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Saturday, August 2, 2003

Dmitry Bykhovsky

“I trust the next blog entry will tell the tale of the removal from the Minuteman School to the shop of the BMW. †Hopefully, you will post before you leave your computer for four days, thus abandoning all your loyal readers.”

S

I’ve been up since 5 am and I have to get up earlier tomorrow to begin our trip to the Vineyard, but first the removal.

My plan was to have Diane drive us to Minuteman and then Matt and I would take our inspection-stickerless-chances and drive the BMW to Alpha Cars in Boxborough where we’d get estimates for various problems that Matt didn’t have time to fix. I was even looking forward to it because I figured it would be the last semi-lawless escapade in the white 2002.

However, that plan died at 11:15 this morning when Matt called me to say that after changing the oil and filter, the oil pump had died and if we tried to drive the car, it would explode. What a revolting development. But then I thought, what the heck, I’ll have Triple A tow the car, leaving me with more time to finish the porch I was working on.

I arranged to have Pro-Tech Towing grab the car with Matt at the disabled end, and me waiting at Alpha Cars for the delivery. It worked flawlessly and we were both mostly smiles as we walked into Alpha’s office to discuss the estimates, the work that needs to be done, etc.

On the way in the door, Matt met Dmitry, the owner and top mechanic. A young guy who bantered with Matt about the work he had already done, and what might be ailing the BMW. Dmitry, thinking that the pump didn’t die when the oil was changed, suggested that Matt fill the crankcase (reads like another name for me) with eight quarts of oil, high enough to engage the pump, let the oil settle, then start the car and see what happens. He was pretty confident that might solve the problem.

But that was the last of the good news. When Matt listed the clutch, the oil pump problem, and why it overheats, I began to think – this is real money. Then when we were told it would cost almost three hundred just for this estimate, I thought, maybe we should try to find Travis’s car.

That leads to the question: Is this fancy place typical of high end auto repair shops. Is it standard to charge for the time spent analyzing the problem? Mark S, owner of an Audi? Beemer, Adam? Dan? We can call off the estimate on Monday, but then what do we do? It isn’t drivable (unless the oil overfill works and they let us do it in their parking lot) and we can’t drive here and there looking for a better garage. The last caveat, I was most impressed with Dmitry.


Drop Off

Click for the bigger picture.
art_gallery.jpg
“This doesn’t look like a garage it looks like a friggin’ art gallery.” Matt

I’m hoping that Adam will find the time to post today’s installation of his spiral stairs. He looks like a man in need of deep sleep, but still … .

posted by michael at 4:33 am  

6 Comments

  1. Thought-stream:
    1 – Agree with Matt. Maybe you need to try Omega Cars
    2 – Cars are expensive, especially when they’re free
    3 – Does the $300 estimate apply toward the repairs, or is it a separate fee?
    4 – Matt can afford it. A Big Buck is my overall estimate.

    Comment by Realist — August 2, 2003 @ 8:20 am

  2. The $300 is worth it to you as you have gotten repairs thus far for free. Just brace yourself for the $3000 the actual fixing is going to cost.

    Comment by realist #2 — August 2, 2003 @ 10:40 am

  3. Put these questions in your mind mill.
    1. How many auto shops have stainless steel shelves? Or shelves of any sort with nothing on them?
    2. Is it likely that Dmitry Bykhovsky is the name of a competent grease monkey? Or is it more likely that Dmitry Bykhovsky is the name of a guy who sits second trumpet in the Dublickistan Philharmonic and runs errands for Uncle Vladimir on the side?
    3. How much thought have you given to taking your money and running?

    Comment by Realist #3 — August 2, 2003 @ 6:49 pm

  4. Hey, Mr. Crankcase, Matt is right. It does look
    like a friggin’ art gallery!

    –Ed

    Comment by ed — August 3, 2003 @ 6:38 pm

  5. So, I survived a visit from brother Pete and I think Mack is also still alive. Pete informed me that not responding to these wonderful journals was rude indeed. One day I want to share my history with this car, but today I just want to remind us of the past those big round lights have seen. Mack and Helen bought the car days before Nixon was inaugurated. It/we survived Kissinger and Cambodia, the retreat from Vietnam, Watergate, the pardon, Iranian hostages, eight years of Reagan, the worst day of labor history when the air traffic controllers were fired without riots in the streets, the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, the first Bush war, blow jobs in the Oval Office, 9/11, the second Bush war and today, where are we? Sadly, I feel even worse today about the world and our involvement in it as americans. Perhaps Matt and the bmw will take us to exile in Central America.

    Comment by jeffro — August 7, 2003 @ 9:27 pm

  6. I guess that settles it, Jeffro. Today I’ll tell the guy to fix the clutch and driveshaft for his stated price of a mere $1400.00. Put in the perpective of one quarter’s property taxes, and all that the car has lived through, t’aint much.

    Comment by Michael — August 8, 2003 @ 5:42 am

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