i learn something new every day it seems...

while diagnosing a volkswagon passat today the data link connector didnt work. i found it loose so i figured out that the wires were loose in the back of the port and got it fixed quickly. later i was talking with another tech who works in another shop and old him about the volkswagon data link while shooting the breeze. he told me that his prior employer mandated that they pull out a pin on the data link so that the customer has to come back. ..WTF? he said that almost all the shops in the area where he used to work in did this. well that crap aint happening in my shop PERIOD!!

just thought i would post this for all you guys to be aware of since it seems to happen in all the shops in southern cali where he used to work. i advise if any of you have this happen to you, a friend, a family member etc., report the shop to the better business bureau ASAP. shops that do this should not be allowed to have a business license.

i now question shops in south carolina due to one car i worked on there that had the same issue with the data link connector being loose. i hope your local shop doesnt do business like this if youre not you own mechanic.

 

this is true as well. a long time ago i heard there was a law that required shops to do this. i still dont know if its true but my shop just does it anyhow. i was going to have a form made that customers would have to sign stating they seen their old parts but its a hassle and i dont want customers signing all kinds of forms when they visit. work order approvals, vehicle operation consent, invoices, and credit card payments is enough stuff to sign. LOL there are others for as needed basis but i listed the general items customers sign in an average visit

 

It's not just "shops" that do shady things, you will not believe this...

I have a customer, [little old lady, must be in her 70s] has one of those butt ugly Toyota vans, came to use with a starting problem, but that's another story, she did not want to go to the Toyota dealer because see thinks they may be taking advantage of her, I asked her why, she told me they would not install parts not bought at the their shop, I ask what she meant, see explains that see damaged a tail light lens and the dealer told her it was going to be $250+ for a new lens, she thought that was too much so see got her son to send her a used one, she took that to the Toyota dealer to have it installed, now it gets shady...
The Toyota dealer told her that they could not install the used lens, [get this] because there was no gas in it, they explained the lens is gas filled and whoever removed it had let the gas out, she [unfortunately] believed them and ordered a new lens from them and had them install it, and if you think that is shady, think again, the install bill was 1.75hr, .5 for lens R&R and 1.5 for diagnostics, they charged her $120 to determine the lens they were replacing was being replaced because it was broken. 94

 

Well, I don't know about that Toyota, but some lights are gas filled. In my Trans Am the headlights are like that. You can't just replace a bulb or a lense, you have to buy a whole new headlight assembly. There are a couple aftermarket vendors that specialize in conversions though.

 

That's called a sealed beam, it's pretty common in older cars and trucks. As far as the taillight having gas in it, that's completely bogus. Yes the little bulbs themselves are extremely clean and filled with a gas to help keep the filiment from burning out so quickly, but beyond those and sealed beam headlights, there's really nothing on the standard automotive market.

Also, for what it's worth. It seems a correctly done sealed beam (in my experience) has more light output than most standard 9003-9008 bulbs.

 

It is not law but good practice. We simply keep the old parts until the car is cashed out. if the customer does not request them and pays and leaves, only then do we throw the old parts away. I beleive the condition of many shops tells the story as to what kind of business you will be dealing with. Unfortunately many people are looking for the cheapest repair possible which lands them in these shady shops and then they complain once they get ripped off.

 

if for some reason i don't feel like changing a part, i will put a non-descript mark on the part and when i ask the ****s to see it, if it doesn't have the mark, all hell breaks loose.

 

word!!!
this seems to happen in a lot of shops. i live in central cali and not too long ago my mom took her car to a shop for a regular oil change, a few days later i decided to clean her battery, check fluids and if the shop had done everything correctly while doing the oil change...so i check the dipstick, oil is nice and clean , i get under the car and i find the old oil filter that it had before the oil change WTF?! so i call the shop and told them the situation, they advice i go over so i do. while there the head mechanic says "oh your not supposed to change those, just clean them" i was like WTF???!?!!! but eventually made them change it for a new one.

 

Thats why its good to have experience turning wrenches and all the good stuff about cars. It makes life easier

 

wow shady *** shops

 

One of my dads cars went in for an intake manifold. when it came back I popped the hood to find random bolts lying around and the rear mount not even bolted in. Also they had used a heli coil on the head. I walked into the shop with the bolts in my hand, they just gave me an "oh ****" look.

 

you know...i had a guy here once who i ended up making him have all his work actually signed off for a quality control check. every time he did a repair i found something loose or not right. to my knowledge no customer car was ever effected by him working on it but since he only lasted 3 weeks here i called the customers back for a free vehicle inspection and explained what happened with the guy. i also noted in their customer files that they had a oil change labor credit voucher in their next oil change. i swear i have never been happier to see a guy quit LOL maybe hes working at that shop your dad went to.

 

The little old lady was back yesterday to thank us for sending her to someone other then the Toyota for her starting and stalling problem, [turns out the stalling was due to a "broken" air intake "pipe" at the TB, starting problem not yet fixed] but she had a problem with the seat belt, [belt would not extend all the way] so the shop sent her to Toyota as it is a lifetime warranty issue, Toyota told her it would be $250 to fix and they would have to order in a new seat belt and it was a special order and not returnable, [these guys just don't stop] I had a look at the belt and all that was wrong was the fixed end of the belt had gotten folded under the carpet and flip up front seat.

If it was not for the fact that this was a 70 year old lady I would not have given to much of a ****, [if your dumb enough to get ripped over and over by a place and you keep going back, too bad] and we do business with Toyota, but in this case I just had to say something, I am phoning Toyota today for an explanation, will let you know what happens, if anything. 94

 

yeah there are some customers we go the extra 2 miles for LOL all kinds of reasons cause us to go that far....we feel sorry for them, or we know they cant pay cause theyre broke, or some reason whatever it may be...maybe its just a HOT chick LOL but going the extra mile here and there goes a long way in the end with customers telling their friends about the great service they got and honesty from the shop and thats always good. i'll look up vehicles to see if there are any recalls if its the first time i am working on the car and if its new enough to possibly have a warranty recall issue that the dealer will do for free. i actually send the customer to the dealer if its gonna save them money. i always get those customers back for their other services. then theres the car detail if we have time and if the car has a paint job that will actually reflect the fact that we washed it LOL we actually get customers that call and wanna drop off their car for just a car wash/detail and they wanna pay LOL but the biggest thing that people like is that we call and or e-mail them to notify them about their next service is about due. great shops are just not on every corner so its good to go the extra mile sometimes

 

Yeah, that's what it sounded like he was describing. I hate them. The next thing I'm gonna do to my car is to convert the sealed beams to HID's.