The complaint compartment.

   / The complaint compartment. #141  
Not going to use gift card?
Yeah, probably.

I'll print it out and next time I'm past there, I'll buy something. Yawn.


Last time I got a gift card was in a class action suit against somebody or other. My "share" of the recovery was a fat $43 or so, received as a gift card at Target. Couldn't get cash, only option was the gift card. (I doubt the lawyers got gift cards, they more likely got cash, and lots of it.)

Dear Bride schlepped me up to Target (30 miles away) and blew through the gift card in about eight milliseconds. Most expensive gift card it has ever been my misfortune to acquire . . .

I'll go visit Lowes alone.

Incidentally, Dear Bride has decided that instead of replacing the mirrors, she'd prefer to remodel the bathroom . . . Argh!

Best Regards,
Mike/Florida
 
   / The complaint compartment. #143  
One thing I've learned over 35 years of driving and countless dozens of cars, is that if you're buying new, the servicing dealer matters as much or more than the vehicle brand.
What I've learned is the inverse: Buy cars from a brand that doesn't need service (Honda and Toyota) and the dealer doesn't matter.

Same with tractors.
 
   / The complaint compartment. #144  
What I've learned is the inverse: Buy cars from a brand that doesn't need service (Honda and Toyota) and the dealer doesn't matter.
They don't need service? Then why do their dealerships have Service Departments?

It reminds me of a friend who sold a VW Beetle to someone and told them "It doesn't use oil" and they took it literally.

Some time later they locked up the engine, complained to him about it and blamed him for it. He asked, "Did you check the oil???" They replied "You said it didn't use oil!!!"
 
   / The complaint compartment. #145  
They don't need service? Then why do their dealerships have Service Departments?

It reminds me of a friend who sold a VW Beetle to someone and told them "It doesn't use oil" and they took it literally.

Some time later they locked up the engine, complained to him about it and blamed him for it. He asked, "Did you check the oil???" They replied "You said it didn't use oil!!!"
I’ve owned mainly Chevrolet for commuting, I’ve put over 300,000 miles on a couple of them over the years commuting to work an hour each way and both of those needed nothing but front brakes and tires.

My brothers wife has a Honda and he said it has been in the shop twice now and she bought it new in 2021
 
   / The complaint compartment. #146  
Here's the fallacy of "doesn't need service". Everything mechanical needs service. As one of our long time contributors says "Make the time to maintain your equipment or it will make the time for you."

The problem arises now that we have vehicles that take very minimal periodic service, no grease fittings, etc.

This is very convenient, people like it (and I do too), but since nobody ever looks at anything - remember, it doesn't need service - small issues that could have been caught and corrected early and cheaply don't get seen, and one fine day, something goes kaplooie (tm) and the car that "never needs service" comes in behind a tow truck and is about to cost the owner a big pile of money.

"Never needs service" does not mean "just ignore it", it should actually mean "take a careful look at it from time to time".

I have a Honda Accord, which has the reputation of "never needs service". That's simply not true. At 120,000 miles, all kinds of things are breaking and falling off, disintegrating plastic parts, check engine light nobody can cure, multiple window actuator failures, the car has been demoted to a "beater" - and I am not hard on machinery.

Dear Bride has a Subaru Forester, which has the reputation of being almost bulletproof. I have the defective lower control arms, two sets of rear wheel bearings, defective brake backing plates (factory TSB - originals were poor quality), caliper seals, scored brake discs and so forth in my recycle pile. The car just turned 120,000 miles. She's a little rougher on cars, but these are not normal wear items - the car is just "fragile".

The last car is one that has the reputation of being an expensive, cash hungry parts hog. Mercedes convertible. That reputation can best be described by Jerry Springer: "That was a lie."

What it does have is a "time or miles" function in one of the (many) onboard computers which whines about "A checks due" and "B checks due".

The dealer charges a lot for this, but dealers charge a lot for anything. The "A" check is nothing more than a look-over of about 15 or so items. Oil level, water level, PS fluid level, belt tension and look for frayed belts, look at the brakes (check for scoring), check all the lights, wiper blades, and so on. This is the kind of thing that ought to be done on ALL cars on a regular basis, but never is. Minor discrepancies found during the "A" check get fixed so they never grow into major problems.

