How Much?

On Thursday I was driving to work and my "check gages" light came on, I looked down and the temperature was approaching 260! I'm on the freeway and I'm wondering when I should panic. Then, just as fast as it came on, it went off.

After work, I'm driving home and it does it again, and again, and again, and again. After the fifth time, (on a 30 minute drive), I thinking that I don't want to be driving this car. So, I take it to the dealership. They say I probably need antifreeze, so I tell them to go ahead and do an oil change too. No big deal!

Well, it was a big deal. Come to find out there's a problem with the radiator and the water pump. And when they were getting ready to do the oil change, they noticed a leak, something else, yadda, yadda, and before I knew it, they're quoting me $1,600! WTF?! I ended up checking around and eventually told them to go ahead and do it (I did ponder just getting another car, but it's so nice to not have a car payment).

The classic was when the work was done. I called the cashier to give her a credit card over the phone. She asks if she can call me back. She calls back and leaves me a voice mail that they can't take a cc over the phone. WHAT?! I've only done it four or five times before. Not to mention my car in in Plymouth and I'm in Bingham Farms and I happen to be working later than the dealership is open. I call and ask for the manager. After professionally reading him the riot act-- How many times I've done this. I wasn't told in advance. I'm not in a position where I can get there before it closes. Due to the amount of the services I can't ask someone to cover it and I'll pay them back, that there is a Jeep dealership two blocks from my work and I can give them my business . . . he made an exception! But not before telling me that they are doing this because people were disputing their charges. Then fax them and authorization form! I also pointed out that I've done this before and I haven't disputed charges! Unbelievable!

So, I picked up the car. Haven't been in it much yet, but it had better purr like a kitten after dropping those $$$!