Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe

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tjc78 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Well happy freakin' new year. Came home from church to find my water heater washing the basement walls. Got the water turned off and went to work trying to find somebody to come on New Years Day. Quote was $1300 which included a $100 holiday charge. I was a lay down and didn't even argue the price.

Do they build these things to blow up at the worst possible time?

That has got to be the biggest pain.

Did the side of the water heater spring a leak? Usually it's the bottom that drops out. In an case that has to be a real b---h.

Good luck. Go watch a football game with a few cold ones to take your mind off of this.

jmonroe

Yep, about 2/3 the way up. I guess it's gh ying-yang thing. Good car story balanced by bad water heater story.

I've never seen that. Ugh, what great time of year to have that happen. Here is my water heater story. My cousin is a Union steam fitter, so he does my plumbing work. I remember speaking to him right before Thanksgiving one year that "after the holidays" I'd like to replace my aging Bradford White water heater with a new one. No problem, that's less than a six pack job, lol.

Naturally Black Friday weekend after spending big bucks on holiday gifts, we get home and I hear water running, huh? Get down the basement and the bottom had a giant hole. Thank goodness there was a drainage hole under it that led to my French drain system. I never even knew that hole was there but it saved me probably thousands of dollars and headache. There was minimal water and zero damage to anything.

Some guys are just living right.

@oldfarmer50 must have done something very wrong when he helped his buddy buy that Mustang.

jmonroe

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I switched a month before my wreck. The new company hasn't blinked (yet) at adequately handling my claim.

Funny, I didn't switch for any savings this time, just didn't feel good about the company or my agent.

Insurance companies are extremely impersonal about stuff like that. They don't care if you "win" and they lose--they don't act all hang-dog about it; and they don't pump their fists when they beat you up on a claim. All they care about is the bottom line at the end of the year. Black ink.

And they don't care if you "go somewhere else" because someone out there is coming from "somewhere else". They don't care if your rental car is dirty, or if you accidentally get an upgrade to a Maserati on their dime and crow about it. They simply do not care as long as there's a + sign on Dec 31, 2016 (or whenever their fiscal year closes out).

So my advice is to be unemotional and cold-blooded when you negotiate anything with them, because that's how they are. It's strictly business.

So, are you saying that Son # 2 ain't no grinder?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

Another bullet dodged.

Finally got one plumber who could come today and he showed up in 90 minutes with a new water heater. He took one look and said "oh this is going to be easy" so I was able to breathe again.

He spotted the Mustang over in the garage and said "that's nice, I own two of those". Turns out he had a 98' and an 08'. We had lots to talk about.

He finished quickly and charged me less than the quoted price. He even had some little form which allowed me to skip paying sales tax. I made sure he left his number for the next time.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

Opened my mail this morning (from yesterday's delivery) and I again got an "OPEN IMMEDIATELY" notice that usually tries to trick you into buying a maintenance or extended warranty from this "boileroom-type sham".

We are waiving the $399 fee the Police Decals cost when you *register on or before the expiration date of 1/6/2017."

The more I read, the "smellier" the notice became. I wonder how many people actually fall for this scam. They waive the $399, but of course there are processing, handling and postage fees that cost over $150 or something like that.

I also seem to be getting more and more phone calls from this similar or same company warning me that my 2008 Mercedes Benz warranty is about to expire.

The old expression, "...there oughta be a law..." sure seems appropriate!

ooooooh, Official Police Decals so the police can catch the car thieves, isn't that miraculous?

I have received about 20 FINAL NOTICES to extend my warranty, which I don't need since the car is covered for 2 more years. Some come in those perforated envelopes, some come with a "confidential and top priority" label. I wonder how many people fall for this scam? I wonder what it is like to try and collect from those guys?

It also amazes me how that expiry date keeps changing as you ignore them too.

I have gotten quite a few calls from some extended warranty company for the '12 Legacy in addition to the said mailings. I tell them I no longer have that car. One guy asked what it was replaced with and when I told him, "that is personal" he comes back with, "we can still extend the warranty on it whatever it is". CLICK

jmonroe

ab348

imidazol97 said:

AND, like I've seen on ATOH, they would mount a cover for the wires running up the wall to the TV like they've done to cover some wiring rather than bury it into house walls. That chase could be painted the same color as the existing wall and would blend ir mostly.

