In the luxury car dealer, the cars are represented by two separate yet equally...

[Pupik]

...important groups: The salesmen who sell the cars and the service managers who write the repair orders.

These are their my stories.



1. Who's the genius?

Customer: The damn car you sold me doesn't start!
Me: Okay, do you need the car picked up?
Customer: Damn right I need it picked up, genius.
Me: Have you called Roadside Assistance?
Customer: Yes, they said it would be two hours. Can you send another tow truck?
Me: (Checking availability of our tow truck) I'll send someone down, do you have a safe location to be picked up?
Customer: [gives location] Yes. Now I want you to cover it under warranty.
Me: Well, we have to see what it is first, then I'll tell you if it's covered.
Customer: It was working fine, and then I filled it up at the gas station. After that, I started the car, it ran for about 5 seconds, and then it stopped. It wouldn't start again!
Me: Okay, be ready for a white tow truck, give him about 30 minutes or so to get down there (it was mid-day) and if you do leave the car, make sure you leave the car open with your keys in the ignition or sun visor. If you lock it, we can't take it.
Customer: Another thing! Can you fill the tank for me after you're done with it? This is so inconvenient for me, it's the least you can do for my trouble!
Me: Uh...didn't you just fill up?
Customer: Yes, but...you have to fix it!
Me: Of course, we can fix it. Then we can talk about filling it up afterwards.
Customer: Fine. How long does it take for something like this?
Me: I can't say until we know what it is.
Customer: Well I know what it is, damn it!
Me: (Rolling eyes...if they know, why do they take 5 minutes to spit it out!) Okay, what do you think it is...?
Customer: (meekly, compared to before) ...I put diesel in the gas tank by mistake.
Me: (pause) Um...you have to call your insurance company. We don't cover that under warranty, since it's not our mistake.
Customer: But it's not an accident!
Me: Then how did diesel get in your tank?
Customer: I...I'm not paying for it. You are!
Me: How did diesel get in your tank, again?
Customer: Why? There's no accident.
Me: Did you accidently put diesel fuel in your tank?
Customer: Yes...
Me: ...that would be an accident...right?
Customer: Okay.
Me: If you like, I can look up your insurance information, if we have it on file.
Customer: How much does it cost to repair it, if I don't go through my insurance?
Me: Anywhere from 800 to 2500 dollars. It can get expensive, depending on how much has to be replaced. Every incident like this is different.
Customer: (Quietly.) Never mind, I have the insurance cards right here. (Click.)



2. Losing one's cool(ant)?

We have a couple of "lube techs" that are new to working at a professional facility. They start with the basics of just oil changes, tire pressures and rotations, wheel balancing, and a few other checks on the car. They don't do any mechanical repairs, and as far as other fluids go, they will only top off some of them as necessary.

One day, a gentleman brought his fairly new $35,000 car for it's first service at 5,000 miles. It's a freebie for buying a new car. The lube techs drained the oil, and topped off all the fluids...except for the oil. Why? They managed to put coolant in there instead.

At the end of the service, there's an automated car wash, and the driver just slowly takes it though the wash. The car made it about 5 feet into the car wash, half-hanging in the wash, half outside of it. The engine just seized dead, and the car was stuck in gear. The car wash, meanwhile, is still running, because the car's hanging right on top of the mechanical starter mechanism for the car wash.

Everyone's freaking out; the lube techs, the valet who took the car in (he didn't do anything wrong), and the service manager who happened to be downstairs. I was a fairly safe distance away, and you could see everyone spazzing out over what to do next, as the manager yelled at someone to hit the emergency switch to stop all the car washes. Being a brand-new facility, it took about 3 minutes for someone to find it.

The techs are trying a push a car out of the wash, but there's soapy water everywhere, so they're all slipping around. The car won't move because the car wash rollers and rashers are stuck in the down position, waiting for a car to fully enter. Finally, the kill switch is found, and all the secondary power functions have ceased; two other cars are now stuck the car wash, and three cars are stuck on their lifts for 30 minutes while sort everything out.

The car was pushed to the main repair facility, where the real certified technicians work on cars with mechanical issues, or do major maintenance work. When the poor car finally managed to get onto a lift, the diagnostic specialist proclaimed that nothing came out of the drain plug but steam. The engine was entirely fried, short to long, top to bottom. A good deal of parts had to be replaced, and it took about 10-15 days to complete the repair and make sure it's working properly. But we covered the tab for repairs 100% and gave him a loaner car for entire time we had his car in the shop.

