basic maintenance

Under Blanch's Bonnet
Under Blanch's Bonnet

This past weekend was one of basics.  Basic laundry.  Basic bills.  Basic car upkeep.  It was basically satisfying.

But sometimes the basics just piss you off.  Take for example the car upkeep.  I needed 2 new tires.  After some asking around, I chose to take my car to the Sears near work since they’re a nationally recognized brand, had good prices, etc.  This is something I’ve been putting off, and since I’m going out of town this week I figured it was high time.

Twenty min after I leave the shop I get the standard “oh, by the way, we happened to notice that X is wrong and it will only cost you $Y for us to fix it”.  In this case, X equaled “dangerously low transmission fluid” and Y=$100.  I said no thanks, I’ll do it myself.  I’m used to this.  I’m suspicious.  And I feel like getting dirty with Blanch’s tranny anyway.  Bring it on.

Saturday, all decked out and prepped to do a tranny flush/fill, I decide to double check the fluid just to see how bad bad is before requisitioning the supplies.  And… low and behold… it’s fine.  It’s more than fine.  It’s pink-sooo-deliciously-cherry-red-I-could-drink-you fine.  (That’s the color transmission fluid should be, fyi).  And, the level is perfectly well within the norm.

So this means one of three things: 1) they lied through their teeth to get more money 2) they’re incompetent or 3) they did the nice thing and just topped it off for me since I denied the full flush/fill.  I just want to know why it is that automotive shops feel this need to screw you when they assume you don’t know what the hell is going on.

I just want to know when I’m going to find reliable car service in this town.

2 thoughts on “basic maintenance”

  1. Ugh. I think I just got a similar push as well a couple weeks ago when I took my car in because the lower splash plate broke in half. Now I’m thinking of possibly getting a Prius. :)

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