Hit the Brakes!

Hey yaars,

After procrastinating on getting my car's scheduled maintenance, I finally caved in today and went to the Saturn dealership in Pickering. Mind you, I was kind of pushed after having my mom's co-worker rip out the door latch of a backseat door. Along with the standard oil, lube, filter, and windshield wiper change, I figured I'd be out a couple of hundred bucks. Boy was I in for a royal surprise.

It turns out that after their annual inspection (I've always passed on paying the extra 30 bucks for what I thought was a glorified version of a mechanic kicking tires), I had about $1500 worth of work that could be done on the car. The particulars are as follows :

Oil, lube, filter - $40
Windshield wiper - $28
Front tires replace/alignment - $420
Back door latch labour - $99 (the new latch won't be in until monday, so I pay for the part then)

Front brake pads - $217
Rear brake maintenance - $60
Transmission fluid - $286
New door latch - $90

Now it goes without saying I was taken aback at the final tally. I expected to be dinged around $500, but almost had a coronary combined with a stroke at the newly totalled figure. Thankfully, my desi instincts kicked in, meaning I would have a way of better gauging what needed to be done, what could be put off, and what was straight bollocks. Oh yeah, and a nice phone call to an old family friend who just happens to be a mechanic!

So I had the first four things done. The oil change, wipers, and latch I knew about going in. Truth be told, I had an inkling about the tires for the last 2 months, and after having them changed was relieved to no longer hear the grinding noises when I made sharp turns.

As for what remains, the door latch I obviously have to finish (especially considering that the door panel is ripped off, sitting in the trunk of my car). After researching a bit, The transmission fluid can definitely be put off for a long time, as I've never had any heating issues or grinding occur with the car. And considering that the car, like most, has front wheel steering, I have a feeling it won't be hazardous to leave out the rear-brake stuff. So it's still around $1000, but at least it's not $1500.

There are pros and cons from today's journey though. While $1000 sounds steep, I'd rather have my important car parts serviced now, rather than have some serious damage later on, forcing me to dish out WAY more. Considering we've had the car for over 3 years (with 91,000km on it) and have only had to go for regularly scheduled maintenance, it doesn't seem nearly as steep as compared with the Oldsmobile of my Dad's. As great as it was for driving (we use to describe his '87 Delta 88 as a Beast dressed up as a grandpa), that thing ALWAYS cost at least $200 whenever we took it in, which was every few months.

Oh, as for the cons, well it's still $1000. AND I'm still ticked at the fact that I'm paying over $200 for something that wasn't even my fault!

Now if only Dell called me to f'n confirm they've sent me a working version of the computer I've ordered!