Did they do it?

[Brett Dikeman]

On Sep 6, 2006, at 5:05 PM, Mike Arman wrote:

>>  how do I ensure that the service is actually done, other than   
>> looking for spills?! I haven't had any reason to distrust my  
>> dealer  (Princeton Audi) so far but...
>>
>
>
> On airplanes, there is a technique called "anti-tamper" which consists
> of a tube of (usually) orange goop which you apply to make a thin line
> across nuts and/or assembled parts. It hardens and becomes brittle. If
> the nut is loosened or the parts are disassembled, the line of  
> hardened
> goop breaks.
>
> You could use paint or even nail polish the same way - for instance  
> dots
> of paint in or across the slots of screws you *know* have to come out
> for the service you need - if you get the car back and the paint marks
> are undisturbed, you'll know they didn't do it.

But at the same time- disturbing of the marks does NOT mean they DID  
do the service; it just means the seal was broken.  The goals of anti- 
tamper seals are very different from car owners looking to assure  
work is done.

The real solution is to do what that TV consumer reporter did-  
install cameras in a vehicle, and take it in for service.  That said,  
I don't think I have ever suspected a shop of not doing work that was  
asked of them.  They may have bent me over on parts prices, or used  
crappy rebuilds...but "work not done" is a problem I don't think I  
have ever had.

Brett