Yeah, 'Cause Mechanics are Like That

[flybye023]

I used to work in a call center where we kind of mediated between dealerships and the auto manufacturer.

Lady comes into a repair shop on a Thursday. She’s been in an accident where she ran into something, cracked her radiator and kept driving the car until the engine exploded. Shop replaces the engine—at her cost—for $3900. Lady picks up car late on Friday. She calls us up on Tuesday because she now needs a new oil pan which will cost an additional $450. She thinks the repair shop missed the oil pan in the original repair and wants them to cover the cost.

We call the repair shop. They say that they replaced the oil pan already in the first repair. Furthermore, this new oil pan shows clear evidence of being hit on something. There is an impact dent as well as scratches and grooves, packed with dirt and grime, where it was clearly dragged over something hard. Additionally, the car’s odometer shows an extra 254 miles have been added since they last saw it 4 days ago.

We call the lady back and tell her this is not a repair that will be covered. She asks why, I tell her. She says the repair shop is lying. She took her car home on Friday and parked it in her driveway for the Entire Weekend. Obviously the technicians at the repair shop adjusted the odometer to reflect a higher mileage so that they wouldn’t have to give her the repair for free.

Whatever. Could it possibly be that your delinquent son or your loser boyfriend took the car for a joyride? No?

[bainsidhe]

Wow oh wow. We get this all the time. I work in a manufacturing company and distributors (our customers) will call saying the end user (their customers) called complaining our product isn't working properly. We get it back and we can't even tell where a "defect" ended and misuse began. Customers take wrenches to crack the product open and "fiddle" with it. Then wonder why all the liquid inside is leaking out. Complain about accuracy issues when it's been put way beyond tolerances and the insides are blown. Product is returned bent, cracked, shattered, HAMMERED, etc...but the customer wonders why delicate instrumentation might have accuracy issues if we are selling a quality product. Even when we clearly and nicely point out why it is not a manufacturer's defect, many customers fail to comprehend how breaking our product ACTUALLY does break our product.

[marty]

Somehow I don't think the mechanics are making commission off this stuff. While I've heard of places making up false problems so they could 'fix' them, I've never heard of then doing something then NOT telling the customer about the problem.

[Marnier]

This is why I'm so glad i don't have to pay for repair on my work vehicle. i drive roughly 200+ miles per day. Five days a week equals 1000+ miles per week. I never pay for anything on the car and I can't imagine a repair shop ever changing the odometer no matter what the situation. It would be bad business so it would be simply in vain. That lady has clearly lost her wits about what it costs to own a car that is used so much.

[flybye023]

Except that she didn't give any indication that this was a high use car. Her claim was that she brought it home Friday, it sat in the garage Saturday and Sunday, she drove it to work Monday (estimated 30 miles round trip) and these extra 200+ miles and the cracked oil pan just mysteriously appeared.

[Jadedcarguy]

Obviously the technicians at the repair shop adjusted the odometer to reflect a higher mileage so that they wouldn’t have to give her the repair for free.

I can't imagine a repair shop ever changing the odometer no matter what the situation. It would be bad business so it would be simply in vain.

Changing the odo reading is so illegal I can't even tell you how much trouble it would get the shop into. Major federal offense.


The woman in the OP is a scammer and a moron.

[protege]

That woman sounds like she's on crack. Either that, or she did something to the car...and is now looking for someone to blame for her stupidity.

I know what it costs for a new engine--when my Tempo's engine blew up and then got hit in '94, the insurance company just wrote it off. I'm sure it would have cost several thousand on the engine alone, never mind the bent frame, buckled doors, and other damage.

I also know what a rebuilt engine can run. One of the first jobs we did to the MG, was to get the engine out, and have it rebuilt. That wasn't cheap either, mainly because of the machining work and clean up. But, when you consider that engine was knackered (covered in rust, leaking oil, cracked cylinder head, etc.)...and now looks immaculate, I thought it was money well spent. I mean, it's so clean, you could eat off the cam cover

As to tampering with an odometer, not only is it illegal, but it's difficult. Er, how do I know this? Some years ago, the MG's odometer jammed, requiring a service. It's a delicate operation to get a speedometer apart--too much force can damage the internals, and new ones are expensive and (usually) a pain to find.

[Lingering Grin]

Changing the odo reading is so illegal I can't even tell you how much trouble it would get the shop into. Major federal offense.

Unless it's done by a highly certified technician at your car manufacturer. My odometer broke once and it had to be fixed, and the reading changed to accurately reflect the mileage of the car. They had to add about 400 miles to it, and they put a little sticker on the car saying that everything certified by them and accurate.

Of course, that's completely different from changing it to scam a customer (for whatever reason).