I was in for quite a pleasant surprise on Friday.
After dropping Karen off at the train station so that she could get to work, I noticed that our car had surpassed the 3000 mile mark since the car's last oil change. So needless to say, I decided to bring the car in to the local Firestone for an oil change.
Now, I suck at oil changes. The past few times that I brought my car in for service, I have been disappointed... not by the service staff because they are great, but by the fact that the car needed fluke work performed on it.
It goes without saying then that I brought our car in for an oil change with some trepidation. I was afraid that the staff would uncover some other issue that needed to be addressed or something like that.
Well, to my surprise... there was no other issue. That was good news. Truth be told, the staff at Firestone has claimed before that our car is actually in great working shape and should last a while. Whether that's true or not, I don't really know. I'm inclined to believe them since they are more knowledgeable than me when it comes to cars.
Anyway, the best part of the experience happened when I went to pay for the oil change. The staff at Firestone simply gave me the oil change for free. I was pleasantly surprised by that nice gesture. The manager just told me not to worry about the oil change because he knew of the fluke work that we had done on the car. I was ecstatic. Sure, an oil change does not cost that much, but it was the kind gesture that I'll always remember. It was really a great way to start off my day.
Needless to say, I was in a pretty good mood for the rest of the day. Thanks again Firestone!
Showing posts with label firestone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label firestone. Show all posts
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I Suck At Getting My Car Fixed
Yesterday, I took the car to the local Firestone in Hingham to get the car fixed. Sadly, I suck at getting my car fixed. If I could, I would fix the car myself. Unfortunately, learning about the intricacies of a car is on my to-do list. It's on the list of things... after fixing up the house. So someday, I hope to get to it.
Anyway, on Sunday while driving to visit my BFF (Kerry) in Salem, the service light on the dashboard of the car came on. Usually, warning lights on the dashboard are never a good thing. Not to let the thought of a possible breakdown ruin our day, Karen and I hoped that we could visit Kerry and get back home to lovely Norwell in one piece. Thankfully, we were able to get home on Sunday.
Rather than chance another long drive, I took the car to Firestone to have it looked at. Naturally, this would be an expensive endeavor. Among the list of problems for the car: the brake mounting, some busted hose, and a bunch of burnt out brake lights. Those were in addition to the much needed oil change.
Well, the problem seemingly has been fixed. The service light no longer comes on. The car does appear to be driving smoother. And the good news is that the car does brake without squeaking. We'll see how long this condition lasts. I sometimes wonder if the mechanics put a timer in the car to have things break down ever so often.
Oh well. Needless to say, I'm a little bummed by the car. Perhaps it is time to get a new car.
Anyway, on Sunday while driving to visit my BFF (Kerry) in Salem, the service light on the dashboard of the car came on. Usually, warning lights on the dashboard are never a good thing. Not to let the thought of a possible breakdown ruin our day, Karen and I hoped that we could visit Kerry and get back home to lovely Norwell in one piece. Thankfully, we were able to get home on Sunday.
Rather than chance another long drive, I took the car to Firestone to have it looked at. Naturally, this would be an expensive endeavor. Among the list of problems for the car: the brake mounting, some busted hose, and a bunch of burnt out brake lights. Those were in addition to the much needed oil change.
Well, the problem seemingly has been fixed. The service light no longer comes on. The car does appear to be driving smoother. And the good news is that the car does brake without squeaking. We'll see how long this condition lasts. I sometimes wonder if the mechanics put a timer in the car to have things break down ever so often.
