Posted By Paul
We have a car with keyless entry, and the remote started to wear out (not just the battery, but the actual buttons). It still worked, but you really had to push hard on the worn out buttons and it would often take two or three tries, so I decided to replace it.
I called the dealership to see what it would cost to get a new one, and I was told they cost about $150 each!
That seemed like a lot, so I decided to look around on the internet. I ended up here:
http://www.keylessride.com
It said that they could send me the correct remote for my car along with instructions on how to program the car to accept it. Since the price was much better than the $150 I had been quoted from the dealer, I decided it was worth a try.
I felt a little more confident when I entered the year/make/model of my car and the web page brought up a picture of a device that looked EXACTLY like the remote I had. I ordered one and received it fairly quickly.
The instructions had quite a few steps (a lot of insert the key, remove the key, etc. to put your car into 'learning mode'), but they were clear and also included tips in case you have trouble. I had my new remote programmed in just a few minutes.
I was even able to keep my old remote valid so now I have a spare. So instead of $150 the new remote was about $40. I will DEFINITELY use them again the next time I have a worn out remote and need a new one.
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My Car Buying Experience
Posted By Paul
My wife and I decided to finally replace our car with a new one and I thought I'd share my experience in the hope that it's of use to people.
First of all if you are one of those people who loves the car buying process, specifically the negotiation and back and forth with the salesperson, this posting is NOT for you.
I am NOT one of those people who loves that process. I find it exhausting and more trouble than it's worth, so my experiences and tips are based on the goal of getting a good deal on a car without a lot of hassle.
So here are the steps I took and how it went:
Step 1: Pick a car.
My wife and I did our research including checking out consumer reports and came up with a car that seemed promising. We went to a dealership and looked at the actual models on the lot and picked up some information on the different features that you could add and how much they cost. Based on that we came up with the exact model we wanted in 3 colors that we liked.
Step 2: Determine price.
For this step we decided to try two different car buying services. These are just services that are offered through various organizations where they have a pre-negotiated price for a model. We tried one that was through our credit union and the other was through CostCo.
We tried the credit union service first. It was just a phone call where we told them the car we wanted, they did a little research and told us the price they could get for us. No haggle, no hassle, no pressure. When I told them I was going to think about it they said no problem and that was that.
The CostCo service is a little more complicated. You go to a webpage (or you can call them) and you tell the kind of car you are looking for and where you live. Based on that information they give your contact info to one of their dealer affiliates and the dealer contacts you. The dealer tells you the price of the car (supposedly they need to do it in person so that they can see your CostCo card but in many cases they will tell you the price over the phone) and if you want to take it great, and if not, no big deal.
One warning:
Our first experience with the CostCo service was terrible. The dealer had us set up an appointment to come in and see the car (and find out the price). When we came in it turned into the same old dealer experience (lots of tedious sales tactics, etc.). When the sales person said: "What would it take to get you to buy this car today?" I just left.
To their credit CostCo called me to get my feedback on my experience with the service and when I told them how much I didn't like it they told me that what I was expecting WAS what was SUPPOSED to happen and they offered to set me up with another dealer. We decided to give CostCo one more try.
The second dealer was great, no pressure just: here's the price.
By the way, the price offered through our credit union and CostCo were essentially the same.
Step 3: Do a little financing research.
I came to the dealership already knowing the best interest rate that I could get through my credit union. The dealership was having an incentive rate for financing that was 1% less than the credit union rate so we decided to finance with the dealer. By coming into the dealership knowing the rate I could get from my credit union it was an easy decision to make when it came down to financing.
By following these steps the car buying process was a breeze (well except for that first CostCo experience which was a disaster).
The next time we decide to buy a new car I will definitely use a car buying service and avoid having to deal with a pushy salesperson.
My wife and I decided to finally replace our car with a new one and I thought I'd share my experience in the hope that it's of use to people.
First of all if you are one of those people who loves the car buying process, specifically the negotiation and back and forth with the salesperson, this posting is NOT for you.
I am NOT one of those people who loves that process. I find it exhausting and more trouble than it's worth, so my experiences and tips are based on the goal of getting a good deal on a car without a lot of hassle.
So here are the steps I took and how it went:
Step 1: Pick a car.
My wife and I did our research including checking out consumer reports and came up with a car that seemed promising. We went to a dealership and looked at the actual models on the lot and picked up some information on the different features that you could add and how much they cost. Based on that we came up with the exact model we wanted in 3 colors that we liked.
Step 2: Determine price.
For this step we decided to try two different car buying services. These are just services that are offered through various organizations where they have a pre-negotiated price for a model. We tried one that was through our credit union and the other was through CostCo.
We tried the credit union service first. It was just a phone call where we told them the car we wanted, they did a little research and told us the price they could get for us. No haggle, no hassle, no pressure. When I told them I was going to think about it they said no problem and that was that.
The CostCo service is a little more complicated. You go to a webpage (or you can call them) and you tell the kind of car you are looking for and where you live. Based on that information they give your contact info to one of their dealer affiliates and the dealer contacts you. The dealer tells you the price of the car (supposedly they need to do it in person so that they can see your CostCo card but in many cases they will tell you the price over the phone) and if you want to take it great, and if not, no big deal.
