Automobile suspension alignments

[ExFlyBoy5]

+1 on service writers. They usually make $ off commission. Every time I go in for my free (or deeply discounted) oil change, I get the list of "urgent action items" that he STRONGLY recommends. They have even started giving me a 4 page color "personalized action list" that shows lots of worst case scenario pictures and lots of red/bold sentences. I bet they get a lot of suckers with these scare tactics.

I can't remember the last time I had ANY of my cars alignment adjusted. My current cars have 90K and 49K miles and have never had an alignment. The highest mileage car I have ever had was a '93 Ford Ranger that had well over 200K on it when I got rid of it...no alignment ever. I think I put 3 sets of tires on it while I had it.

If it's not called for in the manufacturers list of maintenance, I don't have it done.

Oh yeah...I am also loving the "Hey...you will get a survey, if you can't give me a 10, then please don't do it...OK? Is that OK?" Happens every single visit.

 

[haha]

This is the main reason I am very happy to not even own a car. I am never going to get priced out of transportation. I only own my condo and a few changes of underwear. I would prefer not to own anything but the underwear, but in a dynamic real estate market, renting is a risk that I prefer not to run. I know many are willing to move downmarket if necessary, but I am not.

Incidentally, I think the "sharing economy" my be a real deflationary force for some time. If 20-50 people people can use one Uber car, I would not want to be an auto manufacturer. With self driving cars this will be much stronger. Autos drove the US economy for 100 years, but imo that era is coming to a close. Though suburban living may give it a big extension. Non dangerous and adequate free schools in an upscale suburb are a mighty draw for parents.

Ha

 

[JoeWras]

Incidentally, I think the "sharing economy" my be a real deflationary force for some time. If 20-50 people people can use one Uber car, I would not want to be an auto manufacturer. With self driving cars this will be much stronger. Autos drove the US economy for 100 years, but imo that era is coming to a close. Though suburban living may give it a big extension. Non dangerous and adequate free schools in an upscale suburb are a mighty draw for parents.

Ha

I won't deny that sharing economy will have an effect. But I can say a lot of us don't necessarily want to share other's bedbugs and slobber. Not everyone is going to sign up, but yeah, the post 2000 generation is currently heavily into it and I cannot deny that.

Another factor with these service writers is that stuff is simply not breaking very much on cars anymore. These guys have to manufacture problems. It is very irritating, and it is only going to get "worse" for the cash cow service bays of the dealers.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I won't deny that sharing economy will have an effect. But I can say a lot of us don't necessarily want to share other's bedbugs and slobber. Not everyone is going to sign up, but yeah, the post 2000 generation is currently heavily into it and I cannot deny that.

I know this is a little off topic but I often wonder why we don't *share* more. Everybody on the street has their own trash service @ $22 a month. You could easily share one service between 3 houses. And high speed internet? People pay $100 or more for their "own service" when you could share between 3 or more homes. Yard equipment? No way people share...gotta have my own. So...I don't know that the post 2000 folks really share all that much.

OK...back to your normally scheduled topic.

 

[haha]

I won't deny that sharing economy will have an effect. But I can say a lot of us don't necessarily want to share other's bedbugs and slobber.

Eloquently stated, But really, when you take a cab or plane do you slobber much?

The sharing economy only gets tricky when you are sharing bed partners, which I am told is not unknown in any case.

 

[JoeWras]

I know this is a little off topic but I often wonder why we don't *share* more.

I share over 10% of what I make, which is abhorrent to most people here.

But I don't share my lawnmower. Call me crazy.

Eloquently stated, But really, when you take a cab or plane do you slobber much?

I reserve my slobbering for only when I'm in taxis, Uber cars, and busses in Pacific Northwest cities.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I share over 10% of what I make, which is abhorrent to most people here.

wow your tax liability is pretty low

 

[haha]

I share over 10% of what I make, which is abhorrent to most people here.

But I don't share my lawnmower. Call me crazy.



I reserve my slobbering for only when I'm in taxis, Uber cars, and busses in Pacific Northwest cities.

LOL!

 

[Texas Proud]

I know this is a little off topic but I often wonder why we don't *share* more. Everybody on the street has their own trash service @ $22 a month. You could easily share one service between 3 houses. And high speed internet? People pay $100 or more for their "own service" when you could share between 3 or more homes. Yard equipment? No way people share...gotta have my own. So...I don't know that the post 2000 folks really share all that much.

OK...back to your normally scheduled topic.

One of the thing you mention IS shared... my internet speed depends on if my neighbors are using a lot of bandwidth or not.... if not, my speed is faster than if they are... we share a 'common line' that has only a certain amount of data....

Now, we all have to pay our outrageous price for this.... but that is just the way our economy works...


BTW, I also 'share' lawn equipment as I pay someone to do the yard... one of the problems is that his mower will bring weeds to our yard!!! Some sharing I would like to not have....

 

[JoeWras]

BTW, I also 'share' lawn equipment as I pay someone to do the yard... one of the problems is that his mower will bring weeds to our yard!!! Some sharing I would like to not have....

Ah, I'll have to remember that if FUEGO asks me to borrow my mower. "You don't want it, unless you want brown spot." (Fescue and brown spot, a whole different matter.)

But this discussion which I innocently started as a dig on service writers has gone in an interesting, and somewhat satifying direction.

