Car Dealer Blues.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I touched on this story in ZippyT's shitty day thread, but now I've got the whole story, I think.

Prolog~~A coworker owns a black 2002 Volkswagen Jetta VR6 with 81,2xx miles on it. Lots of highway driving. This guy is always well dressed and his desk and car are always impeccable. I mean the jacket on the back seat is carefully folded, now how many of you do that?

Act 1, scene1~~~So anyway the car dies and is towed to Garnet Volkswagen in Chadd’s Ford, PA. They tell him the Mass Airflow sensor crapped out, resulting in too much gasoline going into the catalytic converter, causing it to melt down, constipating the exhaust. Somewhere along the line the oxygen sensor also died, but it’s not clear as to when or why. Could have gone out with the Mass Airflow or as a result of it. Or it could have been caused by the cat meltdown.
Bottom line that will be $2400 please.
Now all these high ticket items are covered under the federally mandated emission system warrantee, right? Sorry pal, that ran out at 80k miles. You’re 1200 over, cash or Visa?

Act 1, scene2~~~Well there’s a silver lining to this cloud of gloom. The VW dealer is a Hertz Rental Car agent and they rent him a spiffy, brand new, arrest-me red, Mustang GT. Hot diggity!
That evening he goes to his brother’s house to show him the Mustang and look at the bro’s brand, spanking, new van.
Backing out of the driveway he massaged the side of the van with the Mustang, resulting in one maybe two chargeable accidents and $1000 total deductible. Oh, and a pissed off brother.

Act 2, scene1~ Back at the dealers he explains the customized Mustang, does the insurance paperwork and pays for his car.
Ouch, but now it’s all over.....heh, heh, heh.
His Jetta, which has not had a rattle or squeak for 81k, now sounds like a handful of silverware in a clothes dryer. U turn!
The service manager says that’s a broken exhaust hanger but they couldn’t replace it because it’s welded to the car. BUT, they are willing to weld it back together for $150. I have to tell you that the victim is easy going and very, very soft spoken....and unarmed. OK, all better now, but driving home it sounds like the mechanic is still under there with a large ball peen hammer.

Act2, scene2~~ Gosh son, you must have hit a whale of a pothole, you have a broken front spring. But it wasn’t broken when I brought it in. Well we didn’t break it...act of God...$500 please.
Driving home the victim notices the steering wheel isn’t straight. Now remember the folded jacket? He would know if the steering wheel had not been straight before, believe me. U turn!

You knocked my front end out of alignment when you replaced the spring. Nonsense, nothing we did could effect the alignment. HOWEVER, we will align the front end for only $250.
Now the victim, although still unarmed, is much less easy going and a whole lot less soft spoken.
Ok, ok, since you’re such a good customer, we’ll align it for free. Care to look at the new models while you wait?

So the car is home at last and the steering wheel is straight. (hopefully the wheels are too?) But it still rattles because whereas the factory exhaust system was as aligned and tight as well as German engineering could make it, the replacement is cobbled together of bits and pieces with lots (?) of clamps and I suspect, not welded.

Epilog~~~Today the victim told me he intends to write a letter to almost everyone in North America and Germany, so watch you mailbox, you may get one too.