Stories from the Sales Frontlines

abacomike

I'm not sure what is worse. having an older person's body break down while their mind stays sharp, or be healthy as a horse but the mind going like your dad.

Not sure what is worse for whom ? For the individuals suffering those disabilities, it is better to not know what is happening or what happened and to not suffer pain than it is to suffer pain and debilitation and be aware of everything going on around you like your children suffering to keep you going.

My father has no guilt or remorse - he is incapable of having those feelings because of his dimentia. But if he was aware of things but could not walk or use toileting facilities by himself, he would feel terrible and want to die.

This way, he doesn't suffer, but I do! So I guess if it were me experiencing these disabilities, I would not want to know how bad things were - so dimentia is better for the individual suffering - do you see my point?

tjc78

I would rather buy a used large car than a tiny car - whatever the cost.

I'm with you Driver. If I could only afford 17-18K for a car I would certainly buy a used midsize-large car than a new compact/subcompact. I generally loath small cars and don't ever see that changing. I guess the fact that I'm not "compact" myself has something to do with that. :shades:

The Elantra goes tonight and I can honestly say, I'm not sorry to see it go.

tjc78

This way, he doesn't suffer, but I do! So I guess if it were me experiencing these disabilities, I would not want to know how bad things were - so dimentia is better for the individual suffering - do you see my point?

I 100% can see where you are coming from. We lost someone to Alzhiemers and she was healthy as could be and didn't know what was happening. She never suffered, but it was very hard on the family.

My Grandmother had 100% of her mind right till the end, but she suffered as system as system failed until her body gave up.

jipster

Jipster....big congrats on the new Civic. I like the new ones, regardless of the trade rags.

Thanks gg.

driver100

If I could only afford 17-18K for a car I would certainly buy a used midsize-large car than a new compact/subcompact.

I'm glad I am not the only one that feels that way and thanks for commenting. Personally, and it has nothing to do with socio-economics, I would rather drive a $10000 4 year old Impala, than a $16000 2013 Flee or whatever they are.

btw, I am not a fan of big SUVs either, but we won't get into that - might offend someone.

dino001

I live in one and I hate them. They don't provide real protection, just an illusion of safety. Same with whole deed restriction crap. People are free unless they freely decide to live in a place where you can't put a flag or any kind of banner on your lawn (to protect "integrity" of the look), or they tell you what color your house can be painted in. The problem is there was not much choice in the matter, especially newer houses in my price range, so I pretty much had to get one with that stuff.

mako1a

Mike, I'd bet there is something in the house he wants you and only you to find. That would be cause to not let anyone else in the house. Maybe a couple coins he bought at $35/oz or some bearer bonds, maybe an old Luger pistol.

Find them and discuss a safe deposit box and I'll bet anyone could come in to assist you. Maid, caretaker, etc.

abacomike

Mike, I'd bet there is something in the house he wants you and only you to find. That would be cause to not let anyone else in the house. Maybe a couple coins he bought at $35/oz or some bearer bonds, maybe an old Luger pistol.

I wish you were right, mako, I wish you were right. But there is nothing in the house except for his .38 Police Special Pistol. He keeps his money in CD's, checking, Tax Exempt Municipal Funds, and some Tax Exempt Bonds. He has nothing of value in the house because he went to a flea markets and sold all his gold jewelry, gold watches, my mothers diamonds and gold to a broker and gave it all to my brother. He says he doesn't remember that, but of course I do since I was living with him at the time.

I even asked why he gave my brother all that money (he certainly doesn't need it as he is a millionaire many times over) and he said that he is leaving me the apartment and wanted my brother to have an equal amount. Unfortuantely, my brother got $100,000 in cash and our $150,000 condo is now worth no more than $50,000 since the crash. So I asked him if he thinks that was fair, and he says he doesn't remember and doesn't want to discuss it.

You have to understand, there is no memory left when it comes to the right side of his brain. The left side of his brain is fine - numbers, accounts, arithmetic, etc. But anything that is "affective"(experiences, happenings, things he hears one day and can't remember the next day) is not working very well.

