[V8] The $6000 sunroof rock on a Mercedes and other thoughts

[Roger M. Woodbury]

The video from Huw Powell about the guy who got his sunroof diagnosed by a
Mercedes dealer was interesting.  I think we all hear stories like this and
most of the times it is about new cars that were taken back to the
dealer...mostly they are stories about the expensive European cars.  I am
not sure that I have ever heard a negative story about a customer experience
at a Lexus dealer.  I have heard very few about Toyota dealers who screw up,
but those that I have heard were from my favorite mechanic who was a Toyota
service manager and Toyota Certified Master Technician when he worked for
the Toyota dealer in Bangor.  The problems at the dealership at that point
were those of management, and well above the service advisor level.  John
left when the dealership gave up the BMW franchise because he wanted to work
on something more than Corollas.

All of which makes me wonder why the guy in the video isn't making his
presentation to the General Manager, instead of interrogating the service
advisor.  He must have a lot of time on his hands and is willing to waste
it.  

I am very, very glad that I have learned a few things about the cars that I
need and that work for me. The cars that work for me are OLD, and no longer
need to worry about going to the nearest dealer.  I also no longer worry
about insuring them.  The end result is that my annual legal cost of
operating four vehicles is considerably less than it would be if I had one
new SUV.  Now the caveat to that is that I need and have an excellent
independent mechanic who can and will do the work on my cars at a cost that
is probably fifty percent that which a franchise shop would have to charge.


So that would seem to be perfect, wouldn't it?  The cars I like and need
that are cheap to own, insure, operate and repair.  An automotive marriage
made in heaven. Right.  Well, not quite.

I am surprised at how much I like "The Old Gray Mare".  That is my "new" to
me, Audi 100 sedan.  She is a 1990 model and was my father's old car.  She
has 125,000 certified miles, has been maintained to within an inch of her
life for the past seventeen years.  Aside from a few dings and blemishes
accumulated over the past seventeen years, she runs like new.  In fact I am
amazed at how tight and smooth the car is.  I am paying my father $2000 for
her, which is ALL the money, but now having driven her a bit more than a
thousand miles, it is a bargain.  As a daily driver, I can easily see
200,000 miles under me in this car.

My wife's 1994 Avant Quattro has about the same number of miles.  "The Green
Horney" as she calls it, is tight, smooth and runs exceedingly well.  I see
no reason why that car won't be around for another 100,000 miles, and
certainly there is no reason why we should replace it.  We have put about
100,000 miles on her since she came here with 39,000 miles.  We will need to
refurbish the exterior a little soon, as Maine winter driving is not picnic,
but mechanically she is good to go.

We take all the cars to John, whose technical capabilities, and quality of
work is beyond reproach, and which I trust completely.  Right?  Right.

Well maybe not completely.  John's shop has three lifts and there are two
other mechanics in addition to John, who turn wrenches.  And therein lies
the rub.  The truth is that while I firmly believe that a mere ten miles
away there is an independent shop that can and will work on my Audis (and
the new V8 to come:  yes:  there will be another V8), you gotta watche them
all the time.  

The reason is that they have more cars to work on than mine, and time is
money.  Mistakes will be made, sometimes due to pure stupidity and sometimes
just because they are human beings who happen to turn wrenches.

Time before last when The Green Horney went in to have her oil service, the
mechanic on duty who did the job just sort of "forgot" to replace the belly
pan.  Now there is nothing that infuriates me more than finding out later on
that service was performed and something wasn't put back where it was
supposed to be.  The belly pan is important:  it helps the airflow
underneath the car, as well as helps to keep the engine clean.  It is
supposed to be there.  I didn't take the car back to get the belly pan
replaced until the car needed service again.  The former mechanic had moved
on to greener pastures and the new guy "found" the belly pan out in back of
the building along with a few others that had been forgotten.

What I have learned through the years is that in order to own and enjoy high
level automobiles one had better know what is going on with the car and
basically what makes it work, or be prepared to spend a LOT of money while
other people fiddle around with it, and learn by doing.  

Roger

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