Oil and a tire

In New Zealand your car has to have a Warrant of Fitness (WOF) every six months. This means you have to take your car to a garage or to VTNZ for a safety check. If your car is safe, you pass. If not, you fail.

Our Subaru came due for its WOF this week. Incidentally, in New Zealand they say "su-BA-ru" instead of "SU-ba-ru". We don't know why.

I drove over to VTNZ, which was an adventure in itself. They're on Lichfield Street in the [former] CBD, surrounded by closed roads. After running into a few dead ends and circling one particular block a few times, I finally got there. I paid $45 and waited for the verdict.

The mechanic came into the waiting area with his clipboard. "Su-BA-ru?"

It was bad news.

The left rear tire did not match the other three tires. Three of our tires were "asymmetrical" tires but the left rear one was "normal". This means we fail.

I pointed out that the left rear tire is only different because at our last WOF exam, they told us it was worn down and had to be changed. AND it passed the re-check. Mechanic Man said he's really sorry but that at the re-check they probably just checked to see if we had changed out the tire and didn't check to make sure all 4 tires matched.

Annoying.

He said whoever changed the left rear tire "really should have known better."

Super annoying.

There's really no sense arguing at a time like this. I made an appointment at the local garage to get a new tire. As we were seriously overdue for an oil change, I asked for one of those too. I dropped the car off the next day for the service.

I am sure there must be decent, honest mechanics in the world. As far as I can say from my own personal experience, however, these good folks are not in any of the cities where I have lived. I have been driving cars needing repairs for nearly 20 years now and almost without exception, I've driven away from the car mechanic thinking, "I've just been ripped off, haven't I?"

When I went to pick up the car at the end of the day, I was handed a bill for $440. Four Hundred and Forty Dollars. How can this be possible, I wondered. I examined the bill in stunned silence.

Oil filter. $18.25
Oil. $91.32
Air filter. $11.30
Wiper blade refill. $17.40
Tyre. $177.39.

And the list went on. There was a 'tyre disposal charge'. Apparently I bought something called a 'sump plug washer' and 'consumables'. And of course labour charges. And GST (tax). It all added up to $440.86.

Two things really aggravated me as I read this bill. First, how does oil cost $91? Did they accidentally put NASA-grade rocket oil in my su-BA-ru? I have never paid so much for oil. I have never even heard of anyone paying so much for oil. Does this have something to do with the Iraq war?

Secondly, I only asked for an oil change and a new tire. Why are there new wiper blades on my car? No one asked me if I wanted a new air filter. They had my phone number. They could have called to ask. They didn't.

I thought, I could make a big stink here. I could refuse to pay for these wiper blades. But sometimes you're just not in the mood to argue. I let it go. I paid the bill.

As I was driving off to my next errand, I was stopped at a stoplight reading the invoice again, still wondering how oil can cost $91. Then I saw it. The description of the work done at the top of the page:

"Replace right rear tyre and fit new wiper blades."

$%#@@!!!! I didn't ask for new wiper blades! And I asked you to change the LEFT tire, not the right! Left! Left!!

I drove back to the garage and stormed out of the car, clutching the invoice in one hand, my can of whoop-ass in the other. I spoke to Darryl (his name was on a patch on his overalls). I exercised extreme restraint, I think, when I calmly said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've replaced the wrong tire."

"No I haven't."

$%#^!!!!!

"Yes, I think you have. I needed a new left rear tire, but you replaced the right one instead." I tried to explain the whole asymetrical versus normal thing but I couldn't remember that it was called "asymetrical" so I probably didn't sound very educated on the subject.

Darryl explained that the left tire was normal and the right tire was asymetrical (and I thought, "yes, that's the word!") and that asymetrical tires are really hard to come by in New Zealand. He guessed these tires were original to the car when it was imported from Japan. He said to replace the left normal tire with an asymetrical tire would have cost an arm and a leg, and that it was much more economical to do what he had done, i.e. replace the right tire so that I have two normal tires on the rear axle.

Hmm, ok, that sounds reasonable. But will it pass WOF? Yes, he assured me it would. He also pointed out that the left tire was fairly new and did not need replacing yet. Of course, as we had just bought that one 6 months ago following the last WOF inspection.

So I had the re-check today and, as Darryl promised, the car passed. So that is good.

But I'm still feeling like I may have been ripped off. Why didn't they talk to me about all this before doing it? They could have called and asked, do you want an asymetrical tire or do you want a normal one? They could have told me the price difference and I could have made an informed choice. Ditto for the wiper blades, air filter, and "consumables" (what IS that?). I'm also kind of wondering if he's going to resell my apparently very valuable asymetrical tire and make some money on the side. All of this leaves me feeling unsatisfied.

On the other hand, the su-BA-ru is running really well with that rocket oil in it.