He still makes me give him $500 a month for my rent! Can you believe that? And he insists that I give him money for my food, my electricity, etc., or I have to move out! So, I give him money each month which he only puts into the bank. I mentioned this to my brother, and he said that I should have to pay rent since I live in the condo to help my father with the expenses. He knows my father is quite wealthy, he just doesn't want less when my dad dies, he wants more.

It's a terrible, messy thing I am involved in here. No help from my brother, and I am all alone! Very depressing

abacomike

I went up to the dealership this morning and picked up my car. They had filled it up with gas, had it washed and detailed, and it was waiting for me when I arrived. I started it up and it is running fine right now. Tomorrow monring when I first start it up and for about 5 minutes after start up, if it still runs fine, they will have satisfied me.

The foreman came over and apologized to me for causing me grief after they had replaced the injectors and the pumps, He accepted full responsibility on behalf of the 2 mechanics they had working on the car. He said they must have checked inventory and found that there were no gaskets in stock and had to order them and didn't want me to be without my car for such a long time, so they signed off on the car without replacing the gaskets.

I guess that's why they filled the car up with gas and had it detailed. But they did treat me right, I must admit.

Sure is nice to be driving my own car again. 15 days the car was at the dealership out of the past 20 days. Even the General Manager came out to make sure I was completely satisfied. He said if I have any problems, just give him a call and he will get things taken care of.

Hopefully this will be the last post regarding my E350!

tjc78

It's a terrible, messy thing I am involved in here. No help from my brother, and I am all alone! Very depressing

Mike, you are an exceptional person for doing what you do. I can't imagine having to do this without help, but also with family that doesn't seem very sympathetic for you.

If it were me, I'd have to call my brother and explain I'm no longer paying the $500/month rent and if you don't like it, price out what a FULL time live in nurse would cost. I bet then, the $500/month would seem like one hell of a bargain.

Sorry, if I am out of line. This type of stuff really irks me. Family should stick together. If your brother can't be there to help at the very least he could offer to pay for a nurse one or two weekends a month so you can get out and enjoy some time away.

On another note, I'm sure you are happy to have your E back. The dealership sounds like they did what they could to make it right.

houdini1

Mike, I have had to deal with mental problems with my mother and my fIL. I dealt with it quite well by simply agreeing with them no matter how wild their claims were.

If my FIL got up in the morning and said he had been kidnapped during the night and forced to do all sorts of crazy things, I would just say, well, thank goodness you made it home OK and that you are alright. That would be the end of it. So big deal, didn't cost me a thing to agree with him.

But no matter how hard I tried I could never stop my wife from confronting him with the truth in situations like this, thus starting terrible arguments that she could never win. Things are just too black or white in her view, whereas I have always been more flexible with issues like this.

That said, I realize that all situations like this are unique and everyone has to do the best they can. I can tell you are under a lot of stress and just wanted to let you know what worked for me.

abacomike

I can tell you are under a lot of stress and just wanted to let you know what worked for me.

I guess I tend to be more like your wife when I should be more like you. I an just afraid that if I agree with whatever he says or does, he will believe everything is more real than it actually is. He'll always say that he used to play golf with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklas at the Doral when he was a member there. I know he's never played golf with them or even seen them "live" playing golf, but I just agree with him and let the subject drop. Then, he begins to tell everyone he used to play golf with them, so the story becomes more and more vivid to him.

If I tell him he is wrong and never played golf with them, he'll argue a little with me, but would erase that false memory from his reality. So, if I let him think all his false visions are real, he goes deeper into his dimentia thinking everything he envisions actually took place. So I try to deny him those false visions so he begins to question "his" reality instead of accepting those visions as gospel.

It would be much easier for mr to ignore his delusions, but I fear he will believe everything he thinks happened actually happened. It is definitely a dilemma!

nyccarguy

I'm glad you got your E350 back. Hopefully for your sake the next time it sees the inside of the dealership will be when you trade it in er, bring it in for routine maintenance :shades:

On the tough time you are having with your Dad; all I can say is God bless you. It is an extremely heavy burden you've put on yourself. As the saying goes: "sometimes the truth is more unbelievable than fiction." Just think of the stories you'll be telling one day: "I used to drive a Mercedes-Benz. I had a 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011 E350. Then traded my 2011 E350 for a 2013 Lexus GS 350 that I got rid of after only 3000 miles. Guess what I got? Yup, a 2013 E350." HA!

