Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

You broke my car.

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • You broke my car.

    Woman comes in and buys a battery for he 2002 Toyota Camry. We had tested her old one and it had a bad cell.
    Battery is installed and that should be the end of the story. NOPE.
    They came back later because they say the car cuts off right after they start it and they have to hold their foot on the gas for it to run. And of course it's our fault.
    It's late and they are told they have to come back the next day and talk to a manager, me.
    Next day they come in. Now since I am not an idiot I do some research, ok I just googled it, and discovered that this is a known problem when the battery in these cars goes dead or is replaced.
    Seems the throttle body gets very dirty to the point that it won't idle but the computer learns from this and adapts. Well, when the battery is disconnected the learned adaptations are lost. You either have to let it idle for a couple of min in neutral and then in gear and then rinse and repeat with the A/C on. Or, I don't know, CLEAN THE DAMN THROTTLE BODY and fix the base problem.
    Nope, her man who "works on cars' proclaims that the battery it "not strong enough" and that's why it cuts off.
    I explain that the battery, rated at 510CCA, is stronger than the stock 340CCA battery and go into detail about the learning procedure and cleaning the throttle body.
    Nope, it's the batteries fault they want a refund and are going to go get one somewhere else.
    By this time I am tired of them and just want them gone. So I tell my counter person to do the return and move them along.
    I was fully expecting them to show up today and claim we damaged their car because the new battery did the same thing.

  • #2
    It might yet happen ...
    Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
    ~ Mr Hero

    Comment


    • #3
      Don’t you just love it when some moron claiming to be an expert *insert profession here* can’t understand basic concepts of the job he claims he does/knows/works in.
      Don’t worry about what I’m up to. Worry about why you are worried about what I’m up to.

      Comment


      • #4
        Had that convo before with people who don't understand "learn idle"
        AkaiKitsune
        Sarcasm dear, sarcasm. I’m well aware that dealing with civilians in any capacity will skin your faith in humanity alive, then pickle anything that remains so as to watch it shrivel up into an immortal husk thus reminding you of how dead inside you now are.

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth Rosco the Iroc View Post
          Had that convo before with people who don't understand "learn idle"
          In all the years I've owned and worked on cars, and I was in the industry, I never heard of "learn idle."

          Just goes to show you can learn something new every day.
          "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

          Comment


          • #6
            My 09 Outback runs like crap till it does. Most are not that effected.
            https://itstillruns.com/car-relearn-...d-8077010.html
            AkaiKitsune
            Sarcasm dear, sarcasm. I’m well aware that dealing with civilians in any capacity will skin your faith in humanity alive, then pickle anything that remains so as to watch it shrivel up into an immortal husk thus reminding you of how dead inside you now are.

            Comment


            • #7
              At least you don't have to use a proprietary electronics tool to tell the car that it has a new battery.

              ... I'm so very glad that my MINI doesn't have that "IBS" (Intelligent Battery Sensor, but the medical version of that acronym works almost as well) system, so I can just replace the battery when I replace the battery...
              “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
              One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
              The other, of course, involves orcs." -- John Rogers

              Comment


              • #8
                To make all you mechanics wince, when I inherited the car I have now I found out that my mother had no idea that oil was something that needed to be checked or changed, tires being rotated, or anything else that went with basic upkeep. She apparently was under the impression that unless a light went off everything was fine... yeah, that was a fun bill to get when I brought it in to see what kind of damage needed fixing. The mechanic may have walked into the back and cried...or perhaps had a shot of whiskey.

                Still pissed that the car I saved up for years for got totalled because of an asshole going way over double the speed limit couldn’t stop in time. Speed limit in school zones is 30, not over 90! It was such a nice car too... ‘66 mustang.
                Don’t worry about what I’m up to. Worry about why you are worried about what I’m up to.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth AkaiKitsune View Post
                  To make all you mechanics wince, when I inherited the car I have now I found out that my mother had no idea that oil was something that needed to be checked or changed, tires being rotated, or anything else that went with basic upkeep. She apparently was under the impression that unless a light went off everything was fine... yeah, that was a fun bill to get when I brought it in to see what kind of damage needed fixing.
                  I'm not a mechanic and I just did a whole-body flinch.

                  Quoth AkaiKitsune View Post
                  Still pissed that the car I saved up for years for got totalled because of an asshole going way over double the speed limit couldn’t stop in time. Speed limit in school zones is 30, not over 90! It was such a nice car too... ‘66 mustang.
                  That's soul-destroying.
                  "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

                  Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

                  The Darwin Awards The best site to visit to restore your faith in instant karma.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth AkaiKitsune View Post

                    Still pissed that the car I saved up for years for got totalled because of an asshole going way over double the speed limit couldn’t stop in time. Speed limit in school zones is 30, not over 90! It was such a nice car too... ‘66 mustang.
                    I got hit by a truck in my IROC years ago and liked when EMS showed up, they looked at the car first and said- fuck that's sad! that car was in awesome shape, Are you ok?
                    AkaiKitsune
                    Sarcasm dear, sarcasm. I’m well aware that dealing with civilians in any capacity will skin your faith in humanity alive, then pickle anything that remains so as to watch it shrivel up into an immortal husk thus reminding you of how dead inside you now are.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      When I actually worked at the garage, we used to get customers like that all the time. They drive the car for YEARS and finally something needs to be fixed. After that fix, everything that happens to their car was caused by the garage.
                      One lady was especially memorable. She not only claimed that every new problem was caused by us, she swore and threatened me (tried to get me fired, which was laughable), then she threatened to send her husband over to beat me up.
                      The boss wasn't pleased, although he did tell me that the husband was a very reasonable kind of guy, so nothing to worry about there. But he did offer to call the cops for me. I didn't need them. The lady said she wasn't going to pay for any more repairs, so the mechanic put the car back together, and the boss told them to come get their car off the lot before he had it towed.
                      The husband came in the next day and tried to wheedle the boss into getting all of the repairs done, but the boss said he'd only do it for $10,000, so they took the car away.

                      I got the feeling that they abused a lot of small shops that way, threatening their way into free work, and they were running out of shops to abuse. Too bad so sad.

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X