Stories from the Sales Frontlines

abacomike

Kristie, either Sam's or Costco...

I get mine at Walmart. They are sold in pkgs. of 6 or 16. I usually make 6 at a time - 2 minutes in the microwave on high. The directions say to slip the cellophane before zapping, but I don't. The package two per cellophane pkg. I find that if you don't slit the cellophane, the steam a little and the buns get nice and soft. You can buy them with or without cheese. But the are no where as good as the are in the restaurant.

I've never seen them at Costco down here in Florida - only Walmart carries them down here. You can go to their website and find out who carries the frozen sliders

Good luck, Kristie!

tjc78

J,
Just joking around! I can't wait.

Driver,
I agree with Stick. 250 for an alignment is license to steal. 79.99 at most places here.

driver100

I thought that wipers though were part of the free maintenance, along with brakes? Volvo at least covers everything (except tires) for 5 years. And I think it includes alignment

I think blades are like tires....that's normal wear and tear. I am surprised Volvo would include an alignment, that is something there is no control over. You can get an alignment and then hit a curb the next minute....not Volvos fault.

The other thing, is my theory, whenever I come out ahead it gets taken away immediately. I saved $180 on the oil change, but, my BMW assist comes up soon when the car is 1 year old....cost $199!

BMW Assist is you press a button if you have an emergency. Also, they can track your car if stolen. Remote door unlock. I don't know whether to do it....probably will.

driver100

To need an alignment after 10 months of ownership is very odd! Do you make it a habit of hitting curbs or going over deep potholes? You may have needed an alignment when you first got the car.

I am pretty careful. I have driven cars 60K miles and never needed an alignment. They say the all tires except left front are at 55mm to wear bar. LF is at 4 mm to wear bar. Doesn't the left front always wear faster....actually I thought right front because of the speed of circling and then getting on an on ramp or off ramp...usually you go to the right?

I think it is all a scam to get you worried so you will come in. Alignment they say? What if I just let them run down more and get new ones when they reach 1 MM and 2 MMs from wearbar?

btw, why would I rotate the tires after 12K miles....I have never done it at that point? I have to look on those notes from tire rack but I thought, I could be wrong, but, AWD tires have to stay in their place. I forget :sick:

driver100

I agree with Stick. 250 for an alignment is license to steal. 79.99 at most places here.

Even on a BMW?

Even the waiting room isn't what it used to be. Just kureg coffee maker. They used to have apples, cookies and muffins. One of the people at work said her Nissan dealer had muffins and danish. She thought bmw dealers would have a butler and sushi!

For $79.99, I can take it to an indie garage then, or do that in Florida. The wiper blades can wait too. I have gone 3 or 4 years with wiper blades, never replaced them in one year.

isellhondas

140.00 for WIPER BLADES???

Guess I'll never drive ours in the rain!

On Hondas you just replace the rubber inserts for about 7.00.

The aftermarket wiper blades never work well on Hondas.

jmonroe

$250 is outrageous for an alignment. And $140 for some wiper inserts is criminal.

Those are ridiculous prices alright. Even if the wiper price is for the entire assembly not just the inserts, $140 is still way over the top. I have to ask why if they cost so damn much they aren't better quality and need replaced in less than a year. Remind me not to buy rubber products that are made in Germany. I’m sure that dealer is ripping off the customers at that price. We should ask ‘roadburner’ and ‘dino’ what their dealer’s charge for wipers. It can’t be that high.

The local auto parts still does not have the oil filter cartridge for the Genny although they show a part number for it. The dealer price is not too bad just under $13. For my convenience when I get them I get 3. I can’t get the wipers at the local auto parts either. The dealer charges around $35 including tax for a pair (different sizes) and I thought that was bad. Now I don’t.

jmonroe

abacomike

btw, why should I rotate...only 12,000 miles...

Tires, in general, should be rotated every 5000-6000 miles if all 4 tires are the same size. As for all-wheel drive cars, I don't know why you wouldn't rotate the tires if they are all the same size. If they are "unidirectional", which aren't used much anymore, you can move the fronts to the rear and the rears to the front.

