Ripoffs more frequent by the day.

[Die Judicii]

It’s thoroughly downheartening, the sheer volume of recently published accounts of adverts or instances where the general public are being ripped off. Ranging from Easter eggs to Superannuation. Especially of late, this trend has exploded. One in particular that i absolutely deplore is from most of the tire companies. Is the average consumer that stupid to believe,,, “Buy three and get the fourth one free”. ?? Can anyone post up an example of a genuine Ad that doesn’t rip consumers off or that is NOT misleading ??

[straightshooter]

Advertising, to some extent and scams in totality rely on gullibility.
If one traces the etymology of the word gullible through it's various usage it goes back all the way to the Latin word gula which simply means greed.
The 'something for nothing' mindset is as pervasive and exploitable today as it ever was.

[alexjones]

Who is the idiot? The consumer who buys this crap or the merchant who makes the money selling it? I would say the consumer.

[alexjones]

Like at the servo. Would you like to buy this drink and chocolate bar and you will save 8c a litre. So i save $4 on fuel but have to spend $8 to get it? So I am out of pocket $4.

A lot of idiots fall for that type of stuff because they can not do basic maths.

[Wapiti]

Who is the idiot? The consumer who buys this crap or the merchant who makes the money selling it? I would say the consumer.

Alex, don't you need to buy anything?

I went in to get some blue-stripe poly fittings to connect some shed tanks to a new pump to the house tanks, (hasnt meaningfully rained along the Qld/NSW border rivers area since July 25, not that anyone even cares) and the irrigation supply joint said,

" Lucky you're getting all this now, next supplier delivery the maker (Aussie made) is upping the prices by 45%"
I said, WTF?
"Yes, they say the cost of the poly beads has risen 60% just this week, why? The cost of oil and gas for the manufacturer, they've just sent us info what this mess has caused them to be exposed to."
I said, you've got heaps of these, how will you know which ones will go up?
"All of them, we can't spend days separating thousands of pieces of old stock in hundreds of sizes from new stock, they all are used in different volumes depending on size, demand and agricultural needs of day-by-day... who pays for that? Margins are at rock bottom now"

That's just a drop in the ocean of the hundreds of items we use and need out here ON TOP of everything else you do too like groceries and energy to the home.
For me to go get this stuff is a 250km round trip.
No buses running on batteries down the street.
No couriers come out here. If you could afford them.

I wanted 4 steel castors for a workshop crane yesterday. On top of the $200 each was a courier charge from NSW for $300, to send to the nearest depot... another 250km round trip in time and fuel. Ain't no posty dropping that stuff off.

Respectfully, I don't think anyone can see past the concrete gutter out in front of their suburban house.
Unless this is sorted out real fast, comfortable society as we all know it is going to decend into madness. Oh well, at least down south there aren't any machetes.

[deye243]

Just look at fuel prices here we are paying 36% more but the rest of the Western world only paying between 16 and 13% extra

[mchughcb]

Ironically I buy 3, get the 4th free from bob jane t marts. Nothing is free but buying 4 separately costs way more than changing all tires at once assuming you regularly rotate them.

[Die Judicii]

Just look at fuel prices here we are paying 36% more but the rest of the Western world only paying between 16 and 13% extra

Not doubting you in the slightest Mate, (I certainly havnt researched it) but if your correct,, where are the xtra $$ going and who is getting it

[GQshayne]

It’s thoroughly downheartening, the sheer volume of recently published accounts of adverts or instances where the general public are being ripped off. Ranging from Easter eggs to Superannuation. Especially of late, this trend has exploded. One in particular that i absolutely deplore is from most of the tire companies. Is the average consumer that stupid to believe,,, “Buy three and get the fourth one free”. ?? Can anyone post up an example of a genuine Ad that doesn’t rip consumers off or that is NOT misleading ??

My last lot of tyres for my Patrol had me looking for a well priced option, as at about $400 per tyre if you can save a dollar you need to. Enter Yokohama with "buy 3 get one free", which applied to the Geolander AT that was on the short list of quality tyres. I think they are as good if not better than others I have used. So instead of about $1600 it cost me about $1300 with a wheel alignment.

