Give me the keys and I'll drive you crazy
July 10, 2006 at 15:24 Here at Chez V, the E-Man and I have been hot under the collar.
The air conditioning unit in our car is leaking coolant, and we have been trying to get it fixed for five weeks. We have brought it in twice and paid to have the system checked for leaks and recharged, only to be without coolant again within 48 hours. We even brought the car’s professional shop manuals with us to share with the mechanics in case they were thrown off by something unusual in our American car. When we brought it back to the car dealership on July 3 to try and get it fixed again, we were told they couldn’t look at it until July 26. This was not what we wanted to hear after having endured two all day drives in 93 degree heat without AC. Did I mention that all this has cost about $600?
In the U.S., I used to think having to wait a few days to get my car into the shop was a hassle. Nothing compares to the headaches we’ve had here trying to get our car serviced. Even routine maintenance takes forever, and the costs are quite simply unbelievable because both parts and labor command a higher price. I so miss Jiffy Lube with its $30 oil change and checkup and its in-and-out in 30 minutes credo. I've heard that some Americans take their cars to Germany to be worked on to avoid the expense and the long waits here in Belgium.
To add insult to injury, we recently received our Belgian car tax bill. We pay more than $1,600 a year to drive our 1999 Oldsmobile here. We’ve already paid more in Belgian taxes than the Blue Book value of the car. (Thank God for the public transit system--it's clear there are many incentives to use it in lieu of owning a car.)
No matter how well prepared you think you are for expat life, you’re always smacked with the unexpected in the most ordinary circumstances. Sure there are lots of benefits to counterbalance the disadvantages of living here, but right now I'm homesick and I miss how good old-fashioned U.S. capitalism and competition empowered me as a consumer and made shopping, repairs, and service so much easier and so much cheaper.
(Anybody know where the title comes from? Hint: It's a line from a song by a popular 80s band.)
Reader Comments (2)
I thought for sure Mark would know it...Mr. Used-to-Be-a-DJ and loves 80s music.