Check with your BMW Center - to see if you can rotate the tires. That is why your tires are not evenly worn.

tjc78

Yes even on BMW. An alignment is an alignment.

michaellno

Even if the wiper price is for the entire assembly not just the inserts, $140 is still way over the top.

Um, I might inflame some tempers, but on my daughter's MINI (owned by BMW), they replace the wiper blades (all three of them) at each service interval.

Free of charge.

abacomike

those are ridiculous prices alright

I checked what I would have to pay for replacement wiper blades on the Benz - $80.00 for the set. The wipers are not the same size but they are pure latex (rubber). They don't last very long in extremely cold climates nor in extremely warm climates. My wipers are "heated" when the temperature goes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. That happens all the time down here - NOT!

But, Benz will replace wiper blades within the first year if they do not function properly.

Not all replacement wiper blades are 100% rubber - which they should be.

fezo

BMW spent a load advertising that in their case the free maintenance included wear parts. They specifically mentioned wiper blades....

driver100

The local auto parts still does not have the oil filter cartridge for the Genny although they show a part number for it. The dealer price is not too bad just under $13

I think the wiper blades are fine, and you make a good point, at $140 they should last longer than one year!

Now, it sounds like you are still doing your own oil changes. Isn't that a little risky after your last experience with Hyundai?

driver100

Yes even on BMW. An alignment is an alignment.

I noticed in a bmw ad a little while ago they said bmw dealers had a special on alignments. They said bring the car to your bmw dealer because the camber has to be within a 100th of a mm or something like that. They made it sound like if you take it to an indie, they would ruin your car.

abacomike

those are ridiculous prices alright

As an added comment to your post *jmonroe, the alignment would be a waste of money if the tires are so poorly worn. I would wait until I had to replace the tires (which usually get 16,000 to 20,000 miles if V rated) and do the alignment then. A new alignment won't help the tires now, so why fret?

I would have the alignment done at the dealer because their alignment equipment is set up for BMW and if he has a problem with alignment in the future, BMW might cover it at no charge. Owning BMW's or Mercedes or Audi is no economical way to get from one place to another. You pay a lot to buy them, and unless you are a mechanic by trade, you pay a lot to maintain them. But it would not hurt to call BMW service centers to find out if they are running any specials. My Benz dealer runs specials all the time, but as you so eloquently noted, I don't own a car long enough to take advantage of them!

tjc78

I doubt it, but who knows. Maybe our resident BMW expert Roadburner can shed some light on this. There may a special tool involved for certain makes, but any good alignment shop should have it.

isellhondas

I have never had much luck with aftermarket wiper blades on ANY car. They never seem to work as well as OEM.

I replace my inserts every spring and fall usually. Once they start to streak or skip on the windshield, they are gone. Of course here in the Seatle area we have the "rainy season" and we have August.

And I will NEVER EVER use Rain-X on anything!

isellhondas

Well, be careful who does your alignment. I would never have one of the "chain" stores do an alignment.

They really need to know what they are doing and have the right equipment.

And you might get a "set the toe and let it go" job!

explorerx4

Mike,
The coal mines are back.

explorerx4

Driver, so you are saying you got bent over for the alignment, but not the wiper blades, correct?
Our '09 Escape still has the original wiper blades. When they start streaking, it's time to replace them.
Our older cars have a different design which are $10 each at the dealer, so I replace those every fall.

abacomike

Mike, the coal mines are back

Don't understand the post, *explorer. If you mean the House passed a bill which would limit EPA's regs regarding coal use, doesn't the Senate have to pass it and doesn't the President have to sign it?

If that's not what you meant, I give!

explorerx4

Coal mining is now HUGE in PA, is what I meant.

murphydog

Mike - I have a C350 and I am picky about the wipers - you can order OEM wipers from Amazon for about half that, and assuming your arms are similar to mine you can swap the wipers out in less time that it takes to read this post.

:shades:

PS - I mean wiper arms...

murphydog

Agree 100000% - though I usually just replace mine each year in the fall - about the same time i throw the ice scraper back in the car.

abacomike

Coal mining is HUGE in PA now

I believe it's been huge for decades, but because of the EPA rules on coal burning and gases released when coal is burned, many mining companies are closing mines down because the can't sell enough coal to make it profitable. I know we export lots of coal, but coal production is ebbing because of the stricter EPA regulations. Power companies, who used to produce most of their electricity from the burning of coal to produce steam and drive turbines, are switching to cleaner burning natural gas.