Needless to say, this particular customer has gotten quite a bit of free service since then...



3. Dude, where's my keys?

So I'm helping out a couple, who's come down south for the holidays. They brought their car down to us since it was time for service. They're nice people, and they came all they way down from Needham, Massachusetts, where my cousins lived. We make conversation, and I tell them the wait will be about 90 minutes. No problems...

The car's completed by the tech, the car's washed...so I go to check on the status of the car. I wanted to bring the car up front to them, to give it a personal touch. Instead, I can't find the keys. I figure the car washer is on the way with them.

Five minutes later, I figure he has a problem finding a parking space (common enough during the holidays).

Ten minutes later, I imagine he's taken a break or he's in the car listening to the radio.

I start to get a bit anxious after 15 minutes, since he's nowhere to be found.

Great...now I look stupid. So I concentrate on other things, and tell the nice couple that there's a little bit of delay with the car wash (More at: The car washer!) so it wil just take a bit.

After another 15 minutes, there's still no keys. Nobody has seen so-and-so, the other car washer.

I walked the lots in their entirety, and finally find their car. Of course, it's locked, so there's no chance of finding the spare. I finally give in to the realization that this key is really lost.

Or perhaps...the...key...is...with...the...damn...car...washer!?! Who also can't be found...

Since a new key is $300-400 for the LS 430, it's not coming out of my check. It didn't matter, since the key has to be ordered for that car. Smooth move.

I fess up that "we lost your key" (I'd never outright told a customer that before), and so I put them in a shiny new loaner car for the evening. I even called them to update them that "we still haven't found your key" later in the evening.

The following day, I check the key room as soon as it's unlocked. Sure enough, the missing key was there. It turned out the car washer left with the key in his pocket, a no-no of the highest order. Thankfully, he came back to work the next day, as car washers usually lasted about 3-4 weeks on average.

I call my customers back with joy, and although they're not happy, they're aren't exactly vitriolic towards me. I can understand their frustration, and I don't blame them, either.

Then, they tell me who they are: "We're you're cousins next door neighbors." After I look at the names on the repair order, it makes sense. Ohhhhhhhh.....

(Guess who has to hear about this incident twice a year...)

 

[exigeracer]

Customer:I put diesel in the gas tank by mistake..)

"I think I'm going to be sick."

 

[Sage]

… and thus why, after working one summer in the service industry, I’m never doing it again. You’re a braver man than I am, Josh.

 

[Giancarlo]

So, should i never buy a Lexus?

 

[TopHat]

Yes. Buy a Cadillac and save the poor man some work.

 

[land sea air]

Pupik has anyone ever asked you how much a new 710 cap will cost since they lost their original?

 

[Kylehnat]

1. Who's the genius?

People are morons. I once had a lady yell at me for 15 minutes, until she realized that she had called the wrong company.

2. Losing one's cool(ant)?

I would be absolutely furious if that happened to me. Please hire people with half a brain.

3. Dude, where's my keys?

Always a good idea to give the service people your spare/valet key.

Good stuff, Pupik! 👍. Customer service is an experience, for sure...

 

[Sage]

So, should i never buy a Lexus?

Yes. Buy a Cadillac and save the poor man some work.

Actually, he works at the big H now (no, not Hyundai – that’s the big H), so you can go buy as many Lexii as you want.

 

[Wolfe]

Employee-customer conversations like the one in #1 are a daily occurance for me and my coworkers -- I'm sure they are with most service industry jobs. Of course, getting someone to admit that they put their tokens in the wrong coin slot, or that they just don't know how to play the game, is significantly easier than getting someone to admit that they screwed up their car by putting the wrong kind of fuel in it, and that they'll be the ones paying for it.

If it makes you feel better, I'm sure you're not the only one that got an earful from that situation. A friend of mine works at a truck stop, and he's been hassled by customers about the same stupid mistake. I'd be willing to bet that the gas station attendant was the one who had to explain to Mr. Genius what happened. Only then did he decide to call you.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Great read! Thanks for finally spilling some of the stories you talked about before, all that typing was worth it in my books. + rep for a great thread! 👍

 

[Vasco]

Voted a 5, it's good to see a nice story thread here!

 

[Pupik]

Pupik has anyone ever asked you how much a new 710 cap will cost since they lost their original?

