I just got back from the car dealer with Blacky. What started out as an oil change and a recall repair ended up being an $800 bill. Gaahhhh! But like I said, we're pretty good about keeping up with the maintenance schedule, and Ken definitely puts more miles on Blacky than I do on Slick. And you know, I really don't feel that they were gouging us, or using a "bait and switch" as my pal Jimmy wondered. This really is all part of the maintenance schedule. I know that on my '95 Mustang (his name was Rod), I stuck to the schedule, and I kept it for 10 years, with I believe over 150,000 miles on it.
That doesn't mean that $800 is any fun!
I asked the car dealer to come and pick me up, because after a 3-day weekend, Ken will probably be at work kind of late tonight. This way it's all taken care of and we can get back to our own cars tomorrow. (More about that in a moment.) The guy that picked me up in the Ford Windstar minivan was an older gentleman, and just as nice as he could be. We had a nice little chat, and we had to go pick up someone else, so we had an even longer chat. But what was kind of funny was that he was such a cautious driver! I'm sure they don't want to scare the customers or anything, but he drove really slow, and he'd start putting his brakes on SO early! I don't think I'm a particularly aggressive driver, but I guess in a Mustang, you get used to GOING. Ha ha!
As for getting back to our own cars, it's weird how you get used to your own! Mine is an '05 hard top and Ken's is an '06 convertible, and you wouldn't think there would be that much of a difference, but I have my seat set the way I want it, I'm used to the touch I need to use on the accelerator, etc. At one point, when I took off after a 4-way stop, I actually made my head snap back and went, "Whoa!" It seems that Blacky's gas pedal is a little more sensitive than Slick's! I'm ready for a drive with the top down soon. I'm looking forward to nicer weather!
Speaking of Mustangs, when we dropped off Blacky yesterday, we noticed a white Shelby sitting inside. We were admiring it through the window. It was still there today, so I couldn't resist taking a peek inside. Mark, one of the guys at the dealer, said, "Pretty nice, huh?" I said, "Oh man, yeah." I asked if it belongs to someone in town, and he said it belongs to one of the "bigwigs", and he brought it down for a recall. (I'm not sure if he was talking about the dealership or Ford.) The point is moot, because a Shelby is way out of my league! But Lord have mercy, what a sweet car!
4 comments:
i bought my new car from the biggest and most well known dealership in town....so happy and proud i was. I had never owned a new car and i worked hard for that car. I kept up with the maintenance schedule, never late. I had 2 recalls on it and i also had to take it in three times for a $400 repair that eventually was labeled a defect for that model and year. Those 3 $400 repairs were free, under warranty. Within 3 yrs of taking my car in for those oil changes and maintenance things they started calling me back with emergency brake pad issues, a tune up at 30,000 miles that i had to pay for and it ran perfect already......some $100 obscure engine cleaning for buildup of something that i did not understand......and then, boom, this winter, with 70,000 miles on it and running in perfect order i found out my entire car frame had rusted out. I called the dealership and was hung up on. I called the people who made my car and was too bad. The car is not paid off. It is worthless. To fix it would cost more than it is worth.
A certified and trusted mechanic that owns another smaller but locally owned shup told me that the engine spraying was a hoax and that my car was known in the auto industry as a "disposable" car/model...made in Mexico by men and women who used metal thinner than an aluminum can for my frame.
My car was not cheap. This broke my heart. I will never again put my faith in any dealership like i did this one. As long as i paid for fraudulent repairs and kept taking my car in, they played their little game with me. Nice to me, helpful in fact.
Once i had to say to them that i did not have the large amont they quoted me for some BS repair and they said instantly "well you need to come get it off our lot ASAP". Money game, huge money game.
HUGS
I love that you give your cars names. My car is a 1999 Honda Civic sedan with sun/ oops, I mean moon roof. It has 85, 000 miles and i take it in regularly for the oil and air filter change. I should give it the name, "Thrifty", because with the gas prices as they are, I get to spend only $25 to $35 to fill 'er up! Who can say that these days? -Karen
My blog address:
what exactly does 800 dollars buy
hugs
Sherry
Glad you got the car back :o)
Jenny
http://journals.aol.co.uk/Jmoqueen/MyLife
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