IPOD
RADIO
PICS
So, per my previous rant, I think the USB play on a stereo is super cool and timely. I think a memory stick is a much better option than the cd changer in the trunk (talk about annoying) a CD player or changer in the dash or having your very stealable iPod or other MP3 device wired in to your stereo. (Plus, I do not own an iPod. I was an early adopter of a different device like an iPod which broke within a year and was so contrived and annoying to use I did not even bother mailing it in for a warranty repair. I just threw it away. There went $300.) And certainly a thumb drive is less difficult to deal with than a book of CD's which gets in the way and having to try to put CD's away while driving to avoid destroying them. For that reason alone, I actually liked cassette players in cars better than CD players, at least if I discovered my Information Society tape under my seat I could typically just cram it into the deck and it would play through. Finding my NIN CD under the seat was not nearly so happy an ending as there was a crack and several gouges in it by the time it was discovered. SO why the hell is this feature so damned complicated?
I truly believe this is the wave of the future until something better comes along. I've noticed more and more high end items do have simplicity as a feature, which is why I have become a purchaser of the higher end product. Two knobs! Something my grandma could figure out! Yes! I think that should be the final test of such items, have a team of old people try them out. If less than 75% of old people can make them work then back to the drawing board! Or erm.. the CAD program. Another option I think would be awesome in the car stereo would be rather than the tiny multifunction buttons and combinations, since there is a USB port already, how about the stereo comes with a USB programming device? Simple basic functions on the faceplate and then a handheld USB plug in device which can handle the geekish set up functions? If you want to upload some shitty little graphic to the screen plug the handheld thing into your PC, get the photos, download skins from the web site, whatever, and program whatever stupid things you want to program via the handheld device, or just your PC then when it is set up to your liking, unplug the complicated thing, toss it into the trunk or glove box and go about your simple operation of the device. Hmmm...... You think anyone is going to pay me for my idea? I wish.
My dad made a lot of money with his patents and inventions. I have ideas for things all the time. Sadly I have no idea how to submit them to industry or go any farther than say, wow wouldn't it be cool if.... I miss my dad. I wish I could have had him longer than I did. Sadly by the time I was 15 he was well into the Alzheimer's and not able to teach me as much as I wish I could have learned from him. Last night I was overcome with sadness while talking about how bad I felt for having him sign some assets over to me before he died. I felt bad because I knew he had no idea what he was doing and just did it because we told him to. It always sits wrong with me to do something like that, but legally it was the best way to transfer the assets and he was not able to manage them anymore, so it had to be done, it still feels kind of like steeling. While I was saying this I was suddenly hit with the realization that it really doesnt matter, he is really gone, never coming back, making him sign over the assets so they could be managed properly and not end up lost really didn't matter, so why do I still feel bad about it?
Then I was just sad.
I truly believe this is the wave of the future until something better comes along. I've noticed more and more high end items do have simplicity as a feature, which is why I have become a purchaser of the higher end product. Two knobs! Something my grandma could figure out! Yes! I think that should be the final test of such items, have a team of old people try them out. If less than 75% of old people can make them work then back to the drawing board! Or erm.. the CAD program. Another option I think would be awesome in the car stereo would be rather than the tiny multifunction buttons and combinations, since there is a USB port already, how about the stereo comes with a USB programming device? Simple basic functions on the faceplate and then a handheld USB plug in device which can handle the geekish set up functions? If you want to upload some shitty little graphic to the screen plug the handheld thing into your PC, get the photos, download skins from the web site, whatever, and program whatever stupid things you want to program via the handheld device, or just your PC then when it is set up to your liking, unplug the complicated thing, toss it into the trunk or glove box and go about your simple operation of the device. Hmmm...... You think anyone is going to pay me for my idea? I wish.
My dad made a lot of money with his patents and inventions. I have ideas for things all the time. Sadly I have no idea how to submit them to industry or go any farther than say, wow wouldn't it be cool if.... I miss my dad. I wish I could have had him longer than I did. Sadly by the time I was 15 he was well into the Alzheimer's and not able to teach me as much as I wish I could have learned from him. Last night I was overcome with sadness while talking about how bad I felt for having him sign some assets over to me before he died. I felt bad because I knew he had no idea what he was doing and just did it because we told him to. It always sits wrong with me to do something like that, but legally it was the best way to transfer the assets and he was not able to manage them anymore, so it had to be done, it still feels kind of like steeling. While I was saying this I was suddenly hit with the realization that it really doesnt matter, he is really gone, never coming back, making him sign over the assets so they could be managed properly and not end up lost really didn't matter, so why do I still feel bad about it?
Then I was just sad.
Ok, so maybe this is a battle of the sexes situation. And I am making some broad generalizations here which I fully realize do not apply to everyone. On the other hand, I think there is more to this inherent difference in males and females than the PC culture would like us to believe.
