Can't afford it? Then don't drive it!

[Automan Empire]

The correct oil filter for the mercedes uses a FLEECE filter medium, and full synthetic oil. My fellow mechanics who work on Mercedes are always showing pictures of sludge-caked engines that were taken to cheap oil change places.

When presented with a multi-thousand dollar estimate to repair this damage, they usually say, "I thought Mercedes were supposed to be GOOD CARS!"

[blas]

Catcus Jack, I would not wish a soldering gun on anyone. Really. They are dangerous.

[protege]

But you better dang well have insurance on it or people from my department may be calling you with a debt you owe from an accident in the 5 or even 6 figures. It's much more expensive to take the risk of *not* having insurance. Trust me.

Yep, the guy who landed my dad in the hospital back in August knows all about that. The prick didn't have insurance on his POS Pontiac...and is probably scared shitless right now. Why? Well, he ran a stop sign, and hit my dad's car (which was moving at about 40mph) head-on. Since the guy was driving without insurance, my dad sued his ass. Not only is the guy going to be charged with the accident, but for not having insurance as well. Hefty fines are coming his way. Serves the asshole right.

Back on topic here, quite a few people will buy expensive cars...and then not bother to maintain them. If they do spend the cash, repairs are done as cheaply as possible. Then they wonder why the car has issues For example, some Ferrari models require the cambelts to be changed every so often. Those belts are under some serious stress..and if they go, you've turned your exotic engine into an expensive paperweight

[Kristev]

I suggest that, since the law does require that all cars have insurance, we demand the laws be changed to require that all car insurance be affordable.

[Reyneth]

And these people would go "*sigh*, bankruptcy again". Believe me, you wouldn't see a cent of it, because they don't have a cent to their name unless it's illegally acquired.

But they won't get their license back either - unless it was a state we had to get a court-ordered judgement to request suspension.

[Kristev]

Does that actualy stop anyone, except for me, from driving?

[Andara Bledin]

Does that actualy stop anyone, except for me, from driving?

Well, after a while, it gets expensive to keep bailing cars out of impound.

In California, if you get caught driving without a valid license, your car gets impounded for a minimum of something like 90 days. Then you not only have to pay the impound fees, but you also get hit with storage for it, too... It's not cheap to get caught driving illegally.

If you let someone without a valid license drive your car, the only way to get it back is to charge that they stole it.

^-.-^

[protege]

I suggest that, since the law does require that all cars have insurance, we demand the laws be changed to require that all car insurance be affordable.

Unfortunately, you're always going to have people who really *shouldn't* be driving. Like the guy who put my dad in the hospital 2 months ago. That prick was in a hurry and ran a stop sign. He hit my dad's car head-on and he was lucky to come out of the wreck with serious bruises. Granted, some of them were *internal* bruises, but otherwise...he didn't get fucked up, even though he was in a small Hyundai, and the other guy was driving a much-larger Pontiac sedan. People like that guy *should* be charged a high interest rate.

Higher rates for high-risk drivers are fine with me. Why penalize the rest of us who don't drive like idiots?

[FritzCat]

When presented with a multi-thousand dollar estimate to repair this damage, they usually say, "I thought Mercedes were supposed to be GOOD CARS!"

I used to work at an auto repair place, and some guy brought in his Honda because it was "acting funny." When we pulled the oil drain plug something resembling refrigerated molasses oozed out. I asked him when he last changed his oil and he replied "change the oil? I thought Hondas were supposed to be reliable cars!" They usually are, as long as you change the oil once in a while. He'd driven about 35,000 miles on the factory oil and filter! I pointed him towards the dealer and wished him luck.

[aurelemsrealm]

Thank you for reminding me that I need to get my oil changed soon. Between family, school, and work, I find such things sometimes slip my mind.

I was never one to worry about having a status symbol type of vehicle. I was always content just to have a vehicle that looked decent and ran well. A sporty vehicle would be nice, but I know people who have sports cars. They require more maintenance than I want to deal with, personally. Lucky for me, my dad used to be a mechanic before he had to quit due to back problems. I never had much interest in doing mechanical work, but have tried to learn what needs done and when in regards to proper maintenance so that I always have a reliable vehicle. If in doubt, I usually call Dad to ask him what I need to know. Simple things I do myself, usually, but take it to the mechanic for anything else.

[ravevolution]

For example, some Ferrari models require the cambelts to be changed every so often. Those belts are under some serious stress..and if they go, you've turned your exotic engine into an expensive paperweight

I have heard that Ferrari owners get a really damn good maintenance package with the cars. I guess as Ferrari sees it if your willing to plow down some bucks on their product you deserve free lifetime maintenance, think also road side assistance 24/7

I used to work at an auto repair place, and some guy brought in his Honda because it was "acting funny." When we pulled the oil drain plug something resembling refrigerated molasses oozed out. I asked him when he last changed his oil and he replied "change the oil? I thought Hondas were supposed to be reliable cars!" They usually are, as long as you change the oil once in a while. He'd driven about 35,000 miles on the factory oil and filter! I pointed him towards the dealer and wished him luck.

I had that happen too a while back, had some couple complaining their car was acting funny after they had their oil change done with us. Guess they figured they could blame us for their vehicle repairs due to their negligence. It ended up being they hadn't changed the oil since 25,000 miles after it was serviced with us. I did the same, pointed them to the dealer and wished them luck.

But back on topic a bit I'm not saying if you can't afford to take of your vehicle you should not be on the road (though it does make sense, after all a national study showed that 60% of vehicles on the road are driving with improperly inflated/worn tires) But I do think if your willing to buy a luxury class vehicle you should be able to pay a luxury price to take care of it. My douchebag of an uncle bought a BMW a couple of years ago and was griping one day bout how expensive it was to have the light bulb replaced on it and all I could think it was what one of my CWs said once "Ya gotta pay to play!"

[tropicsgoddess]

I suggest that, since the law does require that all cars have insurance, we demand the laws be changed to require that all car insurance be affordable.

But they won't get their license back either - unless it was a state we had to get a court-ordered judgement to request suspension.

That and if you are late with your insurance policy payment, you can bet your ass in the State of Florida that a notice will be sent to Tallahassee and have your license suspended along with you getting a hefty fine.

I'm a car snob and I have my reasons: dependability, maintenance, size, gas mileage among other things. Dunno about Benzes, but Beemers are a pain and expensive to maintain. I love my Civic! Runs like a champ, great on gas (for a '93 4 cylinder), my insurance is decent and isn't a pain in terms of parts and maintenance. It's not cheap to buy and maintain a car generally but it all depends on the kind of car you get and the condition it's in too.

[Chromatix]

Old Mercedes cars tend to be built to last. More recent ones, not so much - they rely on the maintenance regime to keep them running (like Rolls-Royce, unfortunately).

[Sapphire Silk]

But they won't get their license back either - unless it was a state we had to get a court-ordered judgement to request suspension.

Does that actualy stop anyone, except for me, from driving?

In Delaware, if you are caught with no license and no insurance, it is a quick trip to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I saw a lot of these idiots when I worked at the Delaware Correctional Center.

[Andara Bledin]

In Delaware, if you are caught with no license and no insurance, it is a quick trip to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I saw a lot of these idiots when I worked at the Delaware Correctional Center.

In California, they take away the car. For 90 days. The only exception is if it belongs to someone else and they are willing to report it as having been stolen. A 90-day impound racks up quite a hefty fee.

^-.-^