Bad Carma

PeeDee and I saw this while walked to lunch in the posh Laurel Heights. Neither of us had seen or heard of this car or car company before, but it certainly looked cool and ludicrously expensive. The Luxury Motors of Marin sticker supported that assumption. I couldn't really tell if it were electric or not—it had the vibe of a Tesla and a solar paneled roof, but it also had what appeared to be a gas tank panel.




It turns out to be a Fisker Karma, one of the first luxury hybrids. And comes with a $115,000 price tag.


Although it has some fire, battery and recall issues, it still won Luxury Car of the Year in 2011 from Top Gear Magazine.

From the Wikipedia entry:

The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive and manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland.^[5] The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated the Karma's combined city/highway fuel economy at 52 mpg_-US (4.5 L/100 km; 62 mpg_-imp) equivalent (MPG-e) in all-electric mode, and at 20 mpg_-US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg_-imp) in gasoline-only mode. EPA's official all-electric range is 32 mi (51 km).^[3][6] Due to the very small cabin interior volume, the EPA rated the Fisker Karma as a subcompact.^[7]

After missing its initial late 2009 launch, and after the launch was rescheduled several times, the first deliveries took place in the U.S. in late July 2011,^[8][9][10] and deliveries to retail customers began in November 2011.^[6] Since December 2011 pricing in the U.S. starts at US$102,000 for the basic model, and US$116,000 for the top model.^[11] Fisker reported that around 2,000 units have been delivered in the U.S. and Europe by October 2012.^[12]

pssssst

Well, that explains the leak. And it looks like I need a while new set of treads. I think I am due for brakes too. This'll be cheap...

unfortunately, this is also SF

I've had my car broken into twice while out, three times at home, and stolen once off the street in a good neighborhood.

I understand why this person felt the need for a sign.

As seen from the work shuttle on the way home:

repair or replace?

Estimate is in to replace the BMW transmission: "Yeah, you've got no reverse. This is a really common problem and we deal with it all the time. Here's the deal: [technical jargon here]. Without complications it will cost $3,500 to fix."

I keep finding more stories online. This has apparently passed the numbers that usually trigger a recall, but BMW doesn't give a shit. I think the transmission busting while driving is a pretty serious safety issue. There are class action suits filed. Not that helps me any today.

Christopher Land is the walking encyclopedia of the modern automotive industry and helped me immensely. If I get a new car, it'll be the Mazda 3 Touring. Want.

So, do I sacrifice the trade-in value (Bluebook trade-in $6,200) and just abandon the car (with the nice new $1,000 audio system I just installed) and start paying off a new car, or do I just eat the $3,500 and go along my merry way.

Considering the state budget cuts which slashed my paycheck and savings, I'm leaning toward repair and getting a new car next major catastrophe.

I can certainly think of other things I would like to spend $3,500 on. Vacation? Unfuckingbelievable 40th birthday party?


Update: The new tranny ran me around $3,500, and the other maintenance this week added another $1,000 to that, and in six months I'll need new breaks and an O2 sensor. The birthday party/new computer/savings budget is pretty busted.

BMW "no reverse" transmission problem apparently very common

Well, misery loves company but I'd just as soon have a working vehicle. It turns out that there are scores of complaints on BMW's automatic transmissions. And the "getting into the car, popping it into reverse and only having the engine rev" scenario is an excruciatingly familiar tale.

From the ArticleBase entry BMW "No Reverse" Transmission Problem:

This article deals with the reasons behind an unexpected loss of reverse in certain BMW automatic transmission equipped vehicles, specifically the 3 series and 5 series vehicles that use the ZF5HP19 or steptronic transmission. This includes the popular 323i, 323ci, 325i, 328i, 330i, 525i, 528i, 530i, X3 and X5 models well as some others built in the 1999 to present model years.

To eliminate confusion, this does not apply to vehicles equipped with the GM 5L40 E transmission, just the ones with the sometimes problematic ZF5HP19. The 5L40 E has some issues of its own that are beyond the scope of this article but are certainly going to be the subject of another.

The failure rate for these transmissions seems to be very high and is expected to become much more of a problem as time goes by.

