propain

My wife married me knowing it was my thing. I recently took my 2010 C63 and garaged it. Its no longer my dd. She wasn't to happy about that but she got over it.

splinter

+1

Most successful long-term relationships (marriage, friends, business, etc.) best develop from varying degrees of give and take.

My wife’s daily drivers have always been my cars. That is to say I pay for them, their operational expenses (gas, insurance and maintenance) and modify them to best suit my needs and financial situation. Invariably stock appearing to the untrained eye, they ride more stiffly, are noisier, and require relatively costly consumables and upkeep at regular intervals. Although she works, there has always been a tacit agreement between us during our 19+ years of marriage that pertinent automotive decisions are my area of expertise and responsibility.

If the damned things also get her where she wants to go, it’s conveniently infrequent when a complaint heard. :)

C63newdude

Because she knows a lot about cars. We had her last two cars tuned(Evo IX and VW GLI). She drives my car as well so she would have known if the car was down for something. Kind of hard to hide to be honest...

C63newdude

Her bigest concern was the warranty. She thinks that "we" are not preparing in the event of a mechanical failure and I can understand that part. She mentions that the car is already fast enough (obviously not for me) so it is very hard for her to understand my point of view.
I haven't disclose prices either, that would set het up into a panic mode. She is use to the $150 ECU mail-in from Dynoflash on her Evo or a more expensive GIAC tune from GIAC-USA on her VW GLI. These prices are high enough to set her up for an argument.

Thanks or the inputs guys, I am definately grabbing ammunition with your comments.

bushburninc63

You make me feel good about my wife. :o She drives the e63 and wouldn't complain if I mod my car as long as we have the money for it. She also makes more money than me. I say if you can afford the mods and the maintenance than she should not say anything.

peter7777usa

Lol, I would suggest you listen to none of us in the forum and live with it. Looks to me like half the ppl here either have a very understanding wife or they go out to cheat on them every other day rofl. If I am you, I will just not mod it and have some quite time rofl

CELLryuu

HAHAHAHA

Helms

Thats exactly why i am a single man JK of course but you know it is what it is..

C63newdude

You are in a win-win situation buddy. I wish my wife made more money ..

_AMG_

I guess I should feel fortunate that my girl is cool about my car modding habit.
Her philosophy is you only live once so why not enjoy it.
I fully agree!!

schmick325

My wife has no idea what it costs.

Just say the car needs a service.

I have a Renntech airbox, ECU, way louder exhaust and she has no idea

SMP

I'm pretty lucky I guess. In all those years being married, she never said a word. Whether I was buying a new car, having 4 or 5 at the same time or buying wheels, exhausts, roll bars, suspensions or whatever .... and I have some pretty expensive taste, no matter what it is. Sometimes she's unhappy about my driving style, but that's about it. Only on the street though, as she was many times riding shotgun at a road course with me .... she confessed that most of the time she closes her eyes. However, I never pretended to be someone else from the day I met her. She's a great person, and to be honest, I couldn't ask for a better wife. I'd marry her again in a heartbeat!

On the other hand, my wife has nothing to complain about it either. I'm a very giving guy, and not only with matters that involve money. I'm also never mad when she destroys something on my cars, which happened a few times .... just recently I had to replace the engine tray and oil cooler on the M6. I didn't say a word .... just brought it to the dealer and had it fixed.

_AMG_

That's what a successful and happy marriage is all about.

slownrusty

Fact: This has been discussed by every guy in every car forum on the internet..does not matter if you are into Yugos, AMGs or Deloreans.

Fact: 95% of all women will NEVER understand men's passion for the automobile and the inanimate object that it is. Women look at a car as a way to get from point A to B *only*, yet don't dare take them out for dinner in a 1983 Caprice.

Fact: Women feel very jealous that men love (and use the word "love") their cars and pour money, time and attention towards their cars.

Fact: If you are married and married to a woman who does not understand your hobby or passion for the automobile, be prepared for a roll-a-coaster ride as it will be inevitable that this discussion will come up and be prepared to walk on egg shells.

My Take: Current GF, I have told her numerous times "You do realize I spend ALOT of time and $$$ on my cars?" Almost like I have to remind her and even do so subliminaly even when we talk "Oh yes babe..I just spend the entire evening polishing my lug nuts". My ex..I told her before we got married.."these cars were here before you came, and will be here long after you are gone"....guess what? I was right!

Good luck.

Y

Yuille36

There is never an easy solution when dealing with a wife. But you must come to and understanding or compromise. Bottom line, is you must live with her. It's totally different, if it's a girlfriend.

Chocofishez

If your wife is stressing over a few hundred bucks you've got bigger problems than your car not being fast enough. Sounds to me like she doesn't think you can afford it. Your solution is to find out why and ease her mind about it.

novae500

Dont tell what mods you do or what it cost. My wife drives the E55 and me the E500. Less commute miles for her work. I've added the KNs and she noticed that response time was more responsive when step on the gas. Told her i replaced the air filters after getting the car. Then I got an OE Tune and she said the cars feel MORE responsive now after i took it in for service:-).

I picked up some HRE 547s for $2k and told her they MSRP for$5-6k new. Said i got a good deal.

black-clk500

Too much information

604 C63

He speaks the truth. Doesn't really sound like she is against the mods in general, but that right now she is stressing out. There is a reason. Its your job to find out that reason and get it sorted. Odds are she is telling you, and that you're not really hearing it.

With my wife, letting her know that I hear what she is saying is essential to this process. A big part of that is NOT working on my rebuttal while she is still talking 'cos I have a tendency to do that.

She's your partner. Doesn't mean you will always agree. Doesn't mean you will always get what you want. It does mean that working things out is an essential part of the happiness equation for BOTH of you.

BTW My wife couldn't shiv a git. I always find away to make a few $$$ and pay for what I want. And on top of that, I've probably talked about it for so long before I do it that she would give just about anything to shut me up.

bigben320e

This thread delivers.

MBFLO

lots of real talk .. dunno who to agree wit first .. but yea if she ever complain about mod bills just show her the bill , tell her it cost 4 times more but thats what you got it for and she wont feel like your throwin the family savings away ..

Sincity

My brother-in-law is in the same situation as OP. He brings in the $$ and she spends it on designer crap while telling him he cannot spend on his mods. WTF? How about spending your mod $$ around the holidays or your B-day? That is the way I usually do it. Plus, since my wife is a CPA, I also spend mod $$ during the later months of tax time when our income is higher and she is too busy to care about our personal finances.

Good luck brotha!

skoobz2001

A man's car is none of his wife's business.

/thread

Chocofishez

I'm amazed at the number of posters that appear to be total douchebags towards their wives. It's your wife guys... not your staff.. geez

IAA-C63

Remember that 99% of your happiness or misery in life depends on who you marry. If you have a passion for cars, follow that passion to the extent that your finances and other time demands comfortably allow, but don't put cars ahead of your marriage. If you and your wife disagree about spending money, or anything else important, talk through the issue until both of you at least understand each other. And if the result is that your priorities are just different on some things, be prepared to compromise. I say all of this after nearly two happy decades with my wife and still going strong ...