Crooked Dealer charges?

[rmyers@olie.wvitcoe.wvnet.edu (Robert Myers)]

Hey Y'all,

Some of you may remember my chronicle of woe with the screwy speedometer.
Perhaps - just perhaps - it may be working now.  If it continues to work for
another month or so I'll report the repair.  For now, let's just say that
acupuncture (or perhaps voodoo?) seems to help.  :-)

Anyway, this has been going on for a year or so.  Early on I replaced the
speedometer sensor myself.  This didn't solve the problem.  I took the car
to my local fiendly (sic) Audi dealer.  They replaced the sensor and tore
into the instrument cluster and I was billed for a replacement new PC board.
The bill was on the order of $628 or so.  The cost of the "new" PC board was
$301 and change.  Since then there has been yet another sensor replacement.

Last Saturday morning, in conference with Steve Bucholz and Mike LaRosa, I
tore into the IC again.  This time I tore it nearly all the way down and got
a good look at the PC board.  It has beed "repaired" - not replaced.  New
solder appears on the trace side of this PC board which apparently was
intended to make a better contact between the two connectors for the pins
from the speedometer head itself and the board.

I do not have a NEW board for which I paid $301.  I have a REPAIRED board.
Which, BTW did not solve the problem.  The repairs which were done I could
have done myself in less than half an hour of actual repair time.
Diagnostic time?  Well...  Not a clue.

Three weeks or so ago I had the car in the shop again.  The speedometer was
working intermittently at that time.  I went a few rounds with the service
manager, the write-up man, and the service tech.  Being a nice guy, I
accepted a check for $200 to partially reimburse me for the cost of the new
PC board which had been installed (I had been told) but did not solve the
problem.  Now I find that the "new board" is NOT a new board.

What do you collectively suggest that I do?  Just finding another Audi
dealer is not practical.  This one is better than 60 miles from my home.
The next one is over a 100 miles away.  I don't think there is another Audi
dealer in the entire state of West (by God) Virginia.

Is it time to go a few rounds with the owner?  Perhaps accompanied by my
attorney?  If I do this I wonder if I dare ever take my car in there again.
Then again, maybe they'd be afraid to screw me again.

Your suggestions?



Bob
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   *  Robert L. Myers  <rmyers@olie.wvitcoe.wvnet.edu>      *
   *  Chair, Department of Chemistry, WVIT                  *
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