MEGKEN FINDS A WAY TO EDUCATE US ON CARS AND REVIEW BUNNY BUTT !
Megken here, today I want to give the Megheads out there information that will save them thousands of dollars. As the man on Manly Mondays I feel an obligation to share this with you so your money can be better spent on makeup, beauty products and spa treatments. Not all of you own cars but the ones that don't, know people that do. I see more than a few women and some unauto-savvy men ripped off because they don't know one thing:
"Service Writers" at dealerships work on COMMISSION.
You know the "nice" guy with the Rolex at the dealership that we take our autos to when we have problems. They are so personable, we build trusting relationships with these guys. I had a guy named Mike at the Jeep dealership, Meg had her guy Tony. No matter what when you go in to fix just that one problem, they would always find 2 to 5 more things that "you better take care of now." We better take care of them now so they get a bigger Christmas bonus and fancier watch. These are people that we tend to trust. They develop a bond with us. Sometimes we even bring them cookies and wine. Meg would spend so much money based on Tony's "strong suggestions" before she met me, even more than the cost of health insurance.
There are a lot of moving parts in cars and eventually everything on a car wears out, but you can wait for most things to wear out and keep your money longer. Ask the question, "what happens until I wait until if goes out?" Watch them squirm as they think up something to say to horrify you. Answer with, "I'll just wait." Parts can last for much for more time than a service writer can estimate and that is money you can hold on to a while longer. Why buy a new box of Cheerios if there are still two good full bowls in the old box? You need to be armed with some knowledge to fight these guys so you don't drive away in a paranoia that your car will explode if you don't pay them the two thousand dollars. You should get a second, third opinion and learn a little bit about cars. These service writer guys are not your husbands and you don't gain anything for being loyal to them. It is not cheating. I encourage you to have an affair on them.
Learn things like, how thin you can wear the disks brakes before you may ruin the calibers. In most states they are required to give you the old parts if you request them. Also do you need new disks or are they still thick enough to resurface? Also know your car really well. Last Tuesday I took my car for an oil change. I was given a discount coupon in the mail and wanted to try this new place. They insisted I need a new water pump this is a 450-650 dollar job. They were dead serious. They said it's "making a horrible sound" I said that they were wrong. They replied, "come on let's go listen." We opened the hood and I heard the sound. I shut of the air conditioning, and the sound stopped. They said "Oh, my bad". But of course they want to sell me a new air conditioning compressor.
I bought the car used 10 years ago and it has always made that sound and it has always made ice cold air. I said what most of you need to say, "I'll wait until it doesn't work, then I will fix it." Most of these guys want to scare you to fix things before they go out. The truth is, change the fluids (oil every 3 or 4 thousand miles, and coolant every 2 years). If you still see light coming through the air filter and you have tread (tires have wear indicators you can see) on the tires don't change things until they break. Sometimes belts need changing but not when they have little cracks in the rubber, but when they look frayed and really bad. Older cars have the potential to leave you stranded, but people get stranded with brand new cars as well, it happens. A nail will give you a flat, it's going to happen with any car unless you have a run flat system. Just make sure you have AAA.
The worst possible thing happened to me once when my engine caught fire on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Flames were shooting into the sky as people honked and yelled at me. I was even on the news. Eventually, the fire department got it out with huge cloud of steam and smoke, there was no movie type explosion and insurance paid to fix it. Oh, yeah it was 3 days after Mike sold me a bunch of stuff and services I "needed". 
The internet is the key to beating this battle. My car's computer for the climate control started acting crazy. It turned on and off with a mind of it's own like a horror film. I felt like the only way to fix it would be a priest doing and exorcism to free the paranormal activity. I told my trusted mechanic what the problem was and he couldn't see me until after the weekend and it would be between 400 and 500 to replace. In the mean time, I Googled the problem, found a site that had instructions with photos that showed everything step by step. For about 22 dollars 3 hours of time I bought the tools and the 2 dollars part and fixed it myself. I canceled my appointment with the mechanic with a truthful excuse, "it's working, now." He said, "that happens."
