Ever Get Something for Nothing?
Yikes, especially when it comes to car servicing. Usually, you bring your car in to your favorite garage, or favorite dealer I guess) with a list of stuff to do. The favorite garage goes through the list and yes, often makes suggestions of additional needed items. It seems to me in the dealership world, there is a slightly different focus, nothing gets repaired… just replaced…and “they” live to replace….
I drove 29 feet in my Mercedes the other day and suddenly my dashboard was glowing like Xmas lights, yellow as they were, ABS, BAS and another. Some people call them idiot lights. While a surprise, it wasn’t a shock, as it happened once before in the past and my remedy was simple. I stopped, turned the ignition off, then back on and PRESTO, lights went off. This time, NO presto, even with the ignition off, I heard a loud noise, a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a fan that kept me cool last summer in the work shed. How is this possible with the ignition off (??) and the noise never ceasing. Concerned, I drive back the 29 feet, parked in lot, turned key OFF, then ON, then OFF then ON then OFF… the noise never stopped. I opened the hood and peeked in; an attempt to impress my wife….I noticed nothing…heard the noise emanating from underneath, lower left….but couldn’t see a thing….I did however, feel some heat, lots of heat……was wondering if my faithful Mercedes was going to blow up. I scanned the lot; did I park away from everything??
My dear mechanic and “favorite” garage, Palisades Car Care (Route 303, Blauvelt, NY) was closed this week, “On Vacation”. Why is it I only have trouble when either the mechanic is away or the doctor is out?? Anyway, wanting to stave off a potential parking lot explosion, I drove to a Mercedes dealer (notice, no name or address) for their input. Of course the first telephone conversation was about “you can bring the car in any time, no appointment needed……but we are so busy that we can’t look at it for a day or two and there are no loaners available.” Now this is Mercedes Benz, not the nearest Rambler dealer. I’m thinking, hmmmm, I’ll bring it there anyway, let it blow up in their lot, not mine, assuming I make it that far.
Wife and I each drove our Mercedes’ to the dealer, I in the sick one she in the healthier one. We left it there in the hands of their service advisor. In general, my experience has taught me that the Service Advisor is synonymous with a “work finder” …Nowadays, at the dealership; it isn’t about fixing (remember that word??? Or repairing??) it is now all about “replacing”. If “we” suspect something is wrong, replace it – even if we have to replace every part and computer in the car, replace, replace, replace…..much more efficient than fix. I’m getting off the subject.
In this case, I was finally called and summarily told that the car needed a new ABS pump (and make no bones about it) and while it is there, it also needed a new brake light switch…? That is like telling a cancer patient that is likely to expire very soon , that he also needs to have some work done to his bunion (please pardon the analogy).
Refusing to submit, then and there, to a $3600 estimate, we chose to pick up the car and wait the few days until Dave and Brian get back from vacation. We went back to Mercedes, picked up our car and guess what, the noise was stopped (or had stopped), the lights were still on, less of a bigger deal……??
The following Monday morning, dark and cold as it was, my car was on the doorstep of Palisades Car Care – in their hands. So a few days of their having the car in and out of their crowed bays and checking different related things, it all boiled down to a relay fuse that has some connection to the ABS pump. Violas……relay IN, noise gone, lights OUT!
Ok, so back to my initial point….Ever get something for nothing?….so at Palisades the oil was changed and NYS inspection performed….replaced wiper blades, all things I had asked to do, in addition to the mysterious diagnosis of the yellow warning ABS lights, which was repaired with the relay fuse, and not having to replace that $3600 ABS pump and guess what, now something was actually fixed NOT on my list……both outside rear view mirrors were swinging in the breeze as the little button that controls the swing, needed some TLC……
Ps: ok, I know what you are thinking, that somewhere in the mix of all the other services performed, I must somehow be also paying for the mirror repair…maybe…but guess what, if I was at the dealer, maybe they would want to replace the mirrors all together….or the car?? I have known Dave & Brian for well over 20 years….when it comes to fairness and competence, I know of none better….when it comes to expertise, be it a Mercedes, Jaguar or Chevrolet…to a Ferrari or Hyundai, I still cant!
Palisades Car Care
596 Route 303
Blauvelt, NY 10913-1123
(845) 398-2009
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