PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

Richard Eldridge · #1 07-22-2004, 07:25 PM

Gosh, Yoshhimura, you got all steamed and I can't see why.
I did not say that all Cubans were incompetent clowns that were unaware of the fact that a 124 needs a 4-wheel alignment, nor that they all played videogames much of the time, or that they made up bogus charges to diddle their customers. Just that THIS ONE GUY did this.

I am back from my trip, and it appears that my wheel alignment was pretty good, the tires do not show any strange wear after 1200 miles, and the car tracks perfectly. I also did not mean to imply that the Cuban guy could not align the car as well as the Salvadorean (or Honduran or Nicaraguan, I'm not sure, nor is this important) fellow who Steve suggests might be lacking an adequate medical plan.

I told the tale as I did because I feel it brings out the local color of la vida loca de la ciudad mágica, no seas pendejo, mano.

I do not mean to suggest that the Central American who did the job was a sap for working for the Cuban fellows, either. I am sure he was just trying to get by, and doing much beter than he did before in Tegucigalpa, Matehualpa, or Chichicastenago. Hooray for him, may he own his own shop soon. May he live long and prosper.

I refuse to accept the notion that any mention of ethnicity is off-limits and inherently racist. I am merely doing with reprocessed electrons the same damned thing a casting director does when he does not choose Robert Redford to play the role of a Chicano or Brad Pitt to play the part of Woody Allen.

If I did not think that I could get my car aligned by a Latino, I would surely not have called anyone in Hialeah, where mechanics of any other description are as rare as hen's teeth. In fact, the fellow who has been aligning all my cars since 1997 is a Colombian named Carlos, (at the Tire Market, NE 8th and 29th St, Hialeah) and his work and opinions (on tires and shocks) was always great, but at his work I was told that he was in the hospital because he was wounded or injured (herido) and I was about to go on a couple of trips.

Why would I choose to have my car aligned in Hialeah? It is close to where I live.

My complaint, as Steve pointed out, is that I was told one price and then forced to pay another. I would not do this to anyone in my business (I am a teacher and I do translations ), nor do I consider it ethical. That's it. There are no materials used in doing an alignment, and I think it is wrong to charge for such nonexistent crap. It is doubly wrong to not tell a customer that there is a unmentioned $5.00 charge for materials that do not exist.

I still insist that I have every right to find the greatest value for my money as I can. When I bought my home, I assumed a mortgage (avoiding paying "points", aka a bribe to a bank, and did not buy through a Realtor (avoiding a commission). I invest in No-Load Mutual Funds. Whenever I can get the same quality for less I do so, and I always do as much research as I can to get the best deal. My favorite hobby is Saturday morning yard sailing, and I have avoided paying tons of money by buying used stuff, unwanted gifts several years old and way too many goofy collectables and tools, including one Snap-on wrench for $1.50 and another for $2.00. These were prices offered me, not the result of me presbyterianing down the price.

I have driven a number of cars over the past 40 years, I have never bought a new one, nor have I ever paid more than 40% of the original retail. I really like to drive and I rather like working on cars. In High school, I liked to hang out in junkyards and fiddle with engines and such. At one time, I actually worked my way thru college putting wheels on Ford Falcons and Mercury Comets at the Claycomo Assembly Plant.

Every once in a while I screw up, such as when I bought a bee-yoo-tiful Ryobi electric drill, which looked like it had never been used, for $20 (the price quoted to me by the seller). Of course, the batteries were unrechargeable and the charger would not charge, so I consider this a lesson: Never buy used rechargeable tols unless you get a money back guarantee with someone who will put it in writing that you trust. On the other hand, before that I bought a set of rechargeable Black and Decker items (flashlight, drill, saw) for $10 that have been working for the past four years.

The way I have it figured, I paid $30 for tools that would have cost me about $120. Not a losing proposition.

I realize that one runs the risk of getting diddled when one does wild and crazy crap like driving a couple of ancient German cars (one 14 years old and another nearly 20). But I also realize that if I buy a couple of NEW cars (let's say for $100K combined, on top of which I must pay bank interest (or if I pay cash, I must forfeit investment income), extreme insurance premiums, be much more likely to have my cars stolen) I do not run the risk of paying too much for transportation: I am GUARANTEED to pay more, and in the case of myself, to have far less fun doing it.

What I would call a "chop shop" is not a place where mechanical work is done cheaper, either well or poorly. To me a "chop shop" is a place where stolen vehicles are dismembered and their pieces sold at low, low, prices. I have not knowingly ever bought from any such operation. I have turned down COUNTLESS Rolex's, Tag Heuers and Omegas offered by individuals of many ethnicities who have attempted to pass themselves off as theiving junkies selling "hot" merchandise.

Life is a series of risk analyses: you pays your money and you takes your pick. I do not buy lottery tickets, neither do I mess with casinos, nor will I ever bother with three-card monte.

We are ALL obliged to work for a mere fraction of what it cost us to get qualified and armed to do whatever we do: we all pay rent, huge amounts for houses and such. Since we cannot control the income much, the way I see it, I am a fool not to limit the outflow. I spent 22 years of my life getting a BA, an MA and a PhD, for a job which does not compare salary-wise with that of many realtors, mechanics, rockstars, jockies or guys who fiddle with various types of ball. Life is unfair, so what?

This does not, however, justify anyone who calls themself an expert quoting me $45 for a job and charging $60.