1990 Honda Accord - drivers door won't open

I seem to recall a popular "Blondestar" soundbite about doing it the
first way...


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen

 

So /your/ rates go up if /I/ use the service? I think not.

This is not like government regulated insurance.

 

Ah thanks... For enlighting the ol' grump!

JT

 

We had to use that cross-border compatibility just this past summer.

We'd driven down to Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC for summer
vacation. At one point we were at Tyson's Galleria mall in McLean, VA.
After some shopping we went back to the car, only to discover the keys
were locked in. Oops! Called CAA in Canada, was switched to AAA. AAA
dispatched a guy who took an hour to get there (it was busy that night),
then was into the car in 10 seconds.

The hour's wait wasn't so bad. We just went for supper at Legal Seafoods
of Boston in Tyson's Galleria. We were finished and paying our bill the
instant the AAA guy phoned to say he was ten minutes away. Perfect
timing.

Worst part is my wife won't even allow the photos of that incident in
the picture album of the vacation! She's embarrassed because she's the
one that left the keys on the back seat.

By the way, I highly recommend Legal Seafoods of Boston. The food was
excellent and the service impeccable.

 

One of the costs of running AAA is paying for the service calls that the
tow truck and lock smiths make. If our costs go up, so do the fees.

If you have to lie to the operator and the people who come out to open
your vehicle, that should tell you you're doing something dishonest.

Jeff

 

Of course they go up. If enough people abuse the "emergency"
feature like this, it's going to show up. This problem
exists in the U.S. Real problems with insurance fraud exist.

But people take advantage of the masses all the time.
Welfare and all. So it's okay in many people's minds to do
as you suggest.

 

Or, if he's smart, he can open the other door.

 

He could have been 2 miles away when dispatched, and still taken the hour to
get there - that local area can have some of the worst traffic I've ever
seen. I can't imagine it the day after Thanksgiving (biggest shopping day
of the year).

 

All right then.

Call AAA and tell them you're NOT a AAA member. Ask them how much to come
over and open your door for you. Just say you trust them to get in quickly
and without damage, which is why you're calling them.

OP wanted a cheap alternative to bodyshop or garage. I gave him one. I
guess I should have considered the morality of the one I gave before doing
so.

 

OR...

(And I suppose it's a shocking indictment of my own morality that I
hadn't thought of this until now.)

Just call AAA and tell them the truth: You ARE a AAA member. You have a
non-emergency situation. Your car door is stuck shut because something
broke inside of it. You need to get the door panel off before you can
get inside the door to fix it. You trust AAA to be able to get inside
the door quickly and without damage and pop the latch open, which is why
you're calling them. How much would they charge to come over and do it?

Never hurts to ask.

 

Screw morality, since it varies with people's moods. My
argument is based in something black-and-white: Mass
economics which depends in no small part on people
cooperating.

We gotta live together. Cheapest way of living together en
masse is to cooperate with certain rules designed to make
things as inexpensive en masse as possible.

I would very much be inclined to call AAA and ask how much
to open my busted door. It is an emergency in that one
cannot get out of the car while sitting at a traffic light.

We do have a major safety issue here. I wonder whether Honda
might even cover this under warranty.

 

Indeed. Just like going to the doc's office or hospital
without insurance and asking if they give a discount for
paying cash.

Many docs and hospitals in the U.S. now do. Today more
haggling over prices takes place in U.S. medicine than in
the street markets of Mexico.

And please spare me how this is not a problem in Canada.

 

In a 1990 car? I doubt it.

In some cars, you need to have a door open to get inside the door. Not
all, though.

Jeff

 

Well, non functioning brakes on a 15 year old vehicle is probably a more
"major safety issue" and I doubt they will cover that under warranty...

 

In 2001 the auto retractor on my driver's side seat belt
failed on my 91 Civic. Turns out it has a seat belt
warranty. I did not pay a cent to have it fixed. It was not
a cheap fix, based on how long it took them.

Speculation is drowning substantive discussion lately here.
I doubt it, too, but it's worth checking the warranty or
making a call.

 

You got that right.

But in this case, he was in DC when the dispatcher called him. He had to
drive all the way over to McLean from there.

VA had a brief "tax holiday" during the August "Back to School" period.
We were right in the middle of that. The malls were nuts.

 

By the way, there is somebody I know who follows this group but chooses
not to post. To him: We really meant to go to the Daily Grill, but never
made it... Next time. And there will be one!

 

BTW, speakin' of Boston and food, if you ever get to that neck o' the
woods, don't miss a meal at Durgan Park. It's an experience of a lifetime!

JT

 

Durgin Park
http://www.durgin-park.com/menu.asp

Thanks. Passing this on to the wife. We LOVE good restaurants.

And Boston is one of our next US venues.