A Learning Experience
May. 27th, 2005 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcepsaLast night ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rtdean and I took the car to AAMCO down in Woodbridge and I heard back from them this morning. After inspecting it, they've determined a few things:
1) The transmission is done for.
2) There may be a problem with a differential.
3) Other than that, things look great and I should be able to get another 2-3 years out of the car if I make sure to do the regular maintenance.
4) It would be $1500 to replace it
After much agonizing, I have decided to make the investment. Either way I would be spending about the same amount (the used cars that I have been looking at were in the same range) and with the exception of the transmission, it has been a great car so far. It gets great mileage. It gets me from point A to point B in a satisfactory fasion. It's small and maneuverable (at least by my standards ;) It's not terribly loud on the interior unless I crank up the stereo, in which case it does the job rather well. The AC and heater both work. With a different car, I could find one better, true, or I could end up with one that turns out to be not so good. Or that blows its transmission in another month... So at this point, I'm more comfortable sticking with what I know. It's a gamble either way, and so I might as well avoid the hassle of shopping around, title transfers, and getting rid of this one for at least a little bit longer.
Also, I think I'm going to have to advise against Lake Ridge Auto Care. Maybe their service really is that superior, but I have my doubts. They charged $100 to do an inspection and tell me that my speed sensor was shot and that the transmission had "something wrong" with it, and they wanted another $2400 to replace it. They also didn't mention anything about the differential. This other place charges about $50 for an inspection, were able to give me a better description of what needed to be done and what my options were, and were able to offer me a repair cost of $1500. In addition, it seems that they did a more thorough inspection, both by mentioning the differential and being able to tell me the other major parts appear to be in good condition. Maybe this new place is just feeding me a line of shit to get my business. (I'll admit I'm pretty green in this area; it's one I'd love to get more experience in, but I haven't really found anyone with the tools or knowledge who wanted to teach me how to take an engine apart ;) But I'm not quite jaded enough to think that they are; the company has been around for forty years and the guy who did the inspection has been working on cars for about thirty. I figure that's worth taking a chance on. That's why this is a learning experience...
rtdean and I took the car to AAMCO down in Woodbridge and I heard back from them this morning. After inspecting it, they've determined a few things:1) The transmission is done for.
2) There may be a problem with a differential.
3) Other than that, things look great and I should be able to get another 2-3 years out of the car if I make sure to do the regular maintenance.
4) It would be $1500 to replace it
After much agonizing, I have decided to make the investment. Either way I would be spending about the same amount (the used cars that I have been looking at were in the same range) and with the exception of the transmission, it has been a great car so far. It gets great mileage. It gets me from point A to point B in a satisfactory fasion. It's small and maneuverable (at least by my standards ;) It's not terribly loud on the interior unless I crank up the stereo, in which case it does the job rather well. The AC and heater both work. With a different car, I could find one better, true, or I could end up with one that turns out to be not so good. Or that blows its transmission in another month... So at this point, I'm more comfortable sticking with what I know. It's a gamble either way, and so I might as well avoid the hassle of shopping around, title transfers, and getting rid of this one for at least a little bit longer.
Also, I think I'm going to have to advise against Lake Ridge Auto Care. Maybe their service really is that superior, but I have my doubts. They charged $100 to do an inspection and tell me that my speed sensor was shot and that the transmission had "something wrong" with it, and they wanted another $2400 to replace it. They also didn't mention anything about the differential. This other place charges about $50 for an inspection, were able to give me a better description of what needed to be done and what my options were, and were able to offer me a repair cost of $1500. In addition, it seems that they did a more thorough inspection, both by mentioning the differential and being able to tell me the other major parts appear to be in good condition. Maybe this new place is just feeding me a line of shit to get my business. (I'll admit I'm pretty green in this area; it's one I'd love to get more experience in, but I haven't really found anyone with the tools or knowledge who wanted to teach me how to take an engine apart ;) But I'm not quite jaded enough to think that they are; the company has been around for forty years and the guy who did the inspection has been working on cars for about thirty. I figure that's worth taking a chance on. That's why this is a learning experience...
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 11:52 am (UTC)Right. Duh.
Wait a sec, are you sure the warranties are right?
Rebuilding and old gets a better warranty than replacing with a new?
no subject
Date: 2005-05-27 12:49 pm (UTC)