My trip to the Ford store

[Bam]

My car has factory Brembos and cross drilled rotors. The rotors have to be replaced when you change pads because they are crossed drilled.

For factory parts and service… the dealer wanted $2400 just for the fronts.

A well regarded tuner will can do it using quality aftermarket parts and labor for $600 TOTAL

Dealer won't even include a loaner!

 

[Hemlock]

Cross drilled rotors are for cooling. If the rotors are too thin to be remachined would be the only reason they have to be replaced. Not because their cross drilled.

 

[Mikej]

Car dealership service centers

I'd always done most of my own stuff too. I was a Honda motorcycle wrench for some years. Rebuilt a little 4-banger Plymouth Arrow motor in the garage. Replaced the differential housing in a half ton pick-up I'd spun a bearing in on the side of the road in front of my house. Differential/axle bearings on the '84 GMC pick-up I still have. All the easy stuff, brakes, water pumps, radiator, etc.

I always took the CR-v we bought new in 2005 to the dealership for regular fluid changes. Trans, brake, differential, engine oil. I'd never even crawled under it to see what it took to do the oil. When the dealers oil changes jumped from the neighborhood of $19.00-$34.99 to $59.99 3/4 years or so ago...Screw 'em! I started doing it myself. Brakes, diff oil and the 110,000 valve adj. Dang thing was just like a big motor cycle engine with four valves/cylinder! Already had all the tools even.
I'll still have to take it to them to do coolant/brake fluid/trans flush though.

 

[revjen45]

I know enough about cars and motorcycles to do most of my own work, but with poly arthritis it becomes too difficult physically. So now I just pay somebody who knows WTF they're doing. The mechanics I patronize have shown me that they rate my trust over an extended period of time.
PM me for shops I have found to be honest and competent in Everett.

 

[Mikej]

The mechanics I patronize have shown me that they rate my trust over an extended period of time.
PM me for shops I have found to be honest and competent in Everett.

That's a real good thing to know. The problem is all the money you have to spend to find the bad before and during finding the good. It would be nice if mechanics actually talked to and explained what is going on. Didn't act like they see themselves as some lord and saviour. Them being able to sense that I'm no moron is what is missing. Nothing I hate WORSE in this world than being treated like I'm completely oblivious to everything. I'll tell a person when I know nothing about something!

 

[Flopsweat]

I know enough about cars and motorcycles to do most of my own work, but with poly arthritis it becomes too difficult physically. So now I just pay somebody who knows WTF they're doing. The mechanics I patronize have shown me that they rate my trust over an extended period of time.
PM me for shops I have found to be honest and competent in Everett.

A fellow I knew years ago, once he was no longer able to crawl under his car, had neighborhood kid help him. The kid wanted to learn about old cars. My friend would sit next to the car and direct the kid on what to do. Oil changes, maintenance, repairs and so forth. They both had a great time and the car made it through unscathed.

 

[ma96782]

RE: Gettin' old and doing your own repairs.

I use to do a lot of my own car work mostly because of tight household money issues. Yup....I purchased a bunch of tools along the way too. But now a days its a matter of.....


Aloha, Mark

 

[boattail]

I hate the way dealerships run the shops. Simply dropping off your vehicle and leaving it just ticks me off. I had warranty work done on my 2008 duramax a few times and the list of items they said needed replaced, like tires, brakes, oil....I had to threaten them to get my rig back. Next time in I told them up front to skip the safety inspection and just fix the part. For that one they did not fix it until late in the day and I had to get it the next day. After that I just replaced the warranty parts myself and ate the cost.

At 125k I took it to another dealer to have every fluid changed except the engine oil and filter. I wanted a fuel filter and both diff oils changed along with trans and transfer case. The work order said in big bold letters "DO NOT CHANGE ENGINE OIL AND FILTER". When I got the bill and saw they changed the oil and used an oil that I did not use I hit the roof. It took me about an hour to get my bill changed and credited for the oil change I did not ask for. While I was waiting I saw where they checked tire air pressure and adjusted the air to 65 psi down from the 80 psi I had in them. Back in the shop it went for the air to be brought back up. I had a long talk with the manager about doing things that we not asked.

I have not been back into a dealer since.