[deye243]

You don't have to be a bloody brain surgeon to work out you're buying 4 bloody tires for Christ's sake look at the cost go to another place I bet you it's dearer and if they're saying pay for three get one free divide it by 4 you'll soon know what you're paying per tyre around here there are two places doing that and yeah they're way cheaper than the other mobs like bridge stone who don't do it

[mchughcb]

Last time I checked I bought eco tires and they were 135 each. So they rounded it down gave me 4 for $400. Ill be getting close to 60k+ with those and dropped my consumption by 0.5l/100km as they are 51psi

[Die Judicii]

You don't have to be a bloody brain surgeon to work out you're buying 4 bloody tires for Christ's sake look at the cost go to another place I bet you it's dearer and if they're saying pay for three get one free divide it belying 4 you'll soon know what you're paying per tyre around here there are two places doing that and yeah they're way cheaper than the other mobs like bridge stone who don't do it

Granted,,,, but my point was the simple fact that it annoys the hell outta me the way the ads are worded,,, added to the sad reality that there are people
out there that listen to the ads and really believe they will be getting a "free tyre" because the ad says so.

[wanneroo]

Well it's what happens when you bring a bunch of people from low trust scammy societies into a high trust western society.

[bigrich]

Last time I checked I bought eco tires and they were 135 each. So they rounded it down gave me 4 for $400. Ill be getting close to 60k+ with those and dropped my consumption by 0.5l/100km as they are 51psi

talking tyres, i've been using falken A/T's for over 10 years . just bought a new set of 4 at the new higher price of $1600 for 4 with wheel alignment and balance . there's cheaper options but my last set did over 100,000 kays and i regularly go through some rocky high country which destroy average tyres . it's not just about cost , it's what your getting for your money , that's hard to weigh up sometimes .

anyone south of brissy go see john at keith4wheels and tell him you saw his add in the ssaa magazine and he'll look after you . he's a gun owner and shooter

[tuknal]

Just look at fuel prices here we are paying 36% more but the rest of the Western world only paying between 16 and 13% extra

its not good we are getting belted for sure, but dont complain to much
i wish we were only paying 36% more ,its gone from $1.89 to $3.45 (at 1 servo the other is still 2.94 but for how long) here its an absolute rippoff ,but its the
if you need it youll pay rippoff/mentality ,,theyve got you screwed
and when you your doing 3/400ks a night in a fuel sucking cruiser at around 16/18ltr/per 100k it adds up

[mchughcb]

Fuel economy at its finest

[Die Judicii]

Tuknal >>> “In a fuel sucking Cruiser” Well i presume your referring to the V8’s. LOL,,,,, That’s why i stick to my ever reliable and very fuel efficient Cruiser. One of the last factory turbo Cruisers b4 the dreaded V8’s took over. Its got the get up and go of a V8 coupled to the economy and reliability of the six.

[mchughcb]

18l/100km. Highway cruising at its best.

Im pretty happy when my 4x4 does 6.8l/100km.

[tuknal]

Tuknal >>> “In a fuel sucking Cruiser” Well i presume your referring to the V8’s. LOL,,,,, That’s why i stick to my ever reliable and very fuel efficient Cruiser. One of the last factory turbo Cruisers b4 the dreaded V8’s took over. Its got the get up and go of a V8 coupled to the economy and reliability of the six.

yeah its a V8 that gets loaded with 12/1600kg on it
i know a few turbo 6s owners and theyre not much better on fuel ,and you must have a rare one or done something to it cos ive never seen one that can match a V8 (both untouched) 6s do go well tuned tho ,this is my 2nd V8 and i test drove a few factory turbo 6s and that why i went with the V8 again ,they just went better

[tuknal]

18l/100km. Highway cruising at its best.

