Date:         Sat, 18 Aug 2001 23:41:30 -0700
Reply-To:     radish150 <radish150@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         radish150 <radish150@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      mechanical roulette
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

> Date:    Sat, 18 Aug 2001 19:04:22 -0700
> From:    gregg and allison
> Subject: 89 Vanagon engine misfires, coughs, backfires, won't idle
>
> I am a new proud owner of an 89 Westfalia. I do emphasize proud, but there
> is a large problem. I have spent roughly $2700 in repairs at the local VW
> dealership trying to get the engine to run the way it's supposed to. They
> first replaced the O2 sensor, one head gasket, cat converter, muffler.
> Allegedly, it ran great and passed the smog inspection. After driving around
> the block from the dealership, I noticed it was missing -- a lot. And, it
> was running very rough.

Wow, this sort of professional incompetence should not be tolerated. I hate to
say this, but as soon as a competent mechanic easily figures out what's wrong
with this vanagon, I'd sue their shoddy you-know-what and use that 2700$ for a
more productive purpose than  providing these people with training they should
already have.

I remember I recently had a toyota 4-runner that had a carburetor that was not
working right. I went to a little place that promised they were very familiar
with this sort of problem and promised an efficient diagnosis. As I watched it
became increasingly apparent that I was dealing with a complete idiot. After one
hour I of this agony they pronounced it fixed to up to the limits of the trucks
general state of tune (no difference what so ever) and I sputtered away gritting
my teeth in disgust. I then investigated more thoroughly the local mechanic scene
and found another place that made the same puffy chested claims of expertise that
the idiot shop did. The difference was that these people actually knew what they
were doing, and one half hour later they had PIN-POINTED the exact source of the
problem and I drove away with a perfectly running toyota for about 40 bucks
total.

Being someone who generally does 90% of my own mechanical tasks, it's become
obvious to me that the majority of mechanics I've ever dealt with, are either
hopelessly incompetent at least with respect to complex diagnosis, or brutally
ready to take advantage of the ignorance of the average car owner. I very much
advocate the use of this list to locate excellent and honest mechanics, and
patronize them with much loyalty. I also advocate vigorously taking lousy
mechanics to task for the louts that they are when you suffer at their irksome
hands. Automobile ownership is a very expensive thing, it should not be made
insufferably moreso for reasons like this.


Amen,
Mark...

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