Have
you ever worked on a car where the customer's main complaint is trivial
compared to other obvious safety problems? Sure you have. It happens
often. One customer complains of a noise over bumps, yet driving the car
reveals a brake pull so sever it that it causes the car to change lanes.
Another customer complains of a loud exhaust, but the engine skips so
violently it barely makes it into the shop.
One
thing that does seem to be a pattern with these customers is that they are
usually driving bombs. Let's face it, some people just don't have the
money or don't want to spend the money on repairs. Sometimes I will have
to inform the customer that their car is unsafe for me to test drive. Just
because a customer may feel the urge to gamble with his life doesn't mean
I'm going to roll the dice on mine.
Those
are all interesting real-life scenarios, but this latest one takes the
cake. Strangest part about this story is that the car was not a junk. A
customer with a 1999 Subaru Wagon came in with a complaint of various
front-end noises. A test drive by our technician did not reveal any
obvious noises other than a possible brake noise. All the wheels were
removed and the brakes and rotors were measured.
The
brake inspection revealed both good and bad news. The bad news was the
Subaru's brakes were gone both front and rear. The good news was the
rotors were still ok. I figured the customer would be somewhat relieved
that we found a brake problem and how it could be corrected before
damaging the rotors. Instead, the customer wanted to "discuss it with
the wife" and get back to me later. (A husband's hallmark excuse to
avoid making a repair decision.)
He
also had asked me to check the condition of the exhaust while the car was
on the lift. The customer was concerned about the mid-pipe, which he
claimed someone had recently welded for him. In addition, he wanted an
estimate on the pipe's replacement.
