Ever run into the old, I only need it to last 6 more months, crowd?

since we are talking about junkers.. what makes a 2000ish buick (3.8) sound like a really loud sewing machine..
new coworker has one... sounds like its about to blow.. I doubt she could scrape up more than 100-200$
I considered asking if she ever checked the oil level.. but thought it might be rude.
Collapsed lifter? The 3.4’s used to have piston slap, but that was only upon start up and for a few minutes, but not the 3.8’s.

Come to think of it, I’m not sure a collapsed lifter would sound like a loud sewing machine...not sure exactly what that sounds like. Lol.
 
since we are talking about junkers.. what makes a 2000ish buick (3.8) sound like a really loud sewing machine..
new coworker has one... sounds like its about to blow.. I doubt she could scrape up more than 100-200$
I considered asking if she ever checked the oil level.. but thought it might be rude.
You could ask in a nicer way. You would just say, hey that's a weird noise. Wonder what it's from, maybe the oil, the tensioner, main bearing etc. And then take it from there.
 
since we are talking about junkers.. what makes a 2000ish buick (3.8) sound like a really loud sewing machine..
new coworker has one... sounds like its about to blow.. I doubt she could scrape up more than 100-200$
I considered asking if she ever checked the oil level.. but thought it might be rude.
Sometimes the coolant leak isn’t refilled. I think that was the engine that had an internal head gasket leak.
if so, that might explain the noise.
Doesn‘t help with your quand about asking her though. Sorry.
 
Might have been intake manifold gaskets not head gaskets on that v6 now that my head clears and spell check doesn’t attack my script. Either way, yeah the screaming sewing machine.
 
I can't believe now negligent people are with a $20,000+ machine. Why skip maintenance on something that expensive. I had a coworker who routinely went significantly over the OCI on her newer Altima.
Most people aren't planning to own for 10+ years. Why waste good money on a service that they won't see the long term effect of? Even if you're in for the long haul, look at the numbers who run for 20 years with original PS fluid, brake fluid, coolant, etc. They don't want to touch anything now, for fear that it'll be a slippery slope, with one thing failing after another--plus, arguably for most people, 20 years is about time to move on (more features, safety, performance, whatever metric you want, newer will be better).

Just my guess. Of course most people aren't giving it even that much thought.
 
We have a 2008 Cadillac CTS AWD in the shop. Just came in for brakes. The usual, just do the minimum, we’re only keeping it till the end of winter. Been telling us that for five years now.

Well, the rear brakes have nothing left. Like, we couldn’t find the brake pad...it was eventually found, it fell between the backside of the rotor and backing plate. It had gotten that THIN that it was able to fall out of the caliper mounting bracket. Metal from the pad backing has flown all into the rims and rear fenders, rusting the entire rear of the car. Not just rims, but fenders, trunk lid. Everything.

The tires are completely BALD. The oil is 14,000 miles past its interval...that oil now has 19,000 miles on it. There isn’t a drop on that dipstick. Not a drop. We only use house brand synthetic, this oil isn’t made to go much further than the 5,000 miles we recommend.

Anyone else ever see cars like this? And the old...I only need the thing to last six months? I’m not really knocking the guy either, money is tight everywhere. I just can’t believe this car is even running right now.
Could be a number of things. I have used this line at chain shops where they tell me I need to do all these services that I’ve already done brake fluid, coolant, trans fluid, struts etc. because their system uses mileage reminders and they don’t inspect fluid or parts. I’ve also used it when I’m planning on doing the work myself but maybe am waiting for a part or a tool or the specific repair I’m asking the mechanic to do is part of a larger repair but I don’t have the tools skills to do the one part of the repair. It’s a catch all and less confrontational way to say no thanks.

Could also be they’re broke and don’t want to tell you that. The oil change thing makes me think it’s the latter.

It also could be they’re lazy or uninformed. Most owners manuals aren’t great at telling you expected service milestones at mileage and pair that with natural distrust of shops and it’s easy to think everything is an up sell
 
It also could be they’re lazy or uninformed. Most owners manuals aren’t great at telling you expected service milestones at mileage and pair that with natural distrust of shops and it’s easy to think everything is an up sell
That's usually because it's in a separate booklet that tells you what's needed at each service interval. I take my car to Goodyear for the alignments, when I had a regular car, they'd try to upsell me on stuff, but they don't seem to do that on the Mercedes, maybe they feel I'd rather do it at the dealer but then again, I'm there at their shop doing an alignment instead of the dealer.
 
Could be a number of things. I have used this line at chain shops where they tell me I need to do all these services that I’ve already done brake fluid, coolant, trans fluid, struts etc. because their system uses mileage reminders and they don’t inspect fluid or parts. I’ve also used it when I’m planning on doing the work myself but maybe am waiting for a part or a tool or the specific repair I’m asking the mechanic to do is part of a larger repair but I don’t have the tools skills to do the one part of the repair. It’s a catch all and less confrontational way to say no thanks.

Could also be they’re broke and don’t want to tell you that. The oil change thing makes me think it’s the latter.

It also could be they’re lazy or uninformed. Most owners manuals aren’t great at telling you expected service milestones at mileage and pair that with natural distrust of shops and it’s easy to think everything is an up sell
Yeah, agree. The thing is, when the brake pads are no longer able to stay on the caliper mount and they fall off (because they’re that thin) and the tires are completely bald...that’s a safety issue beyond belief. It was a safety issue the year before when the pads were already paper thin. The oil not being changed? I could care less...as a matter of fact I think we threw two free quarts into it and sent them on their way.