Im pretty happy when my 4x4 does 6.8l/100km.

yeah its good ay

come on 6.8/100km maybe if you never go over walking speed,, my ranger doesnt come close @ around 12/100 and had a mahindra 2.2ltr that could even come close to those figures best it could do is around 9/10 per 100
ive never had a ute that comes close to the manufacturers quoted figures

[bigrich]

Tuknal >>> “In a fuel sucking Cruiser” Well i presume your referring to the V8’s. LOL,,,,, That’s why i stick to my ever reliable and very fuel efficient Cruiser. One of the last factory turbo Cruisers b4 the dreaded V8’s took over. Its got the get up and go of a V8 coupled to the economy and reliability of the six.

one of the reasons i bought my 2006 diesel prado gxl . last of the 3litre KZ diesels with the reliable 4 speed auto . 10 litre per 100k's , very reliable and easy to work on . especially compared to the v8 cruisers . other thing i learned about these mid sized wagons is they articulate very well and mines gone plenty of places in 2wd that dual cabs with leaf spring rears struggle for traction in 4wd cause they lift one wheel of the ground , especially with big tyres and a lift, long wheel base doesn't help this. for crawling around rocky high ridge country i'm happy with my choice . if somebody's got a cruiser v8 and their happy with it, all well and good too . personally, if i was to step up to a full size cruiser from my prado i'd go with the six diesel myself .

[tuknal]

i had the last of those 3ltr too a 2015 hilux it was lucky to get 13/100
i think your prado benifits from the auto ,i know of a few that seem to get reasonable milage
i thought the same about the six but their just getting on in life and finding one that still feels tight is near impossible or ridiculously dear,is saw one that had been done up with 150000 on the clock ,,they wanted 90000 for it ,,dreaming is not the word!!!
they are definantly a simpler motor ,but i know of V8s with 5/600 on the clock (always do all filters when servicing) that have had no major dramas just wear and tear

[bigrich]

i had the last of those 3ltr too a 2015 hilux it was lucky to get 13/100
i think your prado benifits from the auto ,i know of a few that seem to get reasonable milage
i thought the same about the six but their just getting on in life and finding one that still feels tight is near impossible or ridiculously dear,is saw one that had been done up with 150000 on the clock ,,they wanted 90000 for it ,,dreaming is not the word!!!
they are definantly a simpler motor ,but i know of V8s with 5/600 on the clock (always do all filters when servicing) that have had no major dramas just wear and tear

Points taken, v8 cruiser makes a nice noise but ease of matinence, cheap parts, rego and fuel economy made the 3 litre a winner for me. Changing a starter on the v8 is an expensive time consuming stuff around. I’ve taken my prado places on the property where they won’t take the old 2.8 hilux. I get my Prado in places where it’s a real squeeze physically for a GQ or a 80 series. In out and out off-road abilities my Prado wouldn’t keep up, but for what I do it’s great. Mine’s got 355 thousand and is just run in as far as im concerned. lol

[Die Judicii]

I looked at a V8 Cruiser just before I bought the 79 Series factory turbo ute.

What I was told by various sources back then about the V8's made me avoid them like the plague.

Apparently, apart from being thirsty for diesel,, and using oil,, the injectors don't have a long life at all compared to the turbo 6's
And the injectors for them were in the vicinity of $1,000 each with fitting being extra.

When I rocked up with the turbo 6 my mechanic said he wasn't all that pleased with my choice.
I asked him why,,, and his reply was "Well we'll only ever see you for services from now on."

[bigrich]

I looked at a V8 Cruiser just before I bought the 79 Series factory turbo ute.

What I was told by various sources back then about the V8's made me avoid them like the plague.

Apparently, apart from being thirsty for diesel,, and using oil,, the injectors don't have a long life at all compared to the turbo 6's
And the injectors for them were in the vicinity of $1,000 each with fitting being extra.

When I rocked up with the turbo 6 my mechanic said he wasn't all that pleased with my choice.
I asked him why,,, and his reply was "Well we'll only ever see you for services from now on."

injectors $1000 each for the v8 ? i had mine done in my 3.0 about 2 years ago , cost me $140 a pop , if i had a D4D i was told they were $250 each . if i could find a GQ patrol 4.2 diesel non turbo at a good price with low kays (some bloody miracle ) i'd grab it . those things run forever . when they first came out nissan offered a million kilometre warranty if you stuck with factory servicing true .
i know a fella who's had one for 20 years , had the head of recently to get a valve guide/seat job done . it had 550 thousand when he got it 20 years ago , not having a turbo keeps it simple, no high temps and heated up oil in the motor . only real issue with it has been the radius rod bushes on the front control arms .

