Pick up your feet when you walk!
Out for a nice walk in a public garden yesterday and all I could hear, coming up behind me is: schlup, schlup, schlup on the gravel.
It was a person old enough to know how to walk properly and / or buy shoes that fit.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:Dear U-Pull,
I'm happy to pay $24 for a strut with no core charge. But I'm salty over paying a $2 core charge on a $22 strut.
Your friend,
AC
A core charge in a wrecking yard is unacceptable. To them, the core charge should represent what you would get if that particular part went over the scales. By selling it you are giving up that option. They are essentially selling it twice. I would absolutely bring back the old one and get my $2 back, even if it cost me $5 in gas.
The U-Pull type yards around here were charging $2 entry, another unacceptable practice IMO. I never paid to enter a yard and shouldn't have to. They recently increased it to $5, and in the process lost my business.
In reply to Peabody :
The core is so you will bring the part back for the scrap value.
The entry fee is for legal reasons and to offset their insurance costs. They aren't just letting you wander the yard, you are paying them for access to their property. It changes it from an uncontrolled situation to a business transaction and provides them some legal protections in the process.
Toyman! said:In reply to Peabody :
The core is so you will bring the part back for the scrap value.
I know, that's the rant. You do one or the other, not both
None of the good yards around here charge to get in.
I also find the yards that don't charge to be much crappier than the ones that do. They're making sure you aren't just going on the property to steal emblems and such. Not to say the yards that charge are great but they're not quite as shady as the ones that don't.
Went to a wake a few nights ago, a 40 year old, clean cut, well dressed (no suit) but went into the Parlor, past the casket, met the family, NEVER TOOK HIS HAT OFF. =~(
I know, it's OK because you're a big Red Sox fan ......
berkeley you. berkeley me. berkeley everybody.
In reply to Peabody :
Why would they not do both?
They are in the business to make money and multiple revenue streams equal more money.
I went to a yard once. Had a mk2 Jetta that needed a rear caliper. Trying to be cheap. Went looking for the car they said they had, never found it. But they had one already pulled they said. I think I paid $45. It was frozen and junk.
Just ended up buying two new from Autozone for like $125.
Never been back to a yard since. Recently my Touareg needed a blower motor. New on eBay $37 shipped. I'm guessing from a yard the price would be close to that. No thanks.
I was doing some bullE36 M3 beginning-of-the-year mandatory training at work (a little late, I know) and the one bit was new product introductions. It described the Cadillac Optiq as an "electric sport SUV." Hey, jackasses, the first S in SUV stands for Sport.
NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:berkeley you. berkeley me. berkeley everybody.
In reply to Toyman! :
It's a total FU douchebag move, the scrap price of a strut is what, 3 cents?
The free to enter yards around here are the best ones. 25-50 acres of cars instead of an acre or two, and way better selection.
ShawnG said:Pick up your feet when you walk!
when I stay in hotels I always seem to get a "foot pounder" above me. Walks all night and early morning feet pounding on the floor.
My admin has been with me for 8 years. She has always done a pretty good job. She gave notice last week. Her last day will be April 4th.
I can't say I blame her though. She and her husband are going to become digital nomads and travel.
So no hard feelings on my part at all but training a new person will be a bit of a headache.
In other news, the new admin will start on April 7th. She wasn't necessarily looking but she was unhappy at her current job. Long term I think she may be a better as we expand and the job becomes more strenuous. Time will tell.
Maybe this was supposed to happen this way.
In reply to Toyman! :
There is some old bullE36 M3 saying that goes something like, "When one door closes, another one opens".
I also feel that sometimes I am comfortable with adequate when I should be seeking better. Not saying that is your case, but often the change you didn't choose winds up being a good one.
Back in October, they finally fired out department lead. I have been doing half the job since then. Today they filled it, passing over myself and another highly qualified person to promote the laziest, least motivated, and biggest ass kisser to the position. This is a guy who used to be our Union's Business Agent until he was forced to resign due to offering bribes to vendors and promoters. The man who almost cost our union it's charter, is now my boss.
