Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 09:54:14 -1000
Reply-To: Mick Kalber <hotlava@interpac.net>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mick Kalber <hotlava@interpac.net>
Subject: Re: My Vanagon Visits the Gynecologist
In-Reply-To: <00a301c003bb$504f0ee0$8f1966ce@n0e4e8>
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Phaedra Savage... you are a piece of work.
Mick Kalber
Tropical Visions Video, Inc.
62 Halaulani Place Hilo, Hawaii 96720
ph. 808-935-5557 fax 808-935-0066
hotlava@interpac.net
www.volcanoscapes.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of PSavage
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2000 7:40 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: My Vanagon Visits the Gynecologist
The landscapped parking lot of the German Repair Shop so resembled that of
my Gynecologist, I was momentarily confused.
But no, there was my courtesy loaner car, parked just outside a glass
enclosed reception area. I blinked.
The Receptionist smiled efficiently at me across a cutglass bowl of
individually wrapped peppermints. I was promted to quickly read & sign the
insurance disclaimer, then handed a list of Courtesy Car Loaner Do's &
Dont's.
Anxiously, I clutched my list of questions for The Mechanic,
whom I'd yet to meet. For my first appointment, I'd requested a thorough
examination of the vehicle & all its parts & systems.
I wanted a complete report, so I could prioritize work to be
done, parts to be ordered, costs to be considered.
Shop labor charges: $75 per hour.
I tried not to wince.
I could see they did everything possible to make the experience as painless
as possible. If I was a good girl, & didn't squirm, I might not even feel
a thing.
I asked to meet The Mechanic/Shop Owner.
A tall, well-built, middle aged man--handsome enough for a Midas
commercial--appeared behind a sparkling display case filled with shiny new
VW parts. 'We keep all parts in stock",
he said, "it's rare we have to order parts."
When I'd called for this appointment, I'd made a point of asking if
customer-supplied parts were permitted. I had been told that they were.
"Not so," according to my Gynecologist, I mean Mechanic.
Twice I interrupted his animated rant on loss & profit margins to remind
him to look for possible causes of my van's intermittent power loss/cutting
out problem. The Reason I Was There.
Like a Kaiser MD with one eye on the minute hand, he drummed the glass with
his immaculate fingertips.
He was of the AMA board certified school of car care.
And he could see I was not his sort of customer.
I blinked twice. But the white lab coat, surgical gloves, & big tube of KY
jelly were only a hallucination.
Feeling a little sad & anxious, all the more so for having driven two hours
to reach this shop, I left my Vanagon alone for her first
examination.
Upon my return, I was handed my bill: Inspection $150.
I was given a long typed list of recommended repairs.
I read down the list. I gulped.
It noted that my Aux battery was found to be *totally dry.*
Just to be sure, I asked the Mechanic/Owner if he had added
water to the dry battery.
"Oh no," he said, "you asked for examination only. That would constitute
a repair."
He wanted to give me his sales pitch for the Interstate batteries
he sells & installs, but I was already on my way out the door.
I grabbed a fistful a peppermints from the cut glass bowl.
There was a bad taste in my mouth.
Phaedra
'85 Westy-Wolf
"Hester"
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