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she's done brakes three times at a cost of $6-700 each
Your paying $700 for brakes on a Toyota minivan? Maybe you bought the parts from the dealer? Maybe by saying you "helped", you scheduled an appointment for her at the dealer, which you may have received a bargain at $700 as 90% of dealers are crooks.
My mom once had a dead battery in her Dodge Challenger SRT-8 and wanted to have it towed to the dealer. I saved her hundreds of dollars and hours by simply replacing the FLA with an AGM. Can you imagine a short white haired lady driving a bright orange with carbon fiber racing stripes Challenger? It was great to see her smile as she drove it like a teenager.
Sorry to hear about your mom's Toyota experience, which is dramatically different than our Toyota experience. We paid less for the car than you paid for a single brake job. I just replaced the front brakes on our 2008 Subaru Tribeca with 140,000 miles for $140 including guide pin lube and installation. I did the truck brakes (huge rotors) for ~$300 a couple years ago.
Originally Posted by Tom
But we've heard for years that fast charging, deep discharges, and high cycle counts kill EV batteries. That hasn't been demonstrated in the real world, and I think that's meaningful.
Your right, that is meaningful... I had typed out something regarding charging past 90%, battery degradation and increased charge times, but that is a topic of discussion for another time as this one has strayed way off the path, down the cliff and is laying lifeless at the bottom of the ravine.
Your paying $700 for brakes on a Toyota minivan? Maybe you bought the parts from the dealer? Maybe by saying you "helped", you scheduled an appointment for her at the dealer, which you may have received a bargain at $700 as 90% of dealers are crooks.
Oh, heck no. She’s turning 71 this summer and lacks all interest, and I’ve rarely lived close enough to help. She calls me up every time a shop recommends work, and I tell her were to go and what I think should be done. I flew out there in March to visit with my boys, and part of that was to replace her brake pads because I find shop rates outrageous. The rotors were fine, so the total cost with my labor was around $80 for ThermoQuiet pads. I got some strange looks trying to get through security with my impact wrench. Apparently tools have to be checked?
She’s much more of the typical vehicle owner than I am, though. There aren’t many jobs I’m not willing to tackle, but most pay a shop for maintenance and repairs. There’s a lot less of that in an electric powertrain, regardless of who makes it.
My mom once had a dead battery in her Dodge Challenger SRT-8 and wanted to have it towed to the dealer. I saved her hundreds of dollars and hours by simply replacing the FLA with an AGM. Can you imagine a short white haired lady driving a bright orange with carbon fiber racing stripes Challenger? It was great to see her smile as she drove it like a teenager.
Ha! Just saw this on the second look through your post. Now you’ve gotta post a pic.
Ha! Just saw this on the second look through your post. Now you’ve gotta post a pic.
It was something to behold... She had 20% tint on the windows and when younger guys in a Camaro or Corvette would pull up next to her at a light and rev their engine, she would roll down the window and point forward because she was always game to give the 6.2L V-8 Hemi a stretch of the legs.
You mentioning replacing the brakes for your mom reminds me of the time she asked why her brakes squeaked a bit before they were warmed up. She had a big brake kit by Brembo on the SRT Challenger and I gave her some pointers to keep them clean and up to temperature.
When my father passed away she wanted a sports car because she never had the chance to buy a very nice car for herself. She tried a couple others like Porsche, Mercedes, etc and fell in love with the Challenger because of the color, sound and it was easier to get out.
This is not her exact car, but hers was just like this one.
90% of the dealers you've encountered? Or do you have some hard facts to back up a blanket statement like that? I don't want to hear speculation or hearsay either. I worked at a dealer for over 11 years that would bend over backward to save a customer $$$ any way they could.
90% of the dealers you've encountered? Or do you have some hard facts to back up a blanket statement like that? I don't want to hear speculation or hearsay either. I worked at a dealer for over 11 years that would bend over backward to save a customer $$$ any way they could.
Personal experiences and my opinion.
One example is ~5 years ago the 2002 Mercury Sable I owned that had ~225,000 miles on it at the time would not start after stopping for fuel. I called a coworker to come pick me up and had the car towed to the nearest dealer because I couldn't leave it at the fuel station and that was the roadside assistance policy.
The dealer wanted $600 to replace the starter on the V6 Sable where the starter is easily accessible and without removing any parts or even putting it on a lift or jacking it up to gain access to the starter. They said they could get the price a little bit lower if I selected a remanufactured starter, but it would still be near $500.
I told them to push the car into the lot and don't touch it again. I picked up the keys, paid the $150 diagnostic fee and had my wife turn the ignition to ON while I hit the starter with a hammer. On the third hit, the car started, I drove it home and replaced the starter in 15 minutes for less than $100.
This is only one example out of several that I personally experienced at a dealer which is NOT isolated to Ford products on how I came to form my opinion that 90% of dealers are crooks.
Another reason is I don't like price gouging.
I am grateful you seem to have been an employee of a reputable and yoga friendly (bending backwards) dealer. Perhaps you could share the name of the dealer with us in case anyone is down in LA and needs some work done, under warranty of course.