Please don't think I'm trying to poke fun at your Dad's condition in the least bit. I know it is very serious & I've told you before that I commend you for the care you give him. I can see you are frustrated & depressed, so I'm just trying to get you to crack a smile.

"Laughter is the best medicine."

abacomike

"Laughter is the best medicine."

Thanks, nyccarguy, appreciate your comments! BTW, I traded in my 2012 E350 for a 2013 GS and then bought a 2013 E350. Just wanted to keep you on your toes! lol

nyccarguy

LOL! Of course! How could I forget:)

[Deleted User]

they are still great little cars.

It's not just you who thinks so. Europeans tend to agree as well considering the Fiesta topped sales charts there. The newer model released while I was working in Italy, and that car was all the rage at the time.

jipster

He accepted full responsibility on behalf of the 2 mechanics they had working on the car. He said they must have checked inventory and found that there were no gaskets in stock and had to order them and didn't want me to be without my car for such a long time, so they signed off on the car without replacing the gaskets.

Wow, such thoughtful mechanics. I guess you were lucky you didn't go in for an oil change, and their inventory of oil be completely out.

I think the service manager would have made his store look better by telling you they just forgot to put the gaskets in, instead of the of truth. Who doesn't put in a necessary engine part so they dont inconvience a customer. You have a Mercedes right...not a Kia Rio?

abacomike

I think the service manager would have made his store look better by telling you they just forgot to put the gaskets in, instead of the of truth. Who doesn't put in a necessary engine part so they dont inconvience a customer. You have a Mercedes right...not a Kia Rio?

I agree, jipster. When I spoke with him yesterday and Saturday, the Director merely said they "forgot" to put in new gaskets, but today, I found out they let it go out knowing I would need new gaskets.

These gaskets are a heavy duty rubber that surrounds the air intakes to ensure there is not air getting into the "flow" other than the air coming through the air intakes. From what he explained to me, all air coming through the air intakes is "measured" by a sensor. But because of vacuum, if there is a leak in the air intakes (which was what was happening because of the gaskets leaking), the air going into the engine is not measured properly and thus the rough idle. Now that all air going into the engine isw now measured properly, combustion is per specs and there are no longer any error messages being created by the car's computer.

I guess this all makes sense. I still wonder why the computer did not recognize a lead in the #3 injector and create an error message for the mechanics to read. According to the Director, a leak would not be detected because of evaporation of the gasoline within 35 minutes after it was driven. So upon initial start-up, it would not show up.

At least they have been completely up front with me and did not try to hide anything. That is why I buy all my cars from them. I think I mentioned that there are two other Mercedes Dealerships much closer to me than Delray - One in Coconut Creek and one in Pompano Beach. But because of the pricing and the manner in which I am treated, I keep going back to them.

I've tried buying cars at the two other dealerships, but their pricing is thousands higher than Delray.

We'll see what happens tomorrow morning when I start the car up. If it runs smoothly for the first 5 minutes, then I know they finally got things done correctly. If not, well...let's now go there until it happens because I'm not angry right now about this, but...

jipster

On a 2004 Mazda MPV I had owned until recently, the ignition coils were big problems. A $60 rear coil required removing the entire upper intake ($900)... which in turned required replacing the gasket. A lot of problems with DIY'ers not putting the gasket in properly and getting the rough idle you describe. Not a difficult task, you just have to be attentive to task at hand, from what I'm told.

You should be good to go if they repaired properly. Good luck.

oldfarmer50

"...very depressing..."

Mike, you should seek some counseling for your depression. I've seen your situation many times working as a social worker in the nursing home industry. An individual such as yourself gets everything dumped on him/her by selfish relatives who make one person the caregiver and wash their hands of responsibility except when it comes time to cash in at the end. It's brutal work and it's not fair.

Many times this unrelenting stress results in elder abuse when the caregiver snaps. Some times it results in self inflicted harm to the caregiver.

You may have to do something dramatic like dropping dad off at your brother's house and walking away to force these complacent people out of their inertia.

Definitely talk to someone about this. Don't go through this alone.

