Speaking of speed bumps I hit a random pothole and got a flat. Has to be my 6-7th flat on my BMW since I got it in 2015. 3rd since the start of Covid. Brand new tire. This is why I just pay for the extra hazard warranty. The extra 10 bucks per tire has probably saved me 400 bucks.
It's an especially good value when you have an AWD car that can only tolerate slight differences in tire wear. Like, you can't put a new tire on an AWD vehicle with 50% worn tires. I asked the guy and got him to put it in writing that all four would be replaced on the wife's element if just one had damage. Haven't had to use it yet, so I'm not certain it would work out that way, but I have it on the receipt.
Since we don't have a boat thread, I guess I can put this here. The day every boat owner dreads, time for some fiberglass work. Beaching this boat wore a hole in the outer skin of this foam cored hull... First, some exploratory grinding with a Dremel to get an idea of how big a job it will be. You can clearly see the wet core material. It's gonna be a big hole. All that wet stuff had to go, the new glass wouldn't bond to it. Grind away to find solid material, then grind back at a 12:1 ratio, 12 times the thickness of the skin. Stay tuned for building the foam back up and laying up new glass.
I actually have a 14' hull that I bought for $125 that has JB weld plugging some holes. It's a bit of fixer upper. I plan on doing some crazy project with this one. Like cutting away most of it above the waterline, it's hard to explain my plans, but there will be a chainsaw involved.
No benefit at all for the dealership, GM is currently lowering warranty times and having massive parts shortages, both of these directly hurt dealerships - specifically the small town dealers that can’t absorb those losses like a large dealer group can. The parts shortages are almost across the board equal but seem to be hitting the rural markets harder - Duramax emissions components specifically. DEF heads, Nox sensors, etc have lead times that stretch into months at this point. Meanwhile your truck is either de-rated to 55mph or sitting on the dealership lot in limp mode. My tin foil hat theory is that GM transitions into a direct sales model within 12-15 years. The traditional dealership is dying - at least for GM and Ford. Ford is already getting ready to direct market EV’s.
Oh, I get what you’re saying. I thought you meant “fuck with the length of time it takes to complete a warranty repair.” Which seemed like a super detrimental business plan on the local level. I understand your point now, my bad.
My mother-in-law bought herself a souped up mini Cooper. I'd forgotten what fun little cars they were to drive, stick to the curves like glue. I ended up breaking the shift cable. Even though it had a ton of friction in it before I started driving it, I still feel like it's my fault because I was absolutely sending it through a curvy mountain road. Made it home, stuck in third, with the shifter just flopping about. So, I promised I'd fix it.
The AC compressor in my truck developed a leak and the OEM compressors are backlogged 3-4 months, aftermarket was quoted at about $300. In other news, while in the shop for the AC I was due for an inspection sticker...the front bushings have developed play and need replaced, but 2011 Ram's can't be pressed in so I have to replace the control arms. The truck is also going in later this month to get the roof of the cab painted as the clearcoat has worn off... June's getting fucking expensive
Those older Ram front ends were absolute shit. Always causing problems and needing repair. I ended up going with a Made in USA aftermarket solution that was three times the price but seemed to actually work properly and had a reasonable lifespan.
The truck is 11yrs old with 119k miles and it's spent it's life sitting outside in the weather. I'm bitching about the cost for sure, but in the scheme of things it's not bad. Other than replacing the fuel pump 3yrs ago, my only maintenance costs have been preventive maintenance and consumable parts; brakes, tires, battery, etc
I see lots of bushing options for your truck... Any bushing can be pressed out; how do you think they got in there? How well do you trust this shop?
It's a shame that's one of the cars that doesn't have a manual transmission option from the factory anymore. That's part of what made it so fun.
Agreed. I hate how every new car nowadays has like a 14speed auto transmission and "sport" mode. I really wish the idea of SMT's caught on and they flushed that technology out. I've driven one in a Toyota MR2 Spyder and absolutely loved it.
The shop brought up aftermarket options, but said the OEM option is replacing the entire control arm. I've been going to this shop for several years, based off recommendations from several people I've known for years and trust. When they replaced the fuel pump they gave me OEM vs aftermarket options and which they felt was better option based on cost/value. They did this again for both the A/C compressor and the bushings. I got the impression from the shop (and from the few sites I Googled) that the aftermarket bushing options are a rabbit hole with numerous options and I'm either paying for the entire control arm or the labor to press out the old and in the new.
Ford should ship nothing but truck loads of Ford Fiesta's to the dealers doing this. Make them sit on a bunch of lousy inventory.