Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

roadburner said:

28firefighter said:

roadburner said:
A guy on the BMW CCA local chapter page had a crazy story. His daughter was looking at an F25 X3; she had it “inspected” by an alleged tech who reported that all it needed was tie rod ends. She bought it and then noticed an oil leak. Her dad crawled underneath it and found that the front diff was blown(as in chunks of metal missing from the case), the front driveshaft was MIA, and the oil pan was cracked and patched with JB Weld. I suggested suing the inspector and in the future finding a tech with opposable thumbs and a functioning cerebral cortex.
Oh man. That’s horrible.
Just one picture- how could you not notice something was wrong?

That’s criminal negligence on the part of the inspector. What kind of inspection service was this, an indie garage or one of those on line services?

graphicguy · June 2020

roadburner said:

28firefighter said:

roadburner said:
A guy on the BMW CCA local chapter page had a crazy story. His daughter was looking at an F25 X3; she had it “inspected” by an alleged tech who reported that all it needed was tie rod ends. She bought it and then noticed an oil leak. Her dad crawled underneath it and found that the front diff was blown(as in chunks of metal missing from the case), the front driveshaft was MIA, and the oil pan was cracked and patched with JB Weld. I suggested suing the inspector and in the future finding a tech with opposable thumbs and a functioning cerebral cortex.
Oh man. That’s horrible.
Just one picture- how could you not notice something was wrong?

I’d be PO’d....at both the inspector as well as the seller. That’s fraud and gross incompetence, all rolled into one.

tjc78 · June 2020

I’m surprised all of you didn’t know that BMW was specially equipped with the extra heavy duty cooling mod for the transfer case. This is perfectly normal.

graphicguy · June 2020

So, I went with my friend for him to pick up his prescription of marijuana. Building was nice but non-descript. I was sort of expecting it to be in a bad neighborhood with junkies hanging outside the building smoking weed. Wasn’t that, at all. They made me wait in the waiting room of what could have been any Dr’s office while he went back into dispensary.

The door to the building to go into the waiting room lockS behind you (the office personnel have to buzz you in). The door to the dispensary locked behind him again. NOt completely certain, but the glass in the reception area sure seemed like it was the bulletproof kind you see at a bank’s drive through window.

So, I didn’t get to see much. More curious than anything. Whoever has the business of providing marijuana in the area have a license to print money. They only take cash. The building is self sufficient and self contained (not part of another building). It looks relatively new. It’s in an out of the way area (for you locals, it’s in Seven Mile). It had a “new age” sort of name (which I can’t recall right now). I wouldn’t have known passing by what they did there. I’m sure the locals know, however.

You can only go inside (not just the waiting area) if you have a script. And, they made note of his ID (Driver’s License or Passport are the only forms of ID they accept). They made a copy of his script.

He came out $100 lighter in the wallet and showed me some oil in a bottle with a dropper. He said it’s supposed to last 2 weeks. Seems high priced to me. But, if it helps him, it’s worth it.

We were there about 20 minutes. He said the personnel in the dispensary were knowledgeable and quite helpful. He said they were wearing lab coats. In the 20 minutes we were there, they probably “buzzed” in 4 other people.

Bizarre and Interesting business.

bwia · June 2020

Thought I'd share this BBC video of a 7 year old Kenyan boy who has found an innovative and sanitary way of washing his hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Sorry, it won't allow me to post image or video]

imidazol97 · June 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ20lBD-Tbc

isellhondas · June 2020

Regarding Upselling. If I take one of our cars into a shop for something minor such as an oil change I have no problem if something is spotted that needs to be fixed. What I don't like is when they go on a "Treasure Hunt" and try to sell me things that are bogus.

As an example, about a year or so ago when we still had our Avalon it got recalled for the air bag inflator replacement. After SIX MONTHS and many phone calls they finally got parts in stock. Took the car in and was told it would be an hour's wait. Fine! About a half hour later my Service Advisor came looking for me.

He told me that as part of the airbag recall I was given a free inspection! Lucky me!

Trying to remember everything now...I was told the front brake pads were "down to nothing" and the rears had about ten percent left. My battery was "cracked" and needed to be replaced for 150.00. The front crank seal was leaking and the front end needed some bushing replaced. I asked him to show me where the battery was cracked. We went out to the car and using his flashlight he was unable to spot the crack that the technician had discovered. Naturally the technician had gone to lunch. I declined the work.

