tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post5164547783899964075..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: PPS on Cast AwaySabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-87848411453992534872008-02-05T04:57:00.000-05:002008-02-05T04:57:00.000-05:00I went thru all 427 comments in that Youtube video...I went thru all 427 comments in that Youtube video, & found some jewels.<BR/><BR/>"This has nothing to do with laziness. <B>It's about corporate pressure to increase the average "ticket sales numbers" and to get the maximum numbers of cars through.</B> <I>Which leads to complete fraud.</I> I worked in the industry and had to deal with others' scumbaggery and fraud."<BR/>-- Nickdfresh<BR/><BR/>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-10000212479339887742008-02-03T19:59:00.000-05:002008-02-03T19:59:00.000-05:00Dear Arun:Yeah, I've read that before. I do indeed...Dear Arun:<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I've read that before. I do indeed appreciate that they encourage their employees not to make their days 24 hours full of stress. Though it's not actually leaving on the BB that is the problem but that people expect fast answers, over night, at weekends etc, so I think the cause is elsewhere. As an aside, I use the BB as a cellphone and don't like to turn it off at nightSabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-83368489801562271442008-02-03T19:22:00.000-05:002008-02-03T19:22:00.000-05:00Off-topic<A HREF="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/142127/blackberry_blackouts_urged_for_worklife_balance.html" REL="nofollow">Off-topic</A>Arunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451666670728177970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-7802094496377876682008-02-03T01:42:00.000-05:002008-02-03T01:42:00.000-05:00What happened to B is a classic case of auto-repai...What happened to B is a classic case of auto-repair scam:<BR/><BR/>1) asking for additional frivolous repairs<BR/>transmission..w/o examination (as B pointed out, the red flag was when they mistakenly thought it was an automatic)<BR/><BR/>2) outrageous charges<BR/>$500 for a black box to fix horn, $200 install?? (ARE YOU KIDDING ME)<BR/><BR/>3) screwups & sloppy work<BR/>lost remote, "fuzzy logicAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-13764559591487719582008-02-01T21:23:00.000-05:002008-02-01T21:23:00.000-05:00Hi Bee,“And the guy who drove the shuttle to drop ...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>“And the guy who drove the shuttle to drop me off was really nice.”<BR/><BR/>For $350.00 it should have been a limo with complimentary champagne :-<BR/><BR/>You certainly demonstrate you have more patients and understanding then I would be able to muster in similar circumstances. I hope your Cartesian described fellows have some explanation that is more satisfactory. This was Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-80509114216354498112008-02-01T21:04:00.000-05:002008-02-01T21:04:00.000-05:00I wonder what's up with the brakes. The only time ...I wonder what's up with the brakes. The only time I've seen friends with "fix it now" brake problems was when they didn't put new brake pads in soon enough and wore down the rotors, but I can't imagine a physicist doing that.<BR/><BR/>Just to swap the pads is an easy job even in cold wet weather. I knew a prof. who ran a physics lab. When he interviewed potential grad students, he asked them if CarlBrannenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180079098492232258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-17033901846345089542008-02-01T20:35:00.000-05:002008-02-01T20:35:00.000-05:00Hi Phil,Thanks, I hadn't heard of that airbag issu...Hi Phil,<BR/><BR/>Thanks, I hadn't heard of that airbag issue before, this is good to know though my car is a Civic not an Accord so don't know whether it is relevant. When I was in the store it was like 5 minutes to 5 on a Friday afternoon, and the only thing the guy kept repeating was I should come back on Monday when X and Y would be there. I didn't see any point in talking to him and besides Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-1143726972331028172008-02-01T20:26:00.000-05:002008-02-01T20:26:00.000-05:00Hi Bee,“the four problems that I came in for they ...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>“the four problems that I came in for they didn't fix a single one………I paid $ 350 for nothing than new trouble, and the knowledge that I've been driving around more than a year with the driver's airbag not working”<BR/>This certainly sounds like a nightmare. It’s one of those times you would hope when you awake none of it happened. I have never been charged such an amount Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-78472593969964436432008-02-01T19:55:00.000-05:002008-02-01T19:55:00.000-05:00Oh. As far as brakes go, a brake shop is another ...Oh. As far as brakes go, a brake shop is another possibility. Again, an independent shop might give you better service than a big name place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-66191876432755226192008-02-01T19:43:00.000-05:002008-02-01T19:43:00.000-05:00:-) Well, they did 'something' after all. They 'di...:-) Well, they did 'something' after all. They 'diagnosed' the bugs. (Though they kept saying things like it is 'probably' this and that. When I asked what exactly means 'probably' in the given context, they looked at me as if I was a completely hopeless case). Oh, and they put on the wheel caps that had been lying around in my trunk since I bought the car (I never bothered to put them on). Best,Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-28487778299613971572008-02-01T19:32:00.000-05:002008-02-01T19:32:00.000-05:00Hi Bee,$350 just to check the car out? I guess it'...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>$350 just to check the car out? I guess it's necessary now to ask for an estimate of how much the estimate will cost. To be safe, one could also ask for an estimate of the estimate of the estimate...<BR/><BR/>My experience is that, if you take the receipt back to the boss and ask him to explain it in detail, it's good for a partial refund.