One warning:
Our first experience with the CostCo service was terrible. The dealer had us set up an appointment to come in and see the car (and find out the price). When we came in it turned into the same old dealer experience (lots of tedious sales tactics, etc.). When the sales person said: "What would it take to get you to buy this car today?" I just left.
To their credit CostCo called me to get my feedback on my experience with the service and when I told them how much I didn't like it they told me that what I was expecting WAS what was SUPPOSED to happen and they offered to set me up with another dealer. We decided to give CostCo one more try.
The second dealer was great, no pressure just: here's the price.
By the way, the price offered through our credit union and CostCo were essentially the same.
Step 3: Do a little financing research.
I came to the dealership already knowing the best interest rate that I could get through my credit union. The dealership was having an incentive rate for financing that was 1% less than the credit union rate so we decided to finance with the dealer. By coming into the dealership knowing the rate I could get from my credit union it was an easy decision to make when it came down to financing.
By following these steps the car buying process was a breeze (well except for that first CostCo experience which was a disaster).
The next time we decide to buy a new car I will definitely use a car buying service and avoid having to deal with a pushy salesperson.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Article: Car Dealer Tricks to Watch For
Posted By Paul
I read this article and thought it was interesting. I thought the one about Eavesdropping was actually kind of clever.
Car Dealer Tricks to Watch For
Has anyone caught a dealer trying any of these?
For a related article see an earlier posting:
Article: 6 Things You Should Never Tell A Car Salesman
I read this article and thought it was interesting. I thought the one about Eavesdropping was actually kind of clever.
Car Dealer Tricks to Watch For
Has anyone caught a dealer trying any of these?
For a related article see an earlier posting:
Article: 6 Things You Should Never Tell A Car Salesman
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Article: 6 Things You Should Never Tell A Car Salesman
Posted By Paul
I've always been interested in the psychology of buying and selling, so articles like the one I found on CNN Money fascinate me. Here is the link to the article:
6 Things You Should Never Tell A Car Salesmen
It reminds me of the first new car I ever bought (which I'm still driving now by the way). I was fresh out of school and was starting work in a week so I had a week to buy a car and find an apartment (and of course driving the car was how I planned to find the apartment).
It was so long ago that I don't quite remember the process, but I do remember that I definitely broke some of the rules the article mentions. Specifically:
Thing not to say #2: I need to get a car by tomorrow - I was pretty close to this, since I made no secret of the fact that I was fresh out of college, and had a week to get a life set up before starting my job. I think that for a time I rented a car, so I'm sure that showing to a car lot in a rental car shouts "I'm in a hurry to find a vehicle."
Thing not to say #5: I don't know anything about leasing - Talking to the salesperson, I'm sure it was pretty obvious that I didn't know anything about ANYTHING.
Though it didn't apply to me, I was especially intrigued by:
Thing not to say #4: My trade-in's outside - The idea of taking your keys as a way to hold you hostage during the sales process strikes me as very clever. I could totally see myself falling for this. (Has anyone out there ever had this happen to them?)
If you are like me and are interested in the more subtle ways to manipulate the sales process, then this article is definitely worth a read.
I've always been interested in the psychology of buying and selling, so articles like the one I found on CNN Money fascinate me. Here is the link to the article:
6 Things You Should Never Tell A Car Salesmen
It reminds me of the first new car I ever bought (which I'm still driving now by the way). I was fresh out of school and was starting work in a week so I had a week to buy a car and find an apartment (and of course driving the car was how I planned to find the apartment).
It was so long ago that I don't quite remember the process, but I do remember that I definitely broke some of the rules the article mentions. Specifically:
Thing not to say #2: I need to get a car by tomorrow - I was pretty close to this, since I made no secret of the fact that I was fresh out of college, and had a week to get a life set up before starting my job. I think that for a time I rented a car, so I'm sure that showing to a car lot in a rental car shouts "I'm in a hurry to find a vehicle."
Thing not to say #5: I don't know anything about leasing - Talking to the salesperson, I'm sure it was pretty obvious that I didn't know anything about ANYTHING.
Though it didn't apply to me, I was especially intrigued by:
Thing not to say #4: My trade-in's outside - The idea of taking your keys as a way to hold you hostage during the sales process strikes me as very clever. I could totally see myself falling for this. (Has anyone out there ever had this happen to them?)
If you are like me and are interested in the more subtle ways to manipulate the sales process, then this article is definitely worth a read.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Article: Confessions of a Car Salesman
Posted By Paul
Hi Everyone,
I found this really interesting article where Edmunds.com paid a journalist to go "under cover" and become a car salesmen. Once he learned the ropes they had him write an article about his experiences.
It's a long article, but I found it very interesting.
Check it out:
Confessions of a Car Salesman
Hi Everyone,
I found this really interesting article where Edmunds.com paid a journalist to go "under cover" and become a car salesmen. Once he learned the ropes they had him write an article about his experiences.
It's a long article, but I found it very interesting.
Check it out:
Confessions of a Car Salesman
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