It's one of the few Lexus parts that costs under $10. But I'm sure they're working on a new, high-tech one for future models that will run $50 or so.

And .2 in flat-rate labor time.

 

[///M-Spec]

Funny stories. Very well told. Thanks for sharing them 👍


M

 

[Venari]

Here's a good one.

I'm working for a Ford-group company. Ford keys are unusual (I think) in that any Ford key will lock any Ford barrel, but you need the right key to unlock it.

So, we give the job of locking the cars in the backlot to 'the kid', and he comes back and tells us this little gem which he just 'learned' a couple of cars in when he had swapped a set of keys by accident and locked car 3 with car 2's keys.

"Cool" says I. "So you've locked 20 cars, and you have three sets of keys. Where are the other 17 sets?"

"In the cars, I suppose."

"And how are you going to get them?"

"Uh..." *realization dawns* "Oh, sh...."

 

[Joey D]

This thread needs this before anything else is said....

Doink doink

Now that that's out of the way, I must say these were very enjoyable reads and I understand what your are going through except when I deal with service it's people bringing in broken antiques. I don't think it matters what industry you are in, there will always, always, always be morons.

 

[Pupik]

"Cool" says I. "So you've locked 20 cars, and you have three sets of keys. Where are the other 17 sets?"

"In the cars, I suppose."

"And how are you going to get them?"

"Uh..." *realization dawns* "Oh, sh...."

I managed to lock the keys of a customer's car in the ignition once. It's not supposed to happen, of course! I was there about three months, still an assistant at the time. It was waiting to be washed, and I received a call to come up front by my boss. (He was hiring for promotions at the time, which I got!)

Of course, I left the car running, and locked the via the door switch just as I'm leaving it, kind of pointlessly, but my last two cars didn't have remote operation or power locks, so I sort of did so naturally. The Toyota/Lexus "way" means it shouldn't lock. For some reason, hers did, although I didn't know it at the time.

So I did the mini-interview, and I'm told by my writer to check up on a car. Of course, I get out there, and 5-6 guys are trying to figure out how to move the one car that's now blocking about 20 others from being washed properly.

I offered to take the customer to her home, where she knew she had a spare key. She's crying, because she normally always keeps her other key in her purse. I felt bad, because it certainly wasn't her fault. Anyhow, we opened the car, filled up the tank for her troubles, and off she went. Nobody knew who locked the car, and the incident was forgotten about.

One of the assistants eventually became a "booker", someone who finalizes, records, and files the repair orders among other things (warranty administration, purchase orders, et cetera). Two-and-a-half years later, she recounted about how funny it was that one car was holding up every other car for about 90 minutes that day, and that every other car needed a hand wash because of it.

I fessed up that I'd caused that incident, and never admitted it. Since only about four of the original assistants remained, we all had a good laugh!

Lesson here is to not wash someone else's car if you're about to do an interview, although you may get the job anyhow.



5. If a loaner car crashes in the woods, and nobody hears it...is it truly alone?

Our service loaners are well-maintained, new cars that are kept spotless. We stand by the quality of the product by offering one for qualifying service repairs, so you can get on with your day. It's a great idea, and it's one of the main reasons people would bring their car to us.

Ideally, the customer would sign for the car, drive it, return it, and it would be ready for the next customer. About 100 people would get into every loaner car through out a year's time, and then it would be retired out into the pasture (sold as a used car or Pre-Owned if in good shape). We'd put gas in the cars, mount tracking devices, and maintain them to the letter, wash and detail them, and occasionally cannibalize them for parts if absolutely, positively, couldn't get something overnight. As for the rest...

One day, a customer accidentally left her house keys on a service writer's desk, and left with her car. Of course, she's about an hour away, so we send an assistant who we nick-named "Cornbread" since he usually crumbled under any sort of pressure. He was the sort to run to the back and have a smoke, or to the lounge anytime more than two cars appeared in the service drive. His fallibility meant more work for the rest of us, and he'd get paid nearly the same amount. We couldn't stand him, and he never hesitated to waste my time with bad jokes and occasionally jumped in my seat right in front of customer, so he could look at Not Very Funny or non-work-safe web sites.