We're all pulling for you.

robr2

On a 2004 Mazda MPV I had owned until recently, the ignition coils were big problems. A $60 rear coil required removing the entire upper intake ($900)...

I just had the thermostat replaced in my Passat. $35 part, $5 washer and $28 worth of coolant. Labor was $240!! They have to remove the nose to get to it.

I asked the service manager when I picked it up why they didn't do it during the timing belt replacement I had done 5 months ago as they drop the nose to do that. He said the service writer should have offered it. So he pulled up my file, saw no mention of "customer declines" and put a 3 hour labor credit in my file.

oldfarmer50

"...family should stick together..."

Decline of a parent is a very emotional matter. The role reversal alone can terrify some people to death. Not to sound sexist but women are better at this than men. Many men can not tolerate an emotional situation they can not "fix" and so they disengage, run away if you will. This sounds like what's happening to Mike's brother.

Forgive me for bring the armchair psychologist but I've seen this scenario too many times. Mike needs outside help before he burns out.

oldfarmer50

"...a lot of problems with DIY'ers..."

I don't try a lot of DIY on my cars any more for a lot of reasons but I tried something recently on my hooptie van. It had gotten to the point where to turn on the heater fan I had to pop the hood and whack the motor with a board. I figured since the motor was right there on the firewall why not just unscrew it and put in a new one. Then I notice that water had been dripping on the resistor and had rusted it all to hell so I pulled that out too.

I sanded as much rust off the connectors as I could put everything back together and presto! Nothing.

So now I figure I need a new resistor. Off to the parts store where I'm told they don't make that part anymore. They can order it from darkest Africa or somewhere but it will take a week.

Long story short, I'm driving around without heat while I wait.

Oh, I hooked up the fan motor to my battery charger @ 12 volts and it worked so it's either this resistor or the heater fan switch which will require tearing into the dash. $34 for something that looks like it's made out of paperclips. :mad:

Now I know why I don't do DIY much any more. :sick:

abacomike

DIY jobs on cars

I opened the hood on my E350 this afternoon just to see what's going on under there. I immediately shut the hood and vowed never to open the hood again!!!

The entire engine is hidden under a huge cover - I had difficulty finding the dipstick (right back side of the engine when facing it). Years ago I used to do all my own work on my cars but now, just looking under the hood was scarier than watching an old Bela Lagosi movie! Definitely not a DIY kind of car!

abacomike

Forgive me for bring the armchair psychologist but I've seen this scenario too many times. Mike needs outside help before he burns out.

You are kind and sensitive to the frustrations facing caregivers like me. You are correct in your assessment that it is very difficult to see the decline of a parent you love and respect. That is the most emotional aspect of this situation.

I could never, ever be cruel or physical with my father. He was a great Dad and helped me many times when I was in trouble - as an adult as well as a youngster.

As for getting help or taking a vacation, when it gets to a point when I am getting to the end of my rope, I will leave for a long weekend, which I have done in the past. So long as he is physically able to toilet himself and do his own daily hygiene and showering, I'll be fine. When he can no longer do that himself, I know he will be the first to say, "...I think I need to get se professional help..." He still has enough of his faculties to realize when he can't take care of himself and when I can no longer handle it.

I believe we are still a year or two away from that.

I am more concerned about his deteriorating mind and memory than about his physical abilities.

I'll know when it's time - and my brother will find out as well since it will be in the form of an ultimatum.

oldfarmer50

"...not a DIY kind of car..."

Oh I won't touch my newer cars except to change the oil. With all the modern electronics I'd be afraid I'd blow the car up.

fezo

This assumes you can find the oil filter. On any of my Hondas and my Solara the filter is entirely out of sight. On the Solara I couldn't look from underneath with my restrictions.

My daughter's Celica has the filter right up front.

abacomike

This assumes you can find the oil filter. On any of my Hondas and my Solara the filter is entirely out of sight. On the Solara I couldn't look from underneath with my restrictions

About the only thing I would do on my car or other cars like it would be to refill the windshield washer fluid reservoir assuming I can find it. Cars are almost totally dependent on the computers for proper performance and operation. You can't do much on these cars without screwing up the car's performance.

And there are redundancies between and among the various computers.