The next week I took it to mytrusted Indy Shop (that I no longer trust...long story) I told them what the dealer said and a couple of hours later I got a call.

They told me that the brake pads were in good shape and should be good for another 10,000 miles. The battery was pulled out and carefully inspected....no cracks. They told me that they had NEVER seen a leaking front crank pully seal on a V6 Toyora and that mine was totally dry. They couldn't find any worn suspension parts.

This is how shops get a bad reputation!

isellhondas · June 2020

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:
“ It’s great when you find a place that doesn’t try to up-sell you every chance they get.”

Picked up the Fusion today and talk about upsell. The F&I guy gave an almost tearful rendition of why we should buy a 3 year 3rd party extended warranty for $2900. There was a wheel and tire package for $875 but he recommended the “better” plan for $70 more. All the while my eyes are glazing over and my son is squirming to get out of there.

While he was pontificating on the value of his various plans I glanced to the bottom where there was a total cost if you took everything he offered......$16,000!

On an $8100 car.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
That right there would have scuttled the deal for me. Would have got up and walked out while telling him to send me a check for any monies paid.

You didn't buy anyting? He wasn't very "strong in the box" Never heard of a wheel and tire package! What exactly does this include?

omarman · June 2020

Thanks for posting that great reunion video. "There's the little 17 year old..." Lol!
This is the first album I ever bought. Still sounds great and I still have it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhlodvXvwI

jmonroe1 · June 2020

isellhondas said:
Regarding Upselling. If I take one of our cars into a shop for something minor such as an oil change I have no problem if something is spotted that needs to be fixed. What I don't like is when they go on a "Treasure Hunt" and try to sell me things that are bogus.

As an example, about a year or so ago when we still had our Avalon it got recalled for the air bag inflator replacement. After SIX MONTHS and many phone calls they finally got parts in stock. Took the car in and was told it would be an hour's wait. Fine! About a half hour later my Service Advisor came looking for me.

He told me that as part of the airbag recall I was given a free inspection! Lucky me!

Trying to remember everything now...I was told the front brake pads were "down to nothing" and the rears had about ten percent left. My battery was "cracked" and needed to be replaced for 150.00. The front crank seal was leaking and the front end needed some bushing replaced. I asked him to show me where the battery was cracked. We went out to the car and using his flashlight he was unable to spot the crack that the technician had discovered. Naturally the technician had gone to lunch. I declined the work.

The next week I took it to mytrusted Indy Shop (that I no longer trust...long story) I told them what the dealer said and a couple of hours later I got a call.

They told me that the brake pads were in good shape and should be good for another 10,000 miles. The battery was pulled out and carefully inspected....no cracks. They told me that they had NEVER seen a leaking front crank pully seal on a V6 Toyora and that mine was totally dry. They couldn't find any worn suspension parts.

This is how shops get a bad reputation!

I think it’s going to be a slow day in here so tell us about your untrustworthy indie shop. We can handle it.

jmonroe

tjc78 · June 2020

The local Toyota dealer told me my 06 Avalon was dangerously low on the front pads at 25K. Ran the lease to 33K and they were still fine.

I wonder how close they really were.

ab348 · June 2020

Sounds like my GM dealer. I have learned to just say no to everything they suggest.

ab348 · June 2020

driver100 said:

* My friend was told it was amazing he was still alive...he plays tennis a few times a week. At first his doctor said he would have to wait until COVID subsided because beds were saved for that.....unless he showed symptoms. He said, I am going to the emergency department at a hospital and say I can't breathe. They booked him in and he had it done 5 days later. If it is absolutely necessary....you will looked after.

It sounds like the same kind of chicanery that you need to go through with Sirius/XM to get a decent rate.

In my case I waited 2 years for similar surgery and am in wait mode again right now for further treatment, though likely not surgery this time. Our system does not take quality of life into account very much.

abacomike · June 2020

ab348 said:
Sounds like my GM dealer. I have learned to just say no to everything they suggest.

My Mercedes service department sends an automated email to me whenever I get an A or B service advising me that my brakes need service and I need new tires and that I need to make a service appointment!

So I say to myself, "...if I needed additional work done on my S450 at the time, why didn't my service advisor apprise me of that fact?" After inquiring about the brakes and tires, I was told they were fine - that tires and brakes have worn 50%!