I can just see it now, Mike the homeowner chatting with Norm, Pete, and all the guys on ATOH.

That looks like a good solution.

stickguy

I now have 2 auto renew (sometime in February) emails in my to-do folder. I must like pain, because I have 3 separate XM accounts (I can't even keep them straight at this point). Both leased cars came with a trial, so that was set up new, and I have been playing the "what can you do for me" game with each one. The RDX is just a regular account, and I used to have my other cars as secondary accounts on that one. Might just have the Sonata switched over to that deal, then in November when I get rid of it, have the rest of the money credited back.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

I now have 2 auto renew (sometime in February) emails in my to-do folder. I must like pain, because I have 3 separate XM accounts (I can't even keep them straight at this point). Both leased cars came with a trial, so that was set up new, and I have been playing the "what can you do for me" game with each one. The RDX is just a regular account, and I used to have my other cars as secondary accounts on that one. Might just have the Sonata switched over to that deal, then in November when I get rid of it, have the rest of the money credited back.

I have 2 accounts and I thought that was bad but I think it helps when I complain and say, "I'm thinking of letting both of my accounts lapse if my renewal rate can't be the same as it was the previous year". So far it has been working.

jmonroe

suydam

I've got two accounts now too as the 90 day trial came with the Volt.

abacomike

fintail said:

I have to imagine that FL is one of the more expensive areas for insurance, given socio-economic and demographic issues. Probably the same throughout the region. My friend who did time in ATL said his insurance went through the roof when he was there.

I pay $1901.00 a year for my car insurance down here in the fraud capital of the USA.  It's because of this PIP (Personal Injury Protection) requirement on all FL insurance policies ($350 a year for $10,000 coverage) that I pay so much.  PIP is another name for "No Fault".  Doctors, chiropractors, etc., have colluded with fraudsters to bilk insurance companies of hundreds of millions of dollars in phony claims.  So insurance companies charge consumers for their losses by raising rates for PIP.  Uninsured motorist is another problem because so many drivers either don't carry insurance or carry minimum amounts like $10,000/$20,000 liability instead of $250,000/$500,000 like I have.

Insurance is so expensive down here it's like a car payment every month! 

isellhondas

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

houdini1

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Maybe you need one of these!

NOW THAT I LIKE!!!

That thing reminds me of "The Pit and the Pendulum". I would be afraid it would come down and clamp me !

jipster

driver100 said:

Well happy freakin' new year. Came home from church to find my water heater washing the basement walls. Got the water turned off and went to work trying to find somebody to come on New Years Day. Quote was $1300 which included a $100 holiday charge. I was a lay down and didn't even argue the price. Do they build these things to blow up at the worst possible time?

That's why air conditioners breakdown on the hottest days, furnaces go on the coldest days, electricity goes off just when you fill up your freezer and have reset all your clocks, my E400 gets detroyed on the day I fill it up with $60 worth of gas. It is a law of nature! Another thing....I hate when that kind of thing happens, you get it fixed and you got nothing to show for it, that same money could have bought a new 55 inch TV installed with a wall bracket.

I'll add windshield cracks, from kicked up rock, on Mrs. Jips last two new  cars,and daughter backing out of driveway and clipping the rear quarter panel of my new Civic. Blood pressure much better with a 5-7 year old car. 

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

I wonder if BMW uses the same OEM Valeo wipers as MB. On my first W212 several years ago, the blades skipped and chattered constantly - intolerable to me on a new car. I took it in a few times to have them changed out, then gave up as new ones would revert to the old ways in a week.

I ended up buying a set of Bosch Icons, removing the rubber blade from the holder, and placing the blade in the MB holder (as they look a lot better). Problem solved. I actually moved them on to my next car, as the blade holders were the same. The new W212 has a slightly different blade holder design, and doesn't skip nearly as much.

abacomike said:

jmonroe

Windshield wipers - RATS! I think I mentioned this last week - had to go to the BMW dealership's service dept. regarding that traffic alert at the bottom of the dash - the one that refused to delete no matter what I did. In any case, the driver's side windshield wiper was constantly "chattering" in moderate to heavy rain. I was told that they can only replace those once every year. Luckily, the car was less than 2 weeks old so they were able to charge it back to the new car department. BMW no longer has the same free maintenance program for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, for brakes, belts, wipers, etc. They stopped that in 2016. All they offer now is free oil-changes every year or 10,000 miles, for 3 years/36,000 miles, whichever comes first.. Filters, belts, etc., are no longer covered. That's why I bought the extended maintenance program which is transferrable to the next owner. That covers every conceivable maintenance item for the 3 years. Hope I never have to use it.