The House passed a bill today to try to limit the EPA's power, but the Senate won't pass it and we know the President would veto it. One large mining company just announced the closure of 20 mines in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and are laying off over 1200 people. This is supposed to expand to more coal mining companies with an estimated 10,000 layoffs in the next 2 years. Then, the unemployed miners and clerical people collect unemployment and eventually go on welfare and become dependent upon the federal government for food stamps and welfare. Plays right into the hands of wealth redistribution. 47% of our population pay no federal income taxes. How long can this country survive on those numbers?

abacomike

I agree 100000%...
At the same time I throw the ice scraper back in the car

WHAT'S AN ICE SCRAPER?

imidazol97

IIRC, I replace my whole wiper blade, not just the rubber refill, for about $7 at Walmart for my Buicks (and Chev). They seem to last about a year--ANCO.

driver100

. I would never have one of the "chain" stores do an alignment

Yeh, when I see some of the young kids that work at those chains I kind of lose my confidence.

I looked at a few posts but this one seemed to sound like it is worth considering.

Most german cars, especially BMWs and Mercedes, sometimes require special tools and special instructions to ensure proper alignment. For example some models actually require that weighted bags be put in the seats while the vehicle in aligned, this can only be done at the dealer who are pretty pricey. Most alignments these days are infact 4 wheel alignments unless there are no adjustments in the rear. $65 is a pretty good price (front wheels only), my work charges $69.99 for regular alignments, $79.99 for truck and SUVs, and $99.99 for out specialty alignments which cover BMWs, Mercedes, Jaguars, etc.. Hope this helped.

That is still a lot less than $240, but, I think it is possible a BMW will need special equipment and very precise measurements.

driver100

Driver, so you are saying you got bent over for the alignment, but not the wiper blades, correct?

Both sound like a lot to me. I have kept my last 2 BMWs and my wife's bmw, so that is 3 bmws and I didn't replace a wiper blade in any of them. I also didn't do any alignments except my wife's car and that was late in year 5.

Her tires did wear in an odd way, and the car needed tires and an alignment, after almost 5 years and 36000 miles. I have 12500 miles on mine.

Mike could be write, just drive it until the tires go. I could probably replace 2 at a time. I have to reread that nice informative article about rotating tires with AWD. I think it said you can't do it. :confuse:

dino001

I believe wiper blades are covered in the US, but if not there is no way I'd pay $140. There are top of the line Bosh wipers for something like $30 each at parts store - I can's see how branded BMW wipers would be three times better. Price for the wheel alignment is higher than even in my friendly dealer, but not much more. Absolutely ridiculous.

oldfarmer50

"...the big lake just west of Palm Beach..."

I saw a show a few years ago that said the lake had a 10 year cycle of drought and flood. 100 years ago crooked land speculators would sell land along the lake to farmers during the dry periods only to have it flood a few years later when the wet cycle was in play.

Don't buy any land over there right now.

fezo

What can they do if you don't but $140 wipers? Void the windshield warranty? :confuse:

oldfarmer50

"...and wiper blades $140..."
:surprise:

$140 for wiper blades? Wow!

Once I had the Eclipse in for service and they conned me into a $40 wiper blade replacement. Rip off. They squeak worse than the old ones. Never again. The Chrysler dealer tried the same thing with the wife's car. I replaced them for $20 bucks on my own.