Cornbread was nominated to deliver the keys since he made the mistake of getting caught in the lounge for the third time in as many hours by our fixed-operations manager. By then, it's 5:30pm, and he's got to deal with rush-hour traffic, not to mention, his day ends at 7:30. Ol' Corny was naturally the type to leave vapors if you looked up towards his post at 7:29pm. So we send him out in a loaner ES 330, which was only about 3 months old.

He races to the lady's house, and races back. About three miles from home base, he went orbital. The car looks like it was pressed by a gigantic George Foreman Grill. The windshield was blown out, almost all the side glass was shattered, and all corners of the car appear to be impacted. There's even a well-formed corner that perfectly fits the shape of a guardrail barrier. Stone bits of tarmac and even yellow paint granules managed to get inside the car.

The whole mess of the car came to a halt upside-down, and Cornbread was pretty much okay (by his definition), except when he released the seatbelt, he fell head-first onto the roof (which is now another man's floor). He got a little scrape on his head for it. Corny went to the hospital to have his boo-boo checked out, since he was technically on the clock. "I was hit by another car", he said the following day. We saw the remains of the car the next day, and I notice that the only paint on the car is the existing Crystal White (Color code 062), and some yellow road paint on places that no other car could possibly hit.

Later on, my boss asked me to check the tracking device information on the web site. That's right, if you drive Big Brother's car, Big Brother is going to ask Little Brother-in-law to check up on you. The telltale black box records everything, and has a GPS device, and it's wired to the ECM of our loaners. Heck, we can even install it on any OBD-II enabled car you wish. It even records the final 48 hours of the car's information. In this case, we were able to see that the final moments of LOR #B413: Cornbread overshot the runway and landed at 101 mph!

Naturally, after failing the drug test required of a workman's compensation claim...Cornbread was shown the door.

 

[Omnis]

Damn, all of this was at JM Lexus? And you're with Honda now?

 

[Pupik]

Damn, all of this was at JM Lexus? And you're with Honda now?

Oh, I'm not saying any names.

6. It's not about the money, right?

A man comes in with his wife with his car. He's got about 20,000 miles on the car. He bought it "up north", so type in all the vehicle and personal information.

Customer: Hello, I'm due for service.
Me: Okay, let's see the miles...alright, you're due for the 20,000 mile service (I point to the service menu) which includes the oil and filter change, a tire rotation, check tire pressures, clean the engine air filter, clean the A/C filter, check brakes, check belts, check hoses, check suspension, and check for any underbody damage. (Trust me, many of these old coots, rich impatient types, and over-aggressive soccer moms hit all kinds of stuff because they're on medication or impatient, or both.) We'll even wash the car.
Customer: Fine, fine. I'll do it.
Me: Do have any other concerns or questions? (Rule #1: Never say problems. They'll talk to you for days about nothing to do with the car.)
Customer: Yeah. I'm getting a rumbling and shaking when I'm on the highway. At around 60 mph and up.
Me: You may need a wheel balance, because of the way the tires could be wearing. If you like, we can balance all four tires just $34.95; it only takes another 20 minutes?
Customer: Okay, fine.

He agrees to perform the 20,000 mile service ($99.95) and the wheel balancing ($34.95). I explain to him everything that will be done, tell him what the charges are, and he signs the paperwork, and I give him a copy of it. Simple enough, right?

The car's done in an hour or so. This guy is a little off-kilter, a middle-aged man dressed in an undershirt and shorts, with black socks and sandals. Hey, I have no right to call people weird, anyhow. His wife his nice, I see her first, tell her the car is ready, and I cash her out and explain the bill. She's just about to hand over the credit card, but she calls for her husband just before doing so.

He ambles by, sits down and looks at the bill.

Customer: WHAT! I didn't authorize this! I wanted an oil change, and a complimentary tire rotation.
Me: Huh? You agreed to this service (point to the service menu) and you also agreed to have to wheels balanced, which is stated right here on the repair order.
Customer: No, I wanted an oil change.
Me: You get an oil change with the 20,000 mile service. See? (pointing to service menu)
Customer: Since you had the car in the air, you should have had the guy rotate the tires as a complimentary service!

At this point, I'm wondering how one agrees to do one thing, but then wants something different, and for less money. That's equivalent to breaking an agreement, which is a form of lying. If you want to justify paying less, tell me before agreeing to the repairs. Don't sign somehtnig unless you're satisfied.

