No Way, Two Can Play
Well that was quite the rollercoaster but it looks like Blaster’s going to be okay.
And Minit-tune can suck my nuts. We’ll get Blaster up to nearly 100% for less than Minit-tune quoted just for parts. Their prognosis of a bad engine mount was apparently way off. The real problem was a sub frame mount. Minit-tune estimated the engine mount part at $370 but Fred’s, clearly the best place in town for repairs, actually took a serious look at the car and discovered the problem was the sub frame mount which would cost $285 to fix including parts and labour but before tax and any environmental fees so we’re probably looking at getting the whole thing done for less than Minit-tune wanted to charge us for the wrong part.
But that’s not the kicker. The real kicker is, the sound is completely unrelated to the problem and what’s causing the sound is essentially cosmetic and completely unimportant – their best guess is a cracked heat shield but either way it’s not worth addressing apparently.
So while I’m still less than thrilled at having to shell out $320+ it’s also incredibly good news because at first blush they thought the entire sub frame might need to be replaced, a cost not even worth contemplating unless heart attacks are something you enjoy. Plus flights to San Francisco aren’t cheap – the cheapest provider on Expedia is Air Canada so that should tell you all you need to know about that cost. So in the long run this will save us money versus flying to San Francisco and in hopefully improved fuel economy. To say nothing of the substantial drop in blood pressure I’m expecting once all this is behind me.
The funny thing is throwing an oil change on top of the repairs would have been $50. Minit-tune does an oil change, filter replacement, tire rotation, and more for $33. So what have we learned? Leave the fluids to the fluid experts and leave the repairs to the repair experts – bundling may make sense in some areas like telecommunications but clearly not when it comes to automotive stuff. But judging from the experience thus far Fred’s Automotive on Fraser in Vancouver has earned some brand loyalty out of me while Minit-tune has injured theirs.
So I think my current plan is to find a cheap place for an oil change now and then perhaps some light maintenance in September prior to the trip - maybe Automatic Transmission Flush, autumn maintenance package, or whatever our expert friends recommend to keep Blaster at the top of his game - and then perhaps look into getting that heat shield addressed in a year or so.
So I’ve learnt a lot about owning a car over the last half-year, which is a big part of what owning your first car is all about.
I think once the kid’s out of daycare I may consider getting a new vehicle like an Accent sedan or perhaps new Taurus as it seems pretty feature-friendly but that is an insanely long way off to even bother thinking about. But long-range planning with regards to savings might be worth a thought.
Here’s an interesting little fact – something that increases by 7% per year will double in a decade. At current prices if I had double my current savings I could buy an Accent outright. If I try to grow my savings at a rate of 7% per year plus inflation I could buy an Accent straight up in a decade. Now that’s not at all the way I see things playing out, frankly I hope an electrical vehicle will be a solid option by then and I question the time frame as well. Still, there are some interesting thoughts to ponder.
But in the meantime I look forward to getting Blaster back today or tomorrow and continuing to enjoy his relative awesomeness for some time to come. Now, when I can reschedule Cultus for…?
