How do they sleep at night?

"Tristan" (casselts) 01/13/2020 at 13:32 • Filed to: None

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Hi, h ow are we? I’m glad to see Oppo still exists and is filled with excellence as always.

Ignore the disaster that is my driveway at the moment... Pictured is my neighbor’s ‘05 Envoy XUV with an LM4. I arrived home from work on Saturday to see a tow truck backed up to it, and immediately I ran over and asked what had happened. He informed me that his water pump had failed and he was having it towed to a local shop, and that after calling around all day he had found the best deal on the job: $1,100. They fully intended to charge him the full labor to removed and install the water pump, to remove and install the thermostat, and to remove and install the fan clutch as three separate jobs. Every shop he called priced it out the same way. What in the actual hell?! I immediately spit out “I’ll do it for $300!” However, I feel guilty even charging that much for the job even though I’m saving him $800. I mean, 2 hose clamps for the intake tube, two bolts for the fan shroud, spin the fan clutch off, undo the upper and lower hoses and two heater hoses, then remove 6 bolts and it’s out. I know businesses have overhead to cover and the taxes businesses have to pay in the state of Oregon are obscene, but... really?

In other news, This is a neat vehicle. I had no idea the LM4 existed until I removed the water pump and though “WTF?! That’s an aluminum block... It can’t be an LM7!” Also, the sliding rear roof and versatility of this thing is crazy. The rear cargo area has a bulkhead with a window behind the rear seat and the whole area is weatherproof, so it’s like a small crew cab pickup with a built in retractable topper. Neat! Early 2000s GM is best GM (J-body cars do not apply).  

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:03

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I used to do construction work with my dad and one day we were working on a store front when we saw one of these with a really tall box (I think it was a refrigerator) in the back, with the roof open and tailgate down, coming down the road, with 4 guys running along, 2 on each side, holding ropes wrapped around the box because apparently they couldn’t figure out how to tie it down. We yelled to them asking where they were going, and they said they were almost at their destination, but they had some from Kentlands (which was like 3.5 miles away). It’s one of those things I wish I had a picture of.

Jim Spanfeller > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:03

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Wait... So it’s like a more modern version of the Studebaker Wagonaire? Cool!

Sovande > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:04

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This just happened to my father who needed a new radiator in his Tundra. He asked that since the truck would be apart, the coolant drained and the thermostat housing completely exposed. They replaced the thermostat and charged him $270 to do it, on top of what they charged for the radiator. Replacing the thermostat at the point is a two bolt job. He refused to pay, and after a long argument which cu lminated in calling the owner of the shop, the charge for the thermostat install was dropped. It’s amazing what people will try to get away with.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:14

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Hey cool, like a modern Studebaker Wagonaire

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Jim Spanfeller 01/13/2020 at 14:15

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That was my first thought too! So cool.

Tristan > Sovande 01/13/2020 at 14:16

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Yikes. These are all the reasons I learned to do everything myself. I took my ‘Burban to a local shop for an alignment last spring, and they called shortly after to inform me I had a “dangerously bad” lower balljoint that they could change for $575. The guy on the phone seemed surprised when I declined the offer. Thing is, I had the front end apart the previous day to install new wheel bearings, shocks and bumpstops. There were no bad balljoints.

Tristan > Jim Spanfeller 01/13/2020 at 14:18

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Pretty much! Except a bit more weatherproof with the roof retracted. A Daytona wagon is on my list of cars I must own one day.

Tristan > Snuze: Needs another Swede 01/13/2020 at 14:18

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It’s got plenty of tie-downs built in... At least those fella s got a good workout!

Ssfancyfresh > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:33

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How dare you. A 2002 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport was the best car I have ever owned.

Tristan > Ssfancyfresh 01/13/2020 at 14:43

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Is... is it the...   ONLY car you’ve ever owned?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 14:49

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The thing is, this was in a major metropolitan area, I can’t imagine how far they had traffic backed up, or how many times the guys walking along almost got hit by cars. And yeah, you’d think with all that cargo capability it would have had tie downs.  Hell, I’d have rigged it if I had to, tied around the frame or whatever.  

Ssfancyfresh > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 15:28

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I wish.

shop-teacher > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 19:48

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You should not feel bad for charging $300 to do that. Your time is worth something, and you’re being a damn good neighbor saving them $800.

Boxer_4 > Tristan 01/13/2020 at 23:07

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Someone locally uses one of these as a pizza delivery vehicle for Domino’s... it’s strange...

Tristan > shop-teacher 01/14/2020 at 00:51

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That’s been a difficult thing to come to terms with. I’m too much of a nice guy, and over the years I’ve really undersold myself on these jobs and done way too much pro-bono work. I’m getting there, though!

Tristan > Boxer_4 01/14/2020 at 00:52

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I’d assume the fuel economy is less than ideal for such a task. 

shop-teacher > Tristan 01/14/2020 at 16:16

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It’s been my experience that it’s better for friendships to have some sort of exchange. That doesn’t have to be money, but there has to be something coming back the other way. Otherwise things get weird over time.  

I built a deck for a friend of mine this summer (he helped and bought the materials). He didn’t pay me, but over the years he’s come over to help work on my house whenever I’ve needed, sometimes with very little notice. Heck, back when my wife was pregnant with our first kid, and I was scrambling to finish the second floor remodel of our house before the kid arrived, he and his wife came over and painted almost the entire second floor.