I am referring to a situation with my car stereo, which I feel should be a simple to operate item which keeps my eyes on the road, not the device. So far trying to have a device in my vehicle which can play an MP3 off of a USB thumb drive and does not involve ridiculous graphical displays of flowers and sunrises or a display of the rear end of a car rocking and swaying, or have tiny multifunction buttons and multiple control screens and a whole assortment of magical button combinations which need to be pushed in order to perform a simple function, such as shuffling the playlist, or turning the device OFF has been IMPOSSIBLE. The sales people and my brother and others I have discussed this dilemma with have told me I was retarded. My brother went so far as to dial the CEO of Panasonic in the middle of the night from my phone and then handed it to me and said, here, tell someone who might give a shit about your being too stupid to figure out a stereo. I hung it up as soon as he handed it back to me and of course feel humiliated. My brother works in the industry, I thought he might have interest in my feedback on this. Instead he pulls this guys number off of his phone and tries to demonstrate to me what I retarded lunatic I apparently am for expecting simplicity in a device which is intended for use while driving. After all I am moving on average at a rate of 88 feet per second. Is it really so unreasonable of me to think having a device which requires concentration and possibly 10 or more seconds of attention to perform a simple function is dangerous and stupid? Apparently as far as the sales people at Best Buy, my brother and the sales person at Crutchfield are concerned it is I who is the stupid one, as all three of these individuals came right out and told me I was stupid. The guy at Crutchfield did not use the word stupid, but rather said I was "probably not going to be able to handle a stereo and should probably look into getting the factory radio back into my car or not have one with USB stick play capabilities". What a douche. I asked for simple controls, single-function properly labeled buttons and a fucking USB hole!!! MY GOD, what a retard I am, how dare I want something that is concise and to the point when I am driving. The only people who were actually fairly helpful and very respectful were the guys at Audio Express (the home of the $1 wirefire from what I hear) I don't know anything about their install jobs, though they probably would not have hacked up my lighting loom as the "Mercedes specialist" I took my car to did, but they were very courteous, respectful and did show me several options, unfortunately they did not have any non-dongle USB stereos in stock. As far as customer service though, I'd go see the chavs there any day over anyone else I have talked to. As a long time Crutchfield customer, I was rather disappointed by the sales guy I spoke with, their tech support is always so helpful, and after you have made a purchase from them I don't think there is better service around. I thought maybe their sales would be top notch as well, but, he showed me one option, which I informed him I had bought, hated immediately and returned within a day. From there on, all he did was tell me I was stupid in about 100 different ways. Crutchfield did however agree to take back both stereos and exchange them for a model which is not made by JVC (because one of the JVC units was malfunctioning out of the box and JVC has the worst customer service on the planet). I have selected a Sony model which looks like it meets my needs. I'm sad the sales person was not able or willing to show me more than the one option which I did not like. I had to spend a lot of time looking around before I found this model and came to the conclusion it would meet my needs. I still highly recommend Crutchfield as a place to buy electronics, despite one poor sales person, every other interaction and purchase I have made from this place has been about as stellar as stellar gets and they will walk you through installs and they have the kind of customer service and return policy that should be the envy of all.
So back to the sexes issue:
Men want their homes and living spaces to be simple and uncomplicated but apparently revel in the complication of electronics and other such gadgetry. Since it seems men predominantly design these types of items that is probably why men do not seem to mind spending a week learning how to turn a device like this on, or spending 20 or 30 seconds not looking at the road while scrolling through screens and memorizing magical button combinations. When traveling at a rate of 88 feet per second, having to look down at the stereo for 10 seconds to me is a serious problem. 880 feet is the difference between cruising along looking for your favorite song and having the last thing you remember being an airbag hitting your face.
Women on the other hand, enjoy complicated things in their homes and on their persons. They enjoy lots of pillows, even if it means having to unstack and restack excessive pillows on their bed, walk uncomfortably in cute shoes, go to 20 stores looking for the perfect shade of teal to match that great skirt they found on the clearance rack, or any number of other such complications most men don't seem to think are serious or worthwhile. After this stereo shopping experience though I have decided to dismiss the male perspective on these things entirely, because guess what, I SEE MORE POINT IN HAVING 20 PILLOWS ON MY BED I NEED TO UNSTACK AND RESTACK EVERY DAY THAN I SEE IN HAVING A LITTLE GRAPHIC DISPLAY OF A CAR THAT HOPS AND BUMPS AROUND WHILE I DRIVE, ON THE FACE OF MY CAR STEREO. (Kenwood, you know who you are) But I have a feeling a man will have the exact opposite opinion.
So guys, next time a female in your life is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she can't find the right shoes, and you start to roll your eyes, remember you are into your own stupid complicated shit too. And next time you roll your eyes at her not being able to program the DVR, why don't you try dressing her for a night out or for work at an office job one day. Make up has to match itself, so maroon lipstick needs a brown or navy eye shadow, a complimentary shade of blush and of course the foundation has to match the skin properly, then there is hair and all of this needs to go right and be the right color to go with the outfit. Then there is the right color of panty hose, the right height and style of shoes and the right belt possibly, right jewelry and the right purse. Go ahead, next time you want to decide a girl is dumb when she isn't taking the time to fuck with some overly complicated electronic, just try being her for a day.
