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Car Forum / Nissan / Nissan Maxima / November 2004What a morning
Drove to work, stopped at the gas bar for coffe and paper. Gor back in and no go, dead, no click, just dim and rapidly dimmer dash lights. Called CAA and waited 10 minutes. The guy pulled out a fancy battery tester, and confirmed that my battery had gone, then pulled out a battery and installed it. $117.00. No labour charge, that's part of the CAA membership. I was quit ehappy, only delayed 45 minutes. While calling the CAA, wife calls on cell phone with the van having a burning rubber bad smell, seems like a drive belt went on it. Sure could have used that fine luck on something like Lotto 649. Oh Well, cheap fixes and am hppy now. $117 for the battery? better not be a labor charge at that price! 45 minutes to back on the road is nice... but with membership fee included, cheap isn't the selling point IMO. If the same had happened to me... a 5 minute walk back to pick up the second car, 20 minutes to pick up a $60 dollar battery on the way back from work that evening, 5 minutes to install it. 5 minutes delayed, 30 minutes out of my life, over $200 saved. Gotta love being mechanically inclined. BuddyWh >and confirmed that my battery had gone, then pulled out a battery and >installed it. $117.00. No labour charge, that's part of the CAA membership. >I was quit ehappy, only delayed 45 minutes. > $117 for the battery? better not be a labor charge at that price! > > 45 minutes to back on the road is nice... but with membership fee > included, cheap isn't the selling point IMO. If the same had happened > to me... a 5 minute walk back to pick up the second car, So you're never more than 5 minutes from home? And the costs involved with having a second car are less than what this guy paid? What if it needed to be towed instead, then what would you have "saved" by not being a memeber? > 20 minutes to > pick up a $60 dollar battery on the way back from work that evening, 5 > minutes to install it. 5 minutes delayed, 30 minutes out of my life, > over $200 saved. So the second car was free?  SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >> $117 for the battery? better not be a labor charge at that price! >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >having a second car are less than what this guy paid? What if it needed to >be towed instead, then what would you have "saved" by not being a memeber? Towing $7 a year with auto insurance, whatever reason, no deductible. >> 20 minutes to >> pick up a $60 dollar battery on the way back from work that evening, 5 >> minutes to install it. 5 minutes delayed, 30 minutes out of my life, >> over $200 saved. > >So the second car was free? The second car is needed for other reasons and therefore a sunk cost so yes it's essentially free. When reading this rather blatent advert, I couldn't help but put myself in his same predicament and found that his joy would have been my royal grief: to have paid dearly for CAA membership, then be cornered into paying $117 for a road-side battery replacement that I know I can buy cheaper elsewhere and as well be assured of getting the correct size! Sure, I could have turned down the offer... but then what? still a dead car/battery, maybe running now if he at least gives a free jump. Maybe he'd tow it back to my house or PepBoys... as I said I get that from my $7 a year auto insurance coverage! geez... some deal... I'd be royally pissed at that point! But then... anybody who can't separate a dead battery from a slipping alternator belt probably won't feel comfortable either. As for me, I very much appreciate that I have been able to dodge auto repair rip-offs more often than not. And my vehicles run better because of it, too. BuddyWh Actually, here in Canada, $117.00 for the battery is $35.00 less than Total Battery where I got the last one and changed it myself and $65.00 less than Nissan's battery. I could have taken a cab, gone to Total Battery, $20.00, then home, $20.00 to get some tools, then back to the car, $20.00, for a total out of pocket experience of $212.00. I wasn't walking distance from home and was not expressing an ad for CAA, but was communicating the fine experience, swift service with a smile and a savings on having to do it myself and get my hands dirty. No, in hindsight, I'd do the same thing again, I'm ahead of the game financially on this. I don't doubt that Americans can purchase a battery for $60.00, but up here in Canada, our prices are substantially higher. Many of my colleagues were in fact impressed that I only paid $117.00 for the battery, most of them buy batteries at Canadian Tire for $180.00 or more. UAP batteries are in the same range. rtt > >> $117 for the battery? better not be a labor charge at that price! > >> [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > BuddyWh >Actually, here in Canada, $117.00 for the battery is $35.00 less than Total >Battery where I got the last one and changed it myself and $65.00 less than >Nissan's battery. My apologies: I am aware that California has their spin on AAA, so I took CAA to mean California Automobile Ass'n., vs. Canadian Automobile Ass'n (??). Given exchange rate differences, that definitely changes the financial view. It does appear far more reasonable cost-wise. It may be different in Canada, but you must understand that the picture I envisioned for myself in that situation is all too real here in the US. Personal experience, and experience of friends, gives me no reason to doubt that a tow truck operator in that situation would pull a battery out of his truck and offer it at double price to a disabled motorist, knowing they are in a spot and likely to have a go. In fact, here you're lucky the tow truck operator doesn't take your battery out, clean it real quick while you enjoy the warmth of the coffee shop and sell the very same battery right back to you and then tighten the loose alternator belt that let the charge run low in the first place. That's the kind of road-side rip off artists we have here, and it fuels my natural skepticism. >I could have taken a cab, gone to Total Battery, $20.00, then home, $20.00 >to get some tools, then back to the car, $20.00, for a total out of pocket >experience of $212.00. ... As I said, my situation is different, as is everyone elses. 45 minutes to back on the road is nice but that convenience comes at unecessary expense if you have other means available. BuddyWh >>I could have taken a cab, gone to Total Battery, $20.00, then home, >>$20.00 to get some tools, then back to the car, $20.00, for a total out of [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > minutes to back on the road is nice but that convenience comes at > unecessary expense if you have other means available. It depends on what your time is worth. Some people's time is worth nothing so ANY amount of wasted time is basically free. SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >>> $117 for the battery? better not be a labor charge at that price! >>> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Towing $7 a year with auto insurance, whatever reason, no deductible. And they show up how fast? Don't try to BS me, I KNOW you're lucky if they show up the same day with the "$7 a year" policy. We deal with this all the time. Most of the time the customer just pays for the towing out of pocket as the "prefered" tow truck never shows up. And don't try to tell us you have a policy for $7 a year that pays any tow truck unlimited towing a year. >>> 20 minutes to >>> pick up a $60 dollar battery on the way back from work that evening, 5 [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > The second car is needed for other reasons and therefore a sunk cost > so yes it's essentially free. ??? "essentially free"? LOL! SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >> Towing $7 a year with auto insurance, whatever reason, no deductible. > >And they show up how fast? Don't try to BS me, I KNOW you're lucky if they >show up the same day with the "$7 a year" policy. We deal with this all the >time. Most of the time the customer just pays for the towing out of pocket No limitations. I call the tow I want. Even the one down the street from the 7-11 I get my morning coffee at. I do have a dollar limit but it is reasonable and allows me to be selective. Of course I pay, but the few times I've used it reimbursement came within a week so I just don't see any problem. >>>So the second car was free? >> >> The second car is needed for other reasons and therefore a sunk cost >> so yes it's essentially free. > >??? "essentially free"? LOL! I guess you don't understand the concept of sunk cost. Well, someone once said... don't try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and it annoys the pig. Have a happy thanksgiving! |
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