The Threshold of the Lion's Den

Have you ever brought a vehicle into the service area and suddenly felt as if you were about to begin a trek into a lion's den? Well, it happened to me - again. But this time, I decided to turn and run the other way.

It all started with a new customer and his 1997 Cadillac Eldorado. The owner of the Cadillac had dropped it off the night before with the complaint of a brake noise and also a growling noise from the engine. In addition, the customer had given our service advisor his aftermarket warranty contract and instructed us to call the warranty company with any questions. The customer also mentioned that they did not want to go back to the Cadillac dealer where they had purchased both the car and the warranty. Having had enough bad experiences with aftermarket warranty adjusters for one lifetime, let's just say I was not thrilled about gaining this new service prospect.

My brother was on vacation the day the car came in so I was in charge and "calling the shots" in the service department. Now, in the early afternoon, I finally had a technician free and told him to test drive the Caddy. Our technician came back reporting that the rear brakes were pulsating but no brake noise was audible. In addition, the growling noise coming from the engine compartment was loud and noticeable with the car idling. The technician drove the Caddy into his repair bay.

After about 20 minutes the technician came over to me to ask if I could "listen" to the Caddy. The technician could not determine the source of the noise. The growling noise was coming from the passenger's (drive belt side) of the engine. While the car was idling, I took the technician's stethoscope and listened to various engine components. To me, the growling noise seemed similar to other General Motors (GM) cars with faulty water pumps and alternators. However, this vehicle had the NorthStar engine, so we ruled out the water pump because it is on the driver's side. 

Even after listening to the power steering pump, alternator and drive belt tensioner, I still could not determine any one component that was louder than the others. I thought of having the technician remove the drive belt, but because of the lack of access around the NorthStar, that seemed like a project. A subsequent search of our service information provider's database revealed 265 different service bulletins on this vehicle. That's when it hit me. I was now standing at the threshold of the lion's den.

I began to envision the scary and aggravating chain of events that was about to unfold: I would call the warranty company and tell the warranty adjuster that we could hear the engine noise but the true cause was still unknown. The adjuster would tell me to determine the cause and get back to them with an estimate. Now, I would have to call the customer and explain that we may have to try a tensioner, alternator and perhaps a power steering pump to find the cause. I knew that I would wind up between the warranty adjuster and the customer. 

After a history of dealing with warranty adjusters, I knew that whatever part we decided was faulty had better "fix" the problem. Warranty adjusters don't care if the problem is difficult or hard to find. Pick the item you think is the cause and replace it. If you guess right, you're off the hook. If you guess wrong, the warranty company pays for that repair and now they're off the hook. 

Now, when that happens, I am now on the hook explaining to the customer that we have to try something else and the warranty company has fulfilled their duties on this complaint. Problem is, who pays for the next repair? Unlike the healthcare industry, the automotive warranty companies don't pay twice to correct the same complaint. You can also bet that the customer is not going to want to pay now. Then again, neither is the shop. I knew that these were shark-infested waters, and I was certainly not going there.

I turned to the technician and said: "Close the hood and put the vehicle outside." I wrote up the invoice as: "Unable to repair due to lack of underhood access and multiple locations of noise."

After the service advisor informed the customer of the non-repair, he came flying down and was pretty upset with me. I explained the situation clearly and honestly and suggested that he go back to his selling dealer or seek out another Cadillac dealer. I also suggested the local Buick/GMC dealership as they do a lot of work on GM cars.

Later, I found out that the customer had called the Buick/GMC dealer and was told that they did not have the special tools and training to work on the NorthStar engine. I had forgotten that the NorthStar requires special tools that Cadillac dealers have. Another good reason I could have given ... had I remembered.

In closing, I will say that after 20 years at this, I can think back and remember when the automotive industry used to be fun. It is such a technical industry now. You have owners and warranty adjusters that have no clue as to the difficulties in component access - let alone the difficulties of electronic diagnostic testing on modern-day cars. Perhaps I am getting too jaded with the automotive repair industry. I am just way too tired of being sandwiched in the middle, only to wind up getting burnt at both ends. Tired of getting screamed at and tired of having to do jobs for free to satisfy the customer when the warranty company and everyone else can't.

Nope, not me, not anymore. I am staying away from the lion's den. Just send me more of the gravy work, please.

Oh, by the way, I am looking for a local shop to partner with. A local shop that we can sublet work to. A shop that I can send certain vehicles to. Like the one I have with the A/C leak that no one else can find. Then there is the Buick that stalls about every two months. Some of these customers have aftermarket warranties, so you just have to call the 800 number for authorization.

What . . .  no takers? I didn't think so. Can't say I that blame you.

Good luck and be sure to watch out for the lion.