Posted on 06/06/2021 7:47:17 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
When Hilton bought her car new back in the day, she paid $463,000 for it. A newer buyer got it for the exceptional deal of $180,000 (the depreciation alone should have been a bad sign)... only to find that the service fees on it were, uh.... large.
That new buyer took the car in for an oil change and walked out with his wallet $34,565 lighter, like: “A Service,” which is not specific and is listed for $2,105 A new power steering pump, $2,22o A steering rack, $6,270 A Mercedes turbine-styled wheel to replace the bent one on the car, $1,899 OEM battery replacement, $1,350 Gas door struts, $2,500 Brake line mounts, $1,350 Tire pressure monitoring sensors, $1,700 Brake caliper cooling ducts, $1,250 Wipers, $105 Washer nozzle, $500 Gas cap tether, $100 Tire fit container, $215 Drain plug replacement $850 Among other things
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
I have no problem with the free market. Mechanics have families to feed, too. And conversely fools and their money.... Yada yada yada.
Soooo glad our state dumped the inspection requirement a few years ago.
My low mile, babied car supposedly failed brake inspection on one of those drive-on brake testers. I knew damn well my brakes were fine. Had to take it back to the dealership where i bought it to get a safety certificate so i could register the car. The dealer Tech said the brakes were in like new condition. Love it when you get your lug nuts overtightened by some 18 year old at the quick lube joint. I had only driven the car 150 miles one year but, you guessed it, i had to get another safety inspection to register it for the next year.
Strangely enough the world has not come to an end with elimination of safety inspections. And to those who support safety inspections - you can still get them, every week if it makes you feel better.
Most likely half of the price is trying to finally get the spots off the Upholstery.
wy69
—”One slight problem...the car didn’t have a clock.”
Had a Ford Expedition with the Triton engine.
Zero problems, 100 k miles, gave it to our son.
About a year later son calls and asks if I ever replaced the plugs? He was getting an error code.
I said bring it over and we’ll have dinner and do the plugs.
He said it is nothing like you think and I will send you the procedure... Like nothing, I have seen before, 2-piece spark plugs and they break apart!!!!
We followed the shop procedure to the letter slowly and carefully. It took over eight hours! NONE BROKE.
A friend took his to the dealer...One slight problem...they didn’t do any work and charged him $1100.00!!!
He found a local that specialized in just plug Trition replacement. $400.00 plus $75 for any that break off.
Zero broke.
I helped change the spark plugs on a late 60s big block Corvette and it took hours. 1. Remove hood. 2. Disconnect and drain radiator. 3. Remove radiator. 4. Loosen motor and transmission mount bolts. 5. Jack up motor an inch to give wrench access. 6. Remove and replace spark plugs. Reverse 1-5 and hope you didn't goof anything.
That Corvette's era of sport car was very simple compared to any supercar. Lots of raw power but simple. BTW, the Corvette was quite a beast. Engine was rebuilt with Offenhauser parts. Big zoom.
Lots of things join their forces to suck $$$ from the owner. Expensive parts, expensive labor and complex machines.
I have no particular problem with what people charge or pay for goods and services, as long as both parties agree. And by the way, the fool (my former boss) also owned, in the mid-90’s, an F355 and a Porsche 969 as well as his beloved Testarossa. Not bad for a poor kid from Brooklyn turned entrepreneur who once was given a choice between jail and a stint in the military. He chose the Navy.
similar to the old farmer who took his favorite cow to the neighbors bull to be serviced
—”I have owned two MB C class cars “
One of my cousins likes Mercs.
He said there is nothing on the car that can be repaired for less than one thousand dollars.
He has recently moved to the Cadillac V, probably no difference?
I replaced the plugs on a 2004 caddy cts for my kid
Pita, you have to take off the intake manifold
I had a car — I don’t remember which one — that required the engine to be lifted off its mounts a couple of inches in order to replace the oil filter. It was one of the many $hit boxes that I owned in the early 80s.
Or to buy enough lumber to build a picnic table and bench.
Not really
Own one, you will find out
Toyotas and Hondas have the best reliability ratings year after year
The only vehicle I would ever consider out of the GM lineup would be the corvette or the Chevy Express 3500 van
2004 Caddy CTS used the same engine as the Caddy Catera of 96-2001
And yes, you do need to take off the manifold to get to the plugs
Wait till you have to do the timing belt, which should be done very 60K or less
Sounds like a SAAB
1,000 count box of round tooth picks perhaps.
Volvo. ‘07 S80 V8 AWD. When it’s good it’s good. When it’s bad, check your credit line.
Nope. I had all American cars, all but one made before 1972. The newer one was an 82 Olds Cutlass Ciera. That was a steaming pile. It died when a piston rod snapped. It was only 4-ish years old at the time.
Always wanted one of those
Awesome cars
I keep eye out for a low mileage garage kept one on marketplace and cars dot com
All real saabs have 4 cylinder engines, and plugs are easy to replace.
(yeah ok there were a few 3 cylinder 2 strokes but plugs were also easy on those)
We got it used out of Miami when we were still in FL in ‘09. Has 104k on it now. Which ain’t too much for a 14 yrs old. The V8 is the dual OHC 4.4L. Sounds nice and runs pretty darn quick. Maybe I can convince Mrs rktman to install a cat back borla system. :-}
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