>Fixing your car is never fun, and it always costs more than what you imagine. I am guessing that repairing a car is actually cheaper in Chile than in the USA since the labor cost is about half, or at least significantly less than in the USA. After-market car parts (not the original manufacturer’s parts) also seem to be relatively cheap in Chile. However, even if repairs are cheaper, the quality of service might not be the same.
For instance, I just had a clutch replaced (manual transmission) and a bunch of other services done to my car: oxygen and heat sensors, shock guards and bearings, filters, etc. The car was making some awful noises prior to the repair. After all was done, and after I waited in the waiting room 3 hours while they “finished up” way beyond the promised time (thankfully they had PCs with internet for customers in the waiting room), I got a car in much better working order.
Soon after I got on the road, I heard odd noises and at one time smelled what seemed to be burning plastic while driving the car. So I called the Goodyear mechanic’s supervisor and explained the symptoms. He asked me to bring the car back in.
I did so about 48 hours later and the car was actually driving pretty well by then. Maybe it was one of those self-correcting mechanical problems? Didn’t seem logical.
While I was at Goodyear the mechanic opened the hood and began to shake the car and watch things in the motor. Suddenly, he ran off to get some wrenches and started tightening bolts near a fluid container and maybe some things around it. The thing looked pretty loose. He turned the wrench about 8 times on each bolt.
I had no time for him to finish up his inspection looking for other problems. So I left for work and then went back that afternoon. I let them have at it for 90 minutes while I did some preparation for writing an academic article. Occasionally I glanced outside from the waiting area and saw that the car had been hoisted up and a wheel was off. No one was around so I went out to the service bays area and asked the supervisor what was going on. He informed me that the mechanic had run out to get a part (30 minute trip). So I went back inside and waited.
Just a couple minutes before closing, the supervisor came and handed me my keys and announced that they had “tightened” everything up on the front end, apparently from the wheels and axle to the motor, and that doing so was usually necessary after performing a clutch, shock, sensors, and other services. I had no doubt. Things that are loose should be tightened. That seemed logical. And he must have been right since the car still drove well after the service was done, other than friction noise for the right font wheel when driving on the highway (perhaps a caliper touching?).
What I did wonder was why the nut tightening was not done in the first place instead of obligating me to come back a couple days later to finish the job. Who knows? I think the moral of the story is that when getting mechanical work done on your car in Chile, be sure to ask the mechanic to tighten all the nuts before you drive off!
{ 1 comment }
2010-03-31
