Okay, hopefully you have visited the site (http://www.transmissionrepairreferral.com/). Or maybe you are wondering why you would need this free service. Let me tell you what happened to me this week.
My wife calls me at work and says that while she was out and running errands, the check engine light came on in her vehicle. She was relatively close to a place we normally take our vehicles for tires, oil changes, and other maintenance needs so she went there for them to check it out.
They put the vehicle on the machine to test and see what the light was indicating. They came back to her and explained it may be the catalytic converter going bad. They said that they reset the light, and for her to continue driving. There is a possibility that it was a fluke, and no maintenance would be needed. However, if the light came back on, for her to come in and they would check the 02 sensors and the converter again. More than likely if the light came back on, it would require a converter change. Around $800. They said they could get a refurb part, and have subcontractor weld it in for about half that if we chose to do so.
She left, expecting the light to come on in a couple of days, or at least make it until the next week until we could get it into the shop for repairs. The light came on about an hour later. She went back to the shop to have them check the o2 sensors like they said, only to have them tell her there was no reason to do so, that it must be the converter, and the sensors would have to be changed no matter what, when the converter was changed.
Frustrated, she left and called me again to tell me what happened. I told her we would just wait, and try and get it in next week during Spring Break. She decided to reduce her driving of the vehicle to just minimal errands until it could be fixed.
A couple of days later she calls me again, this time to tell me that the light went off while driving, and hasn't come back on since.
What would you do in this situation? We have been going to this particular shop for a couple of years now and feel they are pretty trustworthy. But we are slightly sceptical now due to the odd circumstances.
That is where a service like TransmissionRepairReferral.com comes in handy. All the repair centers in our database are certified, inspected, and required to give written estimates that must fall with 10% of the final price.
Visit Transmission Repair Referral to find qualified transmission repair services in your area.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Charles Barkley - The role model...
As many of you have heard or read, Charles Barkley, former NBA all-star, was arrested and spent time (36 hours) in the Arizona Penal facility known as tent city. Of course the story-starved sports media has been all over this. I like to listen to ESPN.RADIO while commuting to work and occasionally during the day I'll catch a few of the shows. It was on all day - every time I tuned in.
The arguments ranged from the "they were too lenient" to "it's just a story because he's a sports star." Too all those buffoons who blabbed about it all day, I say... you're right. (hey, now I'm blabbing about it)
Let me start with the second side, first. Yes, it is only a story because he is a sports star. Look at the picture of him at tent city and there are probably six other inmates behind by the fence. Two of them probably also are incarcerated because of DUI. Nobody knows who they are or what sentence they got. I have been summoned for jury duty once each year for the last three years. Each case was for a drunk driver. It happens every day, every hour, maybe even every minute. Does anyone other than a celebrity get this coverage for driving drunk? No.
Charles once commented that he was not a "role model" just because he played basketball. I agree. Charles is not a role model. He's a drunk, a gambler, and overall just a plain pain. He is definetly not a role model. But he should be, or he should at least act like one. Anyone in his position of fame and with kids watching and emulating his playing ability, should take on the responsibility of that fame and set a better example. Whether he wants it or not, kids all over America used to idolize him. I know, he didn't ask for them to do it. But it comes with the million dollar contracts. It comes with the jersey sales. It comes with the price of admission.
And this leads me to the first point. They were too lenient. I understand that the "norm" in Arizona for a DUI is a 10 day sentence. I understand that most get reduced to 3 days. I understand that most only serve 24-48 hours. That is what normally happens. I understand all that and why. Jails don't have the space, its expensive, they should concern themselves with more violent crimes, and on and on and on.
I'm not saying the judge should have done anything above the 10 days. I'm not saying just because it is Charles Barkley he should have sentenced him to 30 days. What I'm saying is that the judge knew America's eyes would be on this. And the message he sent to us all was the penalty for drunk driving is almost nothing.
Am I wrong? How many of knew that if you got arrested for drunk driving you would only serve about a day and half? Not me. Not my co-workers. Now we know and so does everyone else. I'm not saying everyone is going to go out and drink and drive now, but I bet you some will be more likely to do it now they know the penalty is so lax. I hope for the sake of deterent the state of Arizona re-visits the "norm" before someone gets hurt.
Visit Transmission Repair Referral.com or StarVT.com
The arguments ranged from the "they were too lenient" to "it's just a story because he's a sports star." Too all those buffoons who blabbed about it all day, I say... you're right. (hey, now I'm blabbing about it)
Let me start with the second side, first. Yes, it is only a story because he is a sports star. Look at the picture of him at tent city and there are probably six other inmates behind by the fence. Two of them probably also are incarcerated because of DUI. Nobody knows who they are or what sentence they got. I have been summoned for jury duty once each year for the last three years. Each case was for a drunk driver. It happens every day, every hour, maybe even every minute. Does anyone other than a celebrity get this coverage for driving drunk? No.