I found out that it is an auto-generated email when brakes and or tires are at 50% wear as noted by the mechanic. I could understand it if brakes and tires were at 80% worn, but 50%? So I just ignore the email. My service advisor said that if I needed additional maintenance and/or repairs, I would have been advised of this when mechanic notes on work order that such additional service is critical.🤓

ab348 · June 2020

suydam said:
Both the Tesla 3 and the S are recommended by CR. I don’t quite understand the animosity for Tesla on this forum. If we love cars, it seems we’d be interested in innovation that moves the auto story forward.

The CR reco doesn't carry much weight with me, but I am favorably predisposed to the cars produced by Tesla anyway. They seem impressive feats of engineering. However I am dubious that I will ever buy one of theirs. I might buy an electric from another manufacturer though when the time is right. The idea of having no local dealer/service center as is the case here and likely to be so for a long time is a major detraction. The pricing is a bit nuts, and their business model is not one I like (i.e. removing software options from used models before resale). And of course the svengali behind it all is so off-putting that I cannot see myself ever putting more money in his pockets.

qbrozen · June 2020

Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.

ab348 · June 2020

qbrozen said:
Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.

Yeah, that example is one of the ones that led me to my existing position on my dealer's service department. The last year I had my 2011 Regal Turbo I took it there for its scheduled service and they called me back to the desk after waiting an hour or so to tell me I needed a new air filter. It would be $115, so I passed. On my way home I passed a parts store and bought the filter there for $10 or $15, no more. Changed it in my driveway in a few minutes. If they had even checked it, the tech left the dead bugs and leaf fragments in the housing. I suspect they never even opened it up.

tjc78 · June 2020

qbrozen said:
Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.

They wanted $100 to do the Enclave’s air filter. I don’t blame them. Most time consuming air filter I’ve ever done. Bunch of Torx screws, take off the air inlet elbow and another small pipe. Back two screws pretty buried. Just a bad design.

stickguy · June 2020

sounds like the new RDX. I watched a video. needs half the toolbox, a pin puller I don't even have, and lots of yanking off covers. Then dismantlement of the airbox. Many opportunities to drop a piece or break something. For the first time, I will likely have the dealer do it.

roadburner · June 2020

qbrozen said:
Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.

My advisor at BMW is the same way- he never pushes unnecessary work either.

driver100 · June 2020

omarman said:
Thanks for posting that great reunion video. "There's the little 17 year old..." Lol!
This is the first album I ever bought. Still sounds great and I still have it.

I forgot that was one of their few hits.....and Pipeline. It sounds great on a computer. Even Alexa can really bring the old music back to life, better than ever!

driver100 · June 2020

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

* My friend was told it was amazing he was still alive...he plays tennis a few times a week. At first his doctor said he would have to wait until COVID subsided because beds were saved for that.....unless he showed symptoms. He said, I am going to the emergency department at a hospital and say I can't breathe. They booked him in and he had it done 5 days later. If it is absolutely necessary....you will looked after.
It sounds like the same kind of chicanery that you need to go through with Sirius/XM to get a decent rate.

In my case I waited 2 years for similar surgery and am in wait mode again right now for further treatment, though likely not surgery this time. Our system does not take quality of life into account very much.

Agree. An additional factor however was all this gearing up for COVID, and all the other stuff fell behind. The system needs an overhaul.....it isn't right to pay in for all these years and then not to have access when you need it.

driver100 · June 2020

I had 3 cases where my Mercedes dealer cost much less than expected;
1) my wife wanted a storage compartment removed from the 2015 E350. The dealer estimated $300, they found it took less time than expected so was $80.
2) I had a punctured tire that needed replacing. I thought they would insist I buy a pair of tires, and the dealer said the tread was close enough in depth...just change one tire.
3) My gas cap that came off in the car wash would have cost $600 to fix and replace. They told me if I went back to the car wash, and could find the parts it would cost a lot less if they could get the old one on. They did it for $160.

I am amazed at how honest they have been....never trying to sell me wiper blades or alignments which are easy services to use to bring in extra bucks.

xwesx · June 2020

nyccarguy said:

I have issues with this guy’s sample size of 1. 1st off, he’s got a very early build car, 2nd of all he’s got a lot of mileage, 3rd of all there isn’t a TESLA service center on his small island in the Pacific Northwest. Give me a break. This guy is obviously educated. He had to have thought this through at some point (look at what @xwesx has to go through every time he needs to take a trip to the dealer). He’d be in the same situation if he bought a six figure Mercedes or BMW with over 100K on the odometer.

I get Tesla. I like the cars. I like the concept of the mechanical simplicity of the fewer than 20 moving parts, I love the instant torque.

