Did you post that so you could work in the term "porte cochere"?
Fern
Ten miles is a long way to check an oil change :^D
I do agree with you though. I wouldn't worry about it, but it may affect my chances of using them again.
You realize insurance companies have some of the most complex and accurate statistical models, right? It's the entire point of their business. I don't care one way or another because I drive at safe speeds and I don't brake or accelerate hard. The explanation on the website is:
I asked for specific details from my agent and he said the people who fall into the above categories (hard brakers/accelerators) have roughly 4x as many accidents as those who don't. You can think it's retarded I guess, but it's data that has no agenda.
checking brake bedding, pad performance, and engaging ABS definitely one of the "200 point service checks" IMO.
how could they possibly damage it in 10 miles? This isn't an old or turbo BMW we're talking about that needs to reach operating temp before abuse.
I'm a 6-sigma statistical anomaly then. Why should I have to pay more than my fair share?
Give it up man. It's virtually impossible to convince the ignorant of their ignorance. Especially when its driven by spite.To all of you complaining about big brother / insurance companies screwing you over / etc...just don't sign up for it. It's that easy.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying permanent 15% and 18% discounts on my trucks.
- You're lending your vehicle to an idiot that is at an elevated risk of an accident. You should choose a dealer that has less risk of resulting in a hoonigan claim.
- You were expecting to be heeded in your request for egg footed driver, and failed to anticipate an unlikely event.
</dealer response>
You realize insurance companies have some of the most complex and accurate statistical models, right? It's the entire point of their business. I don't care one way or another because I drive at safe speeds and I don't brake or accelerate hard. The explanation on the website is:
I asked for specific details from my agent and he said the people who fall into the above categories (hard brakers/accelerators) have roughly 4x as many accidents as those who don't. You can think it's retarded I guess, but it's data that has no agenda.
Could they have been testing the brakes? I don't really know what they do when they run a x number point inspection. I don't trust dealership mechanics....ever.
I do all of my own work unless it's free. (we got 2 years of toyota care included with our 4Runner) From here on out, all maintenance will be completed by me. My justification is that I just don't trust the people that work in those places because I've had too many friends have bad things happen.
One guy had an oil change where they forgot to refill the oil. He drove the car down the road and the engine seized. Another friend of mine bought new tires for his 300ZX. They backed his car out and parked it. He got in the thing and they had forgotten to put the lugs on one side. I had dropped him off when he picked up the car and noticed something was wrong. I have no idea how the the tires didn't just come off, but the weight of the vehicle on the lugs/threads actually kept it from sliding.
The manager ran out with a few jacks and a wrench and tightened everything down. I don't think he got any compensation for that mishap and who knows what damage that did that wasn't visible/seen.
That's why I built my own engine. I've seen enough people who paid shops a LOT of money to build engines for them, only to have them blow up a few thousand miles later. I figure nobody else is going to be as careful with my car as I am, because they're mostly just trying to churn through stuff to get paid.
That's why I build my own cars.
I get my own iron and aluminum ore, and from that point nobody else is as careful as me.
That's why I built my own engine. I've seen enough people who paid shops a LOT of money to build engines for them, only to have them blow up a few thousand miles later. I figure nobody else is going to be as careful with my car as I am, because they're mostly just trying to churn through stuff to get paid.
it's annoying, it's one of those standard things they do regardless because they might upsell someone dumb "$200 fluid maint, your fluids are low" "ok"They changed the oil and did some really basic checks, none of which involved testing the brakes. Also, I didn't ask for anything like that nor was I informed it would be done (and it wasn't).
I guess it's a fair question, I just don't bother fussing, or mind it. The way I beat on my MT car every day, and I mean beat, they're not going to be doing anything to it that I don't.This is beside the point even though they certainly could have damaged it in many ways. There's no valid reason for them to have driven it anywhere other than the garage. It's less about what could have happened and more about why it happened at all. I understand your point which is why I'm not angry or anything, but I feel justified to ask a question.
If it was a statistical anomaly, it wouldn't significantly impact rates. That's the entire premise of insurance; they wouldn't be able to offer competitive rates unless every insurance company colluded, which I suppose could be happening, but it's unlikely.