With an economy like we have now it's hard to find that extra money for car repairs and there are people that are trying to get you to spend more using scare tactics. The service writer Meg trusted for years (she spoke to him more than her ex.) This was a tough guy to get out of our relationship. She seemed to even trust him more than me. How can an artys Jewish guy from Los Angeles possibly know anything about combustion engines? Meg knows very little about cars and put too much trust in this guy. I had to explain to her that this guy was filling his own pocket. He didn't wear a watch like that by doing favors.
After Meg had spent thousands of dollars on his suggestions we caught him in a big lie-Meg went crazy. I was so proud of her, it's true, hell has no fury as a woman crossed and she took it to his boss and then his boss' boss and said "I will blast this all over the internet; how you lie and cheat your customers." We were not going to leave until they agreed to fix everything for free! I was so proud of her. She got them to fix it. Armed with a little information from another auto shop and being taken advantage of one too many times, she was able to force them into make things right.
Now, Meg and her little car are happy. The internet and communities that we are building are the answer to so many things. And as long as we unite to help one another and protect each other on sites like megsmakeup.com we become more than just a place to go for advice on how to properly use an eye shadow primer but can protect your hard earned cash by purchasing the best one. And that is transition I will use to bring you to my review, although I love my rant it wouldn't fair to the Megheads if I didn't review a product. I am on a continued quest for the best lip balm. I have been addicted to them since my teens. It started with Chapstick and has moved to the more exotic and in only in desperate times back to Chapstick... It's not just psychological. It is physical. My lips with shrivel up and crack if I don't keep them moist.
Over the weekend I found this new line called Bunny Butt Apothecary and bought their Masala Chai, Gourmet Lip Balm. They have other products that I would love to try but this was the flavor that I thought suited me. It is a little on the greasy side which I prefer to waxy. There are so many lip balms out there and this brand is fun because of the unique scents and the funny name. This seems to be a trend now, quirky names like Bunny Butt and Chicken Poop.
I like that Bunny Butt is all natural and has no alcohol. It is in a nice conservative no frills dispenser. It does the job and a little last a long time. It also has good penetration as opposed to just staying on the lip's surface. The price is reasonable, at under $4 it's much less than a new air filter. I just started using it three days ago so I have to study the long term effects but from the start I am a happy hare.
Have you ever been ripped off by the service writer/dealer? What happened?
How can I cure my addiction to lip balm?
CHECK IT OUT HERE!
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Reviews
Recently I had to have my wiring harness replaced after a squirrel ate it. Before I was aware that my insurance would cover it they wanted to charge me $1800. After I got my insurance company involved the total was only $1400. What's up with that? Do they get to negotiate a better price.
DV - You can negotiate anything. You can try asking for the cute girl discount. I suggest you always shop around. It's strange that the rodent took out the whole harness. Sometimes you can just repair the damaged area. Insurance companies have the benefit of knowing the going rates and with that they have the can say that they'll go somewhere else if they don't give a better deal. All you have to do is a get on the phone, get a better price and ask them to beat it.
I've never been ripped off by a dealer. Then again I don't drive yet. lol
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Well it sucks being a single girl taking my car in to get service. I haven't been "ripped" off as of yet *knocks on wood* but they did ask me to replace my air filter and it cost me $29. I know now that is a fairly easy thing to replace and I could probably buy the part way cheaper at Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart :/
thanks for the car post, ken. thankfully i don't have a car, but all the men in my life know a great deal about them--or enough that from a very young age, I knew never to trust any one person at a car dealership or autoshop.
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This is good advice about trusting dealerships! And I too am addicted to chapstick, but gross product names don't appeal to me. (Like so many of Urban Decay's products, for example.)
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LOL... wft? I used to have a REALLY old truck that was easy to fix. It was the best these was an ingine and that was it under the hood, no fancy computer, no winndons and nicknacks to break. For the most part I could fix it myself. Lol and I dont know much about cars... But the things I did worked! My attery connector was loose... I hammered a couple golf tees into it to mae it tighter. FOR SERIOUS my battery had golf tees sticking out if it for years. Worked like a charm, one by one all my hoses broke, those were easy to replace. Thats aout it really...