You know, when we were kids, our parents complained of the "throw away" society. Now, I'm not saying we still don't have that issue, but you have to admit that a lot of things have changed.

Cars last longer. When was the last time you saw a muffler ready to fall off? LED fixtures promise to last longer. At least in my case -- my HVAC is built better than the previous (YMMV).

That has caused whole disruptions in the economy. And now the prospect of ride sharing and self driving cars brings up a whole different set of disruptions to a portion of the economy that does sustain a lot of families.

I had a family member get out of the auto repair business in the early 80s because he couldn't handle the increasing electronics. That was during a period when there was a service station every corner. They were all converted to convenience centers.

And it continues. It continues now to the point that they have to create problems for us to beg for their business.

 

[Big_Hitter]

it's just a paradigm shift - pretty soon all these service advisors will work as financial advisors

 

[FUEGO]

I've had very uneven wear and an eventual blow out at high speeds on curvy roads (fortunately a slow-ish blow out and I felt the car fishtail immediately after I lost pressure). It was severely out of alignment. Maybe the blowout was due to uneven wear (probably) or maybe the tires reached the end of their life (they looked fine when we left Raleigh; worn through to the cloth and steel less than 1000 miles later in the Adirondacks).

YMMV, and I've only done 2 alignments during the joint maintenance of our 2 Hondas (sold both earlier this year). $70 or so here in Raleigh, which might save me from replacing tires 10-20k miles prematurely (or more if they are brand new). I've never had my tire shop (probably your tire shop and that of at least one other ER Forum member - is across from Costco?) recommend an alignment unless there was uneven wear, and never heard a dealer recommend it (Leith Honda is where I generally took mine if they were cheaper than Tao Auto).

I saw your mower borrowing comment. You definitely don't want to lend me your mower since my yard is mostly weeds. It's green, but its weeds.

 

[aja8888]

it's just a paradigm shift - pretty soon all these service advisors will work as financial advisors

Now that's funny, but it may become true.

 

[JoeWras]

it's just a paradigm shift - pretty soon all these service advisors will work as financial advisors

Now that's funny.

I've never had my tire shop (probably your tire shop and that of at least one other ER Forum member - is across from Costco?) recommend an alignment unless there was uneven wear, and never heard a dealer recommend it (Leith Honda is where I generally took mine if they were cheaper than Tao Auto).

I saw your mower borrowing comment. You definitely don't want to lend me your mower since my yard is mostly weeds. It's green, but its weeds.

Yep! Same shop.

Nope, don't want your weeds. Now see, we've established everyone should have their own mower. It helps stop the spread of diseases and weeds AND keeps the economy humming.

 

[FUEGO]

Nope, don't want your weeds. Now see, we've established everyone should have their own mower. It helps stop the spread of diseases and weeds AND keeps the economy humming.

Too funny. We'll have to have a Raleigh ER Forum meetup at the tire shop.

They have the best prices, great quarterly sales (or used to anyway) and the free rotation/balance with any installation is a good deal too. Plus free air and puncture repair if you stop by.

 

[Bamaman]

This is the main reason I am very happy to not even own a car. I am never going to get priced out of transportation. I only own my condo and a few changes of underwear. I would prefer not to own anything but the underwear, but in a dynamic real estate market, renting is a risk that I prefer not to run. I know many are willing to move downmarket if necessary, but I am not.

Incidentally, I think the "sharing economy" my be a real deflationary force for some time. If 20-50 people people can use one Uber car, I would not want to be an auto manufacturer. With self driving cars this will be much stronger. Autos drove the US economy for 100 years, but imo that era is coming to a close. Though suburban living may give it a big extension. Non dangerous and adequate free schools in an upscale suburb are a mighty draw for parents.

Ha

Maybe you need to get out of Hooverville and visit Hooterville--where most of the U.S. citizens live. We see no evidence of the sharing economy in force at the present time. Heck, we don't even do any recycling and our public schools are still just fine.

 

[BLS53]

My line of thinking with newer cars, is that all the required maintenance that was drilled into our heads 50 years ago, in many cases no longer applies. Other than fluid changes, I don't do anything unless something doesn't feel right, or is making noise.

Repair facilities, dealer or otherwise, are all commission driven. They're a bunch of fear mongers, that rank right along with TV meteorologist in needlessly scaring people for their own economic gain.

 

[haha]

Maybe you need to get out of Hooverville and visit Hooterville--where most of the U.S. citizens live. We see no evidence of the sharing economy in force at the present time. Heck, we don't even do any recycling and our public schools are still just fine.

I could sure go for no recycling. It has become so crazy here that it takes longer to get rid of your garbage than it took to buy the stuff and haul it home in the first place.

Today I had to pay $75 to get rid of some crappy accordion doors I had taken out of my bedroom. Still it's all good when I walk down the street and enjoy all the people, or take a $1, twenty minute bus ride to the Beach.

Ha



Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Big_Hitter]

Today I had to pay $75 to get rid of some crappy accordion doors I had taken out of my bedroom.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

that's what a truck+landfill is for...$11 per load

 

[FUEGO]

that's what a truck+landfill is for...$11 per load

And hundreds or thousands per year in depreciation, maintenance, taxes, insurance, (maybe) parking, etc. Haha gets most places for a buck.