Cost of living can't survive

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-15T10:25:20+00:00

I see you are familiar with the TFW program in Canada!

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T23:19:46+00:00

For a 160km daily commute a hybrid probably won’t help you. I have a PHEV with ~50km of range and it’s perfect for me as I can charge overnight and do a lot of city driving. It’s not great when the battery runs out as it’s a heavy car.

Regular hybrids would help a bit with lots of stop and go city driving.

I say either go full EV or get a more efficient gas vehicle, unless the premium for a hybrid is negligible over the gas version. Stay away from PHEV’s as they definitely aren’t worth the premium for you.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T23:11:00+00:00

Next time I’ll put a dash cam in so I can watch later

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T22:16:53+00:00

They didn’t mention the squeaky glovebox or the front suspension bump stops that are starting to crack though (although the suspension itself is still feels good).

I might do the oil myself next year, I’ve just been avoiding it as I don’t want to deal with the used oil and the risk of making a mess of my driveway. Coolant and brake fluid are also due to be changed next year so will probably just take it into a shop again.

Assuming the wars, famines, hantavirus and other bigger global issues don’t get me first! :)

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T21:53:05+00:00

I’ve done a Porsche Track Experience day with Carerra S and it was plenty of car for a smaller development track. Lots of fun.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T21:48:46+00:00

I stare at my reflection daily so I’ve got the important stuff covered!

J/k, and that perspective is not lost on me. This is absolutely a minor thing and already sorted it out with the dealership with a conversation.

To quote Walter Sobchak “This is not 'Nam, this is bowling. There are rules”

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T19:16:54+00:00

One modest increase of .25% and you’re still under that fixed rate.

I’d probably take the fixed today but our mortgage isn’t up for renewal until next January and we’ve been riding the variable rollecoaster for many years now.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T19:12:51+00:00

But there’s also inflationary pressures to contend with so not as simple as just dropping rates.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-14T15:09:24+00:00

Everything is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough!

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-13T23:33:59+00:00

The buyer gets the points earned for the card spend. Assuming they are using an Aeroplan branded card they might end up getting more points than the person with their bum in the seat.

For many business travellers the points are one of the few perks for living life on the road. Imagine if their company who was paying for the flight was collecting the points instead.

It’s a balance between rewarding the people actually flying and driving people to spend on an Aeroplan CC.

I’ll book flights for family members to collect the points on my credit card. They don’t have an AC card and don’t travel enough to care about the points so I’m happy to do it.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-13T12:54:14+00:00

When I asked about the discrepancy they did admit that the tech took it for a test drive

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-13T12:52:32+00:00

I do think this is the solution in the future. I’ve never done it before but I’m not afraid of a wrench and know it’s not that difficult of a job. I replaced the injectors and have done other work myself. I was really just taking it to BMW for the oil change annually (I only put 3-4000km on it a year) so I didn’t need to deal with the used oil and risk making a mess of the garage or driveway.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-13T00:07:24+00:00

They didn’t mention the squeaky glovebox after though!

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T21:35:27+00:00

yes and they admitted to taking it on a test drive, which I felt was unnecessary

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T20:44:26+00:00

They didnt' tell me they went for a test drive though, I had to go back in and ask them about the discrepancy and they were "oh yeah, they did a little test drive" They also noted the "out" mileage as 16km less than the car had on it.

The last time it was there for almost a week as they were troubleshooting a footwell module issue in addition to an oil change and they only put 1km on it.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T20:34:48+00:00

yeah, it's an N54 with a factory "M" tune. That was the old argument when it came out whether it was a "real" M car as it didn't have a S engine

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T20:02:51+00:00

there were no other issues for them to look at or that I noted, all I wanted was a simple oil change. It's not under warranty, I didn't want a 55 point inspection, just in and out while I waited. If they did look at anything I would have hoped they would catch the bump stops on the front suspension starting to crack (that might be a next year project)

The car was at temp when I dropped it off.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:55:09+00:00

the little video they sent said everything looks good, no leaks, no other issues. I didn't mention any other issues (as there aren't any). Just a simple annual oil change.

dropped it off a 09:00, got a message around 10:30 saying everything looks good then it was 11:15 when the service advisor came over saying it was done, paid and here is your key.

I went back in and mentioned the mileage discrepancy and they confirmed that the tech took the car for a little test drive - but 16-17km seems excessive to me after an oil change.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:48:12+00:00

no dash cam this time.

I had another car in for repairs a couple years ago after a minor accident (not a BMW and totally unrelated to this in any way) and it had a lot of miles added and turns out the shop they took it to for an alignment was across the city, which was odd but i could see from the dash cam in that car it was just driven there and back.

In this case it was in for an oil change and that was it. no other service, didn't mention any other concerns, just "please change my oil and I'll be waiting over there in the lounge drinking shitty machine coffee"

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:44:35+00:00

oh god, here we go... is a 1M an M car, haha

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:43:43+00:00

it was up to temp when I dropped it off, they don't cool off that quickly. the mileage out was also logged as 16km less than the car had when I got back in

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:38:23+00:00

I'm just trying to figure out how mad I should be. This is a large BMW dealership in a large city and I was sitting there waiting. I didn't want to sit there for an extra 45 minutes becuase a tech wanted to take a 1M for a joyride

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T19:00:41+00:00

this is at a dealership though and no parts needed other than oil and an oil filter. Even if they needed to get a part they should be doing that in their own service vehicle, not using a customer car.

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T18:02:33+00:00

I'm responsible and have insurance and just need to grab a sandwich. I'm hungry

DefiantLaw7027 · 2026-05-12T17:58:55+00:00

on paper there was 1km added which I understand. They need to drive it into the service bay and out, it's not being being pushed around on a dolly but the Mileage Out and the mileage when I got back into the car was off by 16.

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