Why is it that automotive repairs cost so much? It feels that with every single little repair or adjustment you need to make to your car that you need to sign away your first born, or give up the proverbial arm and a leg. It really is outrageous. I have this car that needs a new clutch. It's actually needed a new clutch for about 15 thousand miles by now. That's when I noticed the awful grinding noise it made whenever I shifted from 1st to 2nd gear.
At that time, it was still barely under warranty. So I took it to the dealer to get it looked at. I figured, these guys sold me the car, they should be able to take care of this for me. The guy there was a real prick. I inquired why the clutch had given out so soon . . . it was only about 50 thousand miles. He replies "Oh, I can go through a clutch in 10 thousand". Thanks buddy, what you have told me essentially is that: a)Ford clutches are shit and b) you can't drive for shit. So, he gives me the rough estimate. Parts + labor are going to set me back close to a grand and much to my chagrin, this isn't covered by my warranty. Apparently, I had not opted for a "wear & tear" option when I bought the car. It wasn't even made available to me then, the guy that finalized the details never said anything about it.
I drove off the dealership, no repair, took it to a garage, see what they would charge. These guys were just a little cheaper, but they still put the estimate at around 800 bucks. I figure, this is as good as it's going to get. But, the great procrastinator that I am, I kept putting it off and putting it off and now we are at this point, 15 thousand miles later. The fortunate thing is that The Sal hooked me up with his clutch guy. He's going to take the job for around 500 - 550 bucks, depending if I have a single or double cam. . . . beats the shit out of me what I got under the hood. But that is way better than the sloppy diarreah piece of crap dealership estimate . . and even better than the slightly more solid piece of crap estimate that garage gave me.
It's still 500+ bucks though. I could really use that money for something else. But it's going down the automotive drain. Hopefully I can get another 50 thousand miles out this clutch. I'll tell you this though . . . I ain't buying Ford ever again.
*Music I listed to while coming up with this entry:
Knock Yourself Out - Jon Brion
Lola Stars and Stripes - The Stills
Time to Build - Beastie Boys
Ego Tripping At The Gates of Hell - The Flaming Lips
Cinders And Smoke - Iron And Wine
London Halflife - Metric
On The Table - A.C. Newman
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2 comments:
Which fack thing is happening here with this bad writing? nobody works around as chicken with the witness excluded if they do not have the some idea where head is to the hole in the basket has gone. Ufa! I am tired already.
domo arigato Mr Roboto
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