The tow truck this morning had a clever setup for moving all-wheel-drive cars, a little four-wheeled trailer that slides in under the front wheels and lifts them clear, at which point it's like any other tow since the modern tow truck was invented.
Though my car is not scheduled for service until tomorrow, the dealer expected today's arrival. The intake/customer liaison guy was on it about as soon as it showed up, too. He called me with a list of the planned routine service work, confirmed the symptoms and wanted to know if I would like them to investigate the questionable tire-pressure sensors as well.* (I put that off. They are a royal pain to get at and are "repaired" by replacing them at a cost that if calculated per ounce comes close to the price of caviar -- and they're not all that light for their size. So you pay for mechanic time and trouble plus the sensor price, and the total will buy a a whole lot of very nice tire-pressure gauges.) He asked if I wanted a loaner today, which was tempting, except Tam is already out working and the rental car is a done deal through noon tomorrow.
Yesterday I wrote that many shops don't much want to mess with a Lexus. It's not just the cars -- some, maybe more than a few, Lexus owners are a bit, well, "Karen-ish" and it's clear the dealer copes with that by averting complaints before they occur. Not the cheapest place to get my car worked on, but it does come with some extras.
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* It's a pretty slick system, which I first noticed when I had to get the keys replaced: along with soothing customers, the liaison essentially triages incoming service work and assigns it to mechanics on the basis of skill and current workload, rather than leaving the skilled-wrench folks to sort that out among themselves.
I once noted that a “lot of small shops won't work on Bimmers, I suspect partly because of the need for specialized diagnostic tools and partly because a lot of Bimmer owners are special tools in need of diagnoses.”
ReplyDeleteI've found that our local Lexus dealership has overly proud salespeople. When, at the end of the 2018 Model Year, Hunky Husband's (HH) Lincoln met with a deer at high speed, the Lincoln people didn't have a sedan to sell him (who knew they would discontinue selling sedans in the USA?) The Lexus sales guy kept touting some of the "perks" of owning a Lexus. Even the extra charge perks had been provided HH by Lincoln, without charge. In fact, Lexus wanted to charge a monthly fee for the service that had automatically called a Lincoln dispatcher when HH's car had sensed his collision. A dispatcher was talking to HH to assess his condition and the situation, immediately, and a deputy sheriff was at hand within what seemed like seconds to the dazed HH.
ReplyDeleteAlthough HH judges the Lexus to be a good car, he did try to buy a Lincoln later. That's how he learned that there were no Lincoln sedans on offer.
Cars are computers on wheels and each "app" gets monetized. The dealers want to make their steak and potatoes profits, but getting that extra bit of gravy is such a nice adder to the bottom line. Then, just like all computers built to not last very long, comes the bonus check in the form of really damn expensive repairs.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting harder and harder to beat the game, even though I've been a gear-head grease monkey since the early 60's, a long time electrical engineer, and have access to specialty tools. I can work tight spaces and troubleshoot with best, but I'm slowly getting worn down by where do I want to spend my time. On cold concrete or playing with the grandkids and tinkering with my hobbies. So I just get transferrable warranties and move the cars on when they seem like significant problems are around the corner. I'll still do the brakes and easy maintenance, but the days of really working the problem have disappeared. The hobby cars on the other-hand, like the 72 Datsun 510 with a Rebello built motor and other neat goodies, will always find me under the hood when needed and even when not needed. Then behind the wheel with a big smile.
Had a Lexus in 2015 as a lease and it was comfortable, quick, and fun to drive. Upgraded to a Tesla after that and got really impressed by electric performance. But, kicking the clutch in, hauling on a shifter while rev matching is just way more fun.
Sorry to hear about the deer and the sedan.
Just Musing - Yes, I was told that my own 2014 MKZ includes 20+ microcomputers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thought: passing it along to Hunky Husband. The poor deer paid the ultimate price, hair ending up in the trunk of the car. That was when HH's encroaching dementia became a real "thing" to us. He never returned to pre-collision "reduced normal" short-term memory capability. Fortunately, my brother and I were about 60 miles away and were able to retrieve him in short order. His 2013 MKS didn't look all that bad; but, the electronic hit made the insurance company total it out for $18K.
My sympathies to HH. That kind of stressful event is difficult at any time, and gets harder later in life.
ReplyDeleteThe first indications my Dad was struggling were a couple of minor-but-disturbing car accidents on a solo trip to visit his brother on the far side of the county. He had gotten lost, which was something that never happened to him, especially in a place he knew as well as this part of Indiana. I think it shook his self-confidence badly, though he never said as much. He limited his driving to trips to the corner store after that.
Roberta--You've had experiences in your own family that qualify you to understand what goes on. Thank you. You'll completely understand my trying to judge HH's driving safety dispassionately.
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