I am referring to a situation with my car stereo, which I feel should be a simple to operate item which keeps my eyes on the road, not the device. So far trying to have a device in my vehicle which can play an MP3 off of a USB thumb drive and does not involve ridiculous graphical displays of flowers and sunrises or a display of the rear end of a car rocking and swaying, or have tiny multifunction buttons and multiple control screens and a whole assortment of magical button combinations which need to be pushed in order to perform a simple function, such as shuffling the playlist, or turning the device OFF has been IMPOSSIBLE. The sales people and my brother and others I have discussed this dilemma with have told me I was retarded. My brother went so far as to dial the CEO of Panasonic in the middle of the night from my phone and then handed it to me and said, here, tell someone who might give a shit about your being too stupid to figure out a stereo. I hung it up as soon as he handed it back to me and of course feel humiliated. My brother works in the industry, I thought he might have interest in my feedback on this. Instead he pulls this guys number off of his phone and tries to demonstrate to me what I retarded lunatic I apparently am for expecting simplicity in a device which is intended for use while driving. After all I am moving on average at a rate of 88 feet per second. Is it really so unreasonable of me to think having a device which requires concentration and possibly 10 or more seconds of attention to perform a simple function is dangerous and stupid? Apparently as far as the sales people at Best Buy, my brother and the sales person at Crutchfield are concerned it is I who is the stupid one, as all three of these individuals came right out and told me I was stupid. The guy at Crutchfield did not use the word stupid, but rather said I was "probably not going to be able to handle a stereo and should probably look into getting the factory radio back into my car or not have one with USB stick play capabilities". What a douche. I asked for simple controls, single-function properly labeled buttons and a fucking USB hole!!! MY GOD, what a retard I am, how dare I want something that is concise and to the point when I am driving. The only people who were actually fairly helpful and very respectful were the guys at Audio Express (the home of the $1 wirefire from what I hear) I don't know anything about their install jobs, though they probably would not have hacked up my lighting loom as the "Mercedes specialist" I took my car to did, but they were very courteous, respectful and did show me several options, unfortunately they did not have any non-dongle USB stereos in stock. As far as customer service though, I'd go see the chavs there any day over anyone else I have talked to. As a long time Crutchfield customer, I was rather disappointed by the sales guy I spoke with, their tech support is always so helpful, and after you have made a purchase from them I don't think there is better service around. I thought maybe their sales would be top notch as well, but, he showed me one option, which I informed him I had bought, hated immediately and returned within a day. From there on, all he did was tell me I was stupid in about 100 different ways. Crutchfield did however agree to take back both stereos and exchange them for a model which is not made by JVC (because one of the JVC units was malfunctioning out of the box and JVC has the worst customer service on the planet). I have selected a Sony model which looks like it meets my needs. I'm sad the sales person was not able or willing to show me more than the one option which I did not like. I had to spend a lot of time looking around before I found this model and came to the conclusion it would meet my needs. I still highly recommend Crutchfield as a place to buy electronics, despite one poor sales person, every other interaction and purchase I have made from this place has been about as stellar as stellar gets and they will walk you through installs and they have the kind of customer service and return policy that should be the envy of all.
So back to the sexes issue:
Men want their homes and living spaces to be simple and uncomplicated but apparently revel in the complication of electronics and other such gadgetry. Since it seems men predominantly design these types of items that is probably why men do not seem to mind spending a week learning how to turn a device like this on, or spending 20 or 30 seconds not looking at the road while scrolling through screens and memorizing magical button combinations. When traveling at a rate of 88 feet per second, having to look down at the stereo for 10 seconds to me is a serious problem. 880 feet is the difference between cruising along looking for your favorite song and having the last thing you remember being an airbag hitting your face.
Women on the other hand, enjoy complicated things in their homes and on their persons. They enjoy lots of pillows, even if it means having to unstack and restack excessive pillows on their bed, walk uncomfortably in cute shoes, go to 20 stores looking for the perfect shade of teal to match that great skirt they found on the clearance rack, or any number of other such complications most men don't seem to think are serious or worthwhile. After this stereo shopping experience though I have decided to dismiss the male perspective on these things entirely, because guess what, I SEE MORE POINT IN HAVING 20 PILLOWS ON MY BED I NEED TO UNSTACK AND RESTACK EVERY DAY THAN I SEE IN HAVING A LITTLE GRAPHIC DISPLAY OF A CAR THAT HOPS AND BUMPS AROUND WHILE I DRIVE, ON THE FACE OF MY CAR STEREO. (Kenwood, you know who you are) But I have a feeling a man will have the exact opposite opinion.