Tan is Love
This posts makes me so thankful that my husband is a diesel mechanic, I would so be like Meg and get take advantage of if I didnt have him. Great feature Megken!Also, I'm a lip balm hooch, I recently picked up Chicken Poop and am in love. Hopefully I can find Bunny butt!
Great advice. I was just thinking about taking my car in because aren't you suppose to get a tune up or something every 6 months to a year. I never trust mechanics.
Letitahttp://letitaslogic.blogspot.com/
you should get the oil changed every 3,000 - 4,000 miles. Follow the owner's manual for the rest. A tune up is essentially just replacing the spark plugs and I haven't done it in 3 years. You can pull the plug (sometimes they are hard to get to) then check them against this chart http://www.aa1car.com/library/reading_spark_plugs.jpg
I JUST found a new mechanic, and he's worth his weight in gold =)Thanks for a new balm option, too! It's the time of year that I'm dying to find something that will work really well for me.
i never get ripped off b/c i ask my dad and brother everything b4 i pay for it. this guy im dating now knows a lot about cars so i can go to him too.
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Excellent information all around. My knowledge of cars is basically limited to: the location of the steering wheel, gas pedal, brake and the control for the radio. I'm only slightly exaggerating here, I'm not as bad as all that. But I could definitely stand to learn more. Megken, do let us know if you notice any side effects from using this product - such as a white fluffy cotton tail growing on your hind quarters.
I hate dealing with cars. I always feel like they try to make me feel SO stupid whenever I need to get something done with my car. I hate that feeling. Luckily, the dad and my boyfriend both know quite a bit about cars, so I can get some sort of first opinion.
If I put new tires on my car, isnt that almost the same thing as having a new car?
I was raised in the car business-brutal. Another thing you must be wary of are the extended warranties that they try to sell you. If your the type that hangs onto your car, repurchasing every 15 years or so, it could benefit you to purchase the extra coverage. BUT, buyer beware: they sometimes make hefty commissions on those warranties. Never accept their first offer, talk them down and counter offer. That said, I'm not saying these guys shouldn't be able to earn a fair living. Some commission earned is fair and even expected, but I don't want to be the one paying for the Rolex. Megken is right, you can negotiate everything. On many things, I almost never accept the first offer. The worst thing that happens is that I'm told no. Surprisingly, I hear yes more often than not. I think it's because what I'm asking for is fair. Give a little, take a little...... BRITTANYK, this is how I see it: Who's lacking? The so-called expert that is unable to explain the mechanical problem my car has without belittling me? Or, me for trying hard to understand and educate myself on the ins and outs of my vehicle? If you ask me, the stupidity falls squarely on their shoulders and they are simply projecting their own insecurities onto us..... Very empowering post Megken.
I never get ripped off because my dad (a mechanical engineer) has been fixing my car since I got my licence. And hopefully I'll never get ripped off because I'll make sure to have the boyf or father there. Apparently just even having a male present with you when you get your car serviced they are less likely to fix things that don't need fixing and give you a cheaper price!For lip balms, I cannot live without my Burt's Bees! Both the Beeswax and honey are great ones.
lip chap... my second love!thankfully, i don't have to worry about any car problems yet.. but i'll definatly be asking my dad (:
I'm so *darn lucky* that I have the sweetest, most amazing mechanic in Australia working on my car. After being told numerous times by my old mechanic that my brake pads desperately needed to be replaced, I saw this new fella' and he told me they still had at least another 6 months left on them! I was amazed and reluctant to believe him until he actually showed me the pads - and he was right! I'm sticking with this guy, and will continue to buy him slabs of his favourite beer in thanks for helping me save so much money! Great article Megken. :D
Megken, I loved the car education portion of your review! I always feel like a dope when it comes to car repair. I have no idea what those guys are talking about. But your input helps. It also helps (as several women have noted) to bring a knowledgeable guy with us!I'm also a balmaholic, so I'm interested in the bunny butt lipbalm. I'll be adding this to my collection.Great review!
