Goodyear? More like...

I have 97 Saturn SL2 that I was well aware probably needed a new alternator, because it was making some noise, and probably also needed a new engine temperature sensor. Craig had a lukewarm-at-best experience with an auto repair place here, so I decided since this new Goodyear service station was down the road, maybe I would try taking it to them for an evaluation.

My hand was forced last week when I went to lunch with Craig, brought him back to the office, and my car wouldn't start. I had a nearly dead battery. Fortunately the battery was under warranty with AutoZone, so that was an easy replacement, and I was able to get it home. But I wanted to bring it to Goodyear to get the voltage checked and make sure the alternator was charging correctly.

Now let me preface this by saying that although I'm a woman, I know a good deal about cars. I grew up around my dad who always had 4 or 5 cars in the driveway, and he always did all his own maintenance, including all the work on my first car: a '71 Monte Carlo which had been in the family since new. He never once dismissed my questions because I'm a girl, and actually encouraged me to work along with him. So let's assume I know a little about cars.

I called the shop the night before I came in to check the hours and see if they were okay just doing a diagnostic for me. I spoke to Steve, who was friendly and helpful...

When I brought my car over the next day, I was barely greeted by a man at the counter. He hardly looked at me the whole time I spoke to him. I explained that I just replaced my battery the previous night, and I wanted them to check the system to make sure it was charging correctly. The clerk asked me twice if I had been in there before, which I had not. He took my information and asked if there was anything else I needed. I told him that I wanted them to take a look at the engine temperature sensor, because I sometimes get weird readings from the gauge in the dash. It will be scorching heat and my gauge will barely show an increase, and other times it appears to be working normally.

The clerk looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. Trying to be helpful, I said, "You know, coolant temperature?" He called over the other person working at the desk and briefly mumbled a question like "...temperature sensor?" I explained it over again to the second guy, and added, "You know, if it's not working, that auxiliary fan isn't going to kick in..." Without responding to me directly, or even missing a beat, the second guy told the first guy, "Eighty five dollars."

I was a little stunned, because, $85?? Guy #1 asked if that was okay, and said they had to hook it up to the diagnostic computers, and it would probably be a while, blah blah blah. So I figured, okay, fine. He printed up an estimate and told me it would probably be a couple of hours. He DID ask me if I needed a ride home, but since I only live a couple of blocks away, I said I would just walk.

And then he didn't say anything... So I said, "So you'll call me when it's ready?" and he just gave me half a nod and looked back down at the counter. No thank you or anything. So I left.

About an hour later, I got a call from the station and the caller asked if it was okay if I talked to the technician working on my car. I said, "Sure." (For obvious reasons, I actually prefer that.) He told me my alternator was acually OVERcharging, and since it was making some noise too, it should probably be replaced. He then proceeded to explain the dangers of overcharging, etc etc, and I said fine, thanks. I asked him what the voltage reading actually was and it was 15.5-16 v. (Normal is around 14.)

Then he asked me about the temp sensor and I told him what I told the other guys. He asked some good questions, and we actually had a nice, intelligent conversation. This was the most positive experience of the day so far! He said they would give me a call again in a bit, and I thanked him for his time.

About an hour after that, I received a call from the service manager, who had the details of my diagnostics and a quote. First, the alternator.

The alternator was overcharging and would need to be replaced. However, it was almost all labor because they needed to remove the power steering pump to get to it. Their estimate:

SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS.

My jaw dropped. Was he SERIOUS? That was the most far-fetched outrageous quote I think I've ever heard. I told him that about 6 years ago, I had the alternator replaced by the Saturn dealership. Now we all know that the dealership is the LAST place you're ever going to get a bargain. The dealership's total cost? $350, AND they had installed a brand new battery. The service manager's reply? "Oh, well, that's the price. It's very hard to get to."

They also estimated that the temperature sensor and thermostat needed to be replaced, and once again labor-related it would be ANOTHER SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. At this point I knew they were out of their minds. The thing is in a relatively easy to get to place. I had gotten a quote from Saturn for $250 when they first discovered the sensor looked a bit corroded, but it wasn't a big problem right then.