<BR/><BR/>Condolences, KrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-40924535760904312182008-02-01T19:07:00.000-05:002008-02-01T19:07:00.000-05:00Hi Bee, see Rita (if she still works there) and as...Hi Bee, see Rita (if she still works there) and ask her about a mechanic - she recommended one to me 4 years ago that turned out to be alright. I think it was called something like "busy corner"? and was close to PI, east just off of Erb Rd (Allen and Moore?) if I remember right. Dealerships are notoriously expensive and I would not go to one unless I absolutely had to. A full brake service Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-66659994557595430492008-02-01T17:46:00.000-05:002008-02-01T17:46:00.000-05:00Dear Arun:Good idea actually. The gas station wher...Dear Arun:<BR/><BR/>Good idea actually. The gas station where I usually go seems to be run by an Indian family. Not sure whether they do repairs, but could give it a try. <BR/><BR/>Dear Stefan:<BR/><BR/>The most important part of a car is the radio ;-) As Andi liked to point out, you need loud music to drown the car's more worrisome sounds.<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/><BR/>B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-1571065689213050702008-02-01T17:39:00.000-05:002008-02-01T17:39:00.000-05:00Hi Anonymous:Indeed, I have made very good experie...Hi Anonymous:<BR/><BR/>Indeed, I have made very good experience with my Ford dealer in Germany. <BR/><BR/>Hi Uncle:<BR/><BR/>I've been driving a Honda previously and that car was, despite its age, of very little annoyance. Even the car I am driving right now doesn't actually have any major bugs, meaning the important parts seem to work just fine (otherwise I'd consider selling it in time). I'd Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-15896882227085639242008-02-01T17:34:00.000-05:002008-02-01T17:34:00.000-05:00Dear Bee,that reminds me of the last time I've bro...Dear Bee,<BR/><BR/>that reminds me of the last time I've brought my Twingo to a Renault dealer - the guy told me that he had repairs to do for 1.200 Euro, and suggested that I buy a new car... In the end, a really good mechanic with a small workshop in the neighbourhood did the same (which was necessary to do, including also the brakes) for half the prize...<BR/><BR/>Best, Stefanstefanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09495628046446378453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-42424034523168181032008-02-01T17:25:00.000-05:002008-02-01T17:25:00.000-05:00I just want to say that, in my experience, some de...I just want to say that, in my experience, some dealership mechanics are honest, even if they are expensive (and others are both incompetent and dishonest). So in this case, contrary to kris krogh's advice, theory doesn't help with the classification problem: the matter has to be decided by experiment. Your recent experiment seems to have fairly conclusively classified the dealership in Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-4553354422176053892008-02-01T16:59:00.000-05:002008-02-01T16:59:00.000-05:001) Get the parts' descriptions, get prices from Go...1) Get the parts' descriptions, get prices from Google, ream the bastard a wide one.<BR/><BR/> 2) Buy German or Japanese. A US-made car is crap. Deeetroit is full of... diversity!<BR/><BR/> 3) Folks in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin buy junker used cars for the winter, then toss the salt-corroded remains when the snow melts in June.<BR/><BR/> 4) No sunspots so far this cycle. Is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-22914469218503383512008-02-01T16:26:00.000-05:002008-02-01T16:26:00.000-05:00Dear Bee,You're in Canada. Do you have a friendly ...Dear Bee,<BR/><BR/>You're in Canada. Do you have a friendly Sikh garage owner around - Canadian or immigrant from India? You might try an estimate from such a place.<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>-Arun<BR/><BR/>PS- by garage I mean car repair shop.Arunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451666670728177970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-63438523951139435052008-02-01T15:21:00.000-05:002008-02-01T15:21:00.000-05:00Hi Kris:No, as I said, I told them not to do anyth...Hi Kris:<BR/><BR/>No, as I said, I told them not to do anything major and said I'd think about it an get back to them (well, maybe I won't). The thing with the brakes is that apparently the previous owner replaced the standard set with some other parts (some kind of 'sport brakes' whatever that means), that were however not installed perfectly and don't work too great with the Honda parts and Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-60857179061394840852008-02-01T15:14:00.000-05:002008-02-01T15:14:00.000-05:00Hi Bee,Brakes are not one of those jobs that requi...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>Brakes are not one of those jobs that requires taking half the car apart. Even replacing them, I don't think it should cost $1000. Is it too late to get another estimate?<BR/><BR/>KrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-45970474830989310182008-02-01T14:55:00.000-05:002008-02-01T14:55:00.000-05:00Hi Kris,Thanks for the feedback. This is also what...Hi Kris,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the feedback. This is also what I thought. I've told them not to replace anything for now that doesn't desperately need to be replaced and want to go see some other place. I've had a similar problem with a Honda dealer with my previous car who insisted a part could only be replaced, but it turned out it could actually be fixed for half the price. Otoh, the brakes are Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-41924692091966692872008-02-01T14:50:00.000-05:002008-02-01T14:50:00.000-05:00Hi Bee,As you noticed, this garage is taking advan...Hi Bee,<BR/><BR/>As you noticed, this garage is taking advantage of you. I would say "no thank you" and go elsewhere. It's still possible to find a reasonable mechanic who actually likes fixing things.<BR/><BR/>Some think its best go to a dealership with experience and parts for your brand of car. But the garage in back tends to have the same ethics as the guys out front selling. (Same boss.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com