I could fix that wiper problem for you in ten seconds.....

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I switched a month before my wreck. The new company hasn't blinked (yet) at adequately handling my claim.

Funny, I didn't switch for any savings this time, just didn't feel good about the company or my agent.

Insurance companies are extremely impersonal about stuff like that. They don't care if you "win" and they lose--they don't act all hang-dog about it; and they don't pump their fists when they beat you up on a claim. All they care about is the bottom line at the end of the year. Black ink.

And they don't care if you "go somewhere else" because someone out there is coming from "somewhere else". They don't care if your rental car is dirty, or if you accidentally get an upgrade to a Maserati on their dime and crow about it. They simply do not care as long as there's a + sign on Dec 31, 2016 (or whenever their fiscal year closes out).

So my advice is to be unemotional and cold-blooded when you negotiate anything with them, because that's how they are. It's strictly business.

I agree and found that out this week. Our insurance back home is $2400 for the two cars - 2015 Mercedes with full replacement value.

Here we are up to $2400 a year, for one car, a 2014 Mercedes. I decided to double check as we have been with Allstate for 4 years now....they usually start taking advantage of you after 3 years.

I call AARP (yeh, I belong to get their discounts and to read all the hearing aid ads in their magazine), and give all my information to the Hartford agent. Quotes me a rate of $2500 for the year. Tell him I'm not switching to pay more! He says but don't you want to make AARP stronger and have the power of them behind you? I said thanks for confirming the rate I am paying is not too bad.

I'm not fond of AARP at the moment---they have dropped the ball so many times politically that I'm not sure what their lobbyists are actually accomplishing.

qbrozen

ab348 said:

I have some similar fun to look forward to this coming week. I finally got a notice from SiriusXM that my subscription is coming up for renewal. But then it went on to say that they would auto-renew at their normal (high) rate using a credit card they had on file. Unfortunately for them, that CC expired in June. Several problems here. The last time I went through this I told them I did not want auto-renew ever again. Also told them I wanted to get a bill to pay by mail. No problem, the rep said. Of course now that is all out the window. I don't want it any more regardless, so I will let them try to charge it on the now-expired credit card and wait for them to call so I can blast them before cancelling.

Oh, but that is not how it will go down. I thought the same as you, but all they do is continue your service and keep sending you notices that you are overdue and will eventually even threaten collection until you call them. At that time, you have to jump through all their hoops to cancel.

the last time I went through this, I refused to call. After a few months, I wrote an email telling them I am cancelling, I never renewed, etc. they responded that I would HAVE to call. I replied that I will not and if they want to comtinue providing me free service, that is their choice. So then they said they would honor the cancellation through email but I owe them 3 mos. i said no, I owe them nothjng because I never renewed. They finally relented and stopped bothering me.

Mr_Shiftright

isellhondas said:

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

There are some mysteries in life that men cannot know my son....

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

fintail said:

I wonder if BMW uses the same OEM Valeo wipers as MB. On my first W212 several years ago, the blades skipped and chattered constantly - intolerable to me on a new car. I took it in a few times to have them changed out, then gave up as new ones would revert to the old ways in a week.

I ended up buying a set of Bosch Icons, removing the rubber blade from the holder, and placing the blade in the MB holder (as they look a lot better). Problem solved. I actually moved them on to my next car, as the blade holders were the same. The new W212 has a slightly different blade holder design, and doesn't skip nearly as much.

abacomike said:

jmonroe

Windshield wipers - RATS! I think I mentioned this last week - had to go to the BMW dealership's service dept. regarding that traffic alert at the bottom of the dash - the one that refused to delete no matter what I did. In any case, the driver's side windshield wiper was constantly "chattering" in moderate to heavy rain. I was told that they can only replace those once every year. Luckily, the car was less than 2 weeks old so they were able to charge it back to the new car department. BMW no longer has the same free maintenance program for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, for brakes, belts, wipers, etc. They stopped that in 2016. All they offer now is free oil-changes every year or 10,000 miles, for 3 years/36,000 miles, whichever comes first.. Filters, belts, etc., are no longer covered. That's why I bought the extended maintenance program which is transferrable to the next owner. That covers every conceivable maintenance item for the 3 years. Hope I never have to use it.