So guys, next time a female in your life is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she can't find the right shoes, and you start to roll your eyes, remember you are into your own stupid complicated shit too. And next time you roll your eyes at her not being able to program the DVR, why don't you try dressing her for a night out or for work at an office job one day. Make up has to match itself, so maroon lipstick needs a brown or navy eye shadow, a complimentary shade of blush and of course the foundation has to match the skin properly, then there is hair and all of this needs to go right and be the right color to go with the outfit. Then there is the right color of panty hose, the right height and style of shoes and the right belt possibly, right jewelry and the right purse. Go ahead, next time you want to decide a girl is dumb when she isn't taking the time to fuck with some overly complicated electronic, just try being her for a day.
Man, this bug is kicking my ass!!! I'm finally starting to feel among the living again, but I have had the runny nose and sneezing and constant watery eyes which are bad enough, but to top it off the body aches have been unreal, I can't think of a time I have had worse sore muscles than from this thing. Stretching seems to help, so I have been stretching a lot, I guess that is probably a good thing, I think I have a show next month and I am working up to being able to do the splits and get my leg up over my head. I'm an old lady (ha ha) so this is proving to be a challenge. So far one leg is much more limber than the other for whatever reason, so I can get my left leg up over my dance partners shoulder while standing crotch to crotch and bend backwards, but my right leg just isn't having any of it, despite my working both of them equally. Whatever, so I guess the left leg up it will be for my show. It just is strange how resistant the one leg is to this whole plan I have.
Bleh.... I got a stupid cold and it sucks and I'm not happy. Grrrr...... I want my nose to just go away. I hate it right now.
So I got my car all put back together, it has rained and snowed which delayed me quite a few days. The suspension is done, fan is in and blowing, regulator is in and regulating, new shiny grill, new shiny trim all around. It looks pretty good, handles the way it should and seems to run nicely, though really it never didn't. I have not done the transmission yet and maybe will not. I'm the only one who insists there is something wrong with it. I just did my taxes today and I owe more in taxes than I budgeted for. That sucks. Can the government not let a win just be a fucking WIN? Is there nothing sacred and special that could just be without the penalty of being fucking taxed all to shit? But I digress, back to the positives.
Got the G to pass emissions and run nicely.
Got my garage cleaned out and all of the tools put away properly.
Put my left over crap and everything I pulled off the car on Craigslist and got rid of it.
And maybe now I can grow some fingernails back, stop having the cracked fisherman's hands I've had from working out in the cold and washing my hands a gazillion times a day, and relax and enjoy my cars again.
Ok, well, relaxing is not usually in my nature, but at least move on to the next project.
Got the G to pass emissions and run nicely.
Got my garage cleaned out and all of the tools put away properly.
Put my left over crap and everything I pulled off the car on Craigslist and got rid of it.
And maybe now I can grow some fingernails back, stop having the cracked fisherman's hands I've had from working out in the cold and washing my hands a gazillion times a day, and relax and enjoy my cars again.
Ok, well, relaxing is not usually in my nature, but at least move on to the next project.
I saw a red Corvette today. The license plate on it said "IAMRED". For some reason this struck me as hilarious.
All kinds of good stuff and severe depression over the dishonesty of human kind AND I GOT ATTACKED!!! By a crazy lady on a bicycle! And I'm going to court, I got started on a lawsuit today.
First the dishonesty and the Isuzu Dealer morphing into the crazy lady and back to dishonesty.
I had to take the car to the only Isuzu dealer in the valley anymore. It is also the same place who, in 2001, would not sell me a Vehicross when I and my husband went in to buy it, with cash in hand. We asked to test drive it and they looked at the two of us like we were trash blown in off the street. They told us until we put money down on it we could not drive it because it was like a Corvette such a nice car they couldn't let just anyone drive it. I was like, it's a $31,000 car dude. What are you smoking, not let us test drive it until we buy it, at that point it isn't a "Test Drive" anymore. It's a thank god we are finally out of here and can go home.
We ended up getting buddy passes from a friend who works at an airline and flew to Chicago and bought the car there the next day. The one at the dealer in Phoenix had a lot of "lot wear" on it from sitting there not getting test driven and bought and the one we got in Chicago was 10K less and had no tax on it and was still completely wrapped in plastic with 0 on the odometer. I wanted to drive to the dealer in our new car at the time and tell the salesman he was a fucking moron, but then I decided I had better things to do with my time, but I digress, I was not happy with that dealership and not happy about having to take it there for the repairs, because of warranty though I have to take it to the dealer.
When the service advisor called she said they had to replace the gaskets. I had requested they replace the serpent belt at the same time if they had to take it off. So when I got the diagnosis call and heard water pump and gaskets I said, ok how much is the serpent belt. Go ahead and put that on at the same time. She said it would cost $60. I said FOR A BELT?? It is like $20 on the web site! She said no, the belt was $20 but then there was $40 in labor. I said forget it then I'll do it myself.