But I do get exactly what you’re saying, I’ve done that myself. I can’t stand places upselling me on things that are ridiculous. Throttle body cleanings, $200 dollar brake fluid changes. And yeah, people are broke sometimes and they give you that line.
 
Could be a number of things. I have used this line at chain shops where they tell me I need to do all these services that I’ve already done brake fluid, coolant, trans fluid, struts etc. because their system uses mileage reminders and they don’t inspect fluid or parts. I’ve also used it when I’m planning on doing the work myself but maybe am waiting for a part or a tool or the specific repair I’m asking the mechanic to do is part of a larger repair but I don’t have the tools skills to do the one part of the repair. It’s a catch all and less confrontational way to say no thanks.
Exactly. I've used the line myself, not just because I'm dishonest, but because no I didn't want the muffler mounts lubricated for $65 and no I didn't want a cabin air filter change for $54 because it was a model year that didn't have one to begin with, and yes I really was (and did) sell the car three months later, which is what I told the guy I was going to do, and I really really only wanted new tires and nothing else. Not everyone is lying when they say that....

Aside from the fact that people working in an industry notorious for dishonest business practices, probably shouldn't be too shocked that some customers are giving a less than honest answer to an attempted upsell. Not that all upsells are merely attempts to drain someone of every penny of disposable incoming they have for the next three months... bald tires, horrible brakes, etc, I get that, and they need to be pointed out. But this industry has a less than stellar reputation, and having been in it for 10 years or so a while back, its certainly not without merit.
 
Yeah, agree. The thing is, when the brake pads are no longer able to stay on the caliper mount and they fall off (because they’re that thin) and the tires are completely bald...that’s a safety issue beyond belief. It was a safety issue the year before when the pads were already paper thin. The oil not being changed? I could care less...as a matter of fact I think we threw two free quarts into it and sent them on their way.

But I do get exactly what you’re saying, I’ve done that myself. I can’t stand places upselling me on things that are ridiculous. Throttle body cleanings, $200 dollar brake fluid changes. And yeah, people are broke sometimes and they give you that line.
Brake stuff and always boggles my mind, it’s not like they disappear overnight you can hear them making noise for a while before they get really bad. That being said I can’t tell you how often I see bald front tires and meaty rear tires on AWD vehicles (indicating zero rotations) in the world and I’m not even a mechanic. Like why spend 5 grand extra for AWD to get worse snow performance and inevitably break it. These are often the people who complain that they’re broke or that so and so brand is horribly unreliable. Very annoying as just a car enthusiast, can’t imagine how annoying it would be as a tech.
 
Exactly. I've used the line myself, not just because I'm dishonest, but because no I didn't want the muffler mounts lubricated for $65 and no I didn't want a cabin air filter change for $54 because it was a model year that didn't have one to begin with, and yes I really was (and did) sell the car three months later, which is what I told the guy I was going to do, and I really really only wanted new tires and nothing else. Not everyone is lying when they say that....

Aside from the fact that people working in an industry notorious for dishonest business practices, probably shouldn't be too shocked that some customers are giving a less than honest answer to an attempted upsell. Not that all upsells are merely attempts to drain someone of every penny of disposable incoming they have for the next three months... bald tires, horrible brakes, etc, I get that, and they need to be pointed out. But this industry has a less than stellar reputation, and having been in it for 10 years or so a while back, its certainly not without merit.
It's easier to tell the guy you don't have the money than to tell them that you're going to take it to another mechanic who can do it for 1/3 to 1/2 less than what you're charging.
 
Stories like this are entertaining, and it seems everyone enjoys shaking their head at others ineptitude and lack of concern. It should be kept in mind owners likely fall somewhere on the bell curve as far as maintenance and care is concerned. There are extremes at either end, but most owners are somewhere along the middle.

This particular person is on the far end of the curve. Most people are not like that. Its just that the extremes are the the ones who get noticed the most.
 
Brake stuff and always boggles my mind, it’s not like they disappear overnight you can hear them making noise for a while before they get really bad. That being said I can’t tell you how often I see bald front tires and meaty rear tires on AWD vehicles (indicating zero rotations) in the world and I’m not even a mechanic. Like why spend 5 grand extra for AWD to get worse snow performance and inevitably break it. These are often the people who complain that they’re broke or that so and so brand is horribly unreliable. Very annoying as just a car enthusiast, can’t imagine how annoying it would be as a tech.
Yeah, tires are something I notice right away. And I can’t believe how many people are going around on bald tires...right in the middle of the winter too.

I always make sure my tires are in good condition before the winter. When I was younger I wasn’t...and I still remember the feeling of spinning helplessly out of control because of it.
 
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.
Long before BITOG, long before the 'Net, I kept up on the maintenance of all my cars. I spent too many years riding buses and cadging rides from increasingly exasperated friends ever to take a car for granted! My car is my lifeline. I'm going to make sure it's taken care of.
 
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.
Oh, Lousy-ana -- at least the parishes here around the city -- have a safety inspection, known locally as "the brake tag." Fifteen or twenty years back, the city-run stations actually checked things like your stopping distance and headlight aim. Now it's "Check the tint, blow the horn, right signal, turn signal, does the parking brake hold, okay, that's $25." The subcontracted gas station I went to this year remembered my car from 2019 and asked, "Anyt'ing wrong with car?" I told the truth: "Nope." "Hokay, $25, have nize day." So much for safety inspection. (The hilarious thing is that the parish with the supposedly more stringent inspection is the worse one to drive in.)

In CO, all they worried about was what was coming out of the car's tailpipe. No check for brakes or lights, just emissions.
 
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