The Grax Domain

27 Sep 2008 iPhone 3G Activation Guide

23 Sep 2008 Life skills worth having: Car mechanics

Boy I've had a very expensive week.

My car (Nissan Primera) has had a loose exhaust for nearly half a year now (or it had a hole in it, I have no idea to be honest). I didn't get it fixed immediately because I couldn't afford to and it wasn't greatly affecting my driving performance, so I thought I'd put of off for a while. Well that off-putting attitude finally caught up with me. Two weekends ago my car pretty much packed up. It wouldn't accelerate when you put your foot down on the accelerator, it actually decelerated.

So I took it to a Nissan garage, they told me there were various problems with the exhaust system, they fixed it, and then raped me for £570. It did sting and pretty much means I won't be able to afford to do anything fun for a month, but at least the car got fixed and it felt like it did when I first got the car. So all is well.

Actually no, all is not well.

A few days of driving later the "Malfunction Indicator" warning light turn on in my car. I despise the Malfunction Indicator light. It doesn't tell you anything except to take the vehicle to a Nissan garage. It pretty much says that in the car manual, word for word. So I took it back to the same Nissan garage and asked them to take alook at my car again to see if they'd missed anything.

Later that same afternoon I get a phonecall from the garage and they inform me that the exhaust catalyst part has to be replaced (or something like that). And that it'll cost me £590 to replace.

...

So I've just spent under £1,100 getting my car operational again.... I'm still pissed off about it as I write this entry.

...

If anyone tells me that I could have bought a car with that money I will slap them.

But I'm not writing here just to vent out. Here's a few tips for life that I feel the urge to speak out to everyone to try and avoid my pain.

1. If you spot that there is something wrong with your car don't put off getting it repaired. The sooner it's done, the cheaper it may be.
2. If you can avoid it, don't immediate give the garage the go-ahead to fix your vehicle. Ask around for a better quote.
3. Befriend a mechanic. That way they'll be able to fix your car cheaper and give you a more honest opinion. Even if you have to do them a favour yourself.
4. Learn some car mechanic skills. Even the basic skills would save you money and heart ache as you do it yourself.
5. While your at it, encourage your children to learn car mechanic skills. They'll thank you in the long run.

Now please excuse me while I go fume for a bit.

22 Sep 2008 September 08 Update

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