That's a good point - you always need to go into these things with your eyes wide open. No machine is going to be perfect, and there are penalties for exclusivity. From what I saw there, most of his issues were not F.O.R.D. type problems, but convenience concerns. Granted, it's always annoying when stuff like this happens, but that's just the point.... stuff like that can and does happen. When you own it.... own it.

I like the approach that Rich (from "Rich Rebuilds") takes regarding his Teslas: He loves them, but he doesn't love some of the company's policies. So, he does what he can to change them, he shares his concerns via satirical videos, and, through it all, he enjoys his cars.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:
“ It’s great when you find a place that doesn’t try to up-sell you every chance they get.”

Picked up the Fusion today and talk about upsell. The F&I guy gave an almost tearful rendition of why we should buy a 3 year 3rd party extended warranty for $2900. There was a wheel and tire package for $875 but he recommended the “better” plan for $70 more. All the while my eyes are glazing over and my son is squirming to get out of there.

While he was pontificating on the value of his various plans I glanced to the bottom where there was a total cost if you took everything he offered......$16,000!

On an $8100 car.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
That right there would have scuttled the deal for me. Would have got up and walked out while telling him to send me a check for any monies paid.
You didn't buy anyting? He wasn't very "strong in the box" Never heard of a wheel and tire package! What exactly does this include?

As I understood it if you busted up the rims or got a flat that couldn’t be fixed the package would repair/replace. Roadside service was included. I’m guessing you’d have to square every wheel and shred the tires to get your money’s worth. The F&I guy even tried the scare tactic of claiming our home town (90 miles away) had “bad potholes”.

As to being strong in the box, he gave a very emotional performance. When we declined everything he offered I thought he was going to weep. I actually felt a little guilty.

venture · June 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:
“ It’s great when you find a place that doesn’t try to up-sell you every chance they get.”

Picked up the Fusion today and talk about upsell. The F&I guy gave an almost tearful rendition of why we should buy a 3 year 3rd party extended warranty for $2900. There was a wheel and tire package for $875 but he recommended the “better” plan for $70 more. All the while my eyes are glazing over and my son is squirming to get out of there.

While he was pontificating on the value of his various plans I glanced to the bottom where there was a total cost if you took everything he offered......$16,000!

On an $8100 car.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
That right there would have scuttled the deal for me. Would have got up and walked out while telling him to send me a check for any monies paid.
You didn't buy anyting? He wasn't very "strong in the box" Never heard of a wheel and tire package! What exactly does this include?
As I understood it if you busted up the rims or got a flat that couldn’t be fixed the package would repair/replace. Roadside service was included. I’m guessing you’d have to square every wheel and shred the tires to get you money’s worth. The F&I guy even tried the scare tactic of claiming our home town (90 miles away) had “bad potholes”.

As to being strong in the box, he gave a very emotional performance. When we declined everything he offered I thought he was going to weep. I actually felt a little guilty.

The first thing I tell the F&I person is that I'm not buying anything but the car. They are in a bad mood the rest of the time I am in there.

jmonroe1 · June 2020

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:
Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.
Yeah, that example is one of the ones that led me to my existing position on my dealer's service department. The last year I had my 2011 Regal Turbo I took it there for its scheduled service and they called me back to the desk after waiting an hour or so to tell me I needed a new air filter. It would be $115, so I passed. On my way home I passed a parts store and bought the filter there for $10 or $15, no more. Changed it in my driveway in a few minutes. If they had even checked it, the tech left the dead bugs and leaf fragments in the housing. I suspect they never even opened it up.

I don’t think they ever look at filters, they just go by mileage and if their records don’t show that they ever changed the filter in question, they just spout off, “filter needs to be replaced”. Telling customers that they need filters must be in the first chapter of the Service Advisors Training Manual.

When I still owned my ‘09 Genny, I had to take it in for warranty work because the switch to operate the steering wheel position started acting up with around 50K miles IIRC. When they fixed that they called me and said, “the tech says you need your cabin filter replaced”. Since I had never replaced it I agreed to their $25 price but I made it clear that I wanted to see the filter before I paid for it and I told them to note that on their work order. The SA agreed to do that. I knew the filter should be changed, I just wanted to see what a cabin air filter looked like after 50K miles. When I got there, I could see as plain as day they noted my request on their work order. So, before I took out my wallet I asked to see the old filter. The SA reaches under the counter and pulls out a filthy filter that had to have more than 50K miles on it and I said, “c’mon man that can’t be my filter and you know it” :@ He smirks and says, “OK, you got me. The tech threw yours away and it’s in the dumpster with other dirty filters so we don’t know which one is yours”. He then says,“I’ll tell you what, how about if we just charge you our price for the filter which is around $16”. I agreed. And you better believe that when I got home I checked to see if they actually changed the filter, which they did. However, I still don’t know what a cabin air filter looks like with 50K miles on it.