Funny story about that last dealer.....my wife had a used GMC 1/2 ton pickup that was a lemon. It was constantly breaking down and needed towed in and I took it to that dealership. I was getting so mad at the vehicle I wanted to sell it but I had too much money in it fixing it to dump it at that moment. I hauled it in on trailers, had local tow companies haul it in, and limped it in once or twice. The last time it broke down I had it towed to my house. From there I towed it to the dealer behind my fully restored 1930 Ford model AA tow truck. I pulled in and the manager came out as a crowd formed around my tow truck. As I was unhooking the GMC the manager told me that my tow truck was nice but to not bring it back to the GMC dealership again as it was a Ford. I told him to fix the pile of crap so it never comes back and we have a deal. That GMC went 100k before it broke down again.

 

[revjen45]

"It would be nice if mechanics actually talked to and explained what is going on. Didn't act like they see themselves as some lord and saviour."
The shops I patronize do speak to me and listen.
The Harley mechanic knows what I want and I trust him for honesty and competence.
I can say the same for the automotive shop.
Yeah, picking through the rip-offs and incompetents is an expensive PITA.

 

[gmerkt]

They said it looked like the last service never cleaned it out properly before refilling with oil.

Especially important when they replace an axle bearing. Which leaves a lot of metal dust mixed in with the lube. Doing it right goes against their goal of beating the flat rate clock. They won't carefully clean out the axle tube with a shotgun cleaning rod like I do, for example.

I always took the CR-v we bought new in 2005 to the dealership for regular fluid changes. Trans, brake, differential, engine oil. I'd never even crawled under it to see what it took to do the oil.

Mrs. M. has a 2012 Hyundai Elantra, I don't want to do anything to that car and haven't done much. Changed wiper blades recently. Fortunately, it never breaks down. I did change the battery in it once when that wore out. As to regular service, which is oil and filter change mostly, it goes to the dealer for that. I am capable, but I simply don't want to mess with it. They still have the loss-leader oil changes. I'm game for working on just about anything on one of my Fords, so long as it doesn't involve a lot of computer diagnosis.

Since Mrs. M. retired about four years ago, the mileage accumulation on the Hyndai has stalled at about 86K miles. It's been there for a couple of years. As this rate, it will last the rest of her lifetime. I'm taking it in to the dealer next week because of a factory recall. A tire pump replacement? I didn't know it had a tire pump but it must be there somewhere. I'm also having them change the oil before it hits the miles because it's aged out. This dealer in Everett, WA has been a good business to deal with.

Slightly funny story. When we bought the car new in late 2011, the salesman told us that Korean people sometimes come into the store and demand a discount because the car is a Korean make. I think the one we bought was assembled in an American factory somewhere.

 

[kmk1012]

I'm taking it in to the dealer next week because of a factory recall. A tire pump replacement? I didn't know it had a tire pump but it must be there somewhere.

Most newer cars don't have spare tires and the buyer only gets an air pump or even just a can of fix a flat.

 

[gmerkt]

Most newer cars don't have spare tires and the buyer only gets an air pump or even just a can of fix a flat.

Yes, this is the case exactly with this Hyundai. The spare tire well is under the mat in the luggage compartment, and originally had a big styrofoam insert in it. No spare, no jack. Well, we went along many years like that, no flat tires. But there have been times when I've gone out to drive a car, flat tire overnight. I have many spare tires and wheels for my Ford cars, none for the Hyundai. So one of my 2019 projects was to get a new spare wheel, new tire, and jack for the Hyundai. Which I did. The jack is a used part from a Dodge van (came from Habitat for Humanity). I had an extra 1/2 inch drive breaker bar and socket so that's in there now.

When I made the appointment to get the recall seen to, I told the service writer I wasn't aware of a tire pump aboard the car, had never seen one if it's there. He said no problem, they'd replace it regardless.

Since my last post, I checked and this car was built in Montgomery, Alabama.

My 72 Ranch Wagon has a full-size spare, which was normal in that era. My 04 Crown Vic came new with an emergency spare. This is a car that I've rolled a lot of long distance miles on, so I replaced that with a new full size wheel and tire. I didn't want to come up with a flat tire somewhere on Hwy. 95 in Nevada with only an emergency spare. My 06 Mercury GM has an emergency spare in it. The 09 ex-cop car has a full size wheel and spare.

 

[Mikej]

My 72 Ranch Wagon has a full-size spare, which was normal in that era.

"Family Truckster"! Yeah, I know, the one in the move was a Country Squire. Those old boats were something else.