Diary of a Wolfeman

So the H.S. Golightly (Holly to her friends) has recently ticked over the 60k mile-mark, and is in need of some maintenance. I took a few minutes a couple days ago and spoke with a Kia dealership to see what this sort of service entails and costs.

The service consists of the following:

• Change the timing and accessory belts
• Flush radiator, flush transmission, change oil & filter
• Change the spark plugs
• Total: $1185.00

Ouch!

Not having that sort of money lying around, I figured I was going to have to get my hands dirty and do as much of this myself as possible. Breaking it down, the belt changes only come out to $360, and half of that is labor. That seems doable, but will probably have to wait a bit.

This means that they want some $825 for changing a bunch of fluids and the spark plugs. further research on the spark plugs shows that the OEM plugs are NGK and run $2.50 each retail – but the dealership wants $15 each!

I call ‘horseshit’.

So, off I went to Oil Can Henry’s and my local Schuck’s, and between the two I got a better set of spark plugs and all the fluids and filters changed for $200 plus the time it took. Which was significant, because OCH was packed when I got there. I waited in the car for an hour before I could get into a bay, but it was still worth it to have all that bit sorted by someone else. After all, I had my copy of Sherlock Holmes in the car with me, so it’s not like I lacked for company :)

 

You know what surprises me nowadays? When other people tell me they haven’t checked their email in a couple of days.

O_o?

I don’t get this at all. Even before I had a smartphone, I was always in my email. I just don’t get it.

 

Tolerant and I are very fond of the Chinese Village at 82nd & Stark, but it can be a bit too far to drive after work, so we’ve been on the lookout for something closer.

Chino Sai-Gon fits the bill rather nicely. They handle most of the Asian favorites with large portions at a reasonable price.

Now if only they delivered…