This is going to be fun.
In reply to mad_machine :
I once applied for a job and didn't get it, despite being the most qualified... and currently doing it. A few days later, the plant manager, who was responsible for me not getting the job, approached me and asked if I could train the new guy. I told him to go berkeley himself. It's a miracle that I didn't get fired, but word of that got around, and when the guy they hired was let go, and the plant manager was on vacation, the acting plant manager appointed me to the position.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Nail-Head
I just read something about the key to making the leap from small business to medium business is the people you hire. Their willingness to step out of their comfort zones and grow with you can make or break you.
The admin who is leaving was the right person for the job when I hired her. She has been awesome for the past 8 years but we have outgrown her skillset. She wasn't very interested in learning the skills I needed to keep the ball rolling. Pushing her didn't work very well so this is probably a good time for her to move on without me having to force the issue. Her decision to leave also made me look at things from a different perspective, which is not a bad thing.
The next step is going to be a little painful to swallow from a monetary perspective but in long haul I think it's the right thing to do. The experience and organizational skills I have hired this time will be worth the extra dollars in the long run and will push me to step up my game.
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:Not really a rant. More of a wry smile. But there was a rather promising Citroen Traction Avant for sale for the outrageous price of $800 near me. Today it was relisted...at $2,000 with better pictures. The guy wisened up.
Aaaaand it's off of Facebook with a very good clean-up, and now listed on Craigslist (in a different region) for $3,800. Motherf-cker.
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/d/concord-1954-citroen-traction-avant-3800/7833524369.html
It's seldom a good sign when Mrs Monohue sends me a text reading, "can I call you?" Today the call was to inform me that, per the utility company, our water use has spiked. There's a leak somewhere. No evidence of leakage under the house*, which means it's somewhere between the house and the meter. Half of that run is under the (concrete) front walk. Hopefully the failure is close to the meter and we can just dig the yard up and sweat some new pipe in.
Naturally, it's supposed to rain for the next ten days.
*there was, however, an embarrassing quantity of rat crap. So that's a whole 'nother problem. I wore a mask, and stripped off for a shower immediately after, and everything I was wearing went straight into the washer, but damned if just plain existing don't feel like a losing battle.
It's back. About a month ago I tried buying an Audi wagon. Messaged with 15 minutes, said I'll take it, wanted to pick it up the next day. All seemed good.
Then he somehow "fixed it" and was going to get it looked at. I kept looking for wagons. Just now it popped back up listed today.
So it was $1500 before , now $3500 obo.
The newest "new" things in his list, so I'm guessing this is what was done in the past month, I could be wrong. I looked up basic Advance auto parts
NGK plugs and coils - 156
New high pressure fuel pump - 459
New crankshaft position sensor - 76
New amg battery - 199
New pvc - 58
About $1000 in parts, plus labor ? Since he mentioned to me he was going to take it somewhere.
So possibly selling it for the $1500 plus what he just put into it? Then why didn't he just let me buy it a month ago and save the hassle.
Scratch that. All that NEW stuff was actually in the very first posting of the wagon. So he did ??? and listed for more money.
Peabody said:In reply to Toyman! :
It's a total FU douchebag move, the scrap price of a strut is what, 3 cents?
The free to enter yards around here are the best ones. 25-50 acres of cars instead of an acre or two, and way better selection.
Any recommendations? I've always gone to Kenny U-Pull and Pic-n-Save, both have been good to me over the years but always happy to add others to my list.
Also, berkeley this stupid time change.
My top 3 were A1 in Brantford, Cambridge auto parts, and one in Guelph that I can't remember the name of right now
EDIT: I think it was Nicklin in Guelph
I think the pic'n'pull I usually visit it was $5 to buy my waiver card with them. Upside, it was a one time deal and now when I go I just flash the card and head in, and it works at any of the 'Bucks Auto' locations.
They don't seem to charge cores and with the exception of sets of wheels and tires (if the tires are is solid shape they will pull them and sell the set complete), items are priced based on what they are, not what they came off of.
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