They Only Had One Job...

wisenior

wisenior

Member
Location
Milwaukee
It kills me to have to take my vehicle for an oil change.
I've been blue collar all of my life.
I've always changed my own oil.
It was simple maintenance and I enjoyed it.

But as I've aged, I am
Less agile
Less limber
Less flexible...

So I've resigned myself to accepting having even simple maintenance done.

I took my vehicle to a new place today, Take 5.

After awhile,
They told me to start my engine,
Then they frantically told me to shut it off.

Can you guess what they forgot to do?

They forgot to put the new oil in the engine.


Inexcusable.
 

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wisenior said:
It kills me to have to take my vehicle for an oil change.
I've been blue collar all of my life.
I've always changed my own oil.
It was simple maintenance and I enjoyed it.

But as I've aged, I am
Less agile
Less limber
Less flexible...

So I've resigned myself to accepting having even simple maintenance done.

I took my vehicle to a new place today, Take 5.

After awhile,
They told me to start my engine,
Then they frantically told me to shut it off.

Can you guess what they forgot to do?

They forgot to put the new oil in the engine.


Inexcusable.
Click to expand...
It amazes me that people will trust some guy making minimum wage to work on their vehicles — some of which are worth well over $20,000!
 
wisenior said:
It kills me to have to take my vehicle for an oil change.
I've been blue collar all of my life.
I've always changed my own oil.
It was simple maintenance and I enjoyed it.

But as I've aged, I am
Less agile
Less limber
Less flexible...

So I've resigned myself to accepting having even simple maintenance done.

I took my vehicle to a new place today, Take 5.

After awhile,
They told me to start my engine,
Then they frantically told me to shut it off.

Can you guess what they forgot to do?

They forgot to put the new oil in the engine.


Inexcusable.
Click to expand...
It's hard to find able and honest mechanics. I found my mechanic through a guy on my block who worked for Prudential insurance and who had a working relationship with the guys who eventually became my mechanics.

I once had a falling out over some charges they hit me with and I tried to find someone else. Well, I couldn't believe the incompetence of other mechanics. And yet they still remain in business. I did go back to my original mechanics after a year and they made it up to me and we've had a good working relationship since.
 

HermitHogan said:
It amazes me that people will trust some guy making minimum wage to work on their vehicles — some of which are worth well over $20,000!
Click to expand...
What part of
"I'm physically unable to do it "
Did you miss?

It seems that literacy and comprehension are lacking.

I also can see that you haven't priced vehicles lately.

Mine is an '03 with 180k mi on the clock.

Don't make assumptions.
 
I can relate, or at least my husband can, @wisenior. My hubs always did all his own car maintenance because he didn't trust most mechanics. He had a Honda Civic, which he owned for twenty years. and he had taken good care of it. One day someone stole it right out of the carport of our home. It really sucked to have to buy another car when we had just bought a house.

Anyway, when that car got totaled, he decided to get a brand new one since we are getting older. He just didn't want to have crawl under the car anymore. I agree about mechanics; it is difficult to find proficient and knowledgeable ones anymore.
 
I don't know if you went to an independent small shop for your oil change or not. The OP doesn't say.

I go back to the Toyota dealer where I bought the car for everything. If the mechanic screws up, there are a lot of chiefs above him and I'd go all the way to the top if necessary. Fortunately, I haven't had to do that. The service manager where I go would take care of my complaint.

Many people believe the dealer is way more expensive than other places. For some things, maybe - but the dealer had a tire sale some months ago, and my total for a good set of Goodyear tires was just over $700. Before buying them, I called "Good Old Joe's" [not the actual name] here in town that everyone speaks so highly of, and his price for the exact same set of tires was close to $900.
 
Take 5 is a 5-minute oil change franchise. I used to take my car to such places. Til they stripped my oil plug and did not tell me but it held enough to not ruin my car. These places often hire minimum wage kids that sometimes are not too careful.

I change my own oil unless I am having other work done.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I don't know if you went to an independent small shop for your oil change or not. The OP doesn't say.

I go back to the Toyota dealer where I bought the car for everything. If the mechanic screws up, there are a lot of chiefs above him and I'd go all the way to the top if necessary. Fortunately, I haven't had to do that. The service manager where I go would take care of my complaint.

Many people believe the dealer is way more expensive than other places. For some things, maybe - but the dealer had a tire sale some months ago, and my total for a good set of Goodyear tires was just over $700. Before buying them, I called "Good Old Joe's" [not the actual name] here in town that everyone speaks so highly of, and his price for the exact same set of tires was close to $900.
Click to expand...
I also have a Toyota , 3 year old RAV and though I do so enjoy complaining the dealer which I use is great .

Today for first time after 3 years I put the radio on while driving but it was an accident so quickly shut it off . I do like the rear view camera but that is about it , lol.
 
NotCompSavy said:
I also have a Toyota , 3 year old RAV and though I do so enjoy complaining the dealer which I use is great .

Today for first time after 3 years I put the radio on while driving but it was an accident so quickly shut it off . I do like the rear view camera but that is about it , lol.
Click to expand...
My daughter has the same..a 3 year old RAV 4.. , it replaced a previous RAV 4, she loves them... and she always has a RAV dealer do any work on it. She says it may cost more than the average garage, but they know what they're doing..
 
wisenior said:
What part of
"I'm physically unable to do it "
Did you miss?

It seems that literacy and comprehension are lacking.

I also can see that you haven't priced vehicles lately.

Mine is an '03 with 180k mi on the clock.

Don't make assumptions.
Click to expand...
LOL this made me laugh .

