Serious question. I only have the one car. I know there are people with more money than sense that have more cars than they can actually drive at a time, and that there are couples who may or may not be able to drive their SO to the mechanic. But how can they _assumef that I can even afford a cab, well Uber these days, when I’m about to have them hundreds of dollars getting my busted-ass, POS car fixed?
But how can they _assumef that I can even afford a cab, well Uber these days, when I’m about to have them hundreds of dollars getting my busted-ass, POS car fixed?
Because they’re not your parents, and its not their job to be responsible for you between the time you give them your car and when they contact you to tell you its ready for you.
The shop’s statement of “you can come back in 3 hours to pick up your car” isn’t saying “we know you have other resources for transportation during the time when we’re working on your car” its the shop using a social shortcut to say “your car is unavailable to you for 3 hours while we work on it, and we have no need of you until then. You can go away for 3 hours and it won’t interfere with our work”.
Most people call in someone who can take them somewhere else and bring them back when the car’s ready
Perfect timing on this post!
- I chose my “normal” garage partly because I can walk to it
- I occasionally have friends or family who can help
- otherwise I’ll just wait
However for the first time ever, I just got a loaner car from the dealer. Their estimate was they’d be done by last Wednesday but they haven’t started yet. Meanwhile the loaner is equivalent to my vehicle and it’s warranty work - they’re just making it damn expensive for themselves
The dealership probably gets reimbursed by the manufacturer for that loaner (and the warranty work).
Do you get shitty at pilots for landing the plane and just assuming everyone on board is good to get home from the airport, or would you like them to pay for 200 cab fares as well?
It’s their job to fix people’s shitty cars, not their shitty life admin skills.
Hell yeah, I’d like them to pay me £200 to get me home. Who doesn’t want free money? ✈️
Then the tickets would go up by £200 each, and you wouldn’t have the option to take the train or something else.
I mean…who steals a train???
They assume that, by driving your car to them and paying them to repair it, you are an adult who can actually figure shit out for yourself.
I usually try to plan a few foot-based errands in the area while they work on my car: maybe the pharmacy for my meds or some toothpaste, the bakery for a couple of these cupcakes my daughter loves, browse the bookstore, talk with the tea shop owner.
We’re always in such a hurry and complain about missing the ‘community feeling’ of ‘the old days’, yet we never spend the time to just walk about the community, doing errands instead of “running errands”, casually catching up on events and goings-on. I like to use my time for that kind of thing.
I think this might read as a little tone deaf to the economic reality of many people.
Also mechanics are often in semi-industrial areas where the most community you’ll get is a homeless encampment and maybe a taco truck
A lot of these replies are tone deaf. Not everyone lives in a place where walking, biking, or even ride share is viable.
Nah, I have to disagree. People in general are FAR too eager to declare walking and biking as not viable. But the cars! I’ll get run over! But the walk! It’s more than two blocks, how can I survive without driving! Etc.
But this is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re assuming everyone lives in the cities and suburbs while forgetting that there are people who live in rural areas and are more than 10 miles from the nearest shop.
I think overall the responses are not tone deaf and are fairly reasonable. Most mechanics shops (aside from a minor two garage shop) that I have been to throughout my metroplex over a long period of years and multiple cars have jobs that take days due to analysis, buying parts and install. Unless I call ahead and schedule a very specific task where I know just taking in a book for 3 or 4 hours will work, I’m walking to the nearest bus stop, riding my bike or calling a cab. There are maybe 6 chairs and 15+ vehicles sitting outside or in bays from my experience. The customers are typically not sitting in the lobby. I think the OPs expectations are a bit off.
when I’m about to have them hundreds of dollars getting my busted-ass, POS car fixed?
As someone who has only ever driven broken down POS, I feel for you OP. Focus on getting it running, not making it perfect. Wishing you well and hoping it’s cheap! <3
Don’t you have public transport? I usually take a bus to a gallery or cafe, and the mechanic phones or texts to say my car is ready. The repair place also has a few chairs and a free coffee machine, so you can sit and wait if you’d prefer. It’s noisy but interesting. Maybe they have a break room where you could wait?
Most places in the US aren’t reached by public transit.
Not everywhere has decent, if any public transport, especially if they’re in a more rural area. And not every repair takes less than a day to fix.
Don’t you have public transport?
No.
That’s the advantage of taking your car to the dealership, the dealership in my area gives you one of their brand new cars from the lot to drive around while you wait for your car to be fixed. It’s a sly trick that eventually works and gets you into a new car.
This is how I found out that Subaru’s adaptive cruise control from their 2020 (iirc) models is vastly superior to the adaptive cruise control on my 2017. It practically drives the car for you now.
Yeah. Because that’s just what the roads need. Drivers paying LESS attention…
Oh, I agree. I love adaptive cruise control because it makes driving so much simpler, safer, and more relaxing (especially as someone with a medical condition which makes my legs get tired).
But after getting that loaner, I became extremely concerned about the prospect of people growing up with that level of adaptive cruise control. It won’t be long before we have drivers who never really had to drive their car. I’m sure there are people who said the same about automatic transmissions, but being able to do basic things like stay between the lines when you drive is very different than having to shift gears on your transmission.
This but unironically
So… This?
The dealership I go to did this last time I needed a lot of work done and all it did was make me dread the day my car finally dies and I have to get a new one. Spent the whole way home fighting the stupid lane departure thing that was trying to force me into potholes and road debris. I was almost home before I figured out how to turn it off.
My shop has a big lounge where you can wait until your car is ready. You can get coffee, tea or water. There is free wifi and I have seen people who brought their laptop to work there. You get a pager to let you know when your car is ready. If you don’t stay in the lounge, they send you a text instead.
Do they assume that? I have an appointment scheduled tomorrow and plan to wait in their lobby.
They prefer that.
It is one thing if you are getting an oil change or tire rotation, it is another thing entirely when you have a check engine light or an electrical problem that needs diagnosis and there is no way of knowing how long it will take to find out the issue. Even worse is when it is an intermittent issue that the customer can’t narrow down to certain conditions.
Also your appointment will be more like a doctor’s appointment if things are busy, you car will be brought in when a qualified technician is available and not immediately after you hand over your keys.
I’m leasing a car. I went for service last week and they had free coffee and coffee bread while I waited.
I think that should be put in law for all repair shops. :) It’s the little things.
I feel like this would vary by shop. There’s an automotive shop with a relatively small waiting room, because they are less than a block from a ~2 mile long road of shops. Very walkable, just ever so slightly uphill. You can usually walk and find a number of stores to window shop at before heading back.
There’s another automotive shop a bit aways from my house. It’s on a mostly solitary street, a few miles away from any shops, and is not an area you would want to be walking in. They have a fairly large waiting room.
But I think they all say you’re free to to do as you please because there’s not really anything for you to do for the next 2 to 48+ hours, depending on what you’re getting done.
The same car mechanics that usually have seating, coffee, TV etc for people who can’t leave to use while they wait…? You can also idk walk somewhere and grab a bit to eat? Don’t be mad at the mechanic because your car is broken and you don’t know how to fix it lol, also most shops that I’ve been to have offered me a ride when I live in the area and they aren’t too busy
What would you like them to do instead? How much extra are you able and willing to pay them so that they can do that and stay in business?