Nope, just refilling windshield washer fluid is all I would dare do to my car. If I had a lift, I might, and I repeat might, change the oil, but I get free oil changes every 10,000 miles for the Mercedes up to 3 of them in three years. So why even bother.

explorerx4

'Farm, that is a post that hits home for me, too.
The car I helped my Mom last year has a proximity key and push button start.
It took 'us' 1/2 an hour to figure out where the keys were today and was kind of comical.
I found the 'spare' keys in a cup holder, which is not the first time.
The fun part was figuring out where the 'primary' keys were.
One good thing is the car wouldn't start unless the key was withing in a certain distance of the car.
I took the spares and walked them out about 50 feet way and then we started carrying things (coats/etc) near the car until it started.
They ended up being in her pocketbook. It took a while to get back to that, because when we originally were trying to figure it out, the spares were in the car.
She told me she was trying to fill out here passport renewal app, but there were a lot of things to fill out, so I looked at it and wrote everything in, until I came to passport expiration date.
When I looked at her's, the date is August 2015. :sick:
We'll just save the paperwork until it's needed as it's already filled out. :shades:

cdnpinhead

Definitely talk to someone about this. Don't go through this alone.

Very real & helpful post.

My wife is dealing with her mother's Alzheimers, along with everything else that goes with her (the mother) getting to be 85+.

I'm thinking I need to find a cyanide pill to keep handy as I get older. The Inuit used to go out on the tundra (or an ice floe, in the more exciting version) to put an end to the community's obligation to support them.

[Deleted User]

I'm about to do a similar repair on my 03 Grand Caravan. New lower intake gasket, new upper intake seals, and new valve cover gaskets. It is only the rear valve cover leaking, but so much has to come out to access the rear bank, I figure I might as well replace the other items while in the area. Crossing my fingers all the bolts aren't seized after 10 years and 140,000 miles. That's a good run, though. I can forgive leaks after that much use. Drivetrain has been robust and the AWD highly effective.

stickguy

but I just have to say, what a horrid performance (non-performance) by the Giants. Might have just blown the division right here. Dopes.

OK, back to "as Mike turns"

mako1a

Giants As a Steeler fan I had to console my BIL from Long Island on the Giants loss (as he does me) so I told him to blame the fall down fumble pass that led to a TD run since it was the most questionable play of the game.

jipster

I figure I might as well replace the other items while in the area.

I've read a lot, from other MPV owners, about a dealership replacing one bad coil in rear of engine, and not the other two. So a year or two down the road when another coil eventually fails the owner is looking at another $900 to take the upper intake off again.

When I had a coil replaced in my MPV, I told them to look at the PCV hose (very difficult to get to), as it was reported to have problems. They looked and it was partially collapsed. So getting the dealership to look probably saved me a couple hundred.

driver100

. Many men can not tolerate an emotional situation they can not "fix" and so they disengage, run away if you will.

Very interesting comment! I think I learned something today.

We always visited my parents at least every other week, and for about their last 2 years about once a week. You would be surprised at how many other residents in the retirement home noticed how often we visited, and they actually said, most people here get a visit once a year!

But, I give Mike a lot of credit. I don't think I could do what he is doing.

driver100

I immediately shut the hood and vowed never to open the hood again!!!

That reminds me, on Friday we had a snowfall and traffic was backed up all over. One woman couldn't get her car going so she got out and stared at the front wheel. Makes me think about men, if the car breaks down, they open up the hood and stare at the engine thinking some idea will come to them.

I also know I do it when the computer doesn't work. Click on and off, reboot, push Control or Escape and hope devine intervention will take place.

The new engines are cool, just a big cover over everything....the 535, A4 and even the Passat engines are nicely designed....they look beautiful, completely covered with a nice logo!

tjc78

When my Grandmother was in the nursing home, we all made sure to see her as much as possible. I know that gave her great pleasure to see all of us regularly.

@Mike, I went back and re-read what I wrote to you earlier and feel it was absolutely a bit harsh. I apologize for that.

Stick, can't believe the G-men lost that game. NFC east is looking mighty interesting. IMO this will be a big wake up call for the Giants. They seem to really come on in the last few games of the season anyway.