Then I thought about it and how I already have a project to finish on the two Mercedes and didn't even want to deal with the VX at the moment. I got rather angry with her when she called to tell me the car was done I said wait, you already are charging me $220 for replacing the gaskets, how is it you are justifying $60 for the belt, it should only be $20 more then. She said no they replaced the gaskets on the water pump. I said yes I heard you, and you managed to do that without taking the serpent belt off?? Did you or did you not replace the gaskets on my water pump? She said well they are really more like O rings on the pipes going into the water pump, we just call them gaskets. So I said, oh, that doesn't really sound like 2 hours worth of work, but I'll come see it tomorrow then and you can show me. She said oh, no we didn't take the water pump off at all, I wouldn't do that to you. That's double dipping and we aren't like that".
So next day arrives and I got a ride down to the dealership. I was the PASSENGER. When we were trying to make a right turn into the dealer service parking lot there was a crazy haired old lady on a bicycle riding against traffic on the sidewalk (both of these things are illegal). The driver stopped the car to wait and let her pass. She stopped the bike and waved for us to turn into the parking lot. So we turned and parked. As I got out of the car this insane old cunt came running up to ME, the fucking passenger, and attacked me with her bicycle! It was insane. She was screaming how we didn't have our turn signal on. I heard the signal clicking and regardless, we had stopped to let her pass. There was NO drama, no one fell, no one almost got hit, NOTHING. We stopped still in the street not even wheels turned towards the driveway and she stopped before the driveway dipped down. I was blown away by her insanity. I told her to get away from me and was getting ready to punch an old lady. She kept screaming at me and I started screaming back, the driver was still in the car oblivious, it was loud and windy out. I told her she was insane and to just go away. I kept yelling go away, seriously go away and stop running your bike into me!! I'm going to hit you if you don't get away from me! Then I called her a fucking nut job and she kept going how I wasn't using my turn signal. I was like look cunt I wasn't even driving and I heard the turn signal clicking. You are fucking insane. Finally I put my dukes up because I was tired of being rammed by a psychotic old lady with a bike. People watched, but no one tried to help me. I was kind of sad. I was screaming go away to her for a long time before I even started cussing or anything. She backed away from me all like I was the aggressive one when I put my fist up and said I would hit her if she hit me with the bike again. Then the driver got out of the car and she left me and started attacking him. I grabbed her bike with one hand and my cell phone with the other and told her she better get lost because I was calling the cops right now she was assaulting us.
She turned around and left screaming and ranting and raving the whole time.
I was a little unnerved.
When I got to the service bay I asked to speak with the mechanic who did the work. She said I needed to pay for the service first. So I went to the cashier and asked for an invoice. I read the invoice, on it was the parts and labor charge for the replacement of the MAIN WATR PUMP GASKET!!! SO I refused to pay for it and went out to the shop and spoke to the shop foreman. I played the dumb girl. "Tee hee.... Hi, I'm kind of interested in cars but I don't know anything about them, can you please point at the thing you fixed? I just want to see what was making the water go all over". The guy nicely obliged and pointed at the water pump. So I clarified. I said "This thing? You had to take this whole big metal thing with the pulley thing on it off the car?" And he said, "Yes that is how we replaced this gasket" and he motioned to the invoice I had in my hand. So then the dumb me went away. I said "Oh, ok, so how did you manage to get this off the car without removing the serpent belt? I mean this right here is the serpent belt and this thing here is the water pump and I see the belt going around the pump. If you were able to get this pump off without removing this belt then I'm totally willing to offer tons of head in exchange for you being my sensei. Because I don't see how you could possibly replace that gasket without removing that belt." So he said well they just loosen it. I said "what you turn the tensioner and remove this whole wheel here and the belt just stays in place? From my experience they kind of go all over the place and need to be put all the way back on. You guys must really work some amazing magic in your shop. " At that point he went and put the new belt on for me free of charge.
I'm just outraged that they would be so incredibly dishonest!!! I already had to pay for the labor of removing the belt and replacing it when I paid for the gasket to be replaced, I should not have been charged more labor for the belt. That is an illegal practice .
THE DEALER WAS CHAPMAN CHEVROLET, DON'T GO THERE, THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!!!
So on to the next drama.
I paid a guy $300 to install my car stereo in my Mercedes Sedan. The $300 was just for the labor, I bought the head unit from Crutchfield.
It turns out he took the wire from my shift lever and wired it to the stereo. So now I have 2.5 hours of labor at the Mercedes shop billing at $98 an hour for diagnostic and I need a new wiring loom because they can't just get the new light thing from Mercedes. The stereo guy had cut up the loom and totally removed the thing. I called the stereo guy and asked him about this and he accused the shop of being dishonest. He also told me my car was a mess and it must have happened when I had the previous stereo installed. I was like what are you talking about? You removed the FACOTRY STEREO and my thing lit up before I took it to you, since I took it to you it has been dark! He insisted this was not the case. I was like look dude, before I came to you, when my battery died, I went down to the Mercedes dealer and gave them my VIN number and they got a print out which had the password for my stereo on it. That means the stereo was the original stereo the car shipped with. It was installed in Stuttgart and not removed until you removed it! We argued and he said he'd fix it and to bring it to him. Well, too bad I already paid this shop to diagnose it. They are fixing it. So I called my lawyer and then went down to the shop and took photos of everything right away before they put it all back together. We are taking the stereo guy to court. If he really disagrees he can take the shop to court for defamation. I'm just not going to get ripped off when I pay for a job to be done right, that is what I expect!