I went to a BBQ today and did one of my '' famous '' ( pffffffffffffffffffffttttt) comedy routines and guy who made the mistake of inviting me though we are friends said more or less ''
What part of
"You are not insulting everyone with one of your routines "
Did you miss?
 
hollydolly said:
My daughter has the same..a 3 year old RAV 4.. , it replaced a previous RAV 4, she loves them... and she always has a RAV dealer do any work on it. She says it may cost more than the average garage, but they know what they're doing..
Click to expand...
I like it no complaints , I do not listen to the radio as find that bright screen annoying and the voices in my head keep me company while driving .
 
NotCompSavy said:
I was under the impression most cars tiny and inexpensive in the UK .

Click to expand...
No you're mistaking us for Italy as many people seem to do.....

My husband has a Maserati, previously he had a Ferrari ..my DD has a RAV 4.. I have a Ford fusion most people drive a 4x4.. ...not small cars... altho' not ridiculously giant like some in the US, because are roads are small given we're an overcroded small Island

in fact I was watching a travel video going around the streets of NYC just the other week, and all the cars parked on the road looked almost identical to any road here....

 
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I was using Firestone at one time for tire replacement until I had a flat and had to have the car towed to their shop. They told me the key to the wheel locks was missing. And THEY were the last ones who installed new tires so they were the ones who lost it. I now use Discount Tire and their service is nothing short of fantastic. I order new tires from Tire Rack (their parent company), have them shipped to Discount Tire and they install them.

When my car was in the warranty period I used to use the Audi dealership for repairs but one day when I took it in for repairs I left my iPod, gas cards and prescription RayBans in the car. This was because they said it would take a couple of hours. Turns out they had to order something from Germany and I had to leave the car for several days. When I picked it up all the items I had left were gone! They were very nonchalant about it, but I was a pain in the *** and pushed them until they reimbursed me for the costs.

I now use an indie shop that specializes in Audis. They are fine, honest people who know me and my car. My car was once making lots of noise and losing power. I took it in and the owner said it was most likely a loose hose to the turbo. He was right and I was out within an hour!

If anyone can find a small shop that specializes in their particular brand of automobile AND receives good online reviews they should try it out.
 
I tell you what..I need a new battery..I think, so given that I can't change a battery myself, I asked at Costco, they said the battery would be £53 but they can't fit it, so I looked instead to halfords who deal in bikes and car parts.. but they're not a garage..they're a store... however they fit small things like wipers and batteries..they want £119, to fit the similar battery...
....so then about an hour ago I had a Brainwave..I'm a Gold member of the AA ( (Automobile Associaton) so I checked online..do they fit batteries? yes... they will come to the house if I have home start, which I do...... so I put my reg in, same or similar battery came up.. and the price was £199... I nearly fell off my chair.. a £53 battery was 4 times the price if I have the AA fit it...:eek::eek:
 
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Whenever I go past a GreaseMonkey and see expensive cars in their bays or in the parking lot, I think 'those people are nuts'! I wouldn't trust them to vacuum the carpet in my car!

Then again, a lot of other auto repair places are incompetent and dishonest, also. I've definitely had my share of problems. It seems like more often than not, the repair is far less than satisfactory. I've also had problems with car stereo installers and tire stores. I've come to the conclusion that, even though it might cost a little more, your best bet when you have car trouble is to go to a dealer, although they're not perfect by a longshot. But you can threaten them with a bad online rating, which seems to have some effect.

I'm lucky that I have a two-car garage and all the tools necessary to do maintenance and minor repairs, so I'm not at the mercy of repair shops MOST of the time. I can change the oil in less time than it would take to drive to a repair shop. With today's fully synthetic motor oils, the oil only needs to be changed once every two years.

Our SUV is approaching 80k miles, at which time it will be due for a timing belt change. I've done a few of them in my younger days, but it makes a big mess since you need to take out the radiator, and the cooling system needs to be flushed afterwards, which requires special equipment that I don't have. And any engine repair is hard on the back.

So, I don't know... If it's less than a few hundred dollars, I'll take it to the dealer. Otherwise, I might do it myself. It's not an emergency, so I can wait until the weather is nice. At least if I do it myself, I'll know it's done right and I'll have saved a lot of money. There are just a lot of other things I'd rather be doing.
 
carouselsilver said:
I can relate, or at least my husband can, @wisenior. My hubs always did all his own car maintenance because he didn't trust most mechanics. He had a Honda Civic, which he owned for twenty years. and he had taken good care of it. One day someone stole it right out of the carport of our home. It really sucked to have to buy another car when we had just bought a house.

Anyway, when that car got totaled, he decided to get a brand new one since we are getting older. He just didn't want to have crawl under the car anymore. I agree about mechanics; it is difficult to find proficient and knowledgeable ones anymore.
Click to expand...
I found a trusted one through Nextdoor. They had the most favorable comments from neighbors.
 
hollydolly said:
No you're mistaking us for Italy as many people seem to do.....

My husband has a Maserati, previously he had a Ferrari ..my DD has a RAV 4.. I have a Ford fusion most people drive a 4x4.. ...not small cars... altho' not ridiculously giant like some in the US, because are roads are small given we're an overcroded small Island

in fact I was watching a travel video going around the streets of NYC just the other week, and all the cars parked on the road looked almost identical to any road here....

Click to expand...
The 1950's and 60's so called, Yank Tank fell victim in 1973 to the worldwide oil crisis, which resulted in the enaction of CAFE fuel economy standards in 1975.
The CAFE standards required all new automobiles to have an average mpg of 27.5 mpg (11.7 km/litre) by 1985. As of 2013 the 27.5 mpg standard remained unchanged for passenger cars, with light trucks and SUV's required to meet a standard of 23.5 mpg (10 km/litre.)
CAFE: Corporate Average Fuel Economy.
As for British cars being small, even the famous Mini has grown so big that it just about squeezes into a marked parking bay, these days. Even if it has retained it's "Mini" badge.
 
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