Blu-ray.com Car Maintenance, Repair, Detailing, and DIY Thread

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

You couldn't change the air filter yourself to save some money? I'm no mechanic but I will change my own cabin, and air filter to save some dough.

It's in a really tight spot, and a number of panels and clips have to be removed before one can get to it (the engine bay is small and really cramped). Besides, the dealership offers free installation with purchase through their parts department, so I don't bother with the hassle.

What's up with your tint? Peeling?

I scuffed part of the tint film when I was moving furniture last week; it's noticeable at night, when someone's behind me with their headlamps on. I haven't encountered any peeling issues on any of the windows for as long as I've had the vehicle.

Quite frankly, I don't know why folks bother with the cheap stuff (i.e. tint that peels or develop air pockets because it was a DIY project in their garage).

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Quite frankly, I don't know why folks bother with the cheap stuff (i.e. tint that peels or develop air pockets because it was a DIY project in their garage).

Don't forget the stuff that turns purple. That's my personal favorite.

[LeAnn]

Indeed... Purple tint is not sexy...

Update on my car...

So I dropped it off Wednesday at about 12:30, took a half day at work to do this since they said I needed to drop it off before 2pm... Got a really poo-poo corolla rental (Honda paid) that was bare bones and made a weird sound... Had to fuel it up which was irritating. Honda told me they would have the car ready at around 2pm, 3 at the latest, but to make sure I got the rental back by 2pm so they could avoid the 2 day charge.
No big deal.
12pm Thursday Honda calls and lets me know they are JUST starting to work on the car, my mechanic is not available and before I could get all flustered, he told me he had the foreman on it, so not to worry.... BUT that the car would not be ready until 4pm. I reminded him of the 2pm deadline at the rental and he told me to bring it back at 2:30 no issues... riiiight...

SO, I drop the rental off around 2pm, they take me to Honda and of course the car is not ready. I am naturally not happy since I did not get a call until Noon telling me of the changes, and so they give me a voucher for a free oil change, no expiration date.

I have to pick up my cat at 5pm from the complete opposite side of town, so I am not happy about any of these delays...

4pm rolls around, and they are still trying to bleed the brake lines but are having "issues" i get the whole "no worries ma'am, I will have it out in less than 20 minutes" 20 minutes roll by and I am now pacing, so they give me a voucher for a free balance and tire rotation.

4:30 comes and I am REALLY getting unhappy and lo-and behold they come up with a loaner car for me. YAY! about time, and they did say that they should have put me in a loaner car sooner.

Another corolla, this time with only 1/8 of a tank of gas... so now I have to rush onto the highway, get off to get fuel, then rush into downtown for my cat.

Friday I am finally able to get my car, they called and had to work on it until 8pm Thursday to get it right. I guess my car is sensitive... haha. anywho...

Got another free oil change out of the deal, so that is 2 free oil changes and 1 free tire balance and rotation. For some reason my dealership charges $50 for the hybrid oil changes... so that will buffer the $1517.01 cost of the repair.

Also, now I am considering an extended warranty because I would take a heavy loss on the trade is as now I have had 1 collision from the stupid girl on campus, and 2 from the stupid people in the garage.

so that is my rant/dilemma

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

For some reason my dealership charges $50 for the hybrid oil changes...

I've been doing some research and it seems that the price you were charged is about right. The Civic Hybrid requires 0W20 oil, which is costlier than conventional grades of oil (e.g. 10W30).

Also, now I am considering an extended warranty because I would take a heavy loss on the trade is as now I have had 1 collision from the stupid girl on campus, and 2 from the stupid people in the garage.

Given the history of your vehicle, this may be a good idea, though there are quite a few questions that need to be answered before committing yourself to one. From ERATE.com:

• Who administers the coverage? Knowing who pays out on your policy can give you insight into the potential weaknesses of the coverage you're considering. Administrators act as claims adjusters, authorizing the payment of claims to the service repair facility under the contract terms.
  
• How does payment work? Do you need to pay upfront and get reimbursed, or does the plan take care of everything?
  
• What exactly is the extent of the auto warranty coverage? Extended warranties come in many levels of coverage with many different definitions on what the coverage will pay for. Some car warranties cover mechanical breakdown, while better warranties, often called "bumper to bumper," will cover wear & tear failures, seals & gaskets, the emissions system and not exclude damage due to overheating.
  
• What’s the deductible? And is the deductible charged per visit or per repair? Per visit means one deductible for any number of repairs on that same visit. Per repair means five items that are covered under warranty incur five deductibles.
  
• Where can you take your vehicle for repairs? How are claims handled? An extended warranty from the manufacturer will require that you obtain service only from them. You want to look for a warranty that gives you more than one service facility to choose from.
  
• Is the warranty transferable? A transferable warranty is extremely attractive for prospective buyers when you sell your car.
  
• When will the auto warranty expire?

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

OK, my story isn't as exciting as LeAnn's or DonRSD's, but this is what I had done at my dealership over the past two days:

• oil & filter change
• replace air filter
• power steering fluid flush
• replace oil pan gasket
• replace drive belt
• replace front rotors & install new brake pads
• adjust rear brakes
• throttle body service

Cost? Just under $1500 (including tax & 10% discount applied)

Done today: tire rotation and wheel balancing (free at Discount Tire)

Next week: replace tint on my rear window - $169

It's days like these I wish the city had better public transportation.

that sucks to pay that much money to fix the car.......i feel for you

Originally Posted by MaCruz

My car is Paid Off This Friday!!!! WHOHOO!!

CONGRATS

[MaCruz]

For those of you with Performance Tires (Summer). How many miles are you getting out of them? I'm getting about 35K before buying new tires.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

that sucks to pay that much money to fix the car.......i feel for you

I'd be happy to trade him repair costs. My '03 G35 (75K miles) started slipping out of gear on my way to work Friday a week ago. After pulling the transmission, they told me I'll need a near-complete rebuild as several clutches catastrophically failed and chewed-up most of the trany. Bill will be $3,700, not counting any costs associated with the (new-found) problems with the computer not allowing the trany to shift properly. I assume that will be on their dime, as there were no computer problems when I brought it in.

Add to this $300 in new breaks/rotors on kids' '99 Camry (and another $300 in tires a couple months ago). Son put our '08 Outlook in a ditch and clipped another car while doing it (ice) in January. This will be ~$800 to fix the fron-end plastic, which we'll need to do before the lease is up next Feb (but he's going to cover most of that expense).

It's not been a good year so far for auto expenses.