Oh well. Needless to say, I'm a little bummed by the car. Perhaps it is time to get a new car.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I Suck At Getting An Oil Change
last night, karen and i had a grocery bill come to $0.45. it only seems fitting that today, i get a bill for considerably more. i suppose the term is known as "the law of averages".
this morning, i dropped karen off at the train station so that she could get to work. as i was heading home, i decided to get an oil change. now, i suck at getting an oil change. our car was actually due for an oil change because the mileage had already reached 3000 miles since the last oil change. so i figured that i would get it out of the way.
naturally, i brought the car to firestone located in hingham. firestone offers an environmentally friendly oil for an oil change. as i am a big proponent for the environment, i try to do what i can for mother nature.
in addition to the oil change, i figured i would ask the mechanics at firestone to see if they could find out the cause of a certain rattling that the car has been recently making while driving. silly me. mental note: remember that ignorance is bliss lest you open up a can of worms. i'm just kidding.
it's actually good that i had them look into the car's problems because it would have been a driving hazard otherwise. as it turned out, one of the springs above the wheel had completely snapped off. one of the struts was damaged. a stabilizer bar was damaged. the front wheel bearing was damaged. fluid was leaking out of the axle. and a heat shield was loose.
the mechanics think the cause of the problem was a pot hole... which i tend to agree with because 1) i am technically an asian driver; and 2) every street i seem to drive by on my daily route is littered with potholes... whether it is in marblehead, in boston, in quincy... wherever.
sad to say, the cost for all of the repairs to the car was close to $1600. i am definitely thinking that it is time to start looking for a new car now. needless to say, hearing the cost of the repairs put a little damper on things today. the only thing that was even somewhat of a bright spot was that i had a firestone coupon... or two... that brought the total down to $1450. sure, it's not that great, but $150 is better than nothing.
nonetheless, it was frustrating. the cost of repairs to the car makes the grocery bill of $0.45 from yesterday all that much more enjoyable.
this morning, i dropped karen off at the train station so that she could get to work. as i was heading home, i decided to get an oil change. now, i suck at getting an oil change. our car was actually due for an oil change because the mileage had already reached 3000 miles since the last oil change. so i figured that i would get it out of the way.
naturally, i brought the car to firestone located in hingham. firestone offers an environmentally friendly oil for an oil change. as i am a big proponent for the environment, i try to do what i can for mother nature.
in addition to the oil change, i figured i would ask the mechanics at firestone to see if they could find out the cause of a certain rattling that the car has been recently making while driving. silly me. mental note: remember that ignorance is bliss lest you open up a can of worms. i'm just kidding.
it's actually good that i had them look into the car's problems because it would have been a driving hazard otherwise. as it turned out, one of the springs above the wheel had completely snapped off. one of the struts was damaged. a stabilizer bar was damaged. the front wheel bearing was damaged. fluid was leaking out of the axle. and a heat shield was loose.
the mechanics think the cause of the problem was a pot hole... which i tend to agree with because 1) i am technically an asian driver; and 2) every street i seem to drive by on my daily route is littered with potholes... whether it is in marblehead, in boston, in quincy... wherever.
sad to say, the cost for all of the repairs to the car was close to $1600. i am definitely thinking that it is time to start looking for a new car now. needless to say, hearing the cost of the repairs put a little damper on things today. the only thing that was even somewhat of a bright spot was that i had a firestone coupon... or two... that brought the total down to $1450. sure, it's not that great, but $150 is better than nothing.
nonetheless, it was frustrating. the cost of repairs to the car makes the grocery bill of $0.45 from yesterday all that much more enjoyable.
Monday, June 9, 2008
I Suck At Getting The Car Fixed
as i am on vacation this week, i decided to take the car in to get it fixed. according to the mechanic, the left outer tie rod was worn and needed to be replaced. apparently, a worn tie rod would cause the car to fail an inspection because it is a safety hazard. according to www.carjunky.com,
"The tie rod is part of the steering mechanism in a vehicle. A tie rod is a slender structural rod that is used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.
A tie rod consists of an inner and an outer end. The spokes on a bicycle's wheels are tie rods. As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces.
The tie rod transmits force from the steering center link or the rack gear to the steering knuckle. This will cause the wheel to turn. The outer tie rod end connects with an adjusting sleeve, which allows the length of the tie rod to be adjustable. This adjustment is used to set a vehicle's alignment angle...
