An expensive week
Posted: April 8th, 2008, 11:20 pm
So, I just need to vent.
Last week the charge light and the ABS light started to come on randomly...indicating low voltage. So I figured, well it's a 15 year old car and who knows when it was done, so an alternator is to be expected. $260 for a partsource recon, $307 for a Mazda recon...I got my spare rebuilt by a local auto electric shop for $170...not bad.
Then the clutch started to get really bad. I tried bleeding it, but the pressure plate is toast I think. I knew the first time I drove the car that it was going to have to be done soon, so again...to be expected. $185 for a stock replacement + about $40 to resurface the flywheel...meh.
But then...Yesterday...one of the people I work with comes in from outside and informs me that I have a flat tire. Sure enough...picked up a nail. I got it repaired for $23 but I noticed at the same time that the other front is bulging. Again, I knew that I would need new rubber this year, so it's not unexpected, but seriously...C'mon!!!! Fortunately, I work for a global company and we buy alot of stuff. I talked to the fleet manager, who buys about 100 trucks and 2000 tires a year and he was able to get me a 50% discount from Bridgestone. Now if I hadn't already spent $400 this week, I'd probably go for a nice set of $259 per tire RE 01's (~drools~), cuz really how often do you get tires for half price? But, being as I'm already down $400 that I wasn't planning on spending this week, I figure I'll go for a more reasonable RE750. Nice performance tire...but they stopped making 205/55/15 in that tire and they can only find me 2 of them. AAAAnd, the replacement for that tire does not come in that size at all. Almost nothing does. So if I wanna use the stock rims, I pretty well have to go to a 195/60/15.
I'm not complaining about the money, because I knew I would have to spend it and I'm not complaining about the tires, bucause even though they're the wrong size, they're nice and they're half price...
BUT DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE???? MAN!!!
K, I'm done. Thanks.
Last week the charge light and the ABS light started to come on randomly...indicating low voltage. So I figured, well it's a 15 year old car and who knows when it was done, so an alternator is to be expected. $260 for a partsource recon, $307 for a Mazda recon...I got my spare rebuilt by a local auto electric shop for $170...not bad.
Then the clutch started to get really bad. I tried bleeding it, but the pressure plate is toast I think. I knew the first time I drove the car that it was going to have to be done soon, so again...to be expected. $185 for a stock replacement + about $40 to resurface the flywheel...meh.
But then...Yesterday...one of the people I work with comes in from outside and informs me that I have a flat tire. Sure enough...picked up a nail. I got it repaired for $23 but I noticed at the same time that the other front is bulging. Again, I knew that I would need new rubber this year, so it's not unexpected, but seriously...C'mon!!!! Fortunately, I work for a global company and we buy alot of stuff. I talked to the fleet manager, who buys about 100 trucks and 2000 tires a year and he was able to get me a 50% discount from Bridgestone. Now if I hadn't already spent $400 this week, I'd probably go for a nice set of $259 per tire RE 01's (~drools~), cuz really how often do you get tires for half price? But, being as I'm already down $400 that I wasn't planning on spending this week, I figure I'll go for a more reasonable RE750. Nice performance tire...but they stopped making 205/55/15 in that tire and they can only find me 2 of them. AAAAnd, the replacement for that tire does not come in that size at all. Almost nothing does. So if I wanna use the stock rims, I pretty well have to go to a 195/60/15.
I'm not complaining about the money, because I knew I would have to spend it and I'm not complaining about the tires, bucause even though they're the wrong size, they're nice and they're half price...
BUT DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE???? MAN!!!
K, I'm done. Thanks.