Showing posts with label repairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repairs. Show all posts

Sunday, November 23, 2008

How I Fixed My BCBG Shoes With a Sharpie Pen

Confession: I love shoes and I earn extra mileage from my favorite shoes with a secret weapon: Sharpie markers. Those markers and other permanent felt-tip pens are wonderful tools for making cheap and easy shoe repairs.

For instance, assorted scuff marks recently marred the appearance of my favorite shoes: a pair of black leather, high-heeled BCBG shoes.

The pumps were pummeled, scuffed and nicked on the toe tips, shoe box and tops of the sling-back three-inch heels. But with a few strokes of a black marker, the flaws have now disappeared. (You'd have to be really staring at close range to notice the repairs.) In fact, my shoes seem as good as new. Encouraged, I've been using the black marker on shoes from Tahari and Circa Joan & David. All are excellent labels that I purchased super cheap ($5-$20) at end-of-season clearance sales at Marshalls.

I'm hard on shoes because my daily commute consists of mass transit and a 20-minute walk. Therefore, my shoes take a beating. Markers -- in all colors -- will help me save money and look great.


National Public Radio recently broadcast a fabulous piece about the growing popularity of shoe repairs-- Cobbler's Business Steps Up During Thrifty Times:

As Americans trim their budgets, some businesses are ready for thrifty activity. In St. Louis, a shoe repair shop has seen business skyrocket as the economy prompts more customers to have shoes fixed instead of buying new ones. Jeff Lipson of Cobblestone Shoe Repair is a third-generation cobbler, and he's seeing a new type of customer. --Cobbler's Business Steps Up During Thrifty Times:


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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

What Gas Leak? Mom's Nose vs Car Dealer & $49 Service Bill


This is a story about cars, gender and age. My mom is angry about the gas leak in her Buick LeSabre car. She smelled gas. The local dealer tested the car, charged $49 and denied that the car was leaking fuel. Several miles and many fumes later, the problem -- a major leak -- was discovered by a second service station. My mother is angry.

The scenario: My father is the main driver, but for as long as I can remember, my dad has had no sense of smell. (It's a family trait that I also share somewhat. For example, if a pot is burning on the stove, my dad and I don't always smell it. Thank goodness for smoke detectors.) My mother, however, detected an odor of leaking fuel in the car. My sister -- visiting from out-of-town -- confirmed the scent and my father took the car in for repairs.


The Dealer Experience: My father drove the car -- a 2001 model -- to their local Pontiac/Buick GM Dealer in Central Florida. The mechanic -- who was very courteous -- repaired something else. ("Totally unrelated," my mom said.) He examined the car; drove it but reported that there was no fuel leak. He gave my dad a $49 bill with an implied message: "Your 70-something wife is wrong about the gas leak and the smell. Maybe it's all in her head." Of course, the dealership did not say that, but listening to my mom tell the story, that's the message I heard.

The Persistent Fumes: Meanwhile, the fumes in the car continued to bother my mom, who began to develop a cough when she was in the car and the scent troubled her. "I could still smell gas," she told me. Finally, the odor was so overpowering that she insisted that my father take the car in for a second opinion. With the windows rolled down, they immediately pulled into a nearby service station.

The Second Opinion: The car had major issues, namely a leak in the gas line. "Gas was accumulating in the car," my mom said. The problem was so severe that the repair shop would not let my parents even drive the car home. That was yesterday. Parts have to be ordered and the car will be ready in the next day or so.


My Angry Mom: She feels as if the dealership dismissed her concerns too easily. Gender bias? Age bias? She's also concerned that they test drove the vehicle, inspected the fuel lines and told my dad that the tank was dry. The dealership did not detect the odor that was painfully obvious to my mom. "And they charged us $49," she said. "I'm going to send them a letter. If we had been hit by someone...." Thank goodness for second opinions.
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Sharon Harvey Rosenberg is the author of The Frugal Duchess of South Beach: How to Live Well and Save Money... Anywhere!, which will be published in the Spring of 2008 by DPL Press.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Permanently Parked: How & When to Ditch the Old Car


Our old car is now scrap metal and spare parts. We parked the mini-van forever after repairs totaled more than a lease for a BMW. Here's a short guide for ditching your car from ShopSmart's December/January 2008 issue.