I have to set up shop in Canada. I could make a fortune selling trees and wiper blades to you rich guys.

explorerx4

Mike,
My sister has been living PA for 10 years or so.
When she got there, the mines were closed.
Now there are thousands of people working on extracting coal.
A lot of them are from other areas of the country, which is causing some tension.

dino001

I'm still trying to wrap my head around some of those prices at my dealer's garage for services. I understand a "premium brand/service" concept, but double-quadruple is way, way too much for my taste. The cars themselves are just 20-40% more expensive, so why is alignment, or any kind of service a tripple??? I got one of those mass emails from my dealer couple of months ago with "reduced price" coupon for nav - it was $399! :sick: What's worse their nav isn't even that good when it comes of points of interest - not even close with my older Garmin to find a donut store, or any other store for that matter. It doesn't even have auto parts store at all

I guess somebody has to pay for that "free" cappuccino and premium loaner. It's not going to be me - I'm pretty much convinced that when all "free" maintenance ends, I'm not going to go to this place. I'm probably not going to do any "additional suggested" stuff there, either. Just can't make myself pay double-tripple. Just not worth it. I would be willing to pay about same premium I paid for the products itself. So if a chain or indy garage charges $50-70 for the alignment, my previous Subaru dealer wanted may take 5-10 bucks more, I'd go to the BMW dealer's garage if they wanted another 10-20 bucks on top - say $100 total, maybe 120. But $200+, no way. I just don't believe alignment is such a special job requiring such a special machinery, unless I see real some evidence of that.

All that "royal" stuff may be important to doctor's trophy wife, but I can live without it. The product speaks for itself and is arguably worth it (if you have the money), but those service prices are outlandish to this simple guy.

dino001

Nothing.

dino001

There may be difference with Canada. But BMW USA website is clear:
1. BMW Assist "Safety Plan" (emergency, vehicle recovery, enhanced roadside assisance, door unlock) is included for 4 years, not one year - unless you purchased that upgraded version ("Convenience Plan" - traffic, weather, concierge, direction), which is annual.
If you have, did you use it, as least once? Why would anyone pay for routing,
2. Wiper blades are included - they are treated like brakes, not like tires.

So either Canadian BMW is different, or your dealer is not as trustworthy you as you may think.

See here http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Owner/ExceptionalValue.aspx

explorerx4

You sell a lot of books, maybe you should try to read some that you already have, like the owner's manual.
Get educated before you have to bring the Audi in for it's non free service.
It reminds me of when my wife had her Saab. 30k service was included.
Despite being 30k service being free, the service department put new pads and rotors on the front.
I knew the pads were wearing down from all the dust they created, but fought them on the rotors because the brakes worked perfectly fine.
The new rotors were already installed, so they ended up being replaced at no charge to me.
You really should try to educate yourself about these cars, otherwise you may get taken advantage of.
None of us want to see that happen.

nyccarguy

While we'll all agree that this topic has morphed into "Anything But Stories From The Sales Frontlines," we are all here because of our insane love for automobiles. So how about an updated auto role call from everybody (year, make, model, mileage) of what's in your garage?

I'll start us off:

2001 Honda Prelude Type SH: 147,561 Miles
2011 Honda Pilot EX-L w/ NAV: 24,483 Miles
2011 BMW 328xi: 9,207 Miles

dino001

Just checked a dealer in Lakeland (Fields). They show front wiper blades for $30, alignment for $150. The latter still somewhat high, but if it's really something special about those (I doubt, but if it is), it's closer to what I think it's worth.

Update - prices are going down! Reeves wants now $140 for alignment

stickguy

I have lost track at this point...

But, I'll try.

2013 Acura RDX AWD. about 300 miles. Just got gas for the first time tonight.
2007 Volvo S40 NA. 97K on it.
2000 Acura TL. ~167K now. With a new alternator, though if that did not work, it may have been gorged by now!
2005 Honda Odyssey EX-l. 75K on it, for sale! buy now!

probably something new will be added by January. Just not sure what or for who! THough at this pace, the Odyssey will still be in the garage...

fezo

Well, your Prelude would fit in my general profile.. Ignore the Solara (my car_ the mileage an anomaly.

2007 Toyota Solara SLE 58K
2007 Toyota Camry XLE 102K
2000 Honda Accord EX 259K (this is the one we bought new in December 99 - the only car we currently own that we bought new. I've actually fared much better with used cars. This is also our only stick shift.)
1999 Toyota Celica GT convertible (that no longer converts because there's a crack in the roof frame) 179K

For those keeping score that's two American and two Japanese. The Camry and Celica were made in Japan. The Solara in Kentucky and the Accord in Ohio.

28firefighter

Relatively boring for now...

