Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair Costs
602 messages, Last post on Oct 19, 2009 at 5:25 PM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
|
Replying to: tina1976 (May 02, 2009 8:42 pm) I do all basic maintenance myself, and therefore this would be a very bad pre-payment deal from my perspective. If you drive on average 12K miles per year, and you keep your vehicle typically 3 years, and you do an oil change at 5K miles with tire rotations at 10K, and you pay $30 for an oil change and $25 for a tire rotation.......then in 3 years you would have spent on your own $285. Whats the value of a car wash at service intervals? To me, nothing. Whats the value of a loaner for maintenance services? To me, nothing. All of the above maintenance services should take less than 30-60 minutes. I'd be waiting for the vehicle, not driving off and coming back later in the day. What parts do you anticipate using in 36K miles, that are not covered by warranty, where you would get 5% discount? Tires?....nope, you'd buy them somewhere else where they are more reasonably priced. Brake pads, maybe. Battery after 4 or 5 years?....nope, you'd have that done somewhere else where it's more reasonably priced. Plus, there is risk in a pre-payment up front that would make that prepayment worthless. The car could be in an accident and totaled, you could sell the vehicle and replace it with something else, the dealership could go out of business, etc, etc. Is the dealership is extremely close to you and convenient, as compared all of the other maintenance shop? For me, there are probably 50+ general maintenance shops closer than the local dealership. It's no where near as convenient. Only you can make an evaluation whether it's a good deal or not for your personal situation. I suspect most would conclude it isn't.
|
|
|
Replying to: kiawah (May 03, 2009 4:07 am) I really think the dealer is trying to arm wrestle me into buying either this membership or their extended car warranty just because they feel they are giving me a great deal on my trade-in, but in reality, they are giving me $475 below the "fair" blue book value. They originally quoted me $1975 below blue book and I got them to come up $1500, but it's still off by the $475. And what's with the "fair" anyway. On Kelly's site, my car would be considered "good" condition. The dealer claimed that they always pay at the most "fair" value because there is always some reconditioning to be done to bring it up to good condition. Does this sound right? They claim there isn't much they can do with my car besides giving it to a wholesaler. The car is an 05 Honda Pilot EX with a little over 76K miles. The other thing that doesn't sound right to me is that they are being hard about the accessory package, which includes mudguards, wheel locks and trim. They are trying to say that all of this stuff already comes on the car, so it's not really optional except for the trim which can be removed. I really think they are trying to get over by getting me to pay for the accessory package, the vip membership, or the extended warranty jus because they came up $1500 on my trade-in. Advice anyone.....
|
|
|
Replying to: tina1976 (May 02, 2009 8:42 pm) Lifetime oil changes, - You can get them anywhere for about 20 bucks. Calculate it over the period you expect to own the car. Lifetime tire inspection and rotation - Check with a tire dealer for that brand of tire. May be free anyway. 50% off annual detailing - Something you can do yourself. Most new paints retain their luster if you keep them clean. Now, if it included free car washes...... Seasonal inspections - A great way to sell you services. Lifetime car washes w/ service - A great way to get you in for service. You have to buy something to get it. 5% off parts/accessories/service - Whoopee ding. Service loaners for all maintenance services - Don't some dealers do this for free? OK, so maybe I'm a skeptic, but I would rather put the money in a savings account in case I did need it. If I didn't, well, it was earning interest, and it's still mine.
