When someone posts one of those "nightmare" threads, I agree that I usually read them and then step back and ask if the problem really rises to the level of a "nightmare".

There are many things in life that are more important than a broken bolt, an old 240 that won't run right, an electrical problem that you can't diagnose and so on. In my experience, most of these "nightmares" are self-created either as a result of using the wrong tools, shooting the parts cannon at the car, or trying to diagnose computer-related issues with a screwdriver and monkey wrench.

Enough of the nightmare threads.

 

You can self sensor by add the OP to your Ignore List

 

I don't think that you understand the point of my post.

 

The people who post nightmare threads won't read this one. They haven't joined this forum yet. A nightmare thread is always post #1.

I had a nightmare just today. I pulled out in front of somebody in my T5M. He was really speeding, and I poured on the coal, spilling a little bit of my coffee. I'll be in therapy for a long time. If I used milk and sugar in my coffee, I probably would have already taken my own life.

 

For me, the nightmare is having a car payment. I run my cars out to 300000 miles and accept that I will have to do some repairs every now and then. Having a rare $500 bill for a repair beats making a $500 car payment every single month for five years!!!

It doesn't help though that there are so many rip-off car mechanics out there. My wife comes home upset and crying every time she gets her oil changed because the idiot salesman at the Quick-E-Lube place tells her her brakes are bad and her transmission is going out and her radiator needs to be flushed and her battery is weak and her fuel injectors need to be optimized or whatever crap he can come up with. She drives a Honda! That car never needs anything. To calm her down, I had to physical pull the wheels off and show her that the brakes were in fact fine, and the ding dong that changes her oil is ripping her off. A good mechanic that knows how to communicate and is honest can make the nightmare never happen in the first place.

 

Thanks for socializing my personal peeve of a nightmare post - one that blames a "stealeship" or "thieving mechanic" for an unexpected repair cost. Hopefully most of our forum members get some value out of the contributors who help provide a rational diagnostics protocol (yes we even have a few factory certified techs as contributors who work at dealerships) to level set expectations. Personally, I have 40+ years working on my own cars and have had some surprises along the way but have always been able to find a service manager or shop manager who could explain the diagnostics/repair. If you expect Quick-e-lube to do the job of a certified tech, its a caveot emptor.

 

The problem is that people buy an older car with service needs and every little thing that comes up is a "nightmare" when the problem could have been solved by an hour diagnostic time and over.

I also get irritated at the term "stealership" and suggest that you edit forums and remove that term and insert [term removed]. Let Betty or Bob pony up a couple of million dollars to access all that is necessary on these cars to be eligible for a franchise and see how much they charge.

Over the years, I've done well with the retail side of cars and have always sold cars that were inspected, serviced and ready. I've had a few cases that were difficult but if you want to avoid car repairs, call Uber.

 

Totally agree with the term "stealership". Many times if someone uses that in their post, I skip it and let them continue to try to obtain help via what amounts to a forum vote based on little experience.

 

I also think it's worth mentioning that the type of problems cars are having more and more these days are intermittent. Many electrical failures or only occasional, like my friend with the BMW that would occasionally let the battery go dead for some reason. When the mechanic gets the car, the problem doesn't present itself. There is frustration for the owner because they want the car to be fixed the first time. But it's not cost effective to just guess what a problem is when there are several expensive possibilities. And the mechanic has to charge for time spent not finding any problem. It's pretty frustrating for everyone.

Clear communication is always a step in the right direction.