[s-cars] I will NOT buy MORE UNDERTRAY Hardware!

[Tom Green]

I don't blame you for the rant, JC.  I keep my pan set up so I can  
install it
on the driveway without lifting the car, so I know the shop will have no
problems if they just use common sense and don't just throw it on.

I try to be with the vehicle anytime I must have someone else do the  
work.
If the owner and the tech are not comfortable with that, I have them  
button
things up right then and I leave.  I always insist on looking the  
vehicle over
when I am not there for every part of the repair, even if it means  
putting it
back on the lift before I leave.  The dealership gets a little slack  
if I know
the technician doing the work.  (But, he knows I am going to look things
over carefully before I leave.)

I know everyone needs to drop the car off at the shop much of the time.
This shop is taking advantage of your trust in their (less than)  
professional
approach to the job.  You will need to take charge of the process  
again by
taking a few minutes to make them show that they have done a pro job for
you-show you the replaced parts and that they have properly buttoned up
everything.  One demand that they order the fasteners that are missing
usually cures that sloppy job when the find out the cost and trouble  
to get
them.

Using zip ties is one of the lamest recommendations I have seen on this
list.  That would make certain that they don't put it back and that  
you can't
quickly remove and reinstall the pan when needed.

Tom '95 S6
          '95.5 S6 avant
Knoxville, TN

On Saturday November 6, 2010, at 6:50 PM,"JC" <jc at j2c3.com>  wrote:
> Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 18:50:28 -0400
> From:
> Subject: [s-cars] I will NOT buy MORE UNDERTRAY Hardware!
> To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Message-ID: <A17A75C0479A4F1D82510EB8D95A78DD at VibroSonic>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
> Getting under the car for the first time in a long time today to  
> take care
> of my blown X-plug I discover that YET AGAIN the last time she was  
> in the
> shop, a bunch of the undertray hardware was lost (if I'm being  
> generous) or
> just blown off (most likely).
>
> The 2 front metal pins had lost their little backside retainer  
> thingies
> (which I always re-make when they get lost so I am always sure it is  
> all
> there when it arrives at the shop), and ALL of the 4 plastic fender- 
> liner
> pins were completely missing. You might think they just came loose,  
> but to
> underline the fact that it was negligence, the tray wasn't properly  
> in the
> bumper slots up front, and the side 'wings' were completely wrong in  
> the
> fender wells (on the outside not the inside of the fender liner).   
> Obviously
> somebody jammed the crap out of it, didn't get it lined up right,  
> pulled the
> metal pins out so they lost the retainers, just jam-jam-jammered it  
> around
> until they could get the metal pins in, and then completely blew off  
> the
> fender-liner part of it.
>
> I've bought new pins for those damn things time and again after  
> getting it
> back from the mechs with one or two gone missing. Most of the time  
> I've
> generously thought hey OK they didn't fully engage the pin and it  
> probably
> fell out on the test drive or way home.. but this time I can tell  
> they just
> said "F-it" with those side pins. This would have also been the  
> service
> after which I found the bumper grills were jammed in so half-assed the
> engagement clips got all bent and malformed and wouldn't clip in  
> properly
> because somebody had just force-slammed 'em in there without paying
> attention. I'm lucky I didn't loose the grills actually.  Oh and never
> re-clipped the ambient temp sensor either...
>
> /rant.  Just had to vent.  F at hhk I need a good shop.  No such thing  
> I guess.