Typically, the vehicle is working perfectly while driving forward but when it is put in reverse there is a complete and permanent loss of movement to back up.

At least he says that the replacement part is durable.

Checking around teh interwebs, there are many such references to bad beemer transmissions.

By the way Bad Beemer Trannies sounds like a really, really bad adult film.

This is particularly bad news from Consumer Affairs:

BMW owners find themselves facing thousands of dollars in transmission repair bills while the highly profitable German automaker refuses to accept any responsibility for the mounting number of failures.

"We are unaware of any widespread concern regarding the transmission. However, the actual length of life of any given vehicle part is dependent on a number of factors including care, maintenance, use, and climate," BMW AG wrote to the owner of a 2000 3 series sedan.

The complaints being filed with ConsumerAffairs.com are similar and describe a transmission that hesitates or refuses to be shifted into reverse.

"Lost reverse gear on my 2001 330Ci convertible at about 53,000 miles," wrote Don from Dayton, Ohio. "The car has an automatic transmission and repair costs at a local dealership was $4,048," he told ConsumerAffairs.com

And under the article at Consumer Affairs titled "BMW Automatic Transmissions Prone to Failure' Owners face repair bills up to $7,000," they note

The BMW automatic transmission that is failing through the country wins this week's "Lemon of the Week" Award.

The transmission failure is one of the most expensive and widespread automobile repair bills plaguing consumers today, according to our readers. The faulty automatic transmission is in use, when it works, in many used BMW sedans across the country.

Consumers from all over the U.S. are reporting the failure. Without notice, the reverse gear stops working in BMWs, many of them the popular 323i luxury sedan.

BMW service centers charge as much as $7,000 to repair the transmission, according to ConsumerAffairs.com readers.

These articles started in early 2007. This in October 2008:

The BMW is favored by car enthusiasts for its handling and the experience it offers behind the wheel. And chances are you'll be happy with the car, as long as it has a manual transmission.

A BMW with automatic transmission, especially one with a number of miles on it, has produced 163 complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com in the last 12 months. The specific complaint involves the loss of the reverse gear. Kevin, of Baldwinsville, New York, said it happened to his 323Ci at 80,000 miles.

I have a message to call the transmission shop back. I am dreading it. I have put less than 20k miles on this car since I bought it.

Update: There is even a website devoted to this BMW flaw that has been calling for a recall for years! No Reverse dot org. It seems that BMW knows this is a potentially fatal flaw, but will not issue a recall or offer repair assistance.

2013 Update:  It appears this problem is not only expensive but VERY VERY common.  It's now one of the top search hits that brings people to this blog.  So if this happened to you, you are not alone.  This week alone there have been more than a dozen hits to this post from Google searches on the topic.

no going back now

I stepped out at lunch to run an errand. Just a quick jaunt down to Cliff's for some silliness to send to my niece at camp, stop by the Castro post office, then back. I found parking across the street, pulled parallel, and flipped the shift into Reverse. Rev rev rev. Silly me, I must be in Neutral.

Nope.

No more Reverse.

Hmm. This sinking feeling in my stomach is my spider dollars-and-cents tingling. This instant is going to result in an enormous suckage of time and money.

I could still drive forward, so I drove to my neighborhood garage, careful not to park anywhere I could not pull forward out of.

Crap. Crap crap crap. My transmission is shot. Again. And Cole Garage, the one shop I trust, doesn't do trannys (insert joke here). So I had to get AAA to tow it over to the shop they recommended down in SoMa: Bryant Transmission Repair. Kids in the shop are guessing it will run me $2,500.

Well, shit. I felt better about spending the snowballing sum several months ago by justifying that an amazing new stereo was cheaper than getting a new car. And I blew my recreational savings after Christmas on, well, Christmas gifts, and the subsequent IMAXing of the apartment and installation of the Command Center.

Sure, I would love a new Beemer. Just don't have the cash for it. And as UC employee with salary cuts and furloughs, it's not like I can add a car payment to the budget. I'm turning 40 next month and had started considering buying a home. I'd rather since the savings I have into real estate than transportation.

