| Dec. 2nd, 2005 @ 11:16 pm The Old Fashioned Way |
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Current Mood:  cranky
Current Music: Shut Your Mouth - Garbage
Car Service. There are not two words I loathe more, except perhaps "yearly check-up". Is that two and a half words? Oh well, anyway.
My car is a 2001 model Ford Laser. It has only done about 55 000 kms. So it's still a baby. One would presume that the service would be just that - new and fresh. $69 from Midas. I don't think so. Let's try $250. Apparently my rear brake pads required replacing, which I don't mind. What I do mind is that it costs about $160! I change brake shoes at work, and if I charged my boss $80 a shoe, he'd be going purple. Of course, I change brake shoes on locomotive wagons in a railyard, but really, what's the difference?
Mechanics of the web, enlighten me - I absolutely hate getting ripped off as much as I hate yearly check-ups. I struggle to feed myself each week and yet I can willingly give over 250 big ones to some guy who thinks I probably don't know the boot from the bonnet. Now as much as I condone stupidity on my own behalf, ignorance is another matter. I paid an extra twenty bucks to get the engine flushed, as I am always leaving my car in a dusty environment I thought it might help, but suddenly he pops up with an air filter problem, fuel flushing and some other flushings that frankly I associate with my yearly check-up.
Either way I feel as if I'm on a cold table with my legs akimbo and vulnerable.
Back in the old days, you'd get what you paid for, it'd take all day and they'd wash your windows and vaccuum your car. Well, Brisbane must still be in a time warp as they do it up there - it's only down here in Ripoffsville Sydney that you get a hidden agenda from your mechanic.
In fact, I now hate the words 'car service' more than 'yearly check-up'. |