As I got into my 2007 T&C today to get a new battery the old one didn't have enough charge to turn the starter motor. I got the "clicking" sound that from experience I know means low battery. This car hasn't been used for over 4 weeks and the battery is OEM 5.5 years old. I could jump start it myself - also have a battery charger but what the heck (the h e double hockey sticks is censored here) , I pay my AAA dues so might as well call the "experts". The service person insisted on checking the battery though I told him I was going to get it replaced anyway due to its age. He had a 6 year warranty replacement on his truck that he wanted to sell me but it was a lower quality battery at higher cost than the Duracell 34 I was going to buy at Sam's for $84.23. I didn't even ask what his price was but when I told him I could get an 8 year warranty battery at Sam's for $84.23 he got quiet. The battery tested good so he thought my problem was the starter. He banged on it thinking it was just stuck. Then he checked the fuses - switched one with another of the same size - no difference. At that point he asked if I wanted it towed somewhere. I kept suggesting that if he just jumped the battery and it didn't start we would know if it was the battery or not. He had one of those portable jump starters about the size of a small briefcase. Used that - no luck. I suggested maybe his charger wasn't powerful enough. He then "recharged" that unit from his truck battery for a few minutes. Still nothing. Finally I suggested we do a direct jump start with cables connecting with my Vibe. (Due to where my T&C was in the driveway he said he couldn't jump from his truck battery. I could back my Vibe out parallel to the T&C.) With that jump the T&C started right up. I let the T&C run 1/2 hour and then drove to Sam's to get a replacement.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
Yeh - being 70 it is obvious I wasn't born yesterday.
I got a number of annoying robocalls from a company that was selling medical alert systems. I fineally responded by pressing "1". I told the woman on the phone that I thought I really needed one of those - would be handy to call for help if I got an erection lasting more than 4 hours after taking my Viagra. She told me not to use the responder - gave me her phone number in case that ever happened.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
I'm old enough to remember 50 years ago when 'service stations' (NOT 'gas' stations) were located on every corner at major intersections in large cities! Gas was selling for 39.9 cents a gallon, so they relied on revenue from car REPAIR to stay afloat.
I do mourn the passing of the local garage where the 'mechanic on duty' was often the owner, and everyone knew your name (even the kid who pumped your gas and checked the air in the tires and smeared your windshield with a greasy rag while the tank filled).
There are still a few such entrepreneurs around. Only one garage in my town of 15,000 still pumps gas. He's a BP dealer, located right by a busy interstate, so his convenience store probably brings in as much or more revenue as his gasoline sales and car repair business. He recently began selling used cars on the back lot, too.
I gave up on AAA about 30 years ago, and switched to Standard/AMOCO/BP/(whatever the name is this year) Motor Club. A recent call brought the BP station owner with a tow truck in less than 30 minutes. He concurred with my diagnosis that it was indeed the starter, not the battery. I would have used him to repair the car, but he was still backed-up with repair work from the Christmas holiday, so I had the car towed to the GM dealer, where it was repaired the next day.
My 2003 Vibe Base Auto 2-tone Salsa "SalsaWagon" was built in May 2002. I acquired it in Feb 2004/Traded it in on a 2016 Honda HR-V in Feb 2018.