Me: Excuse me, you agreed to these repairs (pointing to signature and dollar amount), and we don't rotate tires for free.
Customer: Why?!?
Me: The technician doesn't get paid to do free work, but that's besides the point: You agreed to have all this work done at this price, which is exactly what we charge everybody else. That's why we have service menus, so everyone pays the same amount.
Customer: Oh, I know about technicians. They're union members, so they have to work.
Me: What? No, they get paid the same amount for the same work. And none of them are union members, as far as I know.
Customer: Of course they are, the unions run the country. They're the reason prices are so high!

At this point, I'm looking around for a cuckoo clock. I hear one, but I just don't see one.

Me: Okay, unions have nothing to do with the fact you agreed to pay 144.05 today, and I'm not charging you for anything else. You're paying for what you agreed to do, and for the exact amount (I always quote with sales taxes included, so nobody can bitch later on...it takes an extra ten seconds to multiply by 1.06).
Customer: You're charging me so much, I'll have no inheritance! (He stands up from his seat, and starts shouting.) I've got no money left, kids! I can't die nowwwww! (Other people are turning their heads, and peering into my office.)
Me: (Trying not to laugh or get angry, but really trying hard not to laugh.) Listen, you're spending the same amount any other Lexus owner pays, so...
Customer: (shouting)...they should have rotated the tires for free! And what's this wheel balance? If they're balancing the wheels, the rotation should be free and if you're rotating the tires, the balancing should be free...it takes two minutes to do balance four tires! (No it doesn't, you twit.)
Me: So your logic is that both cancel each other out, so they should both be free? That's absurd, and we don't run that kind of business here. We only do what the car needs, if it doesn't need it, it shouldn't be done, and we don't charge you for things like that. We know your time's important (a great line to drop in so they get the idea to leave you alone) so we don't do things that waste time or are unnecessary.
Customer: Damn unions! (?) They waste time! I know, I once belonged to one. (??) They pay you well, quite well, but the customer pays an arm and a leg to buy from for them, so the customer gets it it return. (His wife is silently motioning to him to pay the damn bill and not make such a childish scene...the poor lady.) Is your manager around?
Me: Yeah, I'll get him.

Finally, a break from this madness! Of course, people are looking at me, and boss-man is only a few steps away. I warned him that this guy is really unstable, and becoming a nuisance.

Boss: (Cheerily [He's good at that.]) Hello! How are you!
Customer: I'm not paying this. I just wanted an oil change, and he tells me all this is what I have to pay.
(Boss turns and looks at me)
Me: Well, he said he wanted the service (I point again), he said his car is shaking on the highway, so I suggested these services.
Customer: Well, I won't deny that. (Okay, so what is your major malfunction, then?) I want $20 off because they had to take the tires off anyhow.
Boss (to customer): Even though that's part of the service?
Customer: Yes...And this isn't about the money! I made good money as a carpenter.
Boss: So, then you don't have any problem with the quality of the work or how you've been treated?
Customer: Well, these prices are insane. It's all the damn people running this world that are squeezing me dry!
Boss: Uh...
Customer: ...the Irish and the Jews, and the...
Boss: ...I'm Irish-Catholic, thank you very much.
Customer: (apologetically) Oh! I didn't mean that! It's the same god, you know? Blah blah blah...
Boss (whispers to me): ...Get this s***-**** out of my store. Take 20 dollars off and kick him in the rear, if you can.
Me: Will do.
Customer's wife: I'm so sorry about this. (Hands over credit card.)
Me: It's not your fault. Just don't let him drive home.
Customer's wife: I won't.

 

[Roo]

Save all these up and right a book, because these are great.

 

[DustDriver]

@ story n°6:
Got to remember that:
Go to a dealer where you normally don't go, make a scene and get a discount for doing so

 

[land sea air]

I've always wanted to be a service adviser at the local MB dealer but stories like these make me realize I would probably end up in jail

 

[Gil]

I wish I could tell you it's better in other field....

I wish I could, but I can't.

 

[Pupik]

I wish I could tell you it's better in other field....

I wish I could, but I can't.

The difference is, you actually deal with the "life-or-death" situations. My hat goes off to you, Gil.

But, I thought I'd share a few laughs out of my time and stress.

 

[Joey D]

These stories are priceless entertainment for a long boring day at work.

 

[Gil]

The difference is, you actually deal with the "life-or-death" situations. My hat goes off to you, Gil.

But, I thought I'd share a few laughs out of my time and stress.