We dropped off the Elantra to it's new owner last night. Fleet is back down to a more manageable 3.

driver100

Crossing my fingers all the bolts aren't seized after 10 years and 140,000 miles.

Yguy, I would be very interested in knowing, if it isn't too much trouble, what you estimate to be the cost per year of owning the 03 Caravan. Initial price, cost of repairs, minus it's current value.

[Deleted User]

No problem. I've owned the van longer than I've been keeping a repair database on my Mac at home, so I'm going off memory of repairs and maintenance here. Otherwise I'd have to dig through receipts, which are in storage at the moment from our recent move to Colorado.

Keep in mind I maintain the van myself, so maintenance only includes parts and fluids. Some repairs I've had a pro complete.

Maintenance
Oil/filter changed every 5,000 miles, AWD fluids changed every 30,000 miles, tranny fluid and filter changed every 30,000 miles, spark plugs changed twice, ignition cables changed twice, thermostat changed once, coolant changed every 30,000 miles, power steering flushed once, PCV valve changed twice, brakes changed twice (once with new rotors and reman calipers, and once with just new rotors), 3 sets of new tires. That adds up to about $4,300, more than half of that coming from tires.

Repairs
I'll only count repairs outside the 7-year/70,000-mile warranty. Steering rack replacement, new sliding door lock actuator, AWD shaft seal, new alternator, new battery, new coolant piping (rubber, steel, and aluminum), some rust repair common on this model, various suspension components, new turn signal mechanism, and new tranny cooler line. I estimate $3,050 in repairs. Most came after 100,000 miles.

Depreciation
We bought the van when it was a year old with 12,000 miles. The hardest part of this calculation is estimating current value since AWD models are extremely rare and there are few data points to compare. I'll estimate $14,000 in depreciation over 9 years.

Summary
So, adding those up and dividing by 9 years, you get about $2,372 per year. That ignores insurance, taxes, registration, and fuel. Both states I've lived in with this van charge less for older cars, so taxes and registration have decreased over time. Insuring the van is less expensive than new models, too. Depreciation will be pretty flat now, so ownership costs will be limited to repairs and maintenance going forward. We were going to replace it this year with a new Subaru, but the economy has us concerned and we're now thinking of holding off for three years.

driver100

So, adding those up and dividing by 9 years, you get about $2,372 per year.

Thanks for taking the time to do that exercise, and so acurately....I was just expecting ball park figures from memory.

I give you a lot of credit for being cautious with today's economy. You have certainly earned the right to a new Suburu, but, it might be best to wait to see what happens over the next while. Especially since the Caravan is still humming.

If the Caravan did start to falter, you may consider trading before you pour too much money into it. Just from my experience, there is a temptation to keep getting it repaired...always thinking it will be the last repair....when there could be more. Not trying to spoil anyone's fun, but I saw a friend sink almost as much money into an ailing Tempo, than what it would have cost to buy a new car.

oldfarmer50

"...we'll save the paperwork..."

Make sure you save it somewhere where you can find it years from now. My mother passed away in 2009. Everything in her estate was closed years ago.

The other day I received a refund from her credit card account made out to her estate. Now I have to dig through all my records to find proof that I am the executor. Then I have to hope my bank will accept that and cash the check without having to establish a new estate account.

What a job for 25 bucks.

oldfarmer50

"...I don't think I could do what he is doing..."

Few people can. He's a better man than I.

[Deleted User]

I was just expecting ball park figures from memory

Well, data controls my work life, so why not my personal life?

The next set of repairs will cost about $325 in parts and a day of my time. I'm mostly watching the drivetrain for signs "the end is near," and other similar vehicles seem to be going 200,000 plus with good service life. I know there will still be other repairs, like CV boots and joints, but as long as it doesn't get out of hand we'll still stick with the van. Should a major component go, though, I'll sell it or part it out. Until then we'll keep investing our car fund and hope the market treats us well.

driver100

"...I don't think I could do what he is doing..."
Few people can. He's a better man than I.

I am glad you said that, because now I can feel like an average person, and not some selfish, heartless, uncaring - - - - - - -.