It's not a statistical anomaly if the likelihood of an accident increases by 400% after a certain point for the average driver. That means it applies to the majority of the population once a critical threshold is reached and they give you an opportunity to earn a discount if you, over a several month period, don't indicate that your driving disposition is likely to lead to an accident in a predictable way based on the threshold.
With that said, I shopped multiple insurance companies with the entire spread presented to each one up front: multiple life insurance policies, homeowners and multiple rental dwelling policies, an umbrella policy, and multiple vehicle policies. Of the six companies, Nationwide's rates were still very competitive even with optional addons like accident forgiveness and vanishing deductible. Nationwide is a better choice in areas with a high amount of foundation movement because they offer foundation repair riders that no other insurance company will match, which is one of the main reasons why I chose them. My car insurance for a 2014 Accord is $41/month with a $250 deductible and most of the addons. That's hardly expensive. Granted, I have no accidents or tickets on my driving record, but my wife has one accident and one ticket, which didn't seem to affect her rate very much ($45/mo for a 2012 Acura MDX).
Considering the rates are already competitive, I wouldn't say they're charging more than a fair share if the opt in discount program isn't exercised. If the average customer is being gouged due to a statistical anomaly, they hid it pretty well with a low price tag somehow. I do understand what you meant, but I don't think that's happening.
What's the liability issue if someone takes your car and has an accident or gets a traffic violation in the States?
Those insurance loggers set off braking alerts if you sneeze wrong. Its hardly an indicator of abuse. Just someone driving normally.
You are being absurdly paranoid over what is essentially a non-event. You could make the argument that driving your car 10 miles during an oil change was unnecessary and I would likely agree with you on that. It still wouldn't be worthy of the energy required to write this thread, but I would probably agree they were out of line.
As for setting off the hard braking alert - BFD. I used to make a game out of it in my cars, I averaged once per mile in the Viper. It just doesn't make enough difference to get worked up over.
When I had my Progressive SnapShot I believe the threshold for hard braking was 10mph/s. That's absolutely absurd and far too low a threshold even for normal cars and triggering it is no indication of risky driving.
In short, worry less about the small stuff.
I'm not sure. I'll have to ask next time.
In 1,200 miles, I haven't set it off once. My wife has driven 1,800 miles and hasn't set it off either. My dad made it through 5,500 miles/6 months and had 2 events. A lot of people in this thread are adamant that people cut them off all the time, but in 15 years of driving I've had that happen only on rare occasions, which is why the program has an allowance for hard braking events. The salient point of the device being installed into your car seems to be getting lost in all of the exaggeration and misinformation. It's really simple - if you drive fast and take risks, you'll get dinged. There's really nothing else that needs to be said and it wasn't (and still isn't) the point of this thread.
"Sir, as part of the high standard of sevice provided by our factory trained technicians we make sure to test drive every vehicle to bring the engine up to normal operating temperature before replacing vital fluids. This guarantees that more of the engine damaging contaminants are drained away before being replaced with the premium lubricants we provide. Additionally, as part of our commitment to serving our valued customers, we perform a multi-point inspection during the test drive to ensure the continued high performance of your vehicles steering, acceleration and braking systems. We assure you that all of the work our technicians performed exceeded industry standards and will extend the life of your investment."
I drove the car to the dealership, so it was already warm. Also, I only paid for an oil change and the checklist reflects that they performed exactly zero of the services you mentioned. Got anything else?
My problem with this is I don't trust the iron or aluminum you buy. Typically all the good ore is already picked over. You really need to mine it yourself to insure you're not getting inferior stock.That's why I build my own cars.
I get my own iron and aluminum ore, and from that point nobody else is as careful as me.
"Sir, as part of the high standard of sevice provided by our factory trained technicians we make sure to test drive every vehicle to bring the engine up to normal operating temperature before replacing vital fluids. This guarantees that more of the engine damaging contaminants are drained away before being replaced with the premium lubricants we provide. Additionally, as part of our commitment to serving our valued customers, we perform a multi-point inspection during the test drive to ensure the continued high performance of your vehicles steering, acceleration and braking systems. We assure you that all of the work our technicians performed exceeded industry standards and will extend the life of your investment."