Re: Really good?
Same thing with automobiles
For a while I had a Chrysler Grand Voyager (3.3L v6 petrol engine, auto box). It was comfortable, moved fairly swiftly when driven with my usual method[1] and was generally not too bad a car. Until (at about 70k miles) the auto box failed - it would randomly change ratio and/or not change gear at all.
Which, according to me reading, meant that one or more of the 9 clutches in the auto box had failed. The local Chrysler shysters wanted to charge me £2000 to change the auto box (on a car that was worth, at most £1500). To rub salt into the wound, they then charged me £250 for their investigation[2] that basically said "your auto box has a fault"[3].
I came very, very close to just leaving the car with them as payment of the debt and just walking out. It was only the fact that my wife was with me at the dealership that stopped me.
[1] Accellerate quickly up to the desired speed and then cruise. Which, happily, is the recommended method for driving my current hybrid at peak efficiency..
[2] I had specifically instructed them to spend no more than £100 on investigation and watched the sales type write that on the job sheet. Oddly, the job sheet that I picked up with the car after the work had no mention of that. And the service manager told me to my face that they had no record of my request. Which is why I'll never, ever go back to that garage again. In fact, I'll never buy a Chrysler or Merc again since that dealership has the local franchise for both of those marques. My next car was a Honda (that we had for 10 years) and now I have a Toyota - becuase (in general) their dealerships at least try to gain some customer satisfaction..
[3] Which was why I took it to them in the first place. I wish I could charge £250 for telling the customer something that they already know..
Biting the hand that feeds IT
