lady_curmudgeon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lady_curmudgeon) wrote2014-11-21 02:57 pm
lady_curmudgeon) wrote2014-11-21 02:57 pm
State of the Bridget: Fixed!
Per the advice of a wise, longtime online friend, I called J's mechanic to see what they would charge for replacing the ignition lock cylinder and to check my instrument cluster lights. To change out the cylinder, re-key everything and re-code plus taking out the instrument cluster to check it would be $358.64 with four keys cut. Labor was 171.80, parts were 172.20. We really saved on the labor--Advantage Chevy was charging at least $325 for that with their rough estimate; didn't really save on the parts, which I'm sure just might have come from a dealer anyway, but we did save about 10 bucks on the main part. I know it's about the 12 bucks they charged to get keys made for Bridget at a dealer (and they work better for some reason than hardware store made keys), so we didn't save any money there, but...yeah. Much better deal on the labor!
The doors and ignition now work like buttah again, where they were all getting more than a bit touchy at times before replacement. Problem solved.
The instrument cluster is a bit more of a cluster fuck. The individual bulbs are allegedly not replaceable, the whole unit needs to be replaced to get the burnt out bulbs operational again, and the burnt out bulbs are in most inconvenient places on the cluster, so yeah, I need this to be rectified. Used part goes for $90 but registers at the mileage it came out of its former car at and cannot be reprogrammed to my current mileage once it's removed and $50 for labor. New part goes for (gasp!) $450 and includes programming it with my current mileage. $50 for labor, which isn't terrible, but $450??!?!? OUCH, not for a 13 year old car!! :/ J's going to do some research on how the mileage difference between the respective clusters needs to be reported to the DMV for emissions purposes and I should call my auto insurance agent to see if the difference in mileage will impact my insurance costs. It seems to reason that the DMV especially would be most suspicious of a significant odometer change for the lesser in this case when going in for emissions next year...
Sigh. Ain't it always something??? :/
Anyway...
Thanks, SBG, for hitting me with the clue-by-four regarding the excessive cost the dealer wanted to charge me for this particular repair. Didn't end up saving copious amounts of coin at J's mechanic, but I did save a fair amount! Appreciate the counsel, sir, as does my pocketbook!! :) :)
The doors and ignition now work like buttah again, where they were all getting more than a bit touchy at times before replacement. Problem solved.
The instrument cluster is a bit more of a cluster fuck. The individual bulbs are allegedly not replaceable, the whole unit needs to be replaced to get the burnt out bulbs operational again, and the burnt out bulbs are in most inconvenient places on the cluster, so yeah, I need this to be rectified. Used part goes for $90 but registers at the mileage it came out of its former car at and cannot be reprogrammed to my current mileage once it's removed and $50 for labor. New part goes for (gasp!) $450 and includes programming it with my current mileage. $50 for labor, which isn't terrible, but $450??!?!? OUCH, not for a 13 year old car!! :/ J's going to do some research on how the mileage difference between the respective clusters needs to be reported to the DMV for emissions purposes and I should call my auto insurance agent to see if the difference in mileage will impact my insurance costs. It seems to reason that the DMV especially would be most suspicious of a significant odometer change for the lesser in this case when going in for emissions next year...
Sigh. Ain't it always something??? :/
Anyway...
Thanks, SBG, for hitting me with the clue-by-four regarding the excessive cost the dealer wanted to charge me for this particular repair. Didn't end up saving copious amounts of coin at J's mechanic, but I did save a fair amount! Appreciate the counsel, sir, as does my pocketbook!! :) :)