I'd say Cadillac is the wrong brand for that particular customer.
Ever run into the old, I only need it to last 6 more months, crowd?
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To paraphrase Heinlein, humans are good at rationalizing, but not always so great at being rational.
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Really? Wasn’t aware of that, thanks!
I guess I’m at the other end of the spectrum. I will tear into one of our vehicles to maybe do front brakes and end up with struts, sway bar links, etc. I maintain a private fleet of forklifts and other stuff to and I preach to fix it right-fix it once. If one over the mast hose blows then it’s time to do both of them, stuff like that. Their downtime is a fraction of what it was.
Dealership I work at runs a 5 oil changes for $99.95 pre paid maintenance package. So yes, I see this all the time. Just document everything and CYA! These are usually the same people that are in the ever since club or call about a check engine light they want diagnosed for free because "you guys have been the ones keeping up on the repairs" I always get the accounting file signed by the customer with unsafe to drive highlighted if there are any safety issues.
It's not so unique. Carfax is near worthless for making assumptions about things you DON'T see whether it be oil changes or (esp. collision) repairs, only good for bad things it does indicate.
Screw that, last thing I want is the extra burden of logging things again, a THIRD time since I already keep paper receipts as well as digital receipts and paper scans.
Plus I don't want to contribute to their system. It is broken and any attempt to try to lend credibility to it, just misleads more people as well as wasting my time. If someone won't buy my vehicle it is because it is not priced appropriate for the market. I don't need the last 20% of worry warts holding out because of carfax, will get contacted too much already if listed in the right places.
Granted, I'm not talking about high value vehicles. If it's well maintained and worth a lot, I'll do more work to present that to get a sale, but not carfax.
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Back in my consumer car repair days I saw it all the time. Most people neglect their cars.
It's only OCD people like us here on BITOG, that seem to care about maintenance.
It's only OCD people like us here on BITOG, that seem to care about maintenance.
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Haha, too late, I just signed up and entered all my oil changes and transmission service over the last six months.
But yeah, you do have a point.
I like carfax when buying a car and here’s why...I want to know if it’s been in an accident and I’d love to see if it’s been maintained. I know that’s not the whole story, but I’d prefer that over buying a car that was a former livery vehicle, that’s been in an accident (when they’re telling me it’s a one owner, well maintained babied highway mile car).
My truck did not have anything on carfax. BUT,...
Every filter had masking tape on it with a date and milage. That told me that the last owner was keeping up on maintenance
We recently sold (accepted offer through electronic sales website) our '14 Accord; I tracked every maintenance action ever performed on that car and had receipts/invoices for EVRYTHING. I also tracked every tank of fuel put through that car (first Gas DI engine experience). When I mentioned a 3 ring binder with the vehicle's complete maintenance history with documentation, not one of those places was interested. I told them I would remove personal data for privacy/liability but they wanted no part of the documentation. We just didn't have the stomach for the circus of trying to sell ourselves.
Many used car buyers actually get scared of the maintenance folder. They want a car that's "behaved itself" and not needed to go to the mechanic-- ever!
People are fickle creatures.
Meanwhile a well-maintained car shows itself nicely to the right buyer, and will still sell for the same money even without receipts. It might not sell to suzie-knows-nothing but you don't want her buying it anyway-- she'll call you up in a year when the ashtray light burns out.
People are fickle creatures.
Meanwhile a well-maintained car shows itself nicely to the right buyer, and will still sell for the same money even without receipts. It might not sell to suzie-knows-nothing but you don't want her buying it anyway-- she'll call you up in a year when the ashtray light burns out.
That’s how I think, and have thought, about my 2003 Jaguar x-type for the last 11 years! I do replace parts before they fail, change the oil and repair it. But I don’t expect it to last, so I don’t dump money into it. Amazingly, that seems to have been enough to keep it going. It’s been a good car!
I'm the precise opposite: I spend about $1-2 k per year in all sort of parts on my old, high-mileage BMW. Another set of thrust arm bushings is due tomorrow, and both my summer and winter tires will be replaced next year. I just changed the OFHG, a transmission service, and the AC compressor a couple months ago. When my new garage is built this coming spring, I'll do my evaporator as well as preventatively do my water pump and thermostat.
Just hit 226k and the car actually runs better than it did at 116k. I'd be ok if the car croaks at 250k. Still seems to cost less than a newer model which would have very similar maintenance.
Just hit 226k and the car actually runs better than it did at 116k. I'd be ok if the car croaks at 250k. Still seems to cost less than a newer model which would have very similar maintenance.
AutoMechanic
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All the time or they will pull the classic “my friend is a mechanic and can do it cheaper” or “my son is a mechanic”
That is why in some states, annual safety inspections (brakes, lights, suspension & steering, horn, wipers, blinkers & tires) are in place and IMO a very good requirement to keep the roads safer than they otherwise would be.
Of course there are quite a few BITOG posters who think safety inspections are a big government intrusion in their lives. To be fair, those posters are likely on top of maintaining all safety systems. But a large chunk of the rest of the universe aren't and tend to have safety issues with their vehicles and safety inspections are beneficial to everyone.