Great, now I am going to have to go to court to get the probably $500 back from the stereo installer for his fuck up. It just doesn't stop sometimes. I hate shoddy work, that is why I try so hard to do what I can myself. This sedan is newer and has SO many systems in it and as I have said before I don't know wiring, so if it isn't something like pulling a fuse and replacing it or pulling something else made to pull and replacing with a new of the same, I don't touch it.
I took the G to a shop to have the wiring disaster put back to as it was before the hack job as well. I just don't have the know how to do electrical stuff. I hope it is done right, though I am rapidly loosing faith in all of humanity ARGH!!!! Why can't people just do shit right and be fucking honest? Now the stereo installer says the shop is a rip off and the shop says the installer is trying to cover his ass, and who can I believe? Obviously no one. Which I guess goes without saying, my husband had an affair for 3 years and lied to me so well, I had no idea until it was right in my face. That one still stings to this day I guess really no one can be trusted and that just makes me incredibly incredibly sad. I think I want to be single and alone on an island for the rest of my life, I'm so sick of this dishonest shit!
AND I GOT ATTACKED!!! By a crazy lady on a bicycle! And I'm going to court, I got started on a lawsuit today.First the dishonesty and the Isuzu Dealer morphing into the crazy lady and back to dishonesty.
I had to take the car to the only Isuzu dealer in the valley anymore. It is also the same place who, in 2001, would not sell me a Vehicross when I and my husband went in to buy it, with cash in hand. We asked to test drive it and they looked at the two of us like we were trash blown in off the street. They told us until we put money down on it we could not drive it because it was like a Corvette such a nice car they couldn't let just anyone drive it. I was like, it's a $31,000 car dude. What are you smoking, not let us test drive it until we buy it, at that point it isn't a "Test Drive" anymore. It's a thank god we are finally out of here and can go home.
We ended up getting buddy passes from a friend who works at an airline and flew to Chicago and bought the car there the next day. The one at the dealer in Phoenix had a lot of "lot wear" on it from sitting there not getting test driven and bought and the one we got in Chicago was 10K less and had no tax on it and was still completely wrapped in plastic with 0 on the odometer. I wanted to drive to the dealer in our new car at the time and tell the salesman he was a fucking moron, but then I decided I had better things to do with my time, but I digress, I was not happy with that dealership and not happy about having to take it there for the repairs, because of warranty though I have to take it to the dealer.
When the service advisor called she said they had to replace the gaskets. I had requested they replace the serpent belt at the same time if they had to take it off. So when I got the diagnosis call and heard water pump and gaskets I said, ok how much is the serpent belt. Go ahead and put that on at the same time. She said it would cost $60. I said FOR A BELT?? It is like $20 on the web site! She said no, the belt was $20 but then there was $40 in labor. I said forget it then I'll do it myself.
Then I thought about it and how I already have a project to finish on the two Mercedes and didn't even want to deal with the VX at the moment. I got rather angry with her when she called to tell me the car was done I said wait, you already are charging me $220 for replacing the gaskets, how is it you are justifying $60 for the belt, it should only be $20 more then. She said no they replaced the gaskets on the water pump. I said yes I heard you, and you managed to do that without taking the serpent belt off?? Did you or did you not replace the gaskets on my water pump? She said well they are really more like O rings on the pipes going into the water pump, we just call them gaskets. So I said, oh, that doesn't really sound like 2 hours worth of work, but I'll come see it tomorrow then and you can show me. She said oh, no we didn't take the water pump off at all, I wouldn't do that to you. That's double dipping and we aren't like that".
So next day arrives and I got a ride down to the dealership. I was the PASSENGER. When we were trying to make a right turn into the dealer service parking lot there was a crazy haired old lady on a bicycle riding against traffic on the sidewalk (both of these things are illegal). The driver stopped the car to wait and let her pass. She stopped the bike and waved for us to turn into the parking lot. So we turned and parked. As I got out of the car this insane old cunt came running up to ME, the fucking passenger, and attacked me with her bicycle! It was insane. She was screaming how we didn't have our turn signal on. I heard the signal clicking and regardless, we had stopped to let her pass. There was NO drama, no one fell, no one almost got hit, NOTHING. We stopped still in the street not even wheels turned towards the driveway and she stopped before the driveway dipped down. I was blown away by her insanity. I told her to get away from me and was getting ready to punch an old lady. She kept screaming at me and I started screaming back, the driver was still in the car oblivious, it was loud and windy out. I told her she was insane and to just go away. I kept yelling go away, seriously go away and stop running your bike into me!! I'm going to hit you if you don't get away from me! Then I called her a fucking nut job and she kept going how I wasn't using my turn signal. I was like look cunt I wasn't even driving and I heard the turn signal clicking. You are fucking insane. Finally I put my dukes up because I was tired of being rammed by a psychotic old lady with a bike. People watched, but no one tried to help me. I was kind of sad. I was screaming go away to her for a long time before I even started cussing or anything. She backed away from me all like I was the aggressive one when I put my fist up and said I would hit her if she hit me with the bike again. Then the driver got out of the car and she left me and started attacking him. I grabbed her bike with one hand and my cell phone with the other and told her she better get lost because I was calling the cops right now she was assaulting us.