jmonroe

explorerx4 · June 2020

A few months ago, i changed the cabin air filter in my truck.
It was between 2 and 3 years old, truck sat on the lot of a while.
It's not a fun process to change it, but it was still pretty clean.
My truck is black but sometimes I can;t find it in the driveway because t turned green from all the pollen.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

venture said:

oldfarmer50 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:
“ It’s great when you find a place that doesn’t try to up-sell you every chance they get.”

Picked up the Fusion today and talk about upsell. The F&I guy gave an almost tearful rendition of why we should buy a 3 year 3rd party extended warranty for $2900. There was a wheel and tire package for $875 but he recommended the “better” plan for $70 more. All the while my eyes are glazing over and my son is squirming to get out of there.

While he was pontificating on the value of his various plans I glanced to the bottom where there was a total cost if you took everything he offered......$16,000!

On an $8100 car.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
That right there would have scuttled the deal for me. Would have got up and walked out while telling him to send me a check for any monies paid.
You didn't buy anyting? He wasn't very "strong in the box" Never heard of a wheel and tire package! What exactly does this include?
As I understood it if you busted up the rims or got a flat that couldn’t be fixed the package would repair/replace. Roadside service was included. I’m guessing you’d have to square every wheel and shred the tires to get you money’s worth. The F&I guy even tried the scare tactic of claiming our home town (90 miles away) had “bad potholes”.

As to being strong in the box, he gave a very emotional performance. When we declined everything he offered I thought he was going to weep. I actually felt a little guilty.
The first thing I tell the F&I person is that I'm not buying anything but the car. They are in a bad mood the rest of the time I am in there.

I don’t intentionally want the guy to feel bad so I’ll listen to his pitch so he feels like he’s doing well.

https://youtu.be/N0pXLNtNjm8

nyccarguy · June 2020

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

I have issues with this guy’s sample size of 1. 1st off, he’s got a very early build car, 2nd of all he’s got a lot of mileage, 3rd of all there isn’t a TESLA service center on his small island in the Pacific Northwest. Give me a break. This guy is obviously educated. He had to have thought this through at some point (look at what @xwesx has to go through every time he needs to take a trip to the dealer). He’d be in the same situation if he bought a six figure Mercedes or BMW with over 100K on the odometer.

I get Tesla. I like the cars. I like the concept of the mechanical simplicity of the fewer than 20 moving parts, I love the instant torque.
That's a good point - you always need to go into these things with your eyes wide open. No machine is going to be perfect, and there are penalties for exclusivity. From what I saw there, most of his issues were not F.O.R.D. type problems, but convenience concerns. Granted, it's always annoying when stuff like this happens, but that's just the point.... stuff like that can and does happen. When you own it.... own it.

I like the approach that Rich (from "Rich Rebuilds") takes regarding his Teslas: He loves them, but he doesn't love some of the company's policies. So, he does what he can to change them, he shares his concerns via satirical videos, and, through it all, he enjoys his cars.

I forgot who mentioned it here (Shifty?), just because you bought a $100K car for $50K after a few years doesn’t mean that the parts are now cheap. The parts that were used in that $100K car are still expensive to replace.

sda · June 2020

Brief change of subject. I mentioned a few weeks ago the battery in my Dyson Absolute V6 seemed to be losing run time capacity. Well it now will run for 5 minutes. Thinking the battery isn’t replaceable I called Dyson anyway. The battery is replaceable, though a tad expensive. The service rep was knowledgeable and friendly. He even offered free shipping and a 20% discount which I appreciated. I am happy I won’t have to replace it.

driver100 · June 2020

MrsD100 loved her Dyson corless stick vacuum. The battery went, same as yours. There was no way we could remove the battery cover.
She got a Tineco A11 Hero Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, Powerful Suction, Multi-Surface Cleaning, Great for Pet Hair, Moonstone Blue
4.3 out of 5 stars
4,003 reviews
$259.99
She likes this one in so many ways. Can get an extra battery for small cost, and if you run out you can switch. Likes the lights on it...really shows the dust. Motor is much quieter. Easy to change batteries and easy to empty.
Lots of advantages, no disadvantages.

abacomike · June 2020

My son told me that his gym opened up yesterday - CA finally gave some relief to gyms. My son stated that since most of his clients are snowbirds so it didn't do much good for him. Luckily he still has his year-round clients who use the gym. He hopes to pick up some new clients to tide him over the hot summers they have out there in the low desert.

