I took my car to the same shop that I used recently for new tires and an alignment. They took a look and called me with what needed to be done as well as an estimate on the damage about to be incurred on my wallet. The quote was much higher than I had anticipated, so I called another shop in a nearby town that some guys at work had recommended. I told them exactly what needed to be done (thanks to the conversation with the first shop), and asked for an estimate. Theirs was $263 cheaper.
Now I had a conundrum. I had taken my car to the first shop because I could drive there with my limping car, since it was only about 3 miles away. I had to stop once and refill the engine coolant along the way. Even doing that, my temperature guage was fully in the red for half of the trip, and to the absolute farthest point of red by the end of the journey. I was not going to be driving it much farther, so if I took it to another shop, I'd have to have it towed. Plus, I would still owe the first shop just for looking at the car.
I called the first shop back and told them about the much lower quote. He hemmed and hawed a little bit, and then said he could do everything with the exact same parts as before for $140 less. I asked what was different this time. He said he just added in some price matching and coupons. Thanks and all, but why couldn't we have done that the first time?
I ended up letting them go ahead and fix the car, since by now the still $123 difference would have been completely eaten up by paying them the diagnostic fee and towing. Picked it up after work, good as new!
Is it just the car industry that acts this way? I don't go to McDonald's and have to negotiate for a better price. It really makes me wish I was more mechanically inclined. I can tear apart a computer, build one from scratch, write you a software program to balance your checkbook or perform automatically scheduled backups, but I often have no idea where to begin when something goes wrong with my car.
Yes, I can change a headlight, change the oil, change a tire, and maybe even put on new brakes by myself now that I've helped with that before. But the expensive stuff, not a chance.
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6 comments:
"Is it just the car industry that acts this way? I don't go to McDonald's and have to negotiate for a better price. It really makes me wish I was more mechanically inclined. I can tear apart a computer, build one from scratch, write you a software program to balance your checkbook or perform automatically scheduled backups, but I often have no idea where to begin when something goes wrong with my car."
It seems that more and more things are like this. Cell phones are this way too - as are houses and new (or "new to you") cars.
For about $12 you can get a haynes repair manual (http://www.haynes.com/). These are usually pretty good (pictures, etc) and a lot of the stuff can be done with a basic set of wrenches/sockets, a jack, and some elbow grease. I'm doing more and more work on my cars personally (for the very same reason you want to). Asking friends helps too.
I think my problem stems from the fact that even if I have a repair manual that could tell me how to take out the old radiator and put in a new one, I still have to figure out that the radiator is the problem.
I talked to a few people who said that putting a new radiator in myself would be doable, but I still didn't know if that was the problem. They also said it could be the water pump, head gasketts (out of my league now, just repeating their words), etc.
I suppose I could still have the shop look at it, find what needs to be done, and then just pay them for that and try it myself. But in this case, I would have to get the car there and back when I really wasn't supposed to be driving it at all.
Another example. Two years ago I was driving home and the car was slowing down even though I had the petal to the floor. I just got it into a gas station before it died. Turns out it was the alternator, but I wouldn't have known how to get to the point of even knowing that was the problem. Once I did, I could have perhaps put one in with the help of a manual, but I didn't know what the problem was to start with.
Where do people learn this stuff? Is it one of those things that if you don't learn as a kid, you're doomed to pay someone else to do it for the rest of your life, or find someone willing to come over every time something happens?
I should try that. Go to Burger King, order a double cheeseburger, then say, "You know, I could go to McDonald's and get one for a buck. What are you going to do about that?"
Cars are like a completely different language. Yo no comprende los coches.
These comments are so long they could be an entirely new blog :P
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Well, I didn't learn anything as a child - my mom was *way* too over protective. I've been slowing picking things up through friends, books, websites, and a little bit of experimenting.
Head gaskets are out of most people's league. You need lots of tools and space because you have to dis-assemble half the engine to do it....
There are some spiffy trouble shooting CD's at Wal-Mart for like $7 too. You enter your vehicle and type of problem and it presents you with possible solutions. A good google search can turn up a lot of info as well.
The main problem I usually run into is time. Like having the struts on Regina's Malibu replaced. I could easily do it, but I would have to either take a day or two off of work, or Regina wouldn't have a care for about a week while I did it in my spare time. Neither of these is acceptable so I end up taking the blasted thing to a shop.....
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