I did the whole new-car-versus-carshare/taxis debate last time, and with my schedule of spontaneity, Sundance, and socializing, I decided that car share or zip cars wouldn't work for me. Should I bail on the car thing altogether and just be confident in calculating my annual taxi expense to be less than my auto payment and insurance expenses? Although that would make those increasingly frequent trips to Marin a hassle.

I bought Linda in July 2006 and have put less than 20k miles on it. Right now it's at 78k and change. Should a BMW's transmission fail this soon?

Any suggestions as to what new car to buy? Any reputable dealers? Hybrid? I loathe car research and car shopping. I am open to suggestions.



Update: The new tranny ran me around $3,500, and the other maintenance this week added another $1,000 to that, and in six months I'll need new breaks and an O2 sensor. The birthday party/new computer/savings budget is pretty busted.

Good Carma

Sunday “morning” I dragged my tired but out of bed and into a beautiful Sunday on the Bay. I met Barney at the Embarcadero in time for the noon ferry to Sausalito. It was sunny wand warm in the City, icy and foggy on the Bay, and sunny and warm in Sausalito. The Golden Gate was entirely invisible.

Deb met us at the dock, feeling very much like the new mother waiting for Daddy at the pier with little Roman zonked out in the stroller. We strolled along the waterfront and stopped in the park long enough for me to change from jeans to shorts. Living in SF I am not shy about dropping trou in public. I am hoping the locals didn’t mind. I didn’t care about the tourists. I consider them interlopers. I am local color.

Deb and I had planned this day as an opportunity to spend a beautiful day together, and for me to buy her car.

A couple of weeks ago, Deb finally accepted that she would have to get a mommy mobile. Roman and Zola (enormous black lab) could not easily share the back seat of the Beemer. Deb sent out an e-mail asking if her friends knew anyone who might be interested in buying it. The Beemer was way out of my desired price range, but I knew the car well, knew Deb had taken anal-retentive good care of it, and knew it was a good deal. But more than that, I thought I should by it because it just made cosmic sense. One of my best friends needs to sell her car at the same time I need to buy one. Take the sign. Don’t question it. Be appreciative. And just ride the gift horse.

I told her I was interested. I really wanted a convertible though. I shopped around online for a long time, visited a couple of dealers, and conferred with friends. I am not a “car guy.” I hate dealers. I shiver just typing about it. I don’t like car research and I don’t get into it like my brother Mac or my friend David Britt. I just want a reliable car at a reasonable price. The opportunity with Deb just seemed so right. And a gift from Heaven. No muss, no fuss, no stress, no strain.

The exclamation point to the “this is a sign dumbass—just buy Deb’s car!” feeling was made by the Ford dealers at Dolores and Market. Major with the creepy! And AGGRESSIVE. And so stereotypical annoying and pushy and sleezy that I almost laughed at them. Things like shaking my hand but then not letting go. Pushing me aggressively towards something I have adamantly declared I didn’t want. I almost asked “Does this actually work on other people?” But then they started tag-teaming me with cheesy lines and high-pressure sales tactics and I realized that many people must get caught like deer in the headlights and just capitulate to get them to back off. It got to the point that I actually wanted to shout “Stop it!” Except they outnumbered me and I really didn’t even feel safe in there any more. They were like hyenas circling their prey.

But I digress. I went to Sausalito to spend the day with Deb and buy her car. Once she knew I was interested, she asked if I was flexible with the timing as she had not decided on a mommy mobile just yet. She bought a Honda SUV last week, so this was a good time to pick up her old car.

We had a lovely day in Sausalito. We took lunch at a nice café on the water, enjoyed the sunshine and the random Sting/Russian cover song from the Albanian guitar player working the patio. (He was hunky, pretty, and pretty cheesy. Which we found quite entertaining.)

It occurred to me that it must seem strange to other people that I came to Sausalito to buy a car I have never even driven. So I drove it. Loved it. Heck, I have been driven in it enough. In fact I was the first passenger the day that Deb bought it.

