One of the first movies that Tom Hanks ever starred in was The Money Pit co-starring Shelley Long (Diane from Cheers). The movie is a hilarious tale about how Hanks and Long poured uncountable sums of money into an old house they had purchased.I thought about that movie on Friday this week when I sat, again, for hours at the Lexus dealership in Sarasota waiting for the latest repair to be made. I don't own a Lexus - Susan does. Its 2004 series 330 SUV shown above. Driving the car is a dream. Its incredibly comfortable and has more bells and whistles for your comfort than you can count. I first drove it in July when Susan and I drove back to Florida from Indianapolis (via baseball games in Huntsville Alabama and Mobile Alabama). A couple weeks later I drove it as far as the Nashville airport (Susan continued on to South Bend) and then ten days later I flew to South Bend and drove the Lexus back to Florida with her.
When not doing trips across the corn and redneck belts of the country we have traveled quite a bit around Florida in the Lexus - trips to the Florida Keys and jaunts to the east coast and a couple of times to Orlando. In six months we have put some serious mileage on the car.
The first indication we had that the Lexus was becoming a money pit was in late October just before our trip to Nicaragua. The left front tire was constantly going low on air and when we finally took it to Tires Plus we learned that the front tires had virtually no treads left and in fact metal used to maintain the structural integrity of the tires was poking through the rubber. Then there was the issue of the back tires that were very badly worn. The verdict was that four new tires were needed immediately. $675 later we had four new tires and the Lexus rode so nicely it felt like you were on a cloud.
Then a couple weeks ago Susan left her car at my home while she returned by air to Indiana. One day I noticed that the electric remote that opened and closed the doors (found on the key) was working half the time. It was running out of juice and needed to be replaced. At the same time a light was showing constantly saying "maintenance required." I also noticed that when the car was started it was taking longer than normal for the engine to kick in.
The last real maintenance of a car that I did was in "Doc" Miller's class in high school in 1968. From that time long ago I reasoned that the problem with the slow starting was the starter. When I had heard that sound before it always meant a new one was needed.
When I arrived at Lexus the highly professional staff took the information on what was wrong with the car, showed me to the waiting room (with leather covered couches) and invited me to eat bagels and drink coffee (if only I could) until the car was finished. An hour later I was informed that a new battery was put in the remote on the key ($8.00) and that the maintenance required light meant only that an oil change was needed. Lexus changed the oil and filter for me ($60) and then told me that my initial guess was correct and that the starter was shot. I didn't want Susan driving around having trouble in the middle of nowhere so I told Lexus to replace the starter. They then said that I should probably change the spark plugs while they were in there mucking around. When I was presented with that final bill it was $866 for the starter and the plugs. Ouch.
I drove out of the lot thinking the car was fixed, Susan was safe, and I'd never have to stop at Lexus of Sarasota again.
That fantasy lasted a week when another light came on indicating there was a problem with the traction system. Traction? How on earth could that be? Still I didn't want her driving to Indiana for Christmas if there was a traction problem. I quickly called Lexus of Sarasota and made an appointment for 8:00 the next morning.
Dutifully I was there at 8, checked in, and sent to the bagel room to wait. An hour later the helpful service manager informed me that the traction light was on because the gas cap isn't being screwed on tightly enough. How in hell can that be? The service manager informed me that the problem had been fixed and then laid this on me. "While we had your car on the computer we discovered a couple of disturbing things." I could feel my VISA card gasping for air.
"First" she said," the brake pads on the rear brakes are only 1 millimeter thick. They should be 10 millimeters thick. On top of that the brake pads are severely rusted and needed to be replaced." She then added "That will be about $500."
While gasping for air she also told me that all of the fluids in the car were dirty and needed to be replaced along with the filters. "That will be about $450." While clutching my chest she then told me that the rack and pinion steering mechanism was leaking. "Right now on a scale of 1-4 your car is at a 2. But it could blow out at any time and needs to be fixed." Smiling, Liz said "That repair is about $2200."
And to think all of this started with the replacement of an $8.00 battery in the key!
Susan is leaving in a few days for Indiana for Christmas. No way did I want her driving on brakes that were dangerously thin (especially when she'd have to be driving with the confirmed nut cases in Atlanta and Nashville) so I asked that the brakes be fixed immediately. The others we would think about.
Friday morning we replaced the brakes. Liz found me in the bagel room and said "we were able to give you a bit of a discount so the cost was only $422." ONLY? I wonder if she would say "only" if it was her VISA card going into shock?
I told Liz that we would think about the other issues and probably get them fixed when Susan was back in Indiana and had more time.
Wishing Liz a happy holiday season I drove directly from the Lexus of Sarasota dealership to Sam's Auto Repair on 17th Avenue. Everyone raves about Sam's and they are recommended by AAA and I wanted a second opinion.
Sam listened to my story and did some calculations and said "bring the car in Monday morning and I'll have it fixed by Monday afternoon." He then added, "I know this is expensive but I can fix it all for you for $1014." When I told Sam what I had been quoted by Lexus of Sarasota his assistant said "don't EVER take a car to Lexus. They think just because you own a Lexus you have money and they stick it to you. Bring it here and we'll fix it for half what Lexus would charge." No kidding.
Next I drove to University Auto Spa on University Parkway where my buddy Kevin works doing car washes and doing car repairs. I showed Kevin the list of things that Lexus said needed to be fixed as far as fluids and filters. Kevin checked the brake fluid and it was filthy. He checked several other things and confirmed what Lexus said about things needing to be replaced. He then said "With everything you need done its going to cost about $150. I can do it right now if you want me to."
From my hip pocket I could feel my VISA card sighing a sigh of relief as I gave Kevin the go ahead to change the fluids. When he was done with his work he gave me my bill. "I overestimated on one thing Craig, the bill is actually $122."
It was at this point I told Kevin that Lexus told me it would cost $450 to do what Kevin accomplished in 30 minutes and for $330 LESS than Lexus. AT this point my friend Kevin gave me the same lecture that Sam did at Sam's Auto Repair. "From this point on Craig, when your Lexus needs to be fixed you bring it to me first. Don't go to those greedy bastards at the Lexus dealership ever again."
As I drove away from the University Auto Spa parking lot I thought to myself "No kidding Kevin, you don't have to worry about me ever stopping at the Lexus dealership ever again." Their profitable money pit just dried up.
I haven't had the nerve to total up how much we have spent on the Lexus getting everything fixed and safe for trips to Indiana and elsewhere. And when you think about it logically the money spent to keep her safe is inconsequential. However getting fleeced by a dealership like what has happened to us has been less than a pleasurable experience. Talk about getting screwed and not enjoying it!
And to think this all started with the repair of an $8.00 battery on her key!
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