McDonaldsBagMan

The business model of serving as the middle man between the manufacturer and customer is severely outdated, and the price-gouging the service departments pull on customers is criminal.

Inb4 dear Facebook..

I recently purchased a newer Acura off the private market that has some minor issues I am tackling myself. One of the issues is an emissions warning with codes P0420/P0430 accompanied by a parking brake error. There is a TSB (technical service bulletin) issued by Acura that describes the very issue at length - the cat converters aren't worn out; rather, the ECU's sensitivity to the 02 sensor's readings are too high - and provides instructions to the service techs to reflash the PCM to the latest software update. This can only be done at a dealership.

I roll into my appointment with these specific instructions only to be told that they must perform a $180 diagnostic service in order to determine if the car needs the software update or not. I decline and say that I just want the reflash done, whether the car needs it or not. The service mgr tells me that it's their policy that they must do the diagnostic service before proceeding with anything. I relent, since I have no option other than spending 3+ hours ripping out both cat converters ($500 each for new Magnaflow ones from NAPA) and replacing them myself.

I sit in the lounge for 3 hours with no update. Finally, the service manager strolls in and tells me that they pulled the exact codes I told them I already pulled myself, and says that the cats need to be replaced and gives me a quote for an exorbitant amount for the service. I ask if he reflashed the software first and he says that he doesn't know and will go ask the tech. Sit for another hour. He comes back and says that they will need to replace both cats first before doing the reflash. Won't give me a reason why. I ask for my keys. Won't give them to me without paying the $180 diagnostic.

Currently escalating up the chain just to get a damn software update on the car. It really shouldn't be this way.

Forget Texas/Oklahoma... the Mid-South and north-central AL are the new Tornado Alley

What you describe is nothing new, unfortunately.

I graduated from the Haslam business school at UT in 2015. The provost, dean, and keynote speaker all separately gave explicit instructions to please hold any applause until all graduates are finished crossing the stage.

The white, Asian, brown, and Hispanic kids and families all follow the rules. The black families (not all, but I'd guestimate at about 60%) blatantly disregard the rule and yell when their baby crosses the stage, completely obscuring the announcement of the next name. There were two occasions in which the dean halted the ceremony to tell these types to stay quiet until after everyone finishes. Both requests were ignored. In fact, my good buddy was called after one of them and you couldn't even hear his name over the hooting and hollering.

Offended by everything, ashamed at nothing.

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Nissan and Dodge are in a competition for the cheapest-looking interiors of all vehicles on the market. They both cost the same as competitors and have absolute crap interiors.

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Both are ironically purchased by the same demographic.

Guess my parents are fricked... they've lived right on the Memphis National course for the past 20 years.

Hemmorhoid baw

I still think her best vocals are in "Gold Dust Woman" - singing about her own cocaine addiction

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1972 Pub

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Is the 1972 name to commemorate the last time the owner got any dick?

Sounds like it's going to be a cruel summer for her.

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There’s a certain type that you can give them $200 worth of free food and the tip line will read zero….every fricking time.

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One time when I delivered pizzas for a largely known chain in college, we got a big bulk order of 12 or so pies to a party. Drivers were usually happy to get those because a larger order meant a larger tip.

The total on this order was around 150-something and it got routed to me. I expected a $30 or so tip so I was excited. I take it to this decent area of Knoxville. Knock on the door and it's a kid's birthday party full of black folks. The lady who answers the door complains that I took too long and of course scribbles a big fat "0" on the tip line.

I later find out that she called the store and complained that the pizzas were cold (which they definitely were not). The manager ended up caving and giving her a partial refund.

This incident really heightened my pattern recognition of the behaviors these types of people exhibit.