So I asked the man on the phone if he was the service writer, and he said no, but he was the service manager. I was absolutely flabbergasted, and there was a silence of several seconds on the phone. He said I didn't have to make up my mind right now, and honestly he didn't think he could do it today. (He STILL thought I was going to get it done there!!!) I said regardless that I couldn't be without my car, so I would come pick it up tonight, and that I absolutely wanted a copy of that quote.

So when Craig got home from work, he dropped me off and went to get gas. I went in and the lady at the counter was helping someone else, but she acknowledged me and said it would be just a moment. However, guy #1 was still there and just got my paperwork out and called me over. Which was only the second positive experience of the whole day.

He told me that the diagnostics would be $100, and showed me my copy of the quote. Things I learned from the quote:

They added a coolant flush. They added a second set of diagnostics just like the ones I had just received. And they seriously believed I was going to pay $1600 for a job that AT THE DEALERSHIP wouldn't cost me more than $600!

I explained to guy #1 that I had brought with me my service bill from the first time I had the alternator replaced. See, $350. He just said, "Huh...Can I make a copy of that?" I told him go right ahead, and that maybe it will help them because not everyone would be like, "Okay, sure I'll pay $750 for this job." He just shrugged.

A brief exchange to pay for the diagnostics later, I was taking my car home.

No attempt to make things right.
No apology or explanation for trying to rip me off so heinously.
No effort to make adjustments or offer alternatives or suggestions.
Absolutely one of the lamest, most unfulfilling service experiences I've ever had.

Lessons and Resolutions?

Perhaps they would have treated my husband better. Maybe it's just the paranoia from being treated poorly at service stations for years and years, but it's hard to get away from that feeling.

Things I secretly knew about before I brought my car in to them:

1. You don't need to remove the PS pump on that car to get to the alternator. You can go in through the passenger side wheel well. A good tech with a lift can do the whole job in about 45 minutes.

2. I'm not really all that worried about the temperature sensor. In my car, running the AC switches on that aux fan, and I'll certainly be using the AC. However, malfunctioning can make the engine run a little screwy, and consequently also won't be good for gas mileage. Also, I don't think there's anything wrong with the thermostat. I'm pretty sure all I've got is a bad connector.

3. Yes, the alternator may have been overcharging a little. But it was a brand new battery. They do that sometimes when you put a new battery in because who knows how long that battery had been sitting on the shelf? It could have lost some charge and the alternator was trying to compensate a bit.

So I had to take a trip to NJ this weekend to see the family for my sister's suprise wedding shower. I told my dad about the whole thing. He was as shocked and appalled as I was, but glad that I stood up for myself.

We tested the voltage: 14.1 v.

The alternator WAS still making a whining sound though. He bought an alternator from Napa for $95, and we put it in. My final cost? A couple of hours of tech support for his computers!

I still will need to get that temperature thing fixed, but I'd go back to the dealership before I'd go back to that shop...

The world stops when you don't leave the house.

Or at least it seems that way.

I work from home most days. This means great things for us: we save on gas money and/or me eating lunch out, I get a few chores and errands done sometimes in between job tasks, (it only takes a second to throw a load of laundry in), I can have dinner ready when Craig gets home from work, etc.

But there's a crazy amount of isolation that happens when you just don't SEE people. Sure I call and email people all day long. But I've always been a much bigger fan of face-to-face interaction.

Craig and I both have issues with the phone. I would rather drive over to a store to see what they've got than call them up and wait for some (usually clueless or ill-tempered) person to check on something for me. I would take a face-to-face meeting over a conference call any day. I'm working on getting over my issues, because in my business I have to, but it's still a challenge.

I had a nice breakfast meeting with my boss's boss last Thursday. It seems our team is going to be "restructured." It's possible we will have to reapply for our jobs. Some people, based on their previous performance, will be "less eligible" than others. If she and I had just had a phone call, I don't think it would have been the same meeting. She had prepared a little presentation handout to show me that kind of explained the whole thing. It was much easier to look her in the face and ask questions, and really gauge her response, than it ever would have been to gather all that over the phone.

So back to the original point... What if you don't see people for days and days? You end up in your own little bubble. Your own little self-referential hidey hole. A comfort zone of sorts where everything else outside of that is put on hold. It will still be there when you come out, and nothing will have changed.