Re: Expectations

[cobram@Channel1.Com (Cobram)]

 -=> Quoting Dewitt Harrison <=-

 DH> problem, I think systematic troubleshooting would reduce the
 DH> number of "could not reproduce the problem" results and just
 DH> plain incorrect fixes. But few if any can bring themselves to do
 DH> this. It's not a reflection on individuals, but rather on the basic
 DH> nature of the repair business. Been there myself, once upon a
 DH> time, in a different field.

     We're in absolute agreement. This is why many times a good
     independent shop owned by the mechanic is the only place to sort
     pesky problems out. Main problem is finding a decent shop and a
     vehicle owner who understands the time it takes to find some
     problems and won't be calling every hour "why isn't my car ready".
     Many a dealer sends their own marque problem cars and other brand
     trade-ins to independent mechanics when their own in house crew
     can't figure out, or doesn't want to figure out the true nature
     of the problem.

     A local Mercyless Benz dealer had sold a Mercyless Wagon,
     the thing kept coming back with no AC, Fuse blown or wire cooked.
     After 2 months (dealer mechanics changed just about the entire
     system) customer returned wagon to dealer, who had to return his
     money.  Mercyless Benz sent engineer etc. to dealer...nothing,
     couldn't replicate the problem, let alone fix it.  The car was
     dropped off at a friends shop, "if you can't fix it, we're going
     to wholesale it out" he adapted a 12 volt light to the power supply
     for the AC, mounted it on the dash and drove the car for two weeks
     waiting for the fuse to blow. (It hadn't blown at any time while
     at the zneB dealer.) On a Sunday afternoon while going for a
     newspaper, fuse blows, bingo, problem diagnosed. The kickdown
     switch under the accelerator was shorting out the AC fuse, but
     only when tranny was manually shifted, pedal was to the metal,
     pulling a g or two on a corner. Seems this must have been
     the driving style of the previous owner when he was alone in
     the car.  The "nature of the repair business" as you put it
     is definitly changing, for the worse. The shop that actually
     cares, with two or three generations of the same family passing
     the torch to each other is over, the future seems to be
     national franchises handling "popular" cars, and everyone
     else at the mercy of the dealer. IMHO

     BCNU,





   

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