Monday, August 24, 2009

No Such Thing as a Free Ride

There's an old superstition in many cultures that celebrating any kind of good fortune is inviting bad fortune. To ward off this "evil eye," people spit (or pretend-spit) three times: ptu! ptu! ptu!

For a very long time, I had very good luck with cars. I drove an '84 Toyota Celica for more than a decade with one repair, a water pump. I drove Old Blue, the '94 Mistubishi Expo, for a decade with one repair, rebuilding the transmission (granted, a humdinger). I drove the Grannymobile, the '99 Mazda 626, for about seven years with one major repair.

Now, with Hondo the Rondo in my possession for just 60 days, it needs a monster repair: rotors. That shouldn't be a huge deal, but (a) they need replacing because of rust, not wear, but Kia still refuses to acknowledge faulty parts and issue a recall, and (b) they're outrageously expensive. The shade tree mechanic who I trust wanted $436, only $40 of which was for labor!

So I called the dealer where I bought Hondo and put the squeeze on them, tears and all. Yes, it's considered a maintenance item. Yes, you're under no obligation. But JEEZ, I have had the car 60 days! Their price was $350, a little better, but I have to drive 50+ miles there and back. No, they won't split the cost with me. But after a bit more sobbing (what, are they made of stone?) they agreed to knock $100 off the total. So $250 is a whole lot better than $436, but I sure had to work for it. I'm afraid my free ride is over, vehicle-wise. I should probably dump Hondo for a Toyota or Honda ASAP. ptu! ptu! ptu!

5 comments:

tim's wife said...

If there is just rust on the rotors, why are they not just "cutting" them? (A process that shaves a small amount off the surface to give you a nice new surface.) Unless they have been cut before, or more than once, this is a much cheaper way to go and perfectly acceptable though not as profitable for the mechanics so many times not offered. I'm having the "car repair blues" too. The mommy-van is leaking transmission fluid everywhere I go. RATS! I gotta check my lottery tickets and see if that rolls royce is in my future. I am totally a down to earth gal but must admit I think those cars are so sharp.

La Cootina said...

Because the new rotors are so thin they can't even be turned, much less shaved. :P Good luck with the lotto!

Joyce said...

Remember your old Rambler? How many miles did that fossil finally have on it? If that car could write a book...you"d be in SO much trouble!

Susan said...

Ok, here's my story about my Honda CRV. I have been so smug about it never needing repairs [neener, neener to all you non CRV-owners] and POW! the AC blows and I am told it will cost $3000 to totally replace it. Whut?!Something exploded inside and ruined everything. But since it is a KNOWN defect [not to me]Honda was kind enough to pick up 2/3's of the cost. I protested that they should pick up ALL of the cost since it was like a re-call. But no, it's not a safety issue and I was told to appreciate what they didn't have to do. Everytime I start to accumulate a new nest egg, I have to make scrambled eggs.

La Cootina said...

Joyce - That Rambler was a reliable old mule. I sure hope I removed its hard drive. ;D
Susan - I feel your pain! Still, $1,000 is better than $3,000.