I could fix that wiper problem for you in ten seconds.....

Thanks Shifty, but you're too late. Maybe next time - but promise me I'll still have a windshield when you've fixed the chattering wipers - OK?

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

isellhondas said:

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

There are some mysteries in life that men cannot know my son....

Spoken by the "Moderators in the Sky"!

abacomike

isellhondas said:

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

What the Lord giveth, he can taketh away! Just be happy with what you've got, isell!

stever

Mr_Shiftright said:

isellhondas said:

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

There are some mysteries in life that men cannot know my son....

Especially since we don't use pin numbers....

abacomike

@stever:

Don't know whether or not I mentioned this to you before, stever, but I spent a night in Las Cruces back in 1991. I was moving to the San Diego area and was on I-10 going west from El Paso and noticed this quaint little town as I crossed the state line into New Mexico. I just hope the area hasn't lost its charm from what I remember.

Stopped at a motel and across the street from the motel was a Mexican restaurant that had the best Mexican food I had ever tasted. Ever since that experience, I go out of my way to eat Mexican whenever I get the chance. Most of the people down here avoid Mexican food because they "think" it's too spicy or "hot". I keep trying to tell them that it is not. And these are the same kinds of people who go to a Chinese restaurant and order Szechuan and Hunan dishes. Go figure!!!

stever

I didn't even like Mexican food when I moved here, although lots of the "real" stuff in Mexico is great. TexMex and NewMex not so much. But it's growing on me a bit, although I still skip the beans and the best rice is the kind they make with cheese. Best spot for that is a place up in Ashland Wisconsin. We have some good joints, but it's mostly a food desert compared to other places.

The downtowns (Las Cruces and historic Mesilla) are quaint but there's a lot of new big box schlock elsewhere and a dearth of luxury car dealers. You'd hate having to drive to El Paso to get your Mercedes washed or the oil in the Beemer changed.

I once encouraged a co-worked to try the Chinese mustard. She didn't speak to me for 5 minutes (or anyone else - took her that long to catch her breath).

berri

I recall FL being kind of lawyer happy when I lived there years back. One of the very first local commercial spots I saw on TV upon arriving was the sound of screeching brakes, followed by two hands - one holding a toy car and the other a toy motorcycle. The tagline was something like "Motorcycles and cars have different rights. So if you've been an accident call...). On top of that, it was a husband and wife team; one a lawyer while the other a chiropractor. Too much
.

abacomike

stever said:

I didn't even like Mexican food when I moved here, although lots of the "real" stuff in Mexico is great. TexMex and NewMex not so much. But it's growing on me a bit, although I still skip the beans and the best rice is the kind they make with cheese. Best spot for that is a place up in Ashland Wisconsin. We have some good joints, but it's mostly a food desert compared to other places.

The downtowns (Las Cruces and historic Mesilla) are quaint but there's a lot of new big box schlock elsewhere and a dearth of luxury car dealers. You'd hate having to drive to El Paso to get your Mercedes washed or the oil in the Beemer changed.

I once encouraged a co-worked to try the Chinese mustard. She didn't speak to me for 5 minutes (or anyone else - took her that long to catch her breath).

When I lived in Palm Desert, CA (Coachella Valley - Desert Cities), the owners of a great Mexican restaurant in Palm Springs used to send their kids to the school I was head of. Their food was to die for - especially their Sunday Brunches where you had an opportunity to try out many different dishes at their buffet. But their margaritas were the best - they used only Petron Tequila. Always had to have a designated driver come with us to their Sunday Brunches - fortunately I was never one of them!

stever

Well yeah, all that stuff tastes better after a margarita! La Posta here has great coconut ones. What I miss most here is Indian food (and I don't mean Navajo fry bread, although I love that stuff).

We have arcane liquor laws making it hard for new restaurants to get going because they can't afford to buy a license in the monopoly market. In spite of that, there's DUI billboards all over; at least most of them are PSAs, not lawyer sponsored.

fintail

Don't drive in the rain?