It’s a 2001 BMW 325i, fully loaded, leather, silver exterior, well-maintained, and just passed 60k miles. As a bestest-buddy Deb gave me a great deal (but fair to her too). It needs its 60k “Inspection II” service, a new windshield wiper fluid pump, and a dent pulled from between the grills, that will run almost $1,000 so she knocked that off the price. She had meant to have it detailed before I claimed it, but there wasn’t time. She did however clean it to almost immaculate perfection.

And she hid $5 in the glove box for the bridge toll back as a ‘welcome to the car’ gift.

I’m going to take it back to her official BMW guy in Sausalito for the service, as he only charges $400, instead of $750 charged by the two pretentious BMW places in the City. I would like to use Cole Garage as it is just around the corner, but they won’t even give me an estimate. So one day next week I will drive up to Sausalito and work out of Deb’s home office. The body work I can get done across the street from my apartment—if I choose to do so at all. The dent is so minor I couldn’t see it even though she told me it was there. She had to point it out for me to notice. Once I have the maintenance done, I’ll have it detailed and the inside shampooed/steam cleaned for that new car feeling.

While I did get a great deal, I have been cringing at the added expense of registration, change in title, required smog check, and oh dear God the sales tax. I paid a third down and need to come up with the rest. Now that I have the title in my name, I'll get a car loan, or probably a line of credit at a lower rate. Or just pay her a montly amount for a year as she's cool with that.

Next: new insurance.

One down, two to go.

I love the car. And I’m thinking of naming it Linda. After Debbie Sue Linda, one of my pet names for Deborah (originally from a MadTV sketch).

And yes, I am well aware that driving a BMW now makes me yuppie scum. I believe I have sufficiently mitigated that by my nights at the Powerhouse, Trannsyshack, and Midnight Mass.

Auto update

Here's the latest sitch on the car. Pretty much everything about this sucks. But there may yet be a light at the end of a tunnel. And with my luck, it's an oncoming train.

As I may have mentioned earlier, by chance my neice Ellen was on my flight back to the Bay Area to visit her good friend and former next-door neighbor Morgan. On the flight back I was sandwiched between Ellen and Morgan's grandmother. (Side note, Ellen is waaay to cute for reality. She had her stuffed animals for company, played me songs on her Nano, then curled into my shoulder to watch a movie with me on my laptop. She is so sweet I just melt.)

Anyhoo, Morgan's Dad, Trig, and the two girls (Morgan and Madison) were waiting for us just past security. The traffic on the east side of the Bay was so bad, Trig planned to cross the bridge and head south to Saratoga via 101 or 280-- and as he was crossing the bridge into the City anyway, he offered me a lift home. On the way back, we were talking cars and such (we were in his super-nice, super-big pick up truck he uses for the horse trade) and he mentioned that he had a car he never drove and was thinking of selling. And here I am needing to get a new car. He has an old convertible volvo, which is what I went shopping for when the transmission went on the Saturn. Said it was a 2001 with about 54k miles and he paid $14,000 for it. Could be a match made in heaven.

Then I get home and open my mail: There is a notice from DPT that they towed my car and I owe them fees. Reason for towing: stolen auto. No one called me. No notice from the police, just a bill for towing and storage. This was Tuesday of this week. Wednesday I get another notice of lien and pending sale of my car in 30 days from the third-party "Auto Recovery" company with a City contract. So I call. Even though the car was stolen, and towed into the impound because the police recovered the stolen car, I have to pay over $700 for towing fees, processing fees, and $35 a day storage fees.

Under the department of ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? My car is stolen. The police find it. The police/city are charging me to get it back. And charging almost half of what the insurance company is valuing the car. AND, in order to get it back, I have to go to the skanky 750 Bryan Police station to get a release form, then go to the Auto Recovery office somewhere else for their forms, pay them the ungodly sum for a receipt to get the car out of the storage lot--which is miles away down at Pier 70.

Of course, I can't rush down there because (1) I don't have anyone who can take me (2) I signed the title away to the insurance company and (3) the insurance company has the keys! I finally got to talk to my claims person at the insurance company yesterday, and they will reclaim the car, but I have to go through the hoops to get it released because I am still listed as the owner. I suppose I will have to do that in the morning. Fun.