[GQshayne]

Tuknal >>> “In a fuel sucking Cruiser” Well i presume your referring to the V8’s. LOL,,,,, That’s why i stick to my ever reliable and very fuel efficient Cruiser. One of the last factory turbo Cruisers b4 the dreaded V8’s took over. Its got the get up and go of a V8 coupled to the economy and reliability of the six.

yeah its a V8 that gets loaded with 12/1600kg on it
i know a few turbo 6s owners and theyre not much better on fuel ,and you must have a rare one or done something to it cos ive never seen one that can match a V8 (both untouched) 6s do go well tuned tho ,this is my 2nd V8 and i test drove a few factory turbo 6s and that why i went with the V8 again ,they just went better

My Patrol has a Td42. It is a dual cab with quite a few extras, most made from steel, as things used to be done. I put it on a weighbridge one day - unloaded without me in it, it was 3.1T. Ouch. With the canopy loaded with stuff and 3 blkes in it, it must be very heavy. Maybe close to 4T.

It has a been modified to make more power and toque - 200kw and 750nm at the tyres. Lots of grunt. Went on a fishing trip last month, with the car loaded up, 3 blokes, and towing a boat. Total weight would be a lot, 5t plus probably. Fuel economy was 17.1L/100km. I'll take that any day. Never tested it unloaded, as any trip I do usually involves "stuff"! LOL.

Having an 8 speed tiptronic auto gearbox is a handy option.

[mchughcb]

18l/100km. Highway cruising at its best.

Im pretty happy when my 4x4 does 6.8l/100km.

yeah its good ay

come on 6.8/100km maybe if you never go over walking speed,, my ranger doesnt come close @ around 12/100 and had a mahindra 2.2ltr that could even come close to those figures best it could do is around 9/10 per 100
ive never had a ute that comes close to the manufacturers quoted figures

Sitting on 100. Will go up to low to mid 7 if I dot on 110.

Thats on 98. And its a 6 speed auto

[bigrich]

Tuknal >>> “In a fuel sucking Cruiser” Well i presume your referring to the V8’s. LOL,,,,, That’s why i stick to my ever reliable and very fuel efficient Cruiser. One of the last factory turbo Cruisers b4 the dreaded V8’s took over. Its got the get up and go of a V8 coupled to the economy and reliability of the six.

yeah its a V8 that gets loaded with 12/1600kg on it
i know a few turbo 6s owners and theyre not much better on fuel ,and you must have a rare one or done something to it cos ive never seen one that can match a V8 (both untouched) 6s do go well tuned tho ,this is my 2nd V8 and i test drove a few factory turbo 6s and that why i went with the V8 again ,they just went better

My Patrol has a Td42. It is a dual cab with quite a few extras, most made from steel, as things used to be done. I put it on a weighbridge one day - unloaded without me in it, it was 3.1T. Ouch. With the canopy loaded with stuff and 3 blkes in it, it must be very heavy. Maybe close to 4T.

It has a been modified to make more power and toque - 200kw and 750nm at the tyres. Lots of grunt. Went on a fishing trip last month, with the car loaded up, 3 blokes, and towing a boat. Total weight would be a lot, 5t plus probably. Fuel economy was 17.1L/100km. I'll take that any day. Never tested it unloaded, as any trip I do usually involves "stuff"! LOL.

Having an 8 speed tiptronic auto gearbox is a handy option.

TD42, legendary old school, easy to fix , ultra reliable . no timing belts or chain, gear driven cam, cast iron pushrod engine 8 speed tiptronic gearbox ? please enlighten me .
i actually had a nissan terrano series one wagon years ago, with the cut down td42, the 4 cylinder TD27 . underpowered for merging onto the highway with a auto , but super reliable , fantastic on fuel , and that little truck would climb anything with it's gearing. used to make the "gargle" through the snorkel when under load climbing ridges too . they were built on modified patrol chassis with the full sized LSD patrol diff . unbreakable , once the steering drag link was modified , about the only weak link in them ,was a great little vehicle , but i got the prado as it faster and was safer trying to merge onto the highway. low geared the terrano was great offroad , but no highway power