He's all moved in to his new house and he feels he made the right decision. His oldest son (19 year old) starts back at Riverside City College in July for baseball. He's been working out with my son to build upper body strength and leg strength and his fast ball has been clocked as high as 92 mph.

With a huge reduction in the number of draft rounds to only 5, even though he has been scouted, chances are he will wait until he graduates before getting serious about the majors.

tjc78 · June 2020

jmonroe1 said:

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:
Believe it or not, I actually really appreciated my advisor at the Chrysler dealer last time I was there. He came out and said "Ok, so only thing I'd suggest is the air filter right now. You could buy the filter and do it yourself. It is pretty easy. Or I could do it right now for $40." I of course let him do it because I figured the part would probably be $25, I'd have to search for it, order it, wait for it, then go out and do it. For $15? I got better things to do. I had NEVER heard an advisor suggesting to anyone they do their own work before. Huge thumbs up for that dude.
Yeah, that example is one of the ones that led me to my existing position on my dealer's service department. The last year I had my 2011 Regal Turbo I took it there for its scheduled service and they called me back to the desk after waiting an hour or so to tell me I needed a new air filter. It would be $115, so I passed. On my way home I passed a parts store and bought the filter there for $10 or $15, no more. Changed it in my driveway in a few minutes. If they had even checked it, the tech left the dead bugs and leaf fragments in the housing. I suspect they never even opened it up.
I don’t think they ever look at filters, they just go by mileage and if their records don’t show that they ever changed the filter in question, they just spout off, “filter needs to be replaced”. Telling customers that they need filters must be in the first chapter of the Service Advisors Training Manual.

When I still owned my ‘09 Genny, I had to take it in for warranty work because the switch to operate the steering wheel position started acting up with around 50K miles IIRC. When they fixed that they called me and said, “the tech says you need your cabin filter replaced”. Since I had never replaced it I agreed to their $25 price but I made it clear that I wanted to see the filter before I paid for it and I told them to note that on their work order. The SA agreed to do that. I knew the filter should be changed, I just wanted to see what a cabin air filter looked like after 50K miles. When I got there, I could see as plain as day they noted my request on their work order. So, before I took out my wallet I asked to see the old filter. The SA reaches under the counter and pulls out a filthy filter that had to have more than 50K miles on it and I said, “c’mon man that can’t be my filter and you know it” :@ He smirks and says, “OK, you got me. The tech threw yours away and it’s in the dumpster with other dirty filters so we don’t know which one is yours”. He then says,“I’ll tell you what, how about if we just charge you our price for the filter which is around $16”. I agreed. And you better believe that when I got home I checked to see if they actually changed the filter, which they did. However, I still don’t know what a cabin air filter looks like with 50K miles on it.

jmonroe

Your power tilt/tele wheel lasted 50k? Mine was fixed three times in 27k miles.

stickguy · June 2020

Mike, your grandson left the school in Wisconsin? Or Iowa? Whatever cold midwestern state he was in!

fintail · June 2020

My local dealer is now in the Autonation juggernaut, and while that has many people complaining, I haven't had any issues in the service department.

For the wagon's first/latest service, they didn't suggest anything, at ~8500 miles, I was told the tires and brakes are "like new" and the car has no needs. Only quirk with the car is that only half the console lid seems to get warm when I use the heated seats - I am pretty sure the whole lid is supposed to be warm - but I was too lazy to take it in. Maybe when the weather cools down again.

Never had issues with prior cars either, no upselling, no claims of weird wear or damage etc.

driver100 said:
I had 3 cases where my Mercedes dealer cost much less than expected;
1) my wife wanted a storage compartment removed from the 2015 E350. The dealer estimated $300, they found it took less time than expected so was $80.
2) I had a punctured tire that needed replacing. I thought they would insist I buy a pair of tires, and the dealer said the tread was close enough in depth...just change one tire.
3) My gas cap that came off in the car wash would have cost $600 to fix and replace. They told me if I went back to the car wash, and could find the parts it would cost a lot less if they could get the old one on. They did it for $160.