When to Ditch the Car:


1. Repairs vs market value. Check the market value of your car. When repairs exceed market value, it's time to permanently park the old car.


2. Look for rust spots. If the floor or the frame are really rusty, this damage "can compromise its structural integrity," according to ShopSmart.


3. Unreliability. I have a friend who drove her car on prayers. The vehicle had become so undependable (and potentially dangerous) that the family prayed while driving.


4. Serious damage. After a flood or serious accident, a car may be fundamentally stalled.


source: ShopSmart --a Consumer Reports publication

My extra cash tip: In good faith, we really couldn't sell our car to another family and the trade-in value was a joke. But it's possible to sell an old clunker for spare parts. Some shops will buy old cars for $250 to $300. It isn't much, but instead of paying to get our car towed away (after a fender-bender), we earned a little extra cash and the chop-shop buyer came to pick up our otherwise worthless car.


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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

What's More Than a Hummer, Beemer or Mercedes? Why We Ditched Our Old Car


The Repair-or-Replace Matrix for our old mini-van was off the track! I crunched the numbers: We could have been driving around in a Hummer, Beemer ( see photo) or Mercedes based on our 12-month auto repair bill.
Our so-called frugal repairs on our paid-for car were more than the lease bill for a luxury vehicle. So after a recent fender-bender, we ditched our old car and purchased a replacement: a later model mini-van in excellent condition!
Here are the numbers: In the last 12 months, we've faced a steady money leak, with a total repair bill of $3,500. That figure is very conservative and does not include smaller repairs. After each big-ticket repair, we figured: This is the fix that will keep this car running forever. Ha!

We were delusional. We were penny smart and pound foolish. I visited LeaseTrader.com (just to get prices) and here's what we could have snapped up for $291 a month, which is the conservative cost of our repairs.
2006 Chevrolet Malibu SS : $191 per month
2006 BMW 325i Sedan: $266 per month
2005 Mini Cooper S Styles Convertible: $271 per month
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD: $279 per month
2006 Hummer H3 Sport Series: $282 per month.
2005 Mercedes CLK320 Coupe: $299
And there were other tempting deals. But the bottom line: At a certain point, the repair-reward matrix of old cars no longer makes sense.
For tomorrow, I plan to post a piece based on a Consumer Reports-affiliated report about when to replace and when to repair an old car.
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Monday, June 04, 2007

When to Repair; When to Replace Appliances

We depend on home appliances. They fill our kitchens, laundry rooms and garages. Since it's hard to live without them, here's a guide to determine if an appliance should be replaced or repaired:

• Age: Most washers, refrigerators, dryers and stoves have a 10- to 15-year life. If your home appliance is less than 10 years old, paying for a repair may be a good investment, says Mike Kozlowski, an appliance expert at Sears.

• Cost: A repair should not cost more that 50 percent to 60 percent of the price of a new appliance. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers suggests getting a repair estimate that includes parts, labor and other fees. Also test the outlets and fuses in your home; the appliance may not be faulty.

• Calculate total replacement costs: Don't stop with price tags when comparing replacement vs. repair. Consider installation, delivery and other charges.

• Include ''wild-card'' factors: How will a replacement match or complement existing fixtures in your kitchen or laundry room? If your kitchen appliances are all stainless steel, it's better to purchase a matching replacement when shopping for a new dishwasher, oven or a refrigerator. If the right match -- in look, fit and feel -- is difficult to find, the repair option might be wiser. Mismatched appliances typically lower the resale value of a home, Kozlowski says.

• Compare energy savings: New products may use up to 70 percent less energy than older models. Therefore, lower energy bills could offset the cost of a replacement.

• Free advice: Appliance repair advice is available online at manageyourhome.com and at www.aham.org.

This is from my latest column in the Home & Design Section of the Miami Herald.
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