Dealership Service Rant (non mopar)

[joeboy]

I know it isn't a mopar, but I am a bit agitated, so here it goes...

My daily driver is a Subaru WRX, about 6 months ago I brought it in for a factory recall for a fuel line replacement under the intake manifold. (cracks and leaks with age) When I got it back from the dealer it had a Clack noise at idle, and a THUNK you could feel in the pedal when you let out the clutch. I brought it back the next morning. The service guy said they didn't have time to look at it, so I would have to make a appt. I did... They looked it over and said, hmmm... Nothing we did would cause that, maybe a bad MAF sensor causing the idle to drop makes the THUNK, and the Clack is your turbo impeller about to go due to shaft play.

Whatever... So I investigated as best I could, (on jackstands for a few hours under the car with my wife "driving") Not able to pin down the noise. Checked the turbo, no shaft play, impeller looked good. Checked the MAF, it was clean, no leaks in the intake system.

I then brought the car to my Brother, (Mechanic) and said WTF??? he looked at it and said, you can hear it best at the bottom of the bellhouse, maybe it is something wrong with your Flywheel/Clutch... "Cant tell you for sure without tearing into it" Just to be safe, I brought it to a independent Subaru shop in town with a good reputation. They said, the same as my brother...

SO TODAY, I yank the trans (after purchasing a new clutch/flywheel kit just in case) Everything looks good at the clutch/pressure plate/flywheel. I am sitting under the car to install the new clutch (cause I'm there, and the other has about 40K on it) I see a 12mm Snapon socket that had been dropped between the biscuit motor-mount plates. It was all distorted from being Squeezed by the plates when the motor went under load... You could not see that side of the mount with the trans in place because of how tight the whole car is put together...

So basically I have made 2 trips to a dealer, laid under my car for a few hours, 1 trip to my Bro's shop, 1 Trip to another shop (not free), and pulled the transmission from my AWD car all because a mechanic lost a socket...

I need a Beer

JOE

 

[POS Dakota]

Bring them their socket and tell them to have some damned respect.

The subaru dealership over here is absolutely awesome.
I'm surprised you went through all that.

 

[bkbond12]

I'd not only bring the socket, but the receipt from the independent shop and make them pay for it. I'd also get a few free oil changes out the deal. Talk to the dealership owner and tell them you're going to call the news station and put a big ad up if they don't remedy the situation. Explain to them that they will probably lose all your/family/friends future business in sales/service if they don't rectify this problem (maybe ask if their mechanic wants his socket back).

This is exactly why I pay bills with credit cards. That way I can refute payment if the item/service isn't up to code.

I'd also go to the independent shop and explain to them what you found and make them refund your money since they didn't diagnose the problem correctly in the first place.

Just my $0.02.
-Travis-

 

[bkbond12]

You could also have snap-on replace the socket under the lifetime warranty and get a new socket out of the deal. Maybe not, but who knows?

 

[ramenth]

You could also have snap-on replace the socket under the lifetime warranty and get a new socket out of the deal. Maybe not, but who knows?

what he said ^. I don't think I'd be giving the mechanic back his socket after all the bs to find the noise. Make him buy a new one since he was careless enough to drop it and not find it.

Sorry, but tools are pricey. I drop one I'm looking for it. I've wasted money having to replace tools left in cars. Never again.

 

[1973DartSport]

I work at a Honda dealership. If it was us that dropped a socket in your transmission then we would be paying for it, trust me. Most dealerships are going to take care of you. Let us know how it works out.