I am amazed at how honest they have been....never trying to sell me wiper blades or alignments which are easy services to use to bring in extra bucks.

cdnpinhead · June 2020

stickguy said:
Mike, your grandson left the school in Wisconsin? Or Iowa? Whatever cold midwestern state he was in!

I thought it was Nebraska.

sda · June 2020

fintail said:
My local dealer is now in the Autonation juggernaut, and while that has many people complaining, I haven't had any issues in the service department.

For the wagon's first/latest service, they didn't suggest anything, at ~8500 miles, I was told the tires and brakes are "like new" and the car has no needs. Only quirk with the car is that only half the console lid seems to get warm when I use the heated seats - I am pretty sure the whole lid is supposed to be warm - but I was too lazy to take it in. Maybe when the weather cools down again.

Never had issues with prior cars either, no upselling, no claims of weird wear or damage etc.

driver100 said:
I had 3 cases where my Mercedes dealer cost much less than expected;
1) my wife wanted a storage compartment removed from the 2015 E350. The dealer estimated $300, they found it took less time than expected so was $80.
2) I had a punctured tire that needed replacing. I thought they would insist I buy a pair of tires, and the dealer said the tread was close enough in depth...just change one tire.
3) My gas cap that came off in the car wash would have cost $600 to fix and replace. They told me if I went back to the car wash, and could find the parts it would cost a lot less if they could get the old one on. They did it for $160.

I am amazed at how honest they have been....never trying to sell me wiper blades or alignments which are easy services to use to bring in extra bucks.

Do you think you’ll keep this one? If not, why bother to go through all the trouble unless they can address it at a standard service appointment.

driver100 · June 2020

fintail said:
My local dealer is now in the Autonation juggernaut, and while that has many people complaining, I haven't had any issues in the service department.

For the wagon's first/latest service, they didn't suggest anything, at ~8500 miles, I was told the tires and brakes are "like new" and the car has no needs. Only quirk with the car is that only half the console lid seems to get warm when I use the heated seats - I am pretty sure the whole lid is supposed to be warm - but I was too lazy to take it in. Maybe when the weather cools down again.

Never had issues with prior cars either, no upselling, no claims of weird wear or damage etc.

driver100 said:
I had 3 cases where my Mercedes dealer cost much less than expected;
1) my wife wanted a storage compartment removed from the 2015 E350. The dealer estimated $300, they found it took less time than expected so was $80.
2) I had a punctured tire that needed replacing. I thought they would insist I buy a pair of tires, and the dealer said the tread was close enough in depth...just change one tire.
3) My gas cap that came off in the car wash would have cost $600 to fix and replace. They told me if I went back to the car wash, and could find the parts it would cost a lot less if they could get the old one on. They did it for $160.

I am amazed at how honest they have been....never trying to sell me wiper blades or alignments which are easy services to use to bring in extra bucks.

Sometimes MrsD100 turns the bum warmer on for her side....always leaves it on high no matter the temperature or length of time. Even though mine isn't on, my side of the arm rest gets pretty hot! Something is wrong if only half is heating up on yours Fin.

stickguy · June 2020

may the console is tied into the driver and passenger controls, so the left side warms for driver, and you need to turn on the passenger side bun warmer for the right half of the console to warm up.

stickguy · June 2020

cdnpinhead said:

stickguy said:
Mike, your grandson left the school in Wisconsin? Or Iowa? Whatever cold midwestern state he was in!
I thought it was Nebraska.

sounds right. but really, having spent time in Iowa, there is not much difference between them!

fintail · June 2020

With MB dropping the grille and hood ornament in this market for the E facelift, maybe I will keep this one. Hard to tell, will depend on how the car ages for the rest of the term. Either way, I'd like everything be working - on a cold morning I might need the entire console lid to be warm

sda said:

Do you think you’ll keep this one? If not, why bother to go through all the trouble unless they can address it at a standard service appointment.

fintail · June 2020

One of those things that seems silly, like a heated steering wheel - but on a cold morning, it sure is cozy. Probably just a loose connection. Pretty small fault on car of such complexity - as far as I know, nothing else has gone awry. On the W213 forums, not a ton of complaints either.

@stickguy - IIRC, I looked into it, and the whole console should heat up if either seat heater is on (this can be de-selected, but I have it selected, along with the heated door armrest as well).

driver100 said:

Sometimes MrsD100 turns the bum warmer on for her side....always leaves it on high no matter the temperature or length of time. Even though mine isn't on, my side of the arm rest gets pretty hot! Something is wrong if only half is heating up on yours Fin.

oldfarmer50 · June 2020

Couple of observations. First is this new E-Mustang from Ford. While I‘ll never forgive them for diluting the nameplate I’m hearing a 3.5 sec. 0-60. That’s impressive if true for something that looks like a SUV.

