derangedperson
02-08-2007, 08:58 PM
I drive a 2001 Volkswagen Beetle that I call "The Tank." I refer to it as such 'cause it's been through a lot--my parents bought it brand new and signed it over to me after I graduated high school; it's all paid off, so good on that. Anyway, here's a list of things that have happened to it:
*Skidded into a ditch the morning after a snowstorm
*Hole punched in the oil pan by a rock; oil pan welded by my dad's co-worker
*Jumped a curb and cracked the same oil pan; had to buy a new one
*Minor ass-end impact; no damage
*Double curb jump; no damage, but underside of bumper and fender scut up
*Front end impact; had to replace headlight and turn signal (NOT MY FAULT!)
No court dates, no charges filed, no harm, no foul.
But that's not what I'm talking about.
The Tank has nearly 100,000 miles on it--it's an old man. Recently, I knocked the knob off of the side view mirror adjuster, the front brakes were worn out, and my window wouldn't roll down (the window regulator crapped out). It was just one damn thing after another.
And then the "Check Engine" light came on. :rant:
I found out that my catalytic converter was busted and it'd cost me roughly $600 to replace it. I was not happy. So here I was with a car that was falling apart on me, and I want to keep this thing running, dammit, so I decided to fix it.
The morning after (a Monday), I got the brakes fixed and went up to the dealership where it was bought all those years ago and got a new window regulator (the thing was as big as the door itself, I shit you not), and arranged for it to be installed on Wednesday.
So Wednesday rolls around and I pull into the dealership waiting for the part to be installed. I ask about the mirror adjuster and inform the head mechanic of the "Check Engine" light, and I go to wait.
After about 5 minutes, he comes back in to tell me they do have a replacement mirror adjuster--I'm already paying $150 for the installation of the window regulator, and this part costs about $67 with a roughly $20 installation fee. I say, "Install it," and off he goes.
About 5 minutes after that, he walks back in and tells me about the "Check Engine" light and about the CC, and then he said something that made my day:
"It's still covered under warranty. Do you want to replace it?"
I couldn't believe it. I was so much in shock that I asked him twice if he was serious. He said "Yes" each time, so my response was an enthusiastic "DO IT!" Three hours and $237 later, my car was fixed and ready to go. The window rolled down, the mirrors adjusted, and best of all, that persistent rattle was gone and I had a free $600 piece of vital equipment installed as well.
And a brief afterword--this past weekend here in Wisconsin, we had subzero temperatures the entire time, and The Tank had to be jumpstarted twice in as many days just to get running. So after the second time I said "The hell with this!" and bought a new battery.
Now The Tank runs better than it has in years, it doesn't eat as much gas as it did before, and it stops on a dime. It felt great to knock all that out in one fell swoop.
VICTORY IS MINE!
*Skidded into a ditch the morning after a snowstorm
*Hole punched in the oil pan by a rock; oil pan welded by my dad's co-worker
*Jumped a curb and cracked the same oil pan; had to buy a new one
*Minor ass-end impact; no damage
*Double curb jump; no damage, but underside of bumper and fender scut up
*Front end impact; had to replace headlight and turn signal (NOT MY FAULT!)
No court dates, no charges filed, no harm, no foul.
But that's not what I'm talking about.
The Tank has nearly 100,000 miles on it--it's an old man. Recently, I knocked the knob off of the side view mirror adjuster, the front brakes were worn out, and my window wouldn't roll down (the window regulator crapped out). It was just one damn thing after another.
And then the "Check Engine" light came on. :rant:
I found out that my catalytic converter was busted and it'd cost me roughly $600 to replace it. I was not happy. So here I was with a car that was falling apart on me, and I want to keep this thing running, dammit, so I decided to fix it.
The morning after (a Monday), I got the brakes fixed and went up to the dealership where it was bought all those years ago and got a new window regulator (the thing was as big as the door itself, I shit you not), and arranged for it to be installed on Wednesday.
So Wednesday rolls around and I pull into the dealership waiting for the part to be installed. I ask about the mirror adjuster and inform the head mechanic of the "Check Engine" light, and I go to wait.
After about 5 minutes, he comes back in to tell me they do have a replacement mirror adjuster--I'm already paying $150 for the installation of the window regulator, and this part costs about $67 with a roughly $20 installation fee. I say, "Install it," and off he goes.
About 5 minutes after that, he walks back in and tells me about the "Check Engine" light and about the CC, and then he said something that made my day:
"It's still covered under warranty. Do you want to replace it?"
I couldn't believe it. I was so much in shock that I asked him twice if he was serious. He said "Yes" each time, so my response was an enthusiastic "DO IT!" Three hours and $237 later, my car was fixed and ready to go. The window rolled down, the mirrors adjusted, and best of all, that persistent rattle was gone and I had a free $600 piece of vital equipment installed as well.
And a brief afterword--this past weekend here in Wisconsin, we had subzero temperatures the entire time, and The Tank had to be jumpstarted twice in as many days just to get running. So after the second time I said "The hell with this!" and bought a new battery.
Now The Tank runs better than it has in years, it doesn't eat as much gas as it did before, and it stops on a dime. It felt great to knock all that out in one fell swoop.
VICTORY IS MINE!