Tide leading to a money-fall
Today we took the Buick in because the air hasn’t been working since the car deer accident. Hubby and I are thinking it was probably something to do with that. The body shop sent it over to the mechanics. Most of the day goes by and the hubby calls the body shop lead guy. He says that the car was low on coolant again so they flushed it and pumped more coolant into the system. They couldn’t find a leak but low a behold after a little while the air was not working.
The body shop sends the car over to the mechanics, who put die in the lines, and the leak showed up in the rear lines leading to the rear cooling system. “It’s pretty common the guy says”. Hubby asked for the dollar figure to repair. The guy is struggling with his computer or papers or something and asked if he could call hubby back in ten minutes.
Anticipating the tide
While waiting for the return call, hubby and I were trying to get our heads around a figure. We thought $300, $400, somewhere around there. The phone rings and it’s the dealership. The guy tells hubby the lines, they come in a kit and it takes 5.5 hours to install. Bottom line; $1600.
Imagine our dismay, over 5 times more than we anticipated. Hubby just about had a melt down. He first asked the guy if that was the best he could do. The guy said “that’s it”. Then hubby started telling the guy how everything through the dealer cost more, parts and labor. Before it was over with the guy admitted that labor was a bit higher and that he would work on a final price being lower.
The cost to drive a Buick Enclave
The take away of this? You want luxury? You pay for it at the beginning to purchase and throughout its life in up keep. It’s not the cost of the part you pay for, it’s the cost of luxury. I really believe that. The powers that be figure you can afford the vehicle to begin with, then you can afford the cost of preventative maintenance. It’s not like they make enough from selling the vehicle to begin with, no, it’s a product they feel needs to keep on generating profits. So, they make parts that are inferior to the luxury of the vehicle so that you can contribute to their profit margin.
I think the next vehicle we decide to drive will be a lease. In tossing it around, it makes more sense. A reasonable monthly payment and total peace of mind. Anything goes wrong they fix!