Also, contrary to my assumptions and internet wisdom, I’m hearing that used car prices are rising steeply. This is due, they say, to the coming shortage of new cars because of shutdowns around the world. Dealers are now paying higher prices at auction for used cars. These same sources were saying a few weeks ago that dealers were overflowing with used cars and would be giving them away by now. What gives?

qbrozen · June 2020

oldfarmer50 said:
Couple of observations. First is this new E-Mustang from Ford. While I‘ll never forgive them for diluting the nameplate I’m hearing a 3.5 sec. 0-60. That’s impressive if true for something that looks like a SUV.

Also, contrary to my assumptions and internet wisdom, I’m hearing that used car prices are rising steeply. This is due, they say, to the coming shortage of new cars because of shutdowns around the world. Dealers are now paying higher prices at auction for used cars. These same sources were saying a few weeks ago that dealers were overflowing with used cars and would be giving them away by now. What gives?

I’m not seeing it just yet. Where did you “hear” such a thing.

The country is re-starting, but it will be a whole new ballgame. Folks still won’t be driving as much, plus you have all the newly unemployed. OTOH, you have those who have been cooped up and maybe looking for a release in the form of a big purchase. I still think any call right now is nothing more than a guess.

stickguy · June 2020

I did see on the news last night that Hertz was trying to dump a ton of inventory. That should certainly help dilute the market and suppress prices. Though seemed that they were trying to mostly sell them direct. Offering to deliver to you and everything.

and if Rodo is any indication, the screaming new car deals are not out there either.

driver100 · June 2020

fintail said:
With MB dropping the grille and hood ornament in this market for the E facelift, maybe I will keep this one. Hard to tell, will depend on how the car ages for the rest of the term. Either way, I'd like everything be working - on a cold morning I might need the entire console lid to be warm

sda said:

Do you think you’ll keep this one? If not, why bother to go through all the trouble unless they can address it at a standard service appointment.

I like the sports grill....and you are more of a classic guy. The sports grill outsells the classic grill by a wide margin. I wish they would keep the 3 point star on the hood though....I like that.

graphicguy · June 2020

Interesting conversation with my Acura sales friend. He saw my former TLX in the service bay (mine was the only one the dealership has ever sold with red over red) getting new tires and came out to the waiting room to say hi. While there, the service writer who bought the car asked my sales friend how he liked her new car. He called me. Confused, he told me, “that’s one I thought you’d never get rid of”.

Anyway, we chatted for a bit. I told him I bought a Stinger, which he said based on the discounts he was hearing it was commanding, was probably a good deal. He also said that they had furloughed all but 2 of the sales people, him being one of the ones who they kept to man the store. For a couple of months, he said there would be only 4 people in the showroom...the 2 sales people, the sales manager and the general manager.

And, if someone came into the showroom, they left in a car as no one comes to a dealership during a pandemic to buy a car unless they’re ready to buy right now.

He’s been at the dealership for 20+ years and said 2020 is shaping up to be the worst sales year he’s ever had...even his first year, where he was still building his clientele.

Dealership overall dropped 40% in unit sales. His new stock levels are low, and his used lot is sparse. Both Acura and the dealership kicked in a little money to keep him afloat. Still, 40% drop in income is a tough pill to swallow.

He’s hoping there will be a lot of pent up demand once things begin to ease a bit, which around these parts are starting to happen.

He said the new TLX can’t get here soon enough (he’s expecting some in September to start to trickle in). I told him to give me a jingle when they arrive. Even though I’m not in the market, I’d still like to test drive one. He said, “I know you won’t buy the regular TLX, but I will put you in an S-Type when they arrive.”

stickguy · June 2020

It is a drag not being able to just stop in and scope out the new models. Will just wander the lot instead when they finally get there. I wonder when the rumored "compact" (ILX replacement) model will arrive? If I was to re-up at the end of my lease, it likely would be that since the TLX is getting even bigger. Though a smaller tall hatch/mini CUV version would also be interesting to see.

venture · June 2020

A friend was showing me his new Honda CR-V Touring he got recently. After a while I noticed his wife's RAV4 sitting there. Evidently he bought the CR-V for himself. I always though they were for girls. Who knew?

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