chippy65 Loc: Cambridge

Brake fluid, Hygroscopic....Adsorbed water depresses the brake fluid boiling point and can eventually cause brake fade under severe

braking conditions.

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

A few years ago the heater on my van started blowing cold air in the middle of winter. Per the repair shop the blend door broke and needed to be replaced. Four days and almost a thousand dollars later I got the vehicle back. They told me that one of the things they had to do was disconnect the dash and move it out of the way to get to the heater.
The van has heat and A/C in the rear with its own blower motor. A few weeks after getting the vehicle back I turned on the heat to the rear but the blower motor wouldn't run. I took it back to the shop and mentioned I thought maybe they failed to plug in a connector when reinstalling the dash. They told me, "OK, Ed, we'll check that". Got a call later that day and they said the resistor and a couple relays for that motor were bad and needed to be replaced and "we want $450 to replace the parts". I said "screw that" and brought the van back home. Giving them the benefit of a doubt, which was a mistake, I purchased the parts and replaced them myself. However, it didn't solve the problem, still no blower. Checked for voltages coming from the front and couldn't find any so I'm back to my original theory of them not reconnecting a plug on the dash. Pulled the radio out, looked behind it and found a wire hanging down with a plug on the end. Feeling around behind the dash I located a receptacle that was missing its plug. The empty receptacle was on the switch for the rear blower. The loose plug fit the receptacle and when plugged in the blower motor was up and running again. It took me five minutes to pull the radio, find the loose plug and reconnect it. The problem was what I originally mentioned to them but they choose to ignore what I said. Left me thinking they are either incompetent boobs or they were out to rip me off. It still cost me $100 for their BS "diagnostics" in order to get my vehicle back. When I told them what I had found their only comment was, "Gee, Ed, what can we do to make it up to you?". How about refund the money I paid you for doing nothing? Nah, how about coming in for a one hundred dollar oil change?
BTW, the parts they wanted to replace would have cost me about a third more with them than what I paid Napa Auto Parts for the items.

Markag

Honda dash light A12 means change the oil and filter. Honda dealer comes out to the waiting area with a soiled "cabin" filter. I didn't know it had one up under the dash, it was wife's car so I said ok change it at close to $100. Get home and inspect the invoice for the cabin filter and it was $50 for labor! Called the dealer and asked a few questions. A12 meant change the engine oil and filter=yes. Were you even supposed to check the cabin filter=no. Would you have charged me labor if I refused to change the cabin filter=no. Would you have just put the old one back in at no cost=yes. Then how can you charge me labor for something you weren't even supposed to do=Oh! My next service at the Honda dealer was free!

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Same as here in CA. My "pet" mechanic always had a car or 2 that would pass- if you had some money and he knew you, one of those cars would take the smog test for you.

Markag

Worked in Germany in the '70s. Bought a big Opel sedan from a guy headed back to the States for $15. He said always have a carton or two of cigarettes in the back seat during inspections. A fifth of whiskey would be even better. Failed inspection once in 9 years on the Opel. Faded tail light lens! Over $150 to correct. Good car. Sold it when I left for 50 cents.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Kinda sorta like that in LA County. You may be allowed to do "minor" maintenance, but not "major" work. It is up to the ossifer to determine what you're really doing. Changing a headlight bulb can look major- I have to take the battery out of my wife's Corolla to do the driver's side, and take out a relay box for the other..

jsmangis Loc: Peoria, IL

The place where I bought my tires rotates my tires for free every 4000 miles and they were cheaper than Costco. If you check out a locally owned shop that has been in business for a long time like I did, you may be able to find a deal like I did.

bobforman Loc: Anacortes, Washington State

You can buy new rotors, calipers and pads for around $300 to $400 depending on the car. Installation is surprisingly easy and straight forward. You will need a few tools and two jack stands. Rotating tires merely wears them out faster.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

Cabin air filter for Honda at Advance Auto Parts = $8.59 (Purolator). Drop the glove box down by squeezing on both sides. There is the filter. Slide the old one out and the new one in.........less than 3 minutes. Close glove box.

cdayton

My sympathies but I just had all four brakes redone on my Jag XF - don’t even ask. There was a Porsche Panamera in the shop at the same time and the mechanic said I got off easy. I used to do all these repairs myself but at 83 I no longer enjoy crawling under/over cars.

oregon don

WHAT IS THIS? YOU DON'T HAVE A SPARE TIRE?????

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

The link works. I would totally ignore all stupid laws like that. One reason why such a law exists (we have one here that prohibits certain types of vehicle driving over certain roads during night time hours and done to stop 'boy-racers' illegally doing burnouts) is to give authorities a legal basis to stop certain activities eg commercial car repair in residential zoned localities etc. The problem is you always get a type of individual who will enforce the 'letter' of the law rather than understand why that law exists in the first place. It is not meant to be literally enforced but only to allow enforcement if needed.
It does raise the point though of why can't they just create a different law banning certain activities but maybe some types of laws are easier to create because they can be under the umbrella of different laws and don't require going through a whole long drawn out process to create 'brand-new' laws.
I regularly traverse some of these roads and once you read the warning you realize that it is a 'paper warning' and isn't designed to stop you in your normal traveling but to allow cops to stop gatherings of youths doing burnouts.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Almost every car manufactured in the last 10-20 years will have a cabin filter (they are usually associated with AirCon). Most never get changed but none-the-less they are there and should be changed. Why do they never get changed ? Because 30 years ago they were non existent and we seem to live in the past. They aren't too expensive, you will be able to buy them anywhere. Changing them is usually not hard. I've done 2 recently and they came with instructions that even my wife could have followed. Takes about 5 minutes and mine cost about USD 20 each.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

You're right. It can be done with one jack. You could also use cinder blocks.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I understand all that. I wouldn't mind paying $12 for a tire rotation if the car was just in for an oil change. My beef was that they already had the wheels off and incurred NO effort or labor in putting the front wheels on the back and vice-versa when they were done with the brake job...