She turned around and left screaming and ranting and raving the whole time.
I was a little unnerved.
When I got to the service bay I asked to speak with the mechanic who did the work. She said I needed to pay for the service first. So I went to the cashier and asked for an invoice. I read the invoice, on it was the parts and labor charge for the replacement of the MAIN WATR PUMP GASKET!!! SO I refused to pay for it and went out to the shop and spoke to the shop foreman. I played the dumb girl. "Tee hee.... Hi, I'm kind of interested in cars but I don't know anything about them, can you please point at the thing you fixed? I just want to see what was making the water go all over". The guy nicely obliged and pointed at the water pump. So I clarified. I said "This thing? You had to take this whole big metal thing with the pulley thing on it off the car?" And he said, "Yes that is how we replaced this gasket" and he motioned to the invoice I had in my hand. So then the dumb me went away. I said "Oh, ok, so how did you manage to get this off the car without removing the serpent belt? I mean this right here is the serpent belt and this thing here is the water pump and I see the belt going around the pump. If you were able to get this pump off without removing this belt then I'm totally willing to offer tons of head in exchange for you being my sensei. Because I don't see how you could possibly replace that gasket without removing that belt." So he said well they just loosen it. I said "what you turn the tensioner and remove this whole wheel here and the belt just stays in place? From my experience they kind of go all over the place and need to be put all the way back on. You guys must really work some amazing magic in your shop. " At that point he went and put the new belt on for me free of charge.
I'm just outraged that they would be so incredibly dishonest!!! I already had to pay for the labor of removing the belt and replacing it when I paid for the gasket to be replaced, I should not have been charged more labor for the belt. That is an illegal practice .
THE DEALER WAS CHAPMAN CHEVROLET, DON'T GO THERE, THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!!!
So on to the next drama.
I paid a guy $300 to install my car stereo in my Mercedes Sedan. The $300 was just for the labor, I bought the head unit from Crutchfield.
It turns out he took the wire from my shift lever and wired it to the stereo. So now I have 2.5 hours of labor at the Mercedes shop billing at $98 an hour for diagnostic and I need a new wiring loom because they can't just get the new light thing from Mercedes. The stereo guy had cut up the loom and totally removed the thing. I called the stereo guy and asked him about this and he accused the shop of being dishonest. He also told me my car was a mess and it must have happened when I had the previous stereo installed. I was like what are you talking about? You removed the FACOTRY STEREO and my thing lit up before I took it to you, since I took it to you it has been dark! He insisted this was not the case. I was like look dude, before I came to you, when my battery died, I went down to the Mercedes dealer and gave them my VIN number and they got a print out which had the password for my stereo on it. That means the stereo was the original stereo the car shipped with. It was installed in Stuttgart and not removed until you removed it! We argued and he said he'd fix it and to bring it to him. Well, too bad I already paid this shop to diagnose it. They are fixing it. So I called my lawyer and then went down to the shop and took photos of everything right away before they put it all back together. We are taking the stereo guy to court. If he really disagrees he can take the shop to court for defamation. I'm just not going to get ripped off when I pay for a job to be done right, that is what I expect!
Great, now I am going to have to go to court to get the probably $500 back from the stereo installer for his fuck up. It just doesn't stop sometimes. I hate shoddy work, that is why I try so hard to do what I can myself. This sedan is newer and has SO many systems in it and as I have said before I don't know wiring, so if it isn't something like pulling a fuse and replacing it or pulling something else made to pull and replacing with a new of the same, I don't touch it.
I took the G to a shop to have the wiring disaster put back to as it was before the hack job as well. I just don't have the know how to do electrical stuff. I hope it is done right, though I am rapidly loosing faith in all of humanity ARGH!!!! Why can't people just do shit right and be fucking honest? Now the stereo installer says the shop is a rip off and the shop says the installer is trying to cover his ass, and who can I believe? Obviously no one. Which I guess goes without saying, my husband had an affair for 3 years and lied to me so well, I had no idea until it was right in my face. That one still stings to this day
I guess really no one can be trusted and that just makes me incredibly incredibly sad. I think I want to be single and alone on an island for the rest of my life, I'm so sick of this dishonest shit!
