Car Fixing

Last week when Keith was down in LA the passenger side window broke to where it wouldn't go up or down. So I called the dealership where we bought it and they couldn't fix it on a Saturday but seemed really eager to help and very nice on the phone. For some reason Keith wanted to go to a different dealership so we drove over there on Saturday to talk to them and were told that they would have to order the part and it would take a couple of days and Keith said I would bring it in on Wednesday since he said that was their least busy day.

So, I call them yesterday morning to make sure the part is in, the guy tells me he will call me back because he is busy with a customer, so I wait 30 minutes and no call, so I call him back and he says they will need the car for 3 days because they have to take the door panel off first and then order the part. What?

I call the first dealership where we bought the car, the dealership that was my first instinct to go with, and they say bring it on over we carry most parts and it shouldn't be a problem. So, screw you, second dealership (Haddad Dodge). I did call them back and say I am not bringing the car in after all because I'm nice like that.

I take it down to Bakersfield Chrysler Jeep and am pleasantly surprised to find out that the window is under a recall because apparently it's been happening a lot and the repair will be covered and WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT! A fact that was conveniently not told to us by Haddad, where we were told that it would cost upwards of $500.00 for the repair. So, since we don't have to pay for the window, might as well get the much needed tune up and oil change and transmission service and all that which will cost about the same as the window that we don't have to pay for now.

While we are doing the paperwork, the service coordinator is telling me that another woman has her same model jeep in for a window repair and they've stocked up on the parts in anticipation of lots of other jeep windows suddenly breaking. I told her about my experience with Haddad and apparently they've heard quite a few not so flattering stories about them.

But, one other snag, she called me after a few hours and said everything was done except that they have every window in stock BUT the right front passenger and they would have it in the morning and did I want to pick up the car and then bring it back again or just leave it overnight. Well, just leave it overnight of course since I can't really drive it anywhere while the window is stuck open.

So, hopefully today the car will be done and the window will go up and down and we don't have to worry about driving around with an open invitation to steal the car or anything that's inside it.

We do need new brakes, too, but that will have to wait since we have spent so much already on the much needed maintenance and maybe Keith can do the brakes himself or we can find somebody closer to the house to do them on a Saturday. It would have been another $500 for the brakes, so no, not today.