Job Discussion Forums

[Sweetsee]

Hi AC,

Basically, the exhaust system between the mainfold and the muffler is shot. The muffler is the most expensive part and though there is nothing wrong with it, removing it is not possible. There is a joint there with 4 bolts and they have been fused together from years of exhaust coming out of the break in the pipe. Surely, this condition existed when I purchased the car and I will be sure to check next time.

Right now I am trying to decide how to proceed. I don't see any way around spending at least 5man plus 10man minimum for the shaken coming in March. I am seeing newer models of the same car with 2 years shaken and far fewer kilometers for a little more than that.

As much as I am against wasting a perfectly good car, financially I don't think I have a choice. Do you agree?

I got reamed by the dealer that sold me this car. They charged me 35man and I had to pay 2 years shaken. That wouldn't have been so bad if not for this repair, which I am sure was the reason the car was in their lot in the first place. I knew things were amiss when I was goaded into buying this car without a test-drive. Yeah, that's right if you can believe it. We were in a big hurry to get a car to go on vacation and learned the hard way. That and I was told they would stand behind the car for 2 years. First time we had a problem and called them they said to go to the CAR CONVENIE.


Anyway AC, thanks for the reply and happy motoring,
s

[Sweetsee]

Hi AC,

Thanks for that post, I really enjoyed reading it, made me feel like geting under the car right now. Don't know if I mentioned but my friend introduced me to his mechanic and he had a look and said he would get back to me on how much it would cost to repair. Well, I got the call last night and he said 35,000 yen. He also said he would not be replacing the muffler, the most expensive part on the list I got from the dealer. Don't know how he will do it, because the dealer said they wouldn't be able to remove it, and after looking at it again I tend to agree but like you said, can cut it. But I am very excited to get it done.

My friend said if I come by his house on saturday morning, he will go over there with me and then we can go play tennis while the work is being done, said it would take a half day. Is that sweet or what?

I know things are going to work out, the way everything has been working out these days, a long string of seeming coincidences which are not coincidences at all but instead a cosmic flow of goodness all channeling my way. The way that I even was able to meet this mechanic was all very trippy. When I was standing outside the guy's garage I knew that everything was going to work out because this garage was also home to a plethora of plants, yes plants; Cymbidiums, Aloe Vera, Cacti, etc.
How many repair shops have you visited where the office and and a big part of the space is dominated by plants, which after sports is my second passion.

I will be sure to let you know how it goes. And as long as I got you here, can I ask you where you are and what kind of teaching you are doing?


Enjoy yourself,
s

[Sweetsee]

Yeah, I think I lucked out. My friend used to take his car there for over 10 years, until he bought a new car. The old boy works for himself and as it turns out their daughter was a student at our sister school and a former principal was from the old man's class. That and supposedly some of the school's teachers bring their cars there.

I have a full-time position at a private senior high school in Saitama. I love my job and my car, it's the first one I have owned since coming to Japan in 1989. In fact, I just had a little kip out in the parking lot. What I like most about the car is the rear seat's leg room. It has a sliding door and sitting in the back seat you can really strech out length-wise or curl up on the rear seats.


Enjoy,
s

[Sweetsee]

It's a '94 Mitubishi RVR Sports Gear. I'm sure you have seen them around, easy to spot, never have a problem locating it in a sea of parking. It has a huge, what I call "cow-guard", a heavy duty steel cage around the front end with fog lamps monted on it. It is 4-wheel drive and the first time to own a 4X4 for me, though I have always wanted one. Here it is known as a "tall wagon".

Yeah, it's really nice to be a rear passenger in this car. The rear wheel wells form perfect armrests or a nice place to set something while you are relaxing. I play tennis and it is perfect for chilling between matches. I open the sliding door and can get in and out easily, not an easy task with my size.

I hear you on the getting around in the back country. I took the family on some fire-break trails while we spent 3 weeks camping at Sado island the summer before last. They enjoyed it immensely. In fact, we like it so much that in the event that it becomes too expensive to repair, we have located a shop that has a bunch of them and we can replace it with another.


Once again happy motoring and enjoy,
s

[Sweetsee]

Thanks AC but I can't take credit for that because if the truth be known, it was my partner who rode a bicycle around here checking out the used car lots and came across it. There were two cars on the lot that we were considering, ours and there was the MPV which I am so glad we opted against. Namely because it is just such a boring looking car, or van or whatever it is. But because the RVR does have character and style I feel that the dealer used this to jack up the price.

Soon after buying it, as is always the case I began to take notice of the same car in traffic and about town. I quickly noticed two same colored ones on a lot in Tokyo going for a fraction of the price of ours, due to the color I am told. And you can see some nice ones on the net right now. One just sold that was original owner!


Enjoy,
s