2011 Volvo C30 T5: 9700 miles (on its way to my sister in October)
2011 Mazda3 s Sport: 7500 miles (Seattle-bound after the wedding)

We will add another vehicle to the stable once we get to Seattle and once I have a second parking space in our apartment building. Likely will be a 2010 VW Jetta TDI because I love them, but who knows!

jmonroe

Now, it sounds like you are still doing your own oil changes. Isn't that a little risky after your last experience with Hyundai?

Yes, I am still doing oil changes myself. Once I’ve done one, if they’re looking for an excuse I gave it to them so why stop now. I’ll take my chances but I’ll tell you this, if they try to do again what they did with the XG350 I won’t go away with my tail between my legs. I’m still kicking myself about that after I thought about it for a while.

jmonroe

jmonroe

They said bring the car to your bmw dealer because the camber has to be within a 100th of a mm or something like that.

“or something like that”? I’d say it’s NOTHING like that. Did you pay attention to what was said? Do you really believe that? The accepted tolerance alone is probably more than 0.5 mm so 100th of a mm (0.01 mm) is not going to happen. Now do you see why that is an incorrect statement? If the poor guy blinks he misses 100 th of a mm by several factors. There is no way he can move a wrench to get that kind of a setting.

FWIW, alignment settings are measured in degrees not mm or inches but a calulation can be made to equate one to the other but what was stated is still not correct.

jmonroe

[Deleted User]

The current president hates coal, and major damage has been done to the industries the mines serve. One of our markets is coal-based power generation. Do a little homework on how many plants have closed and will in the near future, and you'll be shocked. I'm all for clean energy, but at least let's get those resources in place before we reduce our electric production capacity in a time when need for the same is increasing. What's going to power all those plug-in electric cars in the future? Not nuclear power plants thanks to Japan's disaster scaring the populace all over again. Maybe our coal is going to China.

oldfarmer50

Roll call:

2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring: 17,000 miles
2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT: 34,000 miles
1993 Cadillac DeVille: 89,000 miles
1988 GMC Vandura: 128,000 miles
1984 Corvette: 133,000 miles

I'm also responsible for repairs on son's 1998 Buick Lesabre and have a full time job trying to convince my wife that we need more cars in the driveway. :sick:

tjc78

1999 Chevy S10 extended cab, V6 2wd. 114k pewter/black
2008 Hyundai Elantra GLS 35k charcoal grey /grey
2012 Buick LaCrosse PIII V6 8500 miles. black/grey.

Soon to come 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis LS Ultimate. 77K. White/black

This was my Grandfathers car. I remember picking it out for him, and will be keeping it for a long time.

The Elantra will most likely go. This will happen after the wedding, don't need to deal with CL flakes with everything else going on.

This will leave us with nothing fuel efficient, but we don't drive much.

driver100

accepted tolerance alone is probably more than 0.5 mm so 100th of a mm (0.01 mm) is not going to happen. Now do you see why that is an incorrect statement?

I have lots to answer, but I'll start here. IFirst, I clearly said I was just recalling those numbers from my head, and I knew they were just examples to give the idea, and not exact. I forgot I was dealing with an engineer who may want to be more precise. So, I found this ad to explain why BMW may scare you, or what they say is true, only trust a bmw dealer for alignments.

Note the cost for 4 wheels is $99 with a *, but they don't tell you what the star refers to. Also, it would be more for AWD.

Here is the ad, so these are the measurements given;

Trust your wheel alignment to the experts at BMW St. John's and feel confident knowing you made the best choice.

Every Certified BMW Technician understands that when a wheel is off alignment by just 0.08 of a centimetre, each axle will scrub approximately 67cm sideways every kilometre – greatly reducing tire life. In wet road conditions, a misaligned wheel poses a potential danger because its tread is off-centre and cannot properly displace water, resulting in a loss of traction.

For a limited time, get a 4 wheel alignment for only $99* and ensure you get the most tire life, the best handling, and improved fuel efficiency.

abacomike

SFTSF Roll Call

Let me think, what do I own today? (thought I'd add this before *jmonroe posts something facetious) Oh yes:

2013 Mercedes Benz E350 Sedan - 465 miles