Smell that "new" car smell. Translation: what a load of......

[SavannahLion]

So the day finally came and limped our family hauler and traded it in for a newish one. I hate spending money like that but whatever, better to have a reliable carbon hauler than to leave my carbon units by the side of the road.

So we notice, after a day or two, the defroster was only defroster half the window. We got a no holds barred guarantee on the vehicle for the first 90 days so we called it in. Service dept blew us off.

So we called the salesman and he looked at it and agreed to a service order. Next day he calls us to say the non-working portion of the defroster was actually the radio antennae. Say what So this bastard is telling me the defroster and the antennae is integrated. "Nope", he says, they're separate wiring. So the manufacturer places the antennae smack dab in the upper half of the rear window? I smelled the ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow--- right through the phone.

The service center actually told him this was the antennae and my fiance should check my user manual. I stepped in on the call and called ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---. Told him to give me 5 minutes and I'll call him back.

Step 1: Evo + Google = radio antennae parts list and diagram.

Step 2: double check vent window wiring. Confirmed.

Step 3: double check rear defroster wiring. No antennae. Confirmed.

So another phone call back and the poor bastard went silent when I told him I located the wiring diagram and knew the antennae is not in the back window and most definitely not integrated into the defroster.

He told me to give him 5 minutes and he'll call me back. 

Before I even have a chance to load up BYOAC, he's back on the phone telling me to bring the vehicle in.

Good thing I stepped in. My fiance was all ready to roll over and take that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- -tactic answer.

[danny_galaga]

Wow, were you served a load of BS or what!?!?! how ---smurfy--- that they would argue about anything that stops working on your new car. It's all part of your new car, isn't it? Arguing about the kneebone being connected to the legbone or whatever is just really disingenuous.

If you have any farmer friends, you ought to arrange for a cubic metre or so of a nice steaming pile of 'new car smell' to be dumped on their doorstep  

[lilshawn]

my wife called in to a parts store for a power steering pump for our 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. the questions about the year/make, no problem but the question regarding engine size she had no clue. guy says "well i don't see anything here,  looks like you have to go to the dealer to get it."

souns like grade "a" plop to me... so I google up the part number, then look it up on a wrecker site... it's the same pump used as far back on about a 20 (TWENTY) different vehicles since 2001    oh...and the grand caravan... only has 2 motors BOTH 3.3L (the other one is flexfuel... that 88% ethanol stuff) so mechanically they are identical.... and and AND AND!!!! yeah, the same power steering pump. 

[Gray_Area]

They want to sell you the car. They don't want to work on it on their dime. Good 'ol US of A.

[SavannahLion]

@lilshawn

Those parts stores are filled with morons. I wanted a new lens for my Nissan and they wanted to know everything from whether it was 4x4, engine size and even the damn seat type. It's a ---smurfing--- lens, same one used on every single vehicle of that model for about ten years.  its not like a sixties cruiser where they change the lens shape every six months.

[TOK]

my wife called in to a parts store for a power steering pump for our 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. the questions about the year/make, no problem but the question regarding engine size she had no clue. guy says "well i don't see anything here,  looks like you have to go to the dealer to get it."

souns like grade "a" plop to me... so I google up the part number, then look it up on a wrecker site... it's the same pump used as far back on about a 20 (TWENTY) different vehicles since 2001   oh...and the grand caravan... only has 2 motors BOTH 3.3L (the other one is flexfuel... that 88% ethanol stuff) so mechanically they are identical.... and and AND AND!!!! yeah, the same power steering pump. 

If you ever watch the process of parts lookup, its basically a series of 5 or 6 screens that narrows it down to your part. The parts guy has no control over that, and if he just guesses and is wrong he'll have issues with you and his employer for ordering the wrong part.
Chances are, if you were looking for parts for a Mustang or Camaro, he would have been able to work through it. Can't expect them to remember factoids on a thousand generic vehicles.

Think of it this way... If you worked at a music store, would you bother to remember the names of all the N'Sync albums? If someone came in asking for advice on N'Sync albums and wasn't sure which one to buy, would you assume they knew about music? 

[lilshawn]

I would be smart enough to go to the "N" section and look for them. :laugh2

But no, really? If all your missing is an engine size, and it pops up with a list to pick 1,2,3 or A,B,C etc... You'd see the 2 offered where identical.

After doing some reserch I found really the only differences between the regular fuel motor and the "flex fuel" (80% ethanol fuel) is different fuel system components. Due to the corrosive nature of ethanol on rubber and other plastics. They have to use different platics, and a different ROM in the computer to compensate... no worries, I'll just continue to have my wife call places, then do my business with the "honest" ones.

[Gray_Area]

Think of it this way... If you worked at a music store, would you bother to remember the names of all the N'Sync albums? If someone came in asking for advice on N'Sync albums and wasn't sure which one to buy, would you assume they knew about music?  

The people I've talked to in, at least indie, music stores have known so much about music they don't care for, it's impressive.