The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Figgy1]

 

[Figgy1]

15 days until Thanksgiving
@MinnieM123 have you secured dinner reservations yet?

 

[Lilofan]

I've taken it to Hershey a few times a year and I took it to Williamsburg this year, but when I first got it, my commute to work was five miles, and then after that, about eight miles, and then I started working from home when COVID started. And if I can't get something from the grocery store or Walgreens, it comes from Amazon, so I'm not running around doing a bunch of errands. I plan on keeping this car for a long time, so keeping the mileage down is fine by me. Especially since I paid $21,500 for this car and for a comparable model, it's now closer to $30k. The dealership has called me and offered to pay me more for my car than I paid for it and I'm like "lol nope."

That's impressive , your car that is 5 years old is worth more than when you paid for it new. The used car market is off the wall where some vehicles with 20-30K mileage is similar price to a new car price. One of my vehicles a V6 manual trans Honda which is no longer made and I'm getting calls , to buy my car at attractive offers. I just don't want to buy what is on the market which is mostly CVT transmissions. A nice part of driving stick all these years is no one wants to borrow my car since they don't know how to row through the gears.

 

[MinnieM123]

@MinnieM123 have you secured dinner reservations yet?

Nope.

 

[Figgy1]

Nope.

What are you waiting for?
You'd better hurry or you'll wind up with as they guys won't let me ship you dinner

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Nope.

I didn't think chef boyarde took reservations ?

 

[rshell68]

 

[Goofyernmost]

That is true, but when I drove the cars my parents' gifted me, I was required to take them to a dealership for repair. They will not use private repair shops. It is probably my dad being overly cautious because he has seen things as an attorney, but yeah, I always take mine to the dealership. They inspect it and then have "recommended maintenance". I then Google all of their "recommended maintenance" to see if it's something I actually need done or if they're just trying to get more money from me.

Good advice, always be cautious. Unless, of course they can show you that the wheels are about to fall off or if you have brought it in because you have recognized a problem even if you do or don't know for sure what it is. Have them show you and explain the problem. I still maintain that no matter what the repair is it will always be more expensive at the dealer then at a local known high quality repair shop. It probably also helps that they know your dads a lawyer.

 

[Lilofan]

Good advice, always be cautious. Unless, of course they can show you that the wheels are about to fall off or if you have brought it in because you have recognized a problem even if you do or don't know for sure what it is. Have them show you and explain the problem. I still maintain that no matter what the repair is it will always be more expensive at the dealer then at a local known high quality repair shop. It probably also helps that they know your dads a lawyer.

My cars serviced at dealers and I've been satisfied with the work. I know a bit about cars so the service advisors can't BS me in unneeded repairs and try to sell me a bridge which some attempt to do. Also the advisors always advise that their pay is tied into high customer service ratings by customers so I tell them you take care of me I will take care of you. It all works out. The parts dept at dealers will even show tell me how to change light bulbs , filters etc which helps me out. DIY instead of paying labor rate for service techs to do it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

My cars serviced at dealers and I've been satisfied with the work. I know a bit about cars so the service advisors can't BS me in unneeded repairs and try to sell me a bridge which some attempt to do. Also the advisors always advise that their pay is tied into high customer service ratings by customers so I tell them you take care of me I will take care of you. It all works out. The parts dept at dealers will even show tell me how to change light bulbs , filters etc which helps me out. DIY instead of paying labor rate for service techs to do it.

I didn't say that dealers would necessarily scam you, I'm saying the even if they are giving true information, they charge more for it in my experience.

 

[Lilofan]

I didn't say that dealers would necessarily scam you, I'm saying the even if they are giving true information, they charge more for it in my experience.

I will pay more for OEM parts and better warranty at any ( ie Honda ) dealer that has to honor warranty rather than aftermarket parts and the mom and pop repair shop . The only aftermarket parts in my cars is Die Hard top of the line batteries. Clearly much better than dealer battery.

 

[Figgy1]

I didn't say that dealers would necessarily scam you, I'm saying the even if they are giving true information, they charge more for it in my experience.

I'm pretty sure I've shared this before, but my dh caught a dealer outright trying to scam him saying the vehicle needed many repairs it didn't need. Long story short the entire department wound up getting fired. Always be vigilant

 

[MinnieM123]

I will pay more for OEM parts and better warranty at any ( ie Honda ) dealer that has to honor warranty rather than aftermarket parts and the mom and pop repair shop . The only aftermarket parts in my cars is Die Hard top of the line batteries. Clearly much better than dealer battery.

Not all of the private repair shops use after market parts. There are good private repair shops, and there are also good dealer repair shops. It can take a while before one finally finds a good, honest shop (private or dealer) with reasonable prices -- but once you find that excellent mechanic, he's worth his weight in gold. In your case, you have a positive relationship with your dealer's shop, so that works well for you.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

What are you waiting for?
You'd better hurry or you'll wind up with View attachment 753200 as they guys won't let me ship you dinner

There are Marie Callender options for turkey she could use like this:

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Spoiler: there is always this

Spoiler: It makes thing so easy

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Not all of the private repair shops use after market parts. There are good private repair shops, and there are also good dealer repair shops. It can take a while before one finally finds a good, honest shop (private or dealer) with reasonable prices -- but once you find that excellent mechanic, he's worth his weight in gold. In your case, you have a positive relationship with your dealer's shop, so that works well for you.

The mechanic in my town is stellar. I feel more comfortable going to his shop than the dealer. Being a small town business means he should (and does) care about his reputation and if he dishonest word would get around fast and not have a business any more.

 

[Lilofan]

Not all of the private repair shops use after market parts. There are good private repair shops, and there are also good dealer repair shops. It can take a while before one finally finds a good, honest shop (private or dealer) with reasonable prices -- but once you find that excellent mechanic, he's worth his weight in gold. In your case, you have a positive relationship with your dealer's shop, so that works well for you.

I like using Honda car dealers because one reason is when I travel if there is an issue of a recent dealer service center visit on my cars , the limited warranty will have to be honored by any Honda dealer in another state or outside my local area. The one thing I don't like is the dealer constantly asking of me of selling my cars back to the dealer because of their limited amount of cars to sell. Not my problem.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

The mechanic in my town is stellar. I feel more comfortable going to his shop than the dealer. Being a small town business means he should (and does) care about his reputation and if he dishonest word would get around fast and not have a business any more.

Being such a small place there isn't a problem with non dealer mechanics. In fact the land rover and VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) independent workshops have much better reputations than the dealer.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

@Figgy1

 

[Lilofan]

Being such a small place there isn't a problem with non dealer mechanics. In fact the land rover and VAG independent workshops have much better reputations than the dealer.

The local Land Rover dealers made up this crazy policy of they will not service LR vehicles made prior to 2012. So owners of owners of older Discovery Defender and Freelander are out of luck.