Mr_Shiftright said:

I could fix that wiper problem for you in ten seconds.....

fintail

I think I pay about 35% less here, as I guess there is less fraud, and although the drivers are timid and inept, it's not FL-crazy

I haven't shopped around in years, but I suspect there's not a huge amount to be saved, due to the type/cost of car. At least the old car is cheap to insure.

abacomike said:

I pay $1901.00 a year for my car insurance down here in the fraud capital of the USA Insurance is so expensive down here it's like a car payment every month! 

driver100

isellhondas said:

My old identity is still working but I'm puzzled as to how I lost it in the first place and how it came back. It even autofilled my PIN number which I have no idea what it is.

Anyway I'm very happy!

Except one day you will come on and for no reason at all it will say "Howdy Stranger", use your password to get in, and you won't know what it is for another 8 months.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I switched a month before my wreck. The new company hasn't blinked (yet) at adequately handling my claim.

Funny, I didn't switch for any savings this time, just didn't feel good about the company or my agent.

Insurance companies are extremely impersonal about stuff like that. They don't care if you "win" and they lose--they don't act all hang-dog about it; and they don't pump their fists when they beat you up on a claim. All they care about is the bottom line at the end of the year. Black ink.

And they don't care if you "go somewhere else" because someone out there is coming from "somewhere else". They don't care if your rental car is dirty, or if you accidentally get an upgrade to a Maserati on their dime and crow about it. They simply do not care as long as there's a + sign on Dec 31, 2016 (or whenever their fiscal year closes out).

So my advice is to be unemotional and cold-blooded when you negotiate anything with them, because that's how they are. It's strictly business.

I agree and found that out this week. Our insurance back home is $2400 for the two cars - 2015 Mercedes with full replacement value.

Here we are up to $2400 a year, for one car, a 2014 Mercedes. I decided to double check as we have been with Allstate for 4 years now....they usually start taking advantage of you after 3 years.

I call AARP (yeh, I belong to get their discounts and to read all the hearing aid ads in their magazine), and give all my information to the Hartford agent. Quotes me a rate of $2500 for the year. Tell him I'm not switching to pay more! He says but don't you want to make AARP stronger and have the power of them behind you? I said thanks for confirming the rate I am paying is not too bad.

I'm not fond of AARP at the moment---they have dropped the ball so many times politically that I'm not sure what their lobbyists are actually accomplishing.

All I know is it gives me a 15% discount at Denny's!

driver100

berri said:

I recall FL being kind of lawyer happy when I lived there years back. One of the very first local commercial spots I saw on TV upon arriving was the sound of screeching brakes, followed by two hands - one holding a toy car and the other a toy motorcycle. The tagline was something like "Motorcycles and cars have different rights. So if you've been an accident call...). On top of that, it was a husband and wife team; one a lawyer while the other a chiropractor. Too much
.

Every other ad on the TV is for lawyers. Some specialize in car accidents, some motorcycles, some say "Call us even if you are guilty...we can get you off"

berri

Shifty - combine that 15% with the senior menu and you get a real deal!

suydam

Except you're eating at Denny's.

28firefighter

fintail said:

I think I pay about 35% less here, as I guess there is less fraud, and although the drivers are timid and inept, it's not FL-crazy

I haven't shopped around in years, but I suspect there's not a huge amount to be saved, due to the type/cost of car. At least the old car is cheap to insure.

abacomike said:

I pay $1901.00 a year for my car insurance down here in the fraud capital of the USA Insurance is so expensive down here it's like a car payment every month! 

Right now we pay $2000 a year but that includes two drivers, three cars, and one "oopsie" on our record. Coverage is maxed out at 500/500.

Mr_Shiftright

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

fintail said:

I wonder if BMW uses the same OEM Valeo wipers as MB. On my first W212 several years ago, the blades skipped and chattered constantly - intolerable to me on a new car. I took it in a few times to have them changed out, then gave up as new ones would revert to the old ways in a week.

I ended up buying a set of Bosch Icons, removing the rubber blade from the holder, and placing the blade in the MB holder (as they look a lot better). Problem solved. I actually moved them on to my next car, as the blade holders were the same. The new W212 has a slightly different blade holder design, and doesn't skip nearly as much.

abacomike said:

jmonroe

Windshield wipers - RATS! I think I mentioned this last week - had to go to the BMW dealership's service dept. regarding that traffic alert at the bottom of the dash - the one that refused to delete no matter what I did. In any case, the driver's side windshield wiper was constantly "chattering" in moderate to heavy rain. I was told that they can only replace those once every year. Luckily, the car was less than 2 weeks old so they were able to charge it back to the new car department. BMW no longer has the same free maintenance program for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, for brakes, belts, wipers, etc. They stopped that in 2016. All they offer now is free oil-changes every year or 10,000 miles, for 3 years/36,000 miles, whichever comes first.. Filters, belts, etc., are no longer covered. That's why I bought the extended maintenance program which is transferrable to the next owner. That covers every conceivable maintenance item for the 3 years. Hope I never have to use it.

