Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 02:25:55 EDT
Reply-To: Modl6971@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Michael Modl <Modl6971@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mechanics just dont listen!!!!! (no VW, long)reply
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In a message dated 98-06-10 15:23:32 EDT, Benjita@AOL.COM writes:
<<
I have a grotesque example of mechanic error and not listening. This was
several years ago when I had a BMW 325ix. For those of you who are not
familiar with BMW's they have a series of lights on the dashboard that
indicate when it's time for a service. Sort of like a countdown. Anyway my
service lights had counted down to the point where it was time for a tune up.
So I brought the car into MARK'S FOREIGN CAR SERVICE OF BOULDER CO. and made
an appointment to have the tune up done. I come back that day to pick up the
car and everything is A-Okay, I drive about 20 miles and the car is feeling a
little more peppy thanks to the tune up, when I notice that the service
indicator lights have not been reset. So I turn around and bring the car
back
to MARK'S. Mark himself says okay no problem he'll reset the lights. To do
this you need to have a special reset tool that hooks up to the ECU and you
need to follow a specific procedure. Mark tells mechanic #1 to go take care
of it. I wait. Mechanic #1 comes back to mark in a few minutes with the
special BMW tool and says that he doesn't know how the tool works. At this
point I stand up and say, "You need to be carefull resetting the lights
because you can damage the brain." both of them look at my with thinly
veiled
contempt. And Mark says in his thick German accent, "Vee know vhat ve are
doing here!". I sit down properly chagrined. A few minutes later Mechanic #
1 comes in and says that the lights have been reset and I'm ready to go. I
go
out to start the car and absolutely nothing happens, dashboard lights up but
the car won't turn over. I tell Mark he says that he will look into it but
can't today so call him tomarrow. I walk home.
The next day I stop in hoping that the car has been fixed. It hasn't. I
talk
to mark and he says that my ECU has been fried and that I need a new one
which
will be about $900. I of course tell him this is your fault you did this to
the car. And I pull out my Bentley manual which specifically states that
failure to follow the proper reset procudure may cause damage to the ECU. He
absolutely denies it!! He tells me I don't know anything. I am literally
too
shocked to speak. I finally say, "How can you say that, it is obvious that
you are responsible for this." At which point he tells me to get my car off
of his property!?? At this point I'm thinking that this guys nuts and if I
don't leave he's probably going to beat me. My friend and I push the poor
car
across the street. A few days later I go back there and tell Mark that I am
taking him to court. He does not even look at me or acknowledge my presence.
6 weeks later is the big day I've done all this research into the problem, I
have my Bentlry, and I have my own personal testimony that I typed up and
sent
to myself immediately following the event, which had remained sealed and
dated
by the post office waiting for it's day in court. I go to court and Mark
doesn't show up. The judge asks me, " Do you swear this is the truth?" I
say
yes he bangs his gavel. I have the judgement against Mark for $1000 + court
costs. In my elation I go straight over to Mark's and show him the
judgement,
he looks at it, and writes me up a check, and says, "You are not right here,
you have punished me for something that I did not do, I would lose more money
by having to go to court(and missing work) than I will paying this judgement,
that is why you won." I just walked out. They guy's obvoiusly in his own
little world, and thought that he could push me around because I was a young
18 year old.
Thanks to any of you who read through this. Outside of the people who were
involved I've never talked about it....feeeels gooood:-)
As a side note Mark's Foreign Car Service continues to grow they just
expanded
and remodled their facility??? Mystery to me.
Cory
'86 Syncro Westfalia
>>
HI Cory, congradulations on your win in court for getting something for free.
I used to work in a BMW dealership and I can say that simply plugging in that
reset tool to reset the service lights, wouldn't damage the ECU. Those service
lights are part of the instrument cluster supported by two AA batteries to
maintain memory of the service lights, and are in no way tide into the ECU
wireing. I just had a customer today that said ever since you checked the
tire pressure on my car, the car doesn't run the same. The car was a piece of
S''''T VW Fox, never been serviced. We blew his ass right out the door.
Michael M.87 syncro.
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