Charles once commented that he was not a "role model" just because he played basketball. I agree. Charles is not a role model. He's a drunk, a gambler, and overall just a plain pain. He is definetly not a role model. But he should be, or he should at least act like one. Anyone in his position of fame and with kids watching and emulating his playing ability, should take on the responsibility of that fame and set a better example. Whether he wants it or not, kids all over America used to idolize him. I know, he didn't ask for them to do it. But it comes with the million dollar contracts. It comes with the jersey sales. It comes with the price of admission.
And this leads me to the first point. They were too lenient. I understand that the "norm" in Arizona for a DUI is a 10 day sentence. I understand that most get reduced to 3 days. I understand that most only serve 24-48 hours. That is what normally happens. I understand all that and why. Jails don't have the space, its expensive, they should concern themselves with more violent crimes, and on and on and on.
I'm not saying the judge should have done anything above the 10 days. I'm not saying just because it is Charles Barkley he should have sentenced him to 30 days. What I'm saying is that the judge knew America's eyes would be on this. And the message he sent to us all was the penalty for drunk driving is almost nothing.
Am I wrong? How many of knew that if you got arrested for drunk driving you would only serve about a day and half? Not me. Not my co-workers. Now we know and so does everyone else. I'm not saying everyone is going to go out and drink and drive now, but I bet you some will be more likely to do it now they know the penalty is so lax. I hope for the sake of deterent the state of Arizona re-visits the "norm" before someone gets hurt.
Visit Transmission Repair Referral.com or StarVT.com
Yes, I stole it...
Okay, before you berate me about the title of my blog, I know it is not my original line. I got this from Dennis Miller's former rants from HBO. I used to love his rants with the witty and off the cuff references where he would just cut down anyone and everyone. Then he'd finish by saying,"Hey, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong." Of course he'd say it after working up a great bit of passion for what he was ranting on, and of course he'd have that little twinkle in his eye telling you that he didn't think he was wrong.
To me, that is the perfect line for any blogger. We are just here giving our opinions. There is a chance we could be wrong, but we don't think we are wrong, otherwise why would we have written what we wrote?
Having said that, thanks for visiting. I'll be submitting my first "rant" later, so come on back and see what has me clicking then.
Thanks,
Visit Transmission Repair Referral.com or StarVT.com
To me, that is the perfect line for any blogger. We are just here giving our opinions. There is a chance we could be wrong, but we don't think we are wrong, otherwise why would we have written what we wrote?
Having said that, thanks for visiting. I'll be submitting my first "rant" later, so come on back and see what has me clicking then.
Thanks,
Visit Transmission Repair Referral.com or StarVT.com
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Where does the money go?
Visit Transmission Repair Referral.
Okay, so were in a recession. The economy is in a bind and things are looking bleak. The stock market falls farther each day. What does it all mean?
Think about it this way. There is only so much money in the world. Countries don't just print more when times get tough, it weakens their currency, you know, supply and demand. But the population grows each year, and things cost more each year. So how does it all balance out. You hear about people losing money in the stock market, but where does that money go? It doesn't just disappear.
I'll tell you. It just changes hands. For every stock bought there is one sold. For every dollar lost, there is one made. The amount of money hasn't gotten smaller. Its just been changing hands. When it starts to become scarce, we as Americans make changes in our lifestyles. Take gas prices for example. When gas shot up to $4 a gallon, what happened. Money went from our hands (the consumers) to the oil tycoons (whether they be here or in the Mid-East). So we started travelling less, which means our money stopped going to the airlines and tourist industry locations. This includes all the hotels and restaurants, etc. They didn't have the money coming in, so they might have had to lay people off. The unemployment rate climbs, people start to fear for their own jobs, prices of consumables go up along with the gas prices, and things start to get worse from there.
But remember, there is still the same amount of money available. The stock market is crashing, but for every dollar someone loses, someone has to make. It doesn't just vanish.
So here we are, hanging on to what we have (which you should), but that in turn starts to shorten the amount others bring in (which is bad) so we are in a catch 22. The auto industry is in shambles. No one is buying new cars, which means they are slowing tanking. No cars, no loans, (same is happening to homes). Then the government has to start bailing big companies out. I don't like it any more than you, but if they don't bail them out, those big companies are going to bring down you and me with them. My philosophy... bail them out, clean house of their ineptness, then punish them once their stable. Its the only way they'll learn.
So where does that leave us now. Well, we aren't throwing our money around like we might have used to. I know I'm not going out to buy a new truck anytime soon. We have to spend it wisely and make sure we get something of value in return.