I could fix that wiper problem for you in ten seconds.....

Thanks Shifty, but you're too late. Maybe next time - but promise me I'll still have a windshield when you've fixed the chattering wipers - OK?

A simple twist of the wrist and we're done! The problem is the angle of attack of the wiper blade on the windshield glass. Too much friction.

driver100

suydam said:

Except you're eating at Denny's.

Their Bourbon Chicken Skillet dinner is one of my favorite meals. $9.50 less 15%, can't make it at home for that.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

fintail said:

I wonder if BMW uses the same OEM Valeo wipers as MB. On my first W212 several years ago, the blades skipped and chattered constantly - intolerable to me on a new car. I took it in a few times to have them changed out, then gave up as new ones would revert to the old ways in a week.

I ended up buying a set of Bosch Icons, removing the rubber blade from the holder, and placing the blade in the MB holder (as they look a lot better). Problem solved. I actually moved them on to my next car, as the blade holders were the same. The new W212 has a slightly different blade holder design, and doesn't skip nearly as much.

abacomike said:

jmonroe

Windshield wipers - RATS! I think I mentioned this last week - had to go to the BMW dealership's service dept. regarding that traffic alert at the bottom of the dash - the one that refused to delete no matter what I did. In any case, the driver's side windshield wiper was constantly "chattering" in moderate to heavy rain. I was told that they can only replace those once every year. Luckily, the car was less than 2 weeks old so they were able to charge it back to the new car department. BMW no longer has the same free maintenance program for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, for brakes, belts, wipers, etc. They stopped that in 2016. All they offer now is free oil-changes every year or 10,000 miles, for 3 years/36,000 miles, whichever comes first.. Filters, belts, etc., are no longer covered. That's why I bought the extended maintenance program which is transferrable to the next owner. That covers every conceivable maintenance item for the 3 years. Hope I never have to use it.

I could fix that wiper problem for you in ten seconds.....

Thanks Shifty, but you're too late. Maybe next time - but promise me I'll still have a windshield when you've fixed the chattering wipers - OK?

A simple twist of the wrist and we're done! The problem is the angle of attack of the wiper blade on the windshield glass. Too much friction.

You mean once you have broken it off you are done?

Mr_Shiftright

No guts no glory. If you don't align the blade holding the rubber, it's just going to repeat the same problem sooner rather than later.

Call it a "torsional adjustment" if the word "bending" scares you

I have the hands of a surgeon.

fintail

I think for both cars I am close to $1600 year, but that's just one driver, no issues, and I don't recall my coverage limits.

28firefighter said:

Right now we pay $2000 a year but that includes two drivers, three cars, and one "oopsie" on our record. Coverage is maxed out at 500/500.

fintail

I had the dealer do that on the first car with the issue. They even measured it on the wipers vs factory specs. It was fine. MB forums have mention of jerky wiper action, too. In this case, it seems to be the blades.

Mr_Shiftright said:

No guts no glory. If you don't align the blade holding the rubber, it's just going to repeat the same problem sooner rather than later.

Call it a "torsional adjustment" if the word "bending" scares you

I have the hands of a surgeon.

Michaell

Roughly $2400/yr for the Outback and the Jetta here in Colorado.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Roughly $2400/yr for the Outback and the Jetta here in Colorado.

I don't pay near that on four vehicles. Do you have all sorts of extras like collision, comprehensive or full replacement value policies.

Maybe I'm in a good zip code.

jmonroe

jipster said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Well happy freakin' new year. Came home from church to find my water heater washing the basement walls. Got the water turned off and went to work trying to find somebody to come on New Years Day. Quote was $1300 which included a $100 holiday charge. I was a lay down and didn't even argue the price.

Do they build these things to blow up at the worst possible time?

