Leaving car at dealer for service.....

[Robert1994]

I have to drop my car off at the local dealer
for some warranty work. I am having anxiety attacks about
doing this. This dealership does have a Viper "tech"
who went to class in 1995, but has not worked on
or even seen a Viper since then.
Can anybody suggest something that I can do to
ensure that the car will not be "violated" while it's
in their custody ?

 

[genXgts]

Short of not giving it to them and fixing the problem yourself, I would recommend taking digital pics of the car, take a dozen, in the parking lot of the dealership. Allow the background in on a few shots to reference the time frame. Bring the odometer into focus on a shot and have it signed off before leaving the car.

At least a little peace of mind if things go sour, and the dealership will be reminded the owner of this car being serious when the wash boy gets crafty with the key duplicater on his lunch hour!!

 

[Nexus-6]

I always leave a yellow post it note with the mileage written down stuck right to the speedo if I ever need dealer work done on any of my cars. They never miss this little reminder and they know that I've taken notice. I've not once received a car back with more than service bay to service garage mileage on it.

Also, I've always requested that they call me and have me present in/with the car if they've needed to road test it - most places will accommodate you if they do need to road test the car. If they say no, I'd walk - there's no reason they couldn't have you present other than the obvious reasons and they know this. "Uhh...my boss won't let me do that" is unacceptable. Service advisors can and will decide these sorts of things and if you find a good one, they will accommodate you.

Stick with the post-it in the short term and tell them that you'd like to tag along if the car needs to be road tested.

 

[Nexus-6]

Oh and speaking of wash boy - if you value your finish, tell them that they are not allowed under any circumstances to wash your car when finished! Do not let them wash it!!

 

[motor602]

Nexus is right, dont let them wash it unless you want to find an endless supply of swirl marks in your finish.

 

[Viper Wizard]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Robert1994:
Can anybody suggest something that I can do to
ensure that the car will not be "violated" while it's
in their custody ?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Robert,
Would you like me to fly out and fix your Viper?

 

[Don Hiltz]

My answer to the problem is to give the tech a gratuity up front. Remember, TIPS is an acronym meaning "To Insure Proper Service".

My tech also does not have a wealth of experience in Vipers. What he does have is the shop manual, excellent technical skills, and the knowledge that I have already given him some $$ to insure proper service.

It works for me!

 

[genXgts]

That's just it Don,

In my city of 250K and several DC dealerships not one even owns a shop manual for a Viper, which is scary to me. I had one at my door before I had the car.

You'll work on my car for a $100 an hour but not invest the same in a manual, right!!

Then I heard the same on a timing chain cover gasket set, with oil pan as well. On backorder, could be months or more, can't find any in North America. Told this repeatedly by several Five Star Professionals.

Called the Wizard and had my gaskets in three days.
I gave the locals a shot out of "geographic courtesy", first and last.

Good niche in my city taking care of highline cars with some pride and respect.......hmmmmm....

 

[Robert1994]

Thank you for the great advise. You can believe I'll
do the post-it and the photos.

Chuck, are you making house calls now ??
Aloha !

 

[Devin 97 Blue GTS]

Let me go down the list of what can happen to you in three weeks with a Viper Tech that has not worked on a Snake before or rarely

1- Snake goes inn for AC leak - Dealer Repair seals
2- Snake goes inn for AC leak again - Dealer puts dye in the system
3- Snake goes inn for water pump and AC leak - Dealer replaces the Evaporator and Water Pump
4- Snake goes inn for flooded passenger floor with Antifreeze –Dealer killed the heater core and air plenum box.
5- Snake goes inn to repair what the dealer had broken (couple of days wait for parts)
6- Snake goes inn for (guess??? - AC leak) - Dealer recharges AC system and claims equipment malfunction and that the dye was added –no leak
7- Snake goes inn to a NEW dealer WITH experienced techs for coolant leak which was a direct result for the pervious dealer and the AC leaks -New dealer found AC leak (the condenser) and coolant leak (pervious tech left hose loose)

 

[Nexus-6]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Devin 97 Blue GTS:
Let me go down the list of what can happen to you in three weeks with a Viper Tech that has not worked on a Snake before or rarely

1- Snake goes inn for AC leak - Dealer Repair seals
2- Snake goes inn for AC leak again - Dealer puts dye in the system
3- Snake goes inn for water pump and AC leak - Dealer replaces the Evaporator and Water Pump
4- Snake goes inn for flooded passenger floor with Antifreeze –Dealer killed the heater core and air plenum box.
5- Snake goes inn to repair what the dealer had broken (couple of days wait for parts)
6- Snake goes inn for (guess??? - AC leak) - Dealer recharges AC system and claims equipment malfunction and that the dye was added –no leak
7- Snake goes inn to a NEW dealer WITH experienced techs for coolant leak which was a direct result for the pervious dealer and the AC leaks -New dealer found AC leak (the condenser) and coolant leak (pervious tech left hose loose)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cringe....