@the same mountainbike–The last time I tried to buy a tube was over 30 years ago. Our church was trying to help a refuge family from Vietnam. It was determined that the family should be supplied with a television set to help them learn English. Three non-working television sets wound up in my basement. I scrounged parts from each of the sets, but lacked a tube for the tuner in one of the sets to be able to make the set work. I went to Radio Shack and the tube I needed was over $15. I had been in K-Mart the night before and K-Mart had a blue light special black and white TV for $50, so I decided that $15 for a tube wasn’t worth it. I called GoodWill to see if I could purchase a used tube. The manager said, “Not on your life. We need all the tubes we get to put together working televisions”. I told him my situation and he then said, “Tell me about the sets you have. Are they portables?” When I told him yes, he said “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll trade you the three non-working portables for a working console”. I took the deal over the phone. When I got to GoodWill, the console was an enormous old DuMont. I had to enlist the help of a friend who had a station wagon to transport the set and we really strained to get it to the upstairs apartment where the family lived. When the family decided to go to California because the husband had a job offer, they asked “What do we do with the television?” My answer was “What television?”
@GeorgeSanJose “My girlfriend, she keeps trying to get me to throw away an old tube-type bakelite-constructed AM radio I have on the shelf, made in the 1930’s that my grandmother used to listen to every day”. Keep the radio and get a new girlfriend. You can always find another girl friend but old radios are hard to come by…
I tip my hat to you for helping the refuge family. We truely do not know how good we have it in this country.
Back in the '70s I fixed up a few TVs by replacing tubes. Those days are long gone. I have to wonder if one could even buy a replacement tube anymore. Truth is, even if you could the cathodes in the CRTs would have long since eroded and the picture would be cloudy anyway.
Actually, I have a working 1976 Sears color TV at home that still creates a good picture for an old CRT TV. It has the old mechanical channel changer (clunk-clunk-clunk) and purely manual knobs. The only reason I know its age is that I bought it brand new in '76…and I still have the owner’s manual.
They get money from recycling the metal. They lowered your cost by part of that amount. The “extra” charge is the amount they lowered your cost.
My question to them is why they did not tell you that there was a core charge for the replacement wheel. If not then they have no justification to charge you for the old rim.
I concur with the others. $300 for new rim and tire is actualluy very reasonable. As for the core charge, the wheen may be salvagable for an outfit that does wheel refurbs, and $50 does sound resaonable for a core charge. If anything to me it sounds like you got a good deal. You’d be surprised how much some alloy wheels cost these days. Some are well over $500 for the wheel alone.
You did not get hosed. As everyone has stated $300 is not bad. For that price you more than likely have a reman rim, not a big deal. If you took the rim it would be fair for you to pay the core charge. If not then the shop has to eat that $50.
FYI…dealers are now getting charged core charges for brand new rims from GM, Ford, etc.
Little late on this one, but I had to replace a tire on my Acura after I wrecked it. The tire alone was $257 and cost me another $20 for the balance and install.
When I was a kid I had a $5 used TV in my room and would take the tubes down to Rexall Drug where they had a tube tester and sold tubes. I don’t think I really knew what I was doing but knew enough to fix the TV anyway. Used to watch Twilight Zone and all the others in my room.
I have a floor model old tube radio that was my Grandfathers. Can’t remember the year but somewhere in the 40’s. I guess I’ll have to get it overhauled some day but I understand all the wires need to be replaced etc. due to deterioration and risk of fire. Got the ship/police band etc. on it. Last I priced it, was only worth $100 but its the only thing I have of my Grandfathers and had to buy it at auction when I was about 12.