The "B" check is everything in the "A" check plus an oil change, air and cabin filter changes, spark plugs at 60K miles if needed, flush and change the brake fluid after two years, and so forth. Since it is more comprehensive, it costs more, and since we are now changing more parts, that costs more, too.

Any competent DIY semi-mechanic can do all of this at home. MB sells the wiper blades for $55 each (!), eBay has the identical item (Robert Bosch) for $12 each.

Is it worth it? Simply for peace of mind, I think so. For reliability, definitely.

I had a few moments to spare (how did that happen?) and was cruising Craigslist. I found a car just like mine, same model, same year, with 301,000 miles on it! Why was it for sale? It got rear-ended. Ad said "Running well when hit."

So it is a question of pay me now or pay me (a lot more) later. Make the time to maintain your equipment or it will make the time for you.

Have a great weekend!

Best Regards,
Mike/Florida
 
   / The complaint compartment. #147  
I’ve owned mainly Chevrolet for commuting, I’ve put over 300,000 miles on a couple of them over the years commuting to work an hour each way and both of those needed nothing but front brakes and tires.
We've always had good experiences with GM. The newer Suburban had an issue with the AC from the factory, leaky rear evaporator core, never blew cold as the Duramax. They looked at it, said they added refrigerant, and I told them then if is low it is either not filled properly, or has a leak. "Couldn't find a leak!"

Lo and behold, when out of warranty all of a sudden they could find the leak, when the dime was on us. Warranty doesn't pay the wrench-turner as much, but they wanted to make sure WE paid.

Nope. Got GM to take care of it.
My brothers wife has a Honda and he said it has been in the shop twice now and she bought it new in 2021
Gotta dispell those myths, right? Toyota just recalled 100,000 engines, iirc.
 
   / The complaint compartment. #148  
What I've learned is the inverse: Buy cars from a brand that doesn't need service (Honda and Toyota) and the dealer doesn't matter.

Same with tractors.
You're living in a fantasy world. Toyota has great reliability, statistically very few breakdowns, and they're great for those doing very high mileage (not me). But they have had a lot of recall items, and at least in our state you still need a yearly safety inspection and emissions test. Most of us also still need someone to mount and balance our tires, and it's a heck of a lot easier to let them do your tire rotations while it's already up on the lift for safety inspection. I'll do brakes and other under-chassis stuff myself, as well as all fluid changes, but I'm not doing recall work. All recall work, inspections, and tires get done at our dealer, as they're quick and convenient, give us loaner cars, and really don't cost us much more than the local shops.

Other than a failed crank case breather on our Volvo, I haven't had a single critical component failure on any car I've owned in more than 25 years, so I don't think your point about brand would really apply. I did manage to damage a part on one of my Ram trucks, tore a CV joint boot off-roading thru a field littered with branches, but I can't imagine a Toyota or Honda would fare better there. We tend to buy our cars new, and sell them around 10 - 12 years, or sooner if mileage starts getting way above 100k.

Long story short, each of my vehicles visits the dealer once per year, unless there's an emergency recall. I think Toyota has had more of those than any other brand I have owned, excepting maybe Audi. And yes... I have owned Toyota.
 
   / The complaint compartment. #149  
So, on vehicles, my understanding on German vs Japanese is kinda a general cultural philosophy. German engineering make the assumption that if they say service x at 50,000 miles, the owner will, cause it says too; they seem to take rules/laws/all that as gospel. The Japanese engineering starts with the assumption that people Won't do the service, and seems to handle neglect better.

The American engineering philosophy seems to be; on cheap cars, whatever. Keeping it running seems to be an after thought. Honestly, the trucks all seem to be good, but all also have flaws.

It's often the simple, secondary crap the US engineers **** the bed on; window motors, blend door actuators, the infotainment system that also controls the AC and cruise control...

None of them are designed around ease of replacement parts/maintenance
 
   / The complaint compartment. #150  
You're living in a fantasy world. Toyota has great reliability, statistically very few breakdowns, and they're great for those doing very high mileage (not me).
Just going by my own personal experience with 5 Hondas and 1 Toyota. Recalls and normal maintenance items, sure, but I just have not had any unscheduled service visits required.

Just an example, my Ford truck went through 3 AC compressors in less than 10,000 miles. Dealer said it was my fault for not using the AC enough. Toyota is at 158,000 miles same compressor and I hardly ever use AC in it, but when I need it, it works perfectly.
 

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