Edit: Anderson Ford on Clemson Blvd in Anderson, SC is the dealer I referenced above.
One example is ~5 years ago the 2002 Mercury Sable I owned that had ~225,000 miles on it at the time would not start after stopping for fuel. I called a coworker to come pick me up and had the car towed to the nearest dealer because I couldn't leave it at the fuel station and that was the roadside assistance policy.
The dealer wanted $600 to replace the starter on the V6 Sable where the starter is easily accessible and without removing any parts or even putting it on a lift or jacking it up to gain access to the starter. They said they could get the price a little bit lower if I selected a remanufactured starter, but it would still be near $500.
I told them to push the car into the lot and don't touch it again. I picked up the keys, paid the $150 diagnostic fee and had my wife turn the ignition to ON while I hit the starter with a hammer. On the third hit, the car started, I drove it home and replaced the starter in 15 minutes for less than $100.
This is only one example out of several that I personally experienced at a dealer which is NOT isolated to Ford products on how I came to form my opinion that 90% of dealers are crooks.
Another reason is I don't like price gouging.
I am grateful you seem to have been an employee of a reputable and yoga friendly (bending backwards) dealer. Perhaps you could share the name of the dealer with us in case anyone is down in LA and needs some work done, under warranty of course.
Edit: Anderson Ford on Clemson Blvd in Anderson, SC is the dealer I referenced above.
The dealer I speak of is in a small town of Southern Alabama. Johnson Ford Atmore Al. There was a Chevy dealer in the same town that was also as helpful as we were back then. Everyone knew everyone, our customers would bring us holiday meals and such. Small community farm land kind of place. Mayberry comes to mind LOL. But yeah, dunoo if any of them still exist now, it's been 20 years since I left.
Edit: Just checked and their website is still active and latest internet photo place looks exactly the way it did when I left. Wow, talk about a time capsule.
I've had mostly good experiences with dealerships. I don't think I've ever paid for maintenance because I prefer to do it myself. The only vehicle I know with a detailed history of shop labor is my mom's van. She was quoted $700 from her dealer to have front and rear brakes replaced. I told her that's absurd and to find another shop who would turn the rotors and install new pads.
The shop she found said they could, but declined to give a firm price. $680 later, she had new rotors and pads from them. I was the next to service those brakes when I was visiting last winter, and that third-party shop did lousy work.
I think there are good and bad shops everywhere, but dealers are always a bit more expensive. In return, their techs are generally better trained, and OEM parts are usually higher quality.
I've had mostly good experiences with dealerships. I don't think I've ever paid for maintenance because I prefer to do it myself. The only vehicle I know with a detailed history of shop labor is my mom's van. She was quoted $700 from her dealer to have front and rear brakes replaced. I told her that's absurd and to find another shop who would turn the rotors and install new pads.
The shop she found said they could, but declined to give a firm price. $680 later, she had new rotors and pads from them. I was the next to service those brakes when I was visiting last winter, and that third-party shop did lousy work.
I think there are good and bad shops everywhere, but dealers are always a bit more expensive. In return, their techs are generally better trained, and OEM parts are usually higher quality.
Ford mandates technician training or else they come take that big blue oval down out front.
The dealer I speak of is in a small town of Southern Alabama. Johnson Ford Atmore Al. There was a Chevy dealer in the same town that was also as helpful as we were back then. Everyone knew everyone, our customers would bring us holiday meals and such. Small community farm land kind of place. Mayberry comes to mind LOL. But yeah, dunoo if any of them still exist now, it's been 20 years since I left.
Edit: Just checked and their website is still active and latest internet photo place looks exactly the way it did when I left. Wow, talk about a time capsule.
Where's the Mach E's and the Lightnings? Don't even see a EV battery charger in front parking area.
Hydrogen and only Hydrogen will be the future for most all Powered vehicles that easily range out over 500/10000 miles in 12 hours without landing / stopping /recharging for undetermined times at a line in a recharge station wait while dead, choked, overheated and hungry drivers are sitting in the sun crying. Of course, EV is a decent daily driver for short ranged daily commuters just think of 700,000 EV's sitting in line in your large city's expressways and the anger, oh the anger about the stuff. Starting Batteries last for about 5-6 years, maybe. They have had 80 + years to get that crap right. Nuff said.
Well my dream isn't about an Electric Battery getting me to there in my lifetime. Don't care. Yep, I keep a Lithium jumper with me at all times for a dead Battery or Alternator problem. The hope being getting back home! Sure a gas powered Generator makes sense as a back up with an EV. Haha 15 mph limp mode home. Sure....
Yet invariably you make an appearance in these types of threads. Must be the amusement factor. 😁
100% for the amusement but also to see and learn what real world experiences current owners care to report or discuss.
No I don't plan on owning an EV but because they're automobiles the interest is sorta built-in as I'm a fan of all things mechanical especially those we use nearly every day for all sorts of duties and life in general.