Carole
i've never got ripped off! i think that's because my dad came to pick the car out with me, he told me to say nothing and just smile and nod the whole time while he did all the talking. and it worked :) as for addiction to lipbalm... i stopped trying to over come my addiction i embrace it now
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You can't cure your addiction to lip balm, so just embrace it, hehe.I usually send my guy in to the mechanic for me because I always find that they try to rip me off when I go in there, it's so annoying!
http://www.beautifullyglossy.blogspot.com
just about everyone works on commission these days, even those people who give you fines for parking in no parking zone. shocking.
Great review !!!
I love trying new lip balms, and am a total sucker for cute packaging and funny names. I think Bunny Butt is right up my alley! This would also make a fun gift to throw in a package or stocking this Christmas.
I'm lucky, my father in law is a mechanic.Sorry I can't help you with your lip balm adiction, I have a lip balm on every purse.
I don't think I have ever been ripped off but I haven't ever went took my car in to be fixed or bought a car on my own. My grandfather use to g with me to get anything done to my car because he isn't afraid to get in there and tell them no that's not right or that is to expensive or whatever else is on his mind. Now that I am married my husband takes care of all that. We went to the dealership to my my new car a few years back and the guy keep trying to convince us to buy the car and we would tell him what we would do and they finally agreed to mine and my husband's deal. I guess I am just lucky to have wonderful men in my life to take care of those situations like my grandfather and my husband! I too love lip balm and lip gloss. I would love to try this stuff. I will have to look it up and see where I could buy it from. Sounds like great stuff. I have been looking for a good lip balm that soaks into your lips and really makes them soft and I agree with you I like the greasy more so than the wax feeing. Well thanks for a great review!!
Right on Ken. Aunt Della took her car in for service and came out with a multi- thousand dollar laundry list of thing that "needed" to be done. That was in January - things still work fine. One thing we fixed was the taillight. It was not working, they told her it was necessary to replace the whole assembly. I had a guy look at it, we wire brushed the contact points and the light works fine. They do not know how to repair they only replace. The other problem is the manufacturers build things that can not be fixedbecause they save costs. I have a $1.43 bulb that does not work because it is powered by a printed circuit board that costs $300 to replace.Just change your oil.UncleLewis
I agree with you on the car service - I took my car in to have an oil change, they did a 'free 10 point inspection' and gave me an entire page of things wrong with my car, and then refused to do the oil change due to a 'crack' in my oil pan that was non-existent. It was bascially a waste of my time, and I didn't even want the inspection, I just wanted an oil change!
I would never trust a car dealer or a mechanic that works at a dealer either for that matter. I'm a bit knowledgable about cars, I took a mechanics class in high school and got an A. :) So I haven't been taken advantage of so far. :) That lip balm sounds marvelous by the way!
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I never knew those guys worked on commisson, but I should have figured it out by now. When I was married, I had a BMW, and it was a huge money pit. Every time I took it in for routine service, or if I heard a strange noise (or thought I did), I ended up with a huge laundry list of things I needed to get done. And once I drove it out of the dealership, after spending around $1,000 on it, (it had like 6,000 miles on it at the time), and it died about 4 miles from the dealership! I had to have it towed back, and then they tried to charge me all over again for work that "didn't correct the original problem, but this time we got it". Even though I didn't think it would do any good, I called BMW customer service, and they got them to write off the charge. After that, I didn't go to the dealer anymore, it ran better, and I spent a lot less. Again, you'd think I'd have figured out the commission thing before now, wouldn't you?
This is such a great article-and so true!! My husband almost always gets a song and dance number from the guys at the shop when he takes our van in for service. He was a car mechanic for a few years, though, so they always end up embarrassed when he shows them how wrong they are! haha! We've had a car go up in flames too!!! It was years and years ago when we were newly married! Fire trucks came out and everything! Our car literally melted in front of us! It was crazy!!!!