|
|
|
Replying to: 55396 (May 03, 2009 7:52 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: vcheng (Mar 26, 2009 8:50 am) |
|
|
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 26, 2009 12:07 pm) I wondered why a rotor would warp. Sure, they get hot on hard braking. So what? They shouldn't warp, but they do. Why? My thought was that if one braked hard enough to get them hot, then came to a stop at a traffic light, there may be a reason why warpage could happen. You stop, and your brakes are applied to hold the car in place until the light changes. OK, so what? Well, the pads are clamped onto the rotor on one spot. The rest of the rotor is now being cooled by the prevailing breezes. But, the area under the pads cannot cool with the rest of the rotor. My thought is that this may cause warpage due to uneven cooling. I now try to stop 10 feer or so from the light, then allow the car to creep forward, exposing all of the rotor for more even cool down, rather than trapping the heat in one spot. |
|
|
Replying to: tina1976 (May 03, 2009 8:01 am) A dealer and his finance man have a bag of tricks that Santa Claus couldn't carry. They are experts at countering any arguments that you may have and can push and shove a customer in so many directions that they become so confused, they just sign the paper while feeling they are getting screwed. The best way to counter this is to do your homework, decide what it's worth to you. Then, you simply go in, present it to them and say "the only thing I require from you is a yes or no." If no, then walk, and see if they call you back. Request the same because if they get you talking, they will win. You can always come back.They have no way of knowing if they will ever see you again. BIG lever in your hand. If you engage, you are a novice going against people that do this every day for a living. The more they can squeeze out of you, the better the living is. Nice guy? Really wants to help me? Sure - to get your to sign at the best deal for the dealership. That's their job. So, how do you come up with your numbers? Well' you're right here. Use Edmunds for a start. Also, try KBB, NADA etc. Call your bank. Use Consumers Reports to check reliability. Ask your local salvage yard what parts seem to be a problem. They get requests every day and know what the problem areas are for a given brand/model. Do an advanced search on Ebay and check Completed Listings only. Look for Sold items. This will show you what people are willing to pay for your vehicle. Look on Auto Trader to see the asking price range of your vehicle. Internet prices seem to be pretty close to the bone. Remember that prices at a car lot are probably inflated by 2-3 grand to allow them to deal so they can pretend that they are giving you more on your trade than it's worth. How many times have you heard 'Well, they were giving way more than my car was worth. I would be a fool not to trade.' Probably a fool if they did. Then, decide if it would be advantageous to sell your own car as opposed to the higher sales tax you would pay without a trade. But if you do, clean it up and detail it first. It may even be worthwhile to pay to have it done. If $100 spent gets you $500 - $1000 more, it'e a pretty good return on that investment. That's what a dealer does before it hits the lot, and look at how much they jack the price. Who knows, it may look so nice that you will decide to keep it a year or so longer. Then take that extra money that you would be putting into higher car payments, interest on a loan, insurance, licenses, fees etc. into a savings account every month, and when you are ready to trade, you will have a much smaller loan and far less money thrown away in interests, not to mention that big new depreciation hit. It does take a bit of discipline though. Best way is payroll deduction into a savings account titlrd CAR. Then don't mess with it. By time you get done figuring what trading is really going to cost you, the old ride may look much better.  BTW, we have noticed that the used car lots are pretty sparse. In tight times, more people may be looking for used cars as opposed to taking a big hit and going out on a limb for new when their job could go away. This could mean a premium for yours after it's detailed. Lotsa food for thought. Some dealers may allow you to pass your car through them as a trade, then sign it over to your buyer. That would take care of that problem. Oh ya, decline on all the 'extras'. It's a profit enhancer for the dealer. The last car we bought was a pearl white 03 Toyota Avalon for my wife. Bought it from Enterprise at less than a year old. Base model, but still nicely equipped. I explained what I did to it in the Avalon forum, but basically bought everything online to make it appear like the top of the line for less than the dealer wanted for the spoiler alone. Then my wife put chrome wheels on it, and it became Cinderella. There are lots of ways to turn the crank. You're here, and that's a good start. Search on 55396 for details.
|
|
|
Replying to: 55396 (May 03, 2009 9:48 am) |
|
|
Replying to: tina1976 (May 03, 2009 7:42 am) Remember, the money in car dealerships is in the used car market. And, they usually want to make about $3,000 on their used car sales. But, accessory packages in most cases don't add much if anything to the value of a used car. Are these thing that were added to the car at the dealership, or are they a factory option package. If not factory, they will not appear in the Blue Book, etc list of accessorys, and therefore 'have no value'. I don't know what 'trim' includes, but mudguards and wheel locks really aren't worth anything when considering the overall value of a used car. The VIP package - this looks like a lot of 'inspections' and so forth, very limited percentage off values, and other minor services. I would bet you would have to run the car to the 'change oil' indicator came on, which in modern cars probably will be close to 7,500 miles or so - this mean you would be getting only a few changes. Overall, don't even think about this package. They are selling you stuff, stuff with high markups - extended warranty, VIP package, etc. You never said what you are buying. But if it is a Honda, you probably will never use much of an extended warranty. Also - if your city has a Carmax, take your Pilot there and they will make you an outright purchase offer. This will help with knowing what your car is worth. And, it might be best to sell them your old car and do a straight deal without a trade - you then know exactly what you are putting into a new car. You also said your car is in average condition. Throw out the fast food containers, vacuum the inside and wipe stains off the windows, trim, etc, get it washed. Just doing this before you show the car will make some difference in how it is appraised.
|
|
|
Replying to: bolivar (May 03, 2009 4:00 pm) The accessory package that I was talking about is for the purchase of the new car, not for the value of the trade-in. They are trying to sell this with the purchase of the new car. The trim is just the decorative pinstripes on the sides of the vehicle. The car that I am looking to purchase is a Honda and now that it's been said, I completely agree about the extended warranty probably not getting much usage. The Carmax idea is good too. Thanks for the advice!
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair Costs
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
