Panel change$ are easy and if you have good club support, most likely there is at lea one person in the club who may be willing to help do a panel who ha$ the experience.
Where can I find a club in South Florida? I'd like to see the cars and meet the people even before I buy a Smart.
$60-90 an oil change? Where are you getting your oil changes? Mine are $60 for 25,000 miles worth of driving. There's no way I'd ever spend that kind of money for a low 3,000 mile oil drain.
I'm not paying that for my oil changes on my other car. I do them myself.
Anyway what I was getting at is that if you're looking at doing normal dealer service intervals on the vehicle it actually can cost you more than you may expect Smart Center of Buckhead where I got my Smart charges $199 for the 10k service. I'm not sure what other dealers charge on other makes and models, but still can get expensive.
I'll still be shelling out the cash to have mine dealer serviced at 10k. You'll get more than just an oil change at a smart center, they'll inspect everything, clean your baby up, and inform you of any updates, recalls, etc. Not to mention having a dealer-serviced papertrail for any vehicle will help resale value.
I'll still be shelling out the cash to have mine dealer serviced at 10k. You'll get more than just an oil change at a smart center, they'll inspect everything, clean your baby up, and inform you of any updates, recalls, etc. Not to mention having a dealer-serviced papertrail for any vehicle will help resale value.
I'd like to see each and every single thing they are doing for $200 bucks.
Every dealer will itemize the work after it's done, and I'm sure if you ask they'll do the same beforehand. My invoice was like 6 pages long for about 140 bucks. Filters and oil, you pay dealer prices - you can get them cheaper on your own. Labor's like 90 bucks an hour, so that's half the cost right there.
An oil change at Jiffy Lube is cheaper because they pay their 'expert techs' like 8 bucks an hour. Some of them actually put the oil filler cap back on.
Every dealer will itemize the work after it's done, and I'm sure if you ask they'll do the same beforehand. My invoice was like 6 pages long for about 140 bucks. Filters and oil, you pay dealer prices - you can get them cheaper on your own. Labor's like 90 bucks an hour, so that's half the cost right there.
An oil change at Jiffy Lube is cheaper because they pay their 'expert techs' like 8 bucks an hour. Some of them actually put the oil filler cap back on.
For the oil and filter I use (which is superior to what the dealer will sell you or any auto parts store) that lasts up to 25,000 miles only costs me about $40 or so for the Smart.
The Smart dealer by me charges $105/hr. for labor. It should only take 10-15 minutes to change the oil, so they should only charge $25 for labor for the oil change.
What a scam. It's like to own a car you have to become a mechanic just so you don't get ripped off.
For my Saturn, in 73,000 miles, not once has it ever been serviced by the dealer or a mechanic. I've done everything myself and the cost of maintenance is next to nothing. The only thing I have left now is to change the brake fluid (which normally should be changed out about every 18 months.)
Then in your case, you save 100-200 bucks. The upgrades, recalls, and service bulletins are done for free no matter when you bring the car in. Me, I figured I'd probably not tighten something enough, and lose the engine -- I seem to break everything I start messing with. Maybe next March I'll do the oil change myself.
Then in your case, you save 100-200 bucks. The upgrades, recalls, and service bulletins are done for free no matter when you bring the car in. Me, I figured I'd probably not tighten something enough, and lose the engine -- I seem to break everything I start messing with. Maybe next March I'll do the oil change myself.
They should send you recall notices in the mail as long as you are the first registered owner.
Wasn't the only major upgrade the 2.0 thing for the shifting?
I've been working on my own cars for over 20 years. I've always been broke. My cars always run like new.
The only thing I have paid for in the past was having someone change the belts. And that didn't even work and I ended up having to re-do them myself since they were squealing.
I don't trust dealers or mechanics. Mechanics are underpaid. The dealership makes all the money and doesn't pay them squat. My father works for a dealer. For the $85/hr. the dealer charges, they only pay him $13/hr. out of it. That's pathetic.
Not to get back on topic, but I think about selling mine because, at least here in Southern Miss, drivers are INSANE. Trucks trucks, more trucks (my other SMART is an F-250 diesel, BTW...). And to get most places on the coast you end up on four-lanes or the interstate. So I end up pushing the car a lot faster than I want to just to avoid being run off the road. If I was in Miami or any other inner-city area it would be better, as that was one of things this car was designed for.
The coast here has everything arranged east and west, not much north and south due to all the inlets and bays. So much of our driving is highway mileage at high speed. I'd feel more comfortable with something bigger that cruises easily at 75, and can burst to 85 if necessary so I don't hold up the autobahn crowd in the left lane. All that being said, I don't see getting rid of the Cabby any time soon. Like to have an '05 to go with it...
Last edited by Dick Day(Yes, THAT one); 05-27-2009 at 01:10 PM.
The coast here has everything arranged east and west, not much north and south due to all the inlets and bays. So much of our driving is highway mileage at high speed. I'd feel more comfortable with something bigger that cruises easily at 75, and can burst to 85 if necessary so I don't hold up the autobahn crowd in the left lane. All that being said, I don't see getting rid of the Cabby any time soon. Like to have an '05 to go with it...
And the speed limit is?
Why does everyone feel the need to speed just because everyone else is.
If you are in the right lane going the speed limit or just a little more then you are not holding up traffic, no matter how fast everyone else is going. We are not all trained to drive on a race track.
Maybe if more folks drove the speed limit cops would see that everyone else is speeding and fill some of those budget gaps with extra revenue.
Why does everyone feel the need to speed just because everyone else is.
If you are in the right lane going the speed limit or just a little more then you are not holding up traffic, no matter how fast everyone else is going. We are not all trained to drive on a race track.
Maybe if more folks drove the speed limit cops would see that everyone else is speeding and fill some of those budget gaps with extra revenue.
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