I just can't stop ranting. Today I decided to figure out why the stereo in my G does not work. I was told it worked when I bought it, but it came to me and nothing. Not as much as a peep or a static buzz or anything.
In the paperwork that came with the car was a receipt for a stereo install done by Circuit City. I am hoping to whatever there is to hope to that the receipt was fake, for a different car or from before some hack got their hands on it.
I started by checking the shoddy wiring I could see, the piece with the sloppy electrical tape on the connections hanging out from under the dash, and the wire going to the incredibly cruddy speaker box under the back seat. (PLEASE TELL ME CC DOES NOT FABRICATE SHITTY SPEAKER BOXES), Nothing looked bad, well not so bad as to make no sound anyway, really it LOOKED awful, so I located the removal keys and pulled the head unit. I almost fell out of the truck when I saw the disaster back there. Bad tape, poorly twisted together connections with the same sloppy tape folded over them, randomly cut wires. It was bad. I disconnected everything, cut the shitty connections, stripped the wires and proceeded to identify wires. I then found one of my brothers speakers that I know works and set it next to me. I poorly twisted the right front speaker wires together with the wires from the good speaker and I had sound! Next I removed the shitty car speaker from the shitty speaker box (which I found was taped into place, AWESOME!) and twisted it right to the main outlet of the head unit. Poof, sound! So I then hooked it back up to the wire in the back and no sound. Hmmm..... the problem must be in the wire running from the dash to the back of the car. I removed the plastic kick plates from the edge of the car and I located the problem. The genius who installed the stereo put a screw through the speaker wires. So I'm a little confused how the stereo ever worked with this set up and wonder what else was misrepresented to me. Or did it take a little wear for the damage to cause the failure? Who knows. I replaced that wire and attached male/female blade connectors to everything. So for now, I have fabulous mono sound! Woohoo, lol. I'll be hitting my brother up for some help with some decent sound once he gets back from CES. Until then tomorrow I'll see if the same problem is happening with the right speaker and at least have some sound other than the loud hum of the engine. I also noticed some rust. Next fire to put out. Then some sound deadening materials in the door s and on the floor over the transfer case and it should be a halfway decent ride.
I also replaced all of the vacuum lines today and have not had it stall out on me since. Actually it has some nice pick up and zip now and I am no longer unhappy about having to drive it through traffic. Amazing what a rotted vacuum line will do to an otherwise operational vehicle. I returned all of the shit I bought at Home Depot yesterday and got some stuff I liked better and that cost less money at Lowe's. Tomorrow hopefully I can get my new drapes hung.
In the paperwork that came with the car was a receipt for a stereo install done by Circuit City. I am hoping to whatever there is to hope to that the receipt was fake, for a different car or from before some hack got their hands on it.
I started by checking the shoddy wiring I could see, the piece with the sloppy electrical tape on the connections hanging out from under the dash, and the wire going to the incredibly cruddy speaker box under the back seat. (PLEASE TELL ME CC DOES NOT FABRICATE SHITTY SPEAKER BOXES), Nothing looked bad, well not so bad as to make no sound anyway, really it LOOKED awful, so I located the removal keys and pulled the head unit. I almost fell out of the truck when I saw the disaster back there. Bad tape, poorly twisted together connections with the same sloppy tape folded over them, randomly cut wires. It was bad. I disconnected everything, cut the shitty connections, stripped the wires and proceeded to identify wires. I then found one of my brothers speakers that I know works and set it next to me. I poorly twisted the right front speaker wires together with the wires from the good speaker and I had sound! Next I removed the shitty car speaker from the shitty speaker box (which I found was taped into place, AWESOME!) and twisted it right to the main outlet of the head unit. Poof, sound! So I then hooked it back up to the wire in the back and no sound. Hmmm..... the problem must be in the wire running from the dash to the back of the car. I removed the plastic kick plates from the edge of the car and I located the problem. The genius who installed the stereo put a screw through the speaker wires. So I'm a little confused how the stereo ever worked with this set up and wonder what else was misrepresented to me. Or did it take a little wear for the damage to cause the failure? Who knows. I replaced that wire and attached male/female blade connectors to everything. So for now, I have fabulous mono sound! Woohoo, lol. I'll be hitting my brother up for some help with some decent sound once he gets back from CES. Until then tomorrow I'll see if the same problem is happening with the right speaker and at least have some sound other than the loud hum of the engine. I also noticed some rust. Next fire to put out. Then some sound deadening materials in the door s and on the floor over the transfer case and it should be a halfway decent ride.
I also replaced all of the vacuum lines today and have not had it stall out on me since. Actually it has some nice pick up and zip now and I am no longer unhappy about having to drive it through traffic. Amazing what a rotted vacuum line will do to an otherwise operational vehicle. I returned all of the shit I bought at Home Depot yesterday and got some stuff I liked better and that cost less money at Lowe's. Tomorrow hopefully I can get my new drapes hung.
loading your activity feed...