It is advisable that your vehicle's steering and suspension systems are checked regularly, at least once a year along with a complete wheel alignment. A worn tie rod can cause wandering, erratic steering and also major tire wear.
If a tie rod is necessary then a wheel alignment will also be required because tie rod replacement will disturb the alignment setting.
As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces."
needless to say, i suck at getting the car fixed. after running some additional errands, i dropped the car off at the local firestone located in hingham. the mechanic had told me that the tie rod replacement and the realignment would take a few hours. rather than wait and waste most of the day at the local firestone, i was given a ride back to my house.
i was thinking that the ride home was a nice gesture and that i would then have all this additional time to work on some home improvement projects planned for today. well, a couple of hours later, i received a phone call that the car was ready to be picked up. i had just finished lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... yum) and thought nothing of it. after all, the local firestone was a little over 2.5 miles away. it would be no problem to walk that.
boy was i wrong. if the weather weren't in the 90s and there weren't any humidity, i may have been all right. the walk seemed to take forever in the beating sun. sweat started to pour out of every pore imaginable. the sweat was dripping down my forehead and stinging my eyes. it was awful. i must have looked like quite the sexy beast with my sweat drenched body walking down the main street. i didn't even have a water bottle or anything to rehydrate myself. i just wanted to die. (for the record, i never used to sweat. since getting old, i seem to sweat now. i don't know why this is the case.)
anyway, when i finally arrived at firestone, i must have been quite the sight. the mechanic even chuckled at me because i made a beeline straight to the water cooler. i must have guzzled a gallon of water before picking up the keys to my car. i suppose the only good thing that came from my walk to firestone is that i got to work on my tan... even though i hate getting a tan...
"The tie rod is part of the steering mechanism in a vehicle. A tie rod is a slender structural rod that is used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.
A tie rod consists of an inner and an outer end. The spokes on a bicycle's wheels are tie rods. As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces.
The tie rod transmits force from the steering center link or the rack gear to the steering knuckle. This will cause the wheel to turn. The outer tie rod end connects with an adjusting sleeve, which allows the length of the tie rod to be adjustable. This adjustment is used to set a vehicle's alignment angle...
It is advisable that your vehicle's steering and suspension systems are checked regularly, at least once a year along with a complete wheel alignment. A worn tie rod can cause wandering, erratic steering and also major tire wear.
If a tie rod is necessary then a wheel alignment will also be required because tie rod replacement will disturb the alignment setting.
As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces."
needless to say, i suck at getting the car fixed. after running some additional errands, i dropped the car off at the local firestone located in hingham. the mechanic had told me that the tie rod replacement and the realignment would take a few hours. rather than wait and waste most of the day at the local firestone, i was given a ride back to my house.
i was thinking that the ride home was a nice gesture and that i would then have all this additional time to work on some home improvement projects planned for today. well, a couple of hours later, i received a phone call that the car was ready to be picked up. i had just finished lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... yum) and thought nothing of it. after all, the local firestone was a little over 2.5 miles away. it would be no problem to walk that.
boy was i wrong. if the weather weren't in the 90s and there weren't any humidity, i may have been all right. the walk seemed to take forever in the beating sun. sweat started to pour out of every pore imaginable. the sweat was dripping down my forehead and stinging my eyes. it was awful. i must have looked like quite the sexy beast with my sweat drenched body walking down the main street. i didn't even have a water bottle or anything to rehydrate myself. i just wanted to die. (for the record, i never used to sweat. since getting old, i seem to sweat now. i don't know why this is the case.)
anyway, when i finally arrived at firestone, i must have been quite the sight. the mechanic even chuckled at me because i made a beeline straight to the water cooler. i must have guzzled a gallon of water before picking up the keys to my car. i suppose the only good thing that came from my walk to firestone is that i got to work on my tan... even though i hate getting a tan...
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