2012 & has 140,000 miles on it. The other day disaster almost struck when I was headed down Henderson St. in N.Y. Mills when a buck darted out in front of me. Had to slam on the brakes to avoid it. A couple days later there was a buck laying on the side of the road on Clinton St., probably the same one.

Good luck with your new Blazer, nice truck!

[Clipper]

Nov 18, 2023 10:39:19 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

I hope they gave you a coupon book for $10 off oil changes for the next 5 years. You sound like a customer they want back. When we bought the Subaru, one of the features was Nitrogen filled tires. I'm not sure that all of the purported benefits are real but in order to maintain them you need to keep filling them with Nitrogen. One of the few places in the area to get that done is the Subaru dealership.

Barb took the car somewhere yesterday morning. First cold morning of the winter so the car told her she had low pressure in the right front tire. Before I even had my coffee we had an appointment for an oil change and tire fill at the dealer. I might go along, they usually have coffee and donuts in the waiting area. I will avoid wandering through the lot and shopping.

Actually I only got 3 yrs of free oil changes and tire rotations. The only drawback is that the dealer is in Kingsport so I have to drive 20 miles each way. They don't have any donuts but they do have a big basket full of bags of chips and pretzels, lots of cellophane wrapped goodies and energy bars.

[clarencebunsen]

The days are gone when I could crawl under a car with a wrench in my hand. Today I would need to lie on the driveway wrench in hand and have Barb drive forward until I could reach the drainplug.

[Clipper]

Heck. I would have to jack the car up quite a ways before I could get my fat belly under it. I gave that up years ago. I sold the ramps and the catch pan at a yard sale.

[BHU]

When I had my F-150 a few years ago I jacked it up using a floor jack because I suspected a bad wheel bearing. I got it up & the jack moved causing that truck to drop with a thud. Could thing I wasen't under it. I took a sledge hammer & an angle grinder to that jack & tossed it out front for the metal scrappers & so no one else could use it. To this day I will not get under a vehicle that is under a jack or even jack stands. And I don't own a floor jack.

[Clipper]

I have a floor jack and jack stands. The only time I use the floor jack is to raise the lawn tractor to remove the blades for sharpening. I am into overkill mode. I jack it up and put TWO jack stands under the front, one on each side of the front axle, before I put my arms under there to remove the blades. I use and impact wrench. Several years ago I was wrenching on the bolts with a long handled ratchet and the mower rocked and came off the single jack stand and bruised the hell out of my arm when the deck smashed down on it. No more tugging and rocking with a wrench. Grab the impact and brrrrp brrrp, they are off. No more busted knuckles either.

If you have a compressor you can buy a cheap impact wrench at Harbor Freight for about 30 bucks or so BHU.

[BHU]

Good idea. I do have a compressor but no impact wrench. I know what I'm getting for Xmas. Lol.

I bought a belt sander today from HF. I have to refinish some sections of hardwoods off the kitchen & elsewhere where the finish has worn off. For $35 it does the job but is time consuming & messy. It'e either that or rent a drum sander: $50/ day plus the sanding belts. I'm putting the rest off till next week with Turkey Day coming up.

[clarencebunsen]

Barb would kill me if I started a project like that between now and New Year's. Even though she has not yet fully recovered from her knee replacement surgeries we started buying supplies for making cookies today. She loves to bake and I love to eat what she bakes. That might have something to do with why we have been married for 50 years.

[Clipper]

How are her knees coming along CB? The therapy and recovery are no walk in the park but the end result is well worth the pain and effort. As soon as thanksgiving it over Kathy will begin making pumpkin bread. She gives out 15 or 20 loaves every year to friends, neighbors, and family as gifts. When that is done and they are all in the freezer until Christmas week, she will be onward and upward to cookies and candy. People wonder why i am so damned fat. LOL

[clarencebunsen]

Her knees are improving but still a lot of pain. She slept without her ice machine last night. When that is fully loaded with ice and water it pushes my limit on what I can carry up a flight of stairs. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel.

[Clipper]

Nov 21, 2023 7:57:58 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

Her knees are improving but still a lot of pain. She slept without her ice machine last night. When that is fully loaded with ice and water it pushes my limit on what I can carry up a flight of stairs. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel.

I never gave the weight a thought. We are all on one floor and Kathy would bring the ice and then a pitcher of water without moving the machine from beside my chair. I imagine it IS very heavy bulky to carry up a flight of stairs. I can't imagine doing without it. It was basically the only respite from the pain. After the first 3 days or so I didn't do the pain medication except at bed time and every other day afterthe visiting therapist tortured me. I hated the grogginess that opioids cause. I saw mine not long ago in the storage building. 10 yrs old and most likely never to be used again. I should see if it still works and give it to someone that would benefit from it.

[clarencebunsen]

Definitely donate it if it works. Like everything else, they have gotten expensive. I think Barb has three people lined up to borrow hers when she finishes with it. One thing I would buy if we were doing it over is freezer packs that fit the machine.