I always call my boyf and give him the details and see what he thinks. I hate the idea of being ripped off. Actually my boyf usually fixes my car he can do evrything:) hahah love
makeup makeup makeup!!!!!!!
I love the name! It's sooooooooooooo cute. And funny, lol. I just imagine the warm and furry butt of my little bunny. What an image. :)Sasha♥
Ok so I don't own a car and I feed my addiction to lip balms by making my own and I sell them too :-)
I had this car guy that I went to for one problem. He fixed it and the next day I had a new problem. After he fixed that, my car stopped working 2 days later and had to be towed. I had to pay for each one of those "problems." My car is not even 3 years old and is in really great condition. I ended up realizing that this guy was ripping me off, when a similar thing happened to a friend of mine that brought her car to the same guy. Needless to say, I found a new car guy.
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Yikes about the car thing.
Thank god for the internet, and thanks for these tips!
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woow about cars always a problem my mum broke down and there was nothing wronge
Good thing we have insurance and our dealer's pretty fair when it comes to estimating repairs and all. My brother is on this lip balm hunt and I would gladly direct him to this company and see if he will like it.
i have no idea about good deals when it comes to cars so i don't know if i've ever been ripped off. though having said that it's my husband that deals with them so i trust he knows what he's going. our car is in the garage right now getting fixed. the catalytic converter and some sensor decided to go last monday and it STILL isn't fixed yet. :( you realise how much you rely on it when you don't have it.
Wow, I am SO thankful I don'thave a car!!! I mean, $2000??? How much mascara is that!
I'm extremely thankful that my fiance knows so much about cars. You wouldn't automatically think it to look at him, but he's quite handy with them. Every time my POS '94 Cavalier takes a dive (every 6-12 months or so), he manages to figure out what's wrong and fix it. Just about everything in it has had to be replaced at least once, aside from the AC- that's been broken for the past 5 years but to fix it would cost more than the car is worth. So I just roll my window down when it's hot. He refuses to use anything 'froofy' on his body (no moisturizers or lotions or even a separate soap for his face vs body), and is a Chapstick guy. I might have to get him one of these balms to try out. And if he doesn't like it, I wouldn't mind using it instead. I need something that will truly moisturize my lips and not just sit on top like waxy balms.
Reminds me of burts bees packaging. Handy for going out.
There's nothing you can do about lip balm addiction except for avoiding ingredients that dry out lips and make you apply the lip balm again and again. Now that I use only natural lip balms I apply them about three times less often.
I've heard about Chicken Poop lip balm! The story behind the name is the maker didn't want his grandkids to lick their lips so he put "chicken poop" on them. :)
I grew up in a house where the "man things" were temporary at best. As a result of this and being limited by low funds I had to learn to do certain parts of vehicle maintenance myself. So no, I've never been taken advantage of by the service guy but I know plenty of women who have been. One particular scam I just Love (sarcasm, sarcasm) is "ladies day" at the lube. Often those guys are just salivating at the opportunity go get the "dumb girls" in so they can sell them unnecessary items. Once my step sister went in for her "ladies discount lube" and they gave her a free tire rotation. Of course they found that EVERY lugnut was cross threaded and that she "needed" new studs for all the tires. Luckily she came home and told my dad about it before making the purchase. Dad promptly said to me "lets go check this out". There was one lug that was cross threaded and they had done it when they rotated the tires. There was no damage to the studs. Dad (who never showed me a thing about a car) asked ME to go back with her to make fools of the bunch. "They need a woman who knows something to put them in their place" LOL
great product!
Holland RayeLee Davida McCafferty
Thanks for your advice! I'm still young yet, so I haven't had a terrible experience, and hopefully it'll stay that way! The post was very useful ^^
xoxo
I have some Chicken Poop and I really think I need Bunny Butts! Especially if it is more greasy than waxy. Love that!! I am hopelessly addicted as well and have a huge collection of balms :)Don't even get me started on car guys....
~~Christy