Remember when I said that the money doesn't just vanish. Well if we aren't buying new cars, that means we have to be keeping our older ones running longer. That means the money will be making its way to the mechanic soon (hopefully soon enough to keep those in business now up and running). When that money starts flowing that direction, what do you suppose will begin to happen. Yep, supply and demand. Others will start to try and capitalize on that flow of money. And when they do, they may not be up to the standards you are looking for. A way to protect yourself is to make sure you invest in someone you can trust. If your car is in need of repair, make sure you take it to someone who has been around for a while. Someone who is certified, and will guarantee the work they do. How do you find someone like that. Easy, visit http://www.transmissionrepairreferral.com/ and we'll find them for you.
Thanks for listening, and check back soon when I'll talk about the Economic Spedulus package.
Okay, so were in a recession. The economy is in a bind and things are looking bleak. The stock market falls farther each day. What does it all mean?
Think about it this way. There is only so much money in the world. Countries don't just print more when times get tough, it weakens their currency, you know, supply and demand. But the population grows each year, and things cost more each year. So how does it all balance out. You hear about people losing money in the stock market, but where does that money go? It doesn't just disappear.
I'll tell you. It just changes hands. For every stock bought there is one sold. For every dollar lost, there is one made. The amount of money hasn't gotten smaller. Its just been changing hands. When it starts to become scarce, we as Americans make changes in our lifestyles. Take gas prices for example. When gas shot up to $4 a gallon, what happened. Money went from our hands (the consumers) to the oil tycoons (whether they be here or in the Mid-East). So we started travelling less, which means our money stopped going to the airlines and tourist industry locations. This includes all the hotels and restaurants, etc. They didn't have the money coming in, so they might have had to lay people off. The unemployment rate climbs, people start to fear for their own jobs, prices of consumables go up along with the gas prices, and things start to get worse from there.
But remember, there is still the same amount of money available. The stock market is crashing, but for every dollar someone loses, someone has to make. It doesn't just vanish.
So here we are, hanging on to what we have (which you should), but that in turn starts to shorten the amount others bring in (which is bad) so we are in a catch 22. The auto industry is in shambles. No one is buying new cars, which means they are slowing tanking. No cars, no loans, (same is happening to homes). Then the government has to start bailing big companies out. I don't like it any more than you, but if they don't bail them out, those big companies are going to bring down you and me with them. My philosophy... bail them out, clean house of their ineptness, then punish them once their stable. Its the only way they'll learn.
So where does that leave us now. Well, we aren't throwing our money around like we might have used to. I know I'm not going out to buy a new truck anytime soon. We have to spend it wisely and make sure we get something of value in return.
Remember when I said that the money doesn't just vanish. Well if we aren't buying new cars, that means we have to be keeping our older ones running longer. That means the money will be making its way to the mechanic soon (hopefully soon enough to keep those in business now up and running). When that money starts flowing that direction, what do you suppose will begin to happen. Yep, supply and demand. Others will start to try and capitalize on that flow of money. And when they do, they may not be up to the standards you are looking for. A way to protect yourself is to make sure you invest in someone you can trust. If your car is in need of repair, make sure you take it to someone who has been around for a while. Someone who is certified, and will guarantee the work they do. How do you find someone like that. Easy, visit http://www.transmissionrepairreferral.com/ and we'll find them for you.
Thanks for listening, and check back soon when I'll talk about the Economic Spedulus package.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Welcome to TransmissionRepairReferral.com Blog
Hello,
Welcome to the Transmission Repair Referral blog. This blog was created to provide a forum for individuals to comment on various topics of interest in the auto repair industry. While most of topics will be related to automotive industry topics, there may be an occassional rant by me if the notion strikes.
The home of this blog (or should I say reason) is a service company I am involved with. This company has a goal of providing research and referral services to consumers for free. The service is currently offering referrals for Transmission Repair. We are gathering clients now to load into our database. Each client (transmission repair shop) will have gone through a thorough inspection and meet a list of requirements before being placed on our site.
To find a repair shop in your area, you simply type in your zip code and we provide the shop near you. To see the site visit http://www.transmissionrepairreferral.com/.
Thanks for visiting and check back soon for the first discussion item.
Welcome to the Transmission Repair Referral blog. This blog was created to provide a forum for individuals to comment on various topics of interest in the auto repair industry. While most of topics will be related to automotive industry topics, there may be an occassional rant by me if the notion strikes.
The home of this blog (or should I say reason) is a service company I am involved with. This company has a goal of providing research and referral services to consumers for free. The service is currently offering referrals for Transmission Repair. We are gathering clients now to load into our database. Each client (transmission repair shop) will have gone through a thorough inspection and meet a list of requirements before being placed on our site.
To find a repair shop in your area, you simply type in your zip code and we provide the shop near you. To see the site visit http://www.transmissionrepairreferral.com/.
Thanks for visiting and check back soon for the first discussion item.
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