Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 03:17:49 -0500
Reply-To: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Subject: Re: scammed? Idle stabilizer
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
So, Patrick, how many dollars of diagnosis do you throw at a 10 dollar Temp
II sender? Granted, the mechanic isn't privy to all the info on this
list(ad nauseum sometimes), I guess I'll tend to side with Ken on this one.
I sorta thought Ken made his living selling VW parts and working on aircraft
engines, and this VW service was more or less a thing to do when the
airplane stuff slowed down. But don't listen to me, I voted for Bill
Clinton 9 times(legally, no less).
Deborah Mathis, a black Op ed columnist in a local paper that went under
about 10 years ago, was chased down by the press when a local black activist
claimed she had an illegitimate child by Bill. When asked if she had ever
had sex with Bill, she replied,"If he'd had sex with me, he'd still be
smilin!'". I think that might a good definition of panache.
Dimwitted Moose and Flying Squirrel
-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Foltz <Pfunky@aol.com>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Thursday, September 07, 2000 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: scammed? Idle stabilizer
>In a message dated 9/7/2000 12:21:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>KENWILFY@AOL.COM writes:
>
> <<Subject: Re: idle stabelizer control unit solution?
> Unfortunately you have been scammed.>>
>Having just come back from visiting the shop I worked in for ten years, I
>have to take exception to this badmouthing of professional technicians.
It's
>a damn tough job on every front, and while there are some less than honest
>folks out there, for the most part they are honest and fair. Mr. Wilford
is
>hearing this second hand and seems to be making an awful lot of assumptions
>in his decision.
>
><< As far as the other two items, you, yourself could replace them in less
>than 30 mins (I could do both of these items in less than 10mins).>>
>So, what do you charge to install these items, 10 minutes labor? Also,
>having diagnosed many Bosch systems in my time, there is a fair amount of
>testing that needs to be done before condemning those parts. The temp
sensor
>should be checked over a wide range of temps, and testing an idle control
>unit and/or motor requires a good frequency meter to properly diagnose. It
>is reckless to throw parts at a car and hope they fix themselves and is
>considered unprofessional (kind of like badmouthing another technician's
work
>on word of mouth). Proper diagnosis takes time and a competent technician
>should, ney, must charge for his time. When was the last time anyone went
to
>the doctor and left without a bill?
>
>
><<both are pretty much plug and play. >> Diagnosis? or Parts Roulette?
>
> <<The temp sender is the only slightly less straightforward thing here.
You
>have to pull a clip, pop out the old one and pop in the new one quickly so
as
>not to lose coolant, but then you just plug it in and it is good to go.>>
>You're telling me that you would open up the cooling system of a
wasserboxer
>and let it go without warming it up and making sure there weren't coolant
>issues stemming from changing the temp sensor? You are brave.
>
>Sorry to flame you, Ken, I don't mean this as a personal attack, but that
>"mechanics are crooks" attitude is far too prevelant in the general public,
>and should not be carried by someone who makes his living working on cars.
>
>Patrick Foltz (12yrs Auto tech, ASE Master Cert, MACS, Virginia State
Insp,
>blah)
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