That's why air conditioners breakdown on the hottest days, furnaces go on the coldest days, electricity goes off just when you fill up your freezer and have reset all your clocks, my E400 gets detroyed on the day I fill it up with $60 worth of gas. It is a law of nature!

Another thing....I hate when that kind of thing happens, you get it fixed and you got nothing to show for it, that same money could have bought a new 55 inch TV installed with a wall bracket.

I'll add windshield cracks, from kicked up rock, on Mrs. Jips last two new  cars,and daughter backing out of driveway and clipping the rear quarter panel of my new Civic. Blood pressure much better with a 5-7 year old car. 



If you had a new Hyundai that got clipped, your blood pressure would also be better.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

Gee I'm way less than that for two cars---but only one has comp/collision.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Roughly $2400/yr for the Outback and the Jetta here in Colorado.

I don't pay near that on four vehicles. Do you have all sorts of extras like collision, comprehensive or full replacement value policies.

Maybe I'm in a good zip code.

Collision and Comprehensive on both. Rental car and uninsured motorist. 100/300 limits.

Metro Denver is becoming an expensive place to live, in all respects.

berri

When cities grow fast, it is not usually the developers or realtors that pay the freight...

stever

I'm at $435.60 per year for the '09 Grand Caravan, two drivers, 100/300 coverage, $500 deductible.

That's high for around here since it seems most people have zero coverage.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I switched a month before my wreck. The new company hasn't blinked (yet) at adequately handling my claim.

Funny, I didn't switch for any savings this time, just didn't feel good about the company or my agent.

Insurance companies are extremely impersonal about stuff like that. They don't care if you "win" and they lose--they don't act all hang-dog about it; and they don't pump their fists when they beat you up on a claim. All they care about is the bottom line at the end of the year. Black ink.

And they don't care if you "go somewhere else" because someone out there is coming from "somewhere else". They don't care if your rental car is dirty, or if you accidentally get an upgrade to a Maserati on their dime and crow about it. They simply do not care as long as there's a + sign on Dec 31, 2016 (or whenever their fiscal year closes out).

So my advice is to be unemotional and cold-blooded when you negotiate anything with them, because that's how they are. It's strictly business.

I agree and found that out this week. Our insurance back home is $2400 for the two cars - 2015 Mercedes with full replacement value.

Here we are up to $2400 a year, for one car, a 2014 Mercedes. I decided to double check as we have been with Allstate for 4 years now....they usually start taking advantage of you after 3 years.

I call AARP (yeh, I belong to get their discounts and to read all the hearing aid ads in their magazine), and give all my information to the Hartford agent. Quotes me a rate of $2500 for the year. Tell him I'm not switching to pay more! He says but don't you want to make AARP stronger and have the power of them behind you? I said thanks for confirming the rate I am paying is not too bad.

I'm not fond of AARP at the moment---they have dropped the ball so many times politically that I'm not sure what their lobbyists are actually accomplishing.

All I know is it gives me a 15% discount at Denny's!

And Outback.

jmonroe

abacomike

fintail said:

I had the dealer do that on the first car with the issue. They even measured it on the wipers vs factory specs. It was fine. MB forums have mention of jerky wiper action, too. In this case, it seems to be the blades.

No guts no glory. If you don't align the blade holding the rubber, it's just going to repeat the same problem sooner rather than later. Call it a "torsional adjustment" if the word "bending" scares you I have the hands of a surgeon.

With the hands of a surgeon, I sure hope he (Shifty) has some good malpractice insurance! 

jmonroe

fintail said:

I think for both cars I am close to $1600 year, but that's just one driver, no issues, and I don't recall my coverage limits.

28firefighter said:

Right now we pay $2000 a year but that includes two drivers, three cars, and one "oopsie" on our record. Coverage is maxed out at 500/500.

I'm standing pat then. Ours for 2 cars just cracks $1200 a year.

jmonroe

stickguy

insurance certainly varies wildly. I think I am about $2,400 too. Thankfully, NJ is no where near as bad as it used to be. That though is for 3 cars, all full coverage, and includes a (recently turned) 21 YO daughter. So overall, not complaining.

I am, however, looking forward to 1.5 years from now when she graduates, and I booted her from the policy. She will need a car of her own, in her name, and insurance. So I might be able to get me and the wife on AARP or some such and pay half what I pay now. One of the many $ savings to come when she gets out of my wallet (offset of course by losing a tax deduction, but overall, I will be way ahead!)