# Unusually cheap car owners **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unusually-cheap-car-owners/193782 "2023-11-08T20:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 10
**Author:** ![LoudThunder](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/loudthunder/32/27769_2.png) [@LoudThunder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LoudThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unusually-cheap-car-owners/193782/10 "2023-11-09T19:17:09Z")
I am posting this from the other side of the service writer’s counter, as a customer. I know the mechanics time it money, if they are messing with my vehicle for free, they are not working on another customer’s car for pay… I posted the other days about my wife’s old '85 Toyota failing inspection and taking it to the dealer for inspection. > [@"Your Exhaust Manifold is Leaking…" and I got a second opinion…](https://community.cartalk.com/t/your-exhaust-manifold-is-leaking-and-i-got-a-second-opinion/193691): > > I have often written about my wife’s '85 Toyota that she bought new and the dealership gave Lifetime Oil and Filter, and State Inspections… I have also written that I prefer to use local business verses Big Box businesses when possible… It’s November and the '85 Toyota and my Ram Truck were both due for state inspections. The Ram has no such lifetime guarantee on it and I do not take it to the Toyota Dealer… I normally use the Auto Hobby Shop on the local Air Force Base. They have a licensed… Our Toyota dealership does not make appointments for state inspection and if you are not first in line, the wait could extend for hours… When we brought our Toyota in with the “leaky Exhaust Manifold” they put it up on a rack right away and fume tested it and when it passed, they did the state safety inspection and we were on our way in less than an hour. And it was all FREE, no charge for the using the gas sniffer and the state inspections are free for life… I also wrote in the follow-on posting that the next morning, the wife and I brought in Hardies Sausage and Egg Biscuits for all the service writers and mechanics… I know it’s a small thing, but just flipping them some money is not as memorable as a Sausage and Egg Biscuit… And as a final thought, we do bring in Hardies Sausage and Egg Biscuits every few months, just for fun, even when no maintenance is planned or needed. Just to remain in good standing… --- _[View the full topic](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unusually-cheap-car-owners/193782)._