No word if I can get my stuff out of it or not.

I was kind of looking forward to the ease and fun of buying Trig's convertible. Until I checked online and realised I may have heard wrong. I don't think he paid $14 thousand for it, but rather $40 thousand. Kelly Blue Book puts a 2001 convertible volvo at $18,530. That's a bit out of my price range. Trig has my number and will be contacting me once Ellen and his mother have left. I'm hoping he has a number in mind that is much lower.

I did find a 2000/64k convertible model that looks good from a dealer in Richmond for $14,000. Bad idea? Any opinions?

I hate shopping for cars.

Saturn = Uranus

The auto drama continues. Thursday I spoke with Saturn corporate, hoping there would be some sort of warranty or "After Warranty Assistance" or "secret warranty" program as my car has only 60k miles and really shouldn't need a new transmission. I spoke with Diane in Spring Hill (TN) and she could not have been nicer. As a Nashville boy myself, and having purchased the car as close to the factory as possible, we became fast friends. She strongly encouraged me to request Assistance, but could not (quite understandably) actually tell me what that assistance would be. I asked for at list an example of some forms of assistance. In her experience everyone who requested it received some sort of help, and this assistance (also called "goodwill assistance") could be in the form of paying for the repairs, going half-way, or some sort of split among the corporatation, dealer, and driver (the most likely).

But, as with all things, there was a catch. No matter what my mechanic said, or how reputable the garage may be, to even have a conversation with the Assistance representatives, the car has to be examined by a "Saturn Certified Technician." Which is not entirely true. It has to be examined by-- and I have to pay to have it towed to-- someone at the dealership. It is entirely possible to certify someone and not have them work expressly for you. This is done all the time in other fields (from doctors to information technology experts). I was surprised that any mechanic with the ability to pay for and pass a certification course could not become "Saturn Certified" and yet not work at a dealership. This strikes me as preposterous. This is not so much "certified by Saturn" as much as "employed by Saturn." I understand that they cannot just take anyone's word for it, but it's not like I was calling from Cooter's. And hey, that Cooter knew cars.

So this was the gamble: Keep my car in the reputable and trustworthy Cole Garage and pay the estimated $1,800 for a rebuilt transmission repair, or tow the car to Colma and hand it over to the dealer for inspection and repair but possibly pay only half or a third of the repair cost.

As I understand it, the Saturn Assistance people look at your history of repair and relationship with the dealer. My recent repair history is not in their computers because I stopped going to the dealer for service three years ago. The reason I stopped visiting the dealership is that I felt that, and this is purely my opinion, the service representatives at Saturn of Colma are slick and lying sacks of shit.

While there may be none so fervent as the recently converted, is is also true that Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned (and for those of you wondering, that's from "The Mourning Bride;" the next line is "Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned").

I was a fervent Saturn supporter. I bought all the hype when it launched. I loved all the Saturn homecoming bullshit. My housemates had Saturns. One was in an accident and after his Saturn was totaled, and he got another one. I was more than a Saturn advocate, I was an acolyte. But believer no more. I have had nothing but trouble with the people at Saturn of Colma. So much so I was even moved to put pen to paper. So ultimately I started going to Cole Garage or Ted & Al's, both reputable and both within blocks of my home (and both just great, wonderful places). And now I am dependent upon the good graces of the Colma service department to inspect and report back to Corporate whether or not I should qualify for assistance.

The car has only 60k miles. I have taken good care of it. It should not need a new transmission, and my record should reflect that-- and note that I stopped going to the dealer for service and that I expressed my reasons why.

Unfortunately, I am having to deal with the same slick who prompted me to avoid the dealership in the first place. His opinion is that there was nothing wrong with the transmission, but when I got the new clutch a couple of years ago, they tightened the plug too tightly and that cracked the casing. The transmission fluid has drained out, and that's why my transmission has burned up. And he is recommending to Corporate that I receive no assistance and pay for all repairs.

Which is, in all honesty, not a huge surprise as the dealer is motivated against assistance as corporate tends to make the dealer cover the repairs, or at least the cost of labor. (According to this particular story.) I am not wanting something for nothing. Really. Just a little help here. And this is not a design flaw? That tightening a plug cracks the casing? Aren't plugs supposed to be tight?