[Deleted User]

Good call on replacing the hose. This next repair is very time consuming. The power steering reservoir gets moved, the ignition system comes out, the coolant is drained, the throttle cables are moved, the fuel system is depressurized, the entire wiper assembly comes out, the air box and tubing comes out, a number of sensors are disconnected, the upper intake comes off, the lower intake comes out, and various hoses are disconnected. With all that work, no way I'm skipping anything that's likely needing replacement in the next few years. I want this to be a one-time event, so I'm sticking with Mopar parts that have originally held up for 140,000 miles. Good enough for me to trust again.

tjc78

so I'm sticking with Mopar parts that have originally held up for 140,000 miles. Good enough for me to trust again

On other forums I frequent, people are finding out that many aftermarket parts are failing much sooner than OEM. Many brand names that were formerly made in the US have begun manufacturing in China.

[Deleted User]

That's my experience as well. Cheap Chinese manufacturing or Mexico re-manufacturing is becoming all too common in the aftermarket. The cost pressures mean they sacrifice durability to stay competitive. There are still decent aftermarket brands to be found, but it's becoming more common to run into garbage parts, and I've been bitten a couple times recently, so now I'm sticking with OEM unless unless upgrading. What are you hearing? Anything specific you could share? For me, it's brake rotors and reman alternators. Try finding a rotor locally that's not poured and machined in China, or an alternator not reman'd in Mexico. Not easy these days.

tjc78

I hear rotors and alternators as well as Coil on Plug units, suspension parts (ball joints, etc) and IAC valves, TPS etc.

This is on a Ford site, but I'm sure it goes across brands.

nyccarguy

Got my friend into her brand spankin' new 2013 VW Tiguan SE 4Motion w/ Sunroof & Navigation last night. She cried when they took the plates off her 2003 GTI, but I told her it was for the better.

As far as a deal, it was the absolute BEST deal I could get her using VW credit's base money factor & 59% residual value for a 36 month/10K per year lease. $399.85 per month including $625 bank fee & 8.875% NYC sales tax rolled into the payment. She only paid DMV fees at signing. The highest offers I received were $499/month (really? for another $172 per month I'm driving a BMW with 20K per year included) & $445/month(with a $499 doc fee). Most offers I got were in the $410 - $420/ month range.

We did OK for her trade too. 2003 VW GTI 1.8T w/ 80K miles. She garages it at home in Queens at night, but EVERYWHERE she goes (Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan), she parks on the street. Cosmetically the car was far from pristine. Even average would be a stretch. Scuffed up front & rear bumpers, dent in the front right 1/4 panel... Oh, & the check engine light went on 3 days ago. qbrozen over on REAL WORLD TRADE IN VALUES pegged its value at $3000 - $3500 for a trade in. Given that the CEL light was on (some $500 sensor) and all the body work that needed to get done, they offered us $2500 & I said we should take it.

The dealership was completely up front about pricing and everyrthing. I emailed the salesman every step of the way with offers from competeing dealers. He told me pretty much when I gave him an offer what was going to go wrong if & when we picked the car up @ that dealership; "you'll go to sign the paperwork & it will be for a 42 month lease" or "There's no way they can justify selling the car at $1500 under DEAD COST" or "that dealership is notorious for undervaluing trades." He eventually said to me, "look, I can get you into this Tiguan right now (its on my lot) for $399.85 per month. NOBODY is going to genuinely beat that offer. After you go to those other places, call me and we'll do business." The salesman was a genuine car guy, professional, & knew his product up & down. So we ended up getting the right car at the right price from the right dealership. Too bad I'm not in the market for a VW myself:)

driver100

Got my friend into her brand spankin' new 2013 VW Tiguan SE 4Motion w/ Sunroof & Navigation last night.

Congratulations on a great car at what sounds like a great price.

You played it really well, and it is good to test the waters just to confirm the deal you thought was good really was.

Dealer sounds like a straight shooter....always like buying from that kind of dealer. I found the Audi dealer and Passat dealers to be the most straightforward of any dealerships I have dealt with. Came to agreements pretty quickly without a lot of hassle. VW plans on becoming the #1 car company in the world in a few years, maybe that is one way they plan to do it.

I hope your friend likes the Tiguan. VW designers and engineers must have a lot of passion for building cars....their cars have soul (do people still use that word or is that kind of 70s?).