Next: Toyota yaris workshop repair manual
From: Ray O on 13 Jul 2006 23:43

"Ernie Sty" <fake_email(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:pKWdnWswWb3w4yjZnZ2dnUVZ_s-dnZ2d(a)giganews.com...
>
> "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
> news:ea4cd$449ee397$180fead6$7258(a)msgid.meganewsservers.com...
>>
>> <henree21(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1151255890.861571.84830(a)r2g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>>>> Check out the contacts on the starter relay. I doubt if it is an
>>>> exhaust
>>>> problem.
>>> Yeah I am pretty sure the solenoid contacts are a good choice of
>>> culprit. But I don't know anything about cars. If I go to a mechanic to
>>> look at the starter. How do I approach him, without looking like a
>>> complete imbecile. I have always been a sucker for cons. The mechanic
>>> may tell me I have thousands of dollars of work that needs to be done.
>>> I like to be specific as possible when I have to get work done at the
>>> shop. That way they think I know what I am talking about.
>>>
>>
>> Pick a shop that employs technicians certified by the National Institute
>> of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), preferably a shop that also has
>> AAA certification. A shop that goes to the trouble of going through the
>> AAA certification process and employs techs who take the time and effort
>> to become ASE certified is more likely to be honest and competent.
>>
>> It is never a good idea to go to a repair shop and ask them to repair or
>> replace a specific component, i.e., the starter or starter contacts,
>> unless you are absolutely positive of your diagnosis. If your diagnosis
>> was incorrect, you have nobody to blame for the unnecessary work except
>> yourself. One should go to the repair shop and describe the symptoms as
>> clearly and completely as possible so that the technician working on the
>> vehicle can come to their own diagnosis and recommended repairs. When I
>> take one of my vehicles to a shop for service, I describe the symptoms,
>> even when I am pretty sure of the diagnosis myself. That said, having an
>> idea of the cause of the problem is a good reality check for the shop's
>> diagnosis.
>
>
> Another good tip is to have them write on the estimate exactly what
> problem it's intended to fix. A couple times I've taken a vehicle to some
> place for a specific problem, they diagnosed a bad whatsis, asked me to
> approve replacing it, they then replaced the whatsis and the problem was
> still there. If you have them state on the estimate what the specific
> problem is you want them to fix, you have more leverage when you say
> "Please replace the part(s) you took out, take back the new one(s) and I'd
> like a full refund since you did not fix the problem and clearly this
> faulty whatsis was not the cause of it."
>
> I've never done that, but at a Precision Tune I asked them specifically if
> replacing a certain part would fix the problem, and when it didn't, they
> put the old one back in and gave me a full refund after very little
> pushing. They tried to use the excuse that the part they replaced was
> indeed bad, but I countered with the fact that bad or not, I would not
> have paid to replace it if they had not told me it would fix the problem.
> In retrospect, I'm amazed that worked since I didn't have anything on
> paper, just a verbal understanding.
>

Good advice! Especially at an independent or chain operation.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)


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