I received a message from Saturn Customer Service and I called her back. I don't remember this girl's name but she sounded as if she were barely in her twenties and would only read from a script. And was ZERO helpful. And completely non-responsive, offered no suggestions, no cooperation, and very little information other than "the dealer service inspector says this was someone else's fault and not a design flaw and so Saturn will not be offering you any assistance." I will say she was polite, but only because it is difficult to be rude if you don't actually say anything.

I asked questions. I pleaded my case. I offered for review (as previously mentioned) paperwork of a history of maintenance and repair. I explained that I also felt that this was a matter of trust in the Colma service department and that was a trust I did not share, as evidenced by prior communications. I asked if I could have another mechanic provide his/her opinion. All questions were met with silence or what I felt to be a non-answer. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Those who know me know I never get angry. I don't raise my voice. For goodness sakes I am a freakin' librarian. But I do assert a logical argument. I could only get a response if I asked directly "what can I do?" or "what can you do?" to which the answer was, and I am paraphrasing: "nothing."

Diane had said that towing is often part of the assitance package, but there would be none here. So instead of paying to tow it back to SF, I opted to let Saturn of Colma is match the price quoted from Cole Garage ($1,800. But this is for a used transmission, and with only a three-month warranty not inclusive of labor charges. And the oh-by-the-way that while they are in there it might need a new clutch and that will cost you a whole bunch more. Leave the fucking clutch alone. It's two years old. I'll be getting another car next year when I have paid off my hospital bills and the bulk of my student debt. I am already paying more than the car will sell for and feel I am being pennied and dimed/hundreded and thousanded to death.

And it will still be a week before I can get it back. And I have to find someone to take me there. Just more hassle.

On the bright side, it was fun shopping for used cars on Saturday with David Britt. I have decided that if I must have a new (to me) car, it might as well be a convertible. The Miata looked like the best deal. Until I sat in one. At 6'2" plus, and as big guy, I don't fit. The mental image I got was that I should be in the circus with a fez and making that little pipe-organ "doot doot doodle oldle doot doot doodle" sound. Kinda like the bear riding the tiny tricycle. There was not enough room between the door and the steering wheel to raise my knee to shift gears.

So as the Volvo C70 seems unlikely, I am focusing on a Mustang. It still seems a little "cruising the mall" to me, but it is size-proportionate and has a nice trunk.

A new purchase will have to wait a couple of years. But as always, I am open to suggestions.

As LHB said, I keep on listenin', but I can't hear a thing.

No Transmission.

Me-No-Go to da Ro-De-O

Okay so this sucks: On the way down to La Honda for the Best Buck in the Bay, my transmission blows.

Short version of the story is that I spent my entire afternoon waiting for AAA to find me on a frontage road near the Crystal Springs resevoir. Not an easy location to describe to an operator in call center in Whoknowswhere. It was sunny, but boring, and I wish I had brought my book. The only up-side was that I managed to coast to a marginally recognizable intersection and into a space amongst a row of parked cars. And there were two other guys waiting in their trucks-- rescue workers who I am sure are shirtless on a calendar somewhere. Woof.

The bad news came yesterday afternoon. Cost for repairs: $3,500. If they use a rebuilt/used transmission: $1,800-$2,000. Minimum 9 hours of labor (sounds like childbirth, and just as painful).

So, having JUST had a tune up, flushed the coolant system, installed all new brakes and all new tires, do I spend the money to fix it, or do I look at getting a new (used) car? With the hospital bills/student debt, I am not in a financial position to get a new car. Or even fix this one. But even the $2k fixing option is a lot to spend on repairs which might be best towards something newer.

What kills me are these two things: (1) There was a crack in the casing so all the transmission fluid drained out and that's why it all went ca-blewy; I had an appointment to flush the transmission fluid this weekend. and (2) It's a Saturn, known for good service record, and it only passed 60k miles last frigging week.

Open to suggestions here. I have to make a decision soon b/c it is just taking up space in my mechanic's garage.