Dude, those stories are priceless!

I have a few of my own:

Like the lady who doesn't want to be escorted to the bathroom by a man.
You want to be a diplomat?
Figure out how to explain that her saggin' baggy butt is of little interest to you, without offending her sense of self.
The same woman, later tried to set me up with a social worker she knew.
When I told her I had a wife already, she said "What your wife don't know won't hurt you"
Turned out ok though. The lady she wanted to intro me to was my wife.👍

Then there was the guy who was to embarrased to have an aide help him with a shower. Seems he didn't want to be seen naked.
Well, after he fell off the shower chair, it took about four of us to lift his big, wet, soapy, slippery, ass off the floor.
Guess his "modesty plan" backfired.

There was also a stubborn man I knew that went to see his orthopedic doc for a follow up after having a hip replaced. The door to the doc's office closed too quickly, knocking him down, and broke his hip. Again.
Not to be outdone, when he got out of the hospital, he went for his six-week follow-up on the re-replaced hip.
Same doc. Same door. You guessed it! That door knocked him down for a trifecta!

 

[Pupik]

7. The Service Paradox

Maintenance is fairly simple in my region of the county: Bring it in every 5,000 miles. Your neighbor's other brand of car might only have to go in every 10,000 miles, or maybe you brought it in every 7,500 when you lived up north or in the country, but for hot, humid, stoplight-every-quarter-mile South Florida, it's every 5,000 miles. Easy enough, you could do the calculations in your head after peeking at the odometer.

However, there's a few people who don't listen. Sometimes, we're nice, since there's been issues with certain 3.0-liter Toyota/Lexus V6 motors if people don't change the oil on time. Let me repeat that for those of you who Googled this, if you don't follow the manual, or you "miss" an oil change, you will gel your engine oil, and sludge the short block. Failure to read your manual is not an excuse, but sometimes we're nice enough to throw the customer a one-time bone (meaning $1000-6000 in free repairs) if you've at least tried to fix the car right, or just made one mistake.

There have been exceptional cases, where engines had this problem at high-mileage (around 90K-120K miles), and all oil changes were done (almost always at an outside facility), but they were rare in my experience. My guess is that the oil change was either never performed (even though the customer was charged) or the oil filter wasn't replaced; sometimes we'd see copies of receipts in the car (we need them to help you with a claim) and a Toyota filter still in place under the car.

So what about the non-V6 engines? These engines had far less problems; even if you missed an single oil change, it would still be strong enough to recover, if properly maintained. But what if you miss more than one...well, it's not a cheap repair, but it's possible to clean the motor with aftermarket additives and oil flushes (something I've only recommended twice in my career, and they worked in both cases).

Then there's two cases that took the cake: Back in 2004, we had an SC 430 owner who loved her car; loved to drive it, loved to put the top down, loved to show off the car to her friends. Save for needing a set of tires (which she claimed her husband had replaced for her), the car ran beautifully. One day, the car stopped while she was driving on the turnpike. It smoked and stopped dead, all she could do was pull over and call a tow truck. The tow truck brought us the car, since we were closest. The rear of the red car was dusty black. However, we noticed the "Free 1,000 Mile Service or 30 Days" sticker was faded, but still intact on the windshield.

Long ago, we used to have a free 1,000 mile service for all cars. The point of the service was to "check out the car" (read: top off washer fluid and adjust the tire pressures). However, the main reason for the "service" was to gauge how people felt about the car, so if they had any complaints or questions or flaws, they'd ask us if such-and-such was normal, or okay, or what have you. About 90% of your 1K customers had no problems, maybe a question or two that had nothing to with the car, and on a rare occasion they did notice a genuine problem, you took care of their problem masterfully. It was all free, and they'd get a car wash and free gift for coming in. Nobody resented bringing in the car so early, we'd do our thing, and remove the 1000 mile service reminder sticker from the windshield. We'd also prep them for the 5,000 mile service (also a freebie) as to get them acclimated to coming in every 5,000 miles, hand them a service menu, et cetera.

But back to our SC 430; we get the keys and turn on the ignition. It won't turn over But we look at the mileage: It was 41,000 miles. No history of oil changes in our computer, the national database, or anything in the glove box. The engine is toast, the transmission fluid was non-existent, and required replacement as well. The tab came to $27,000 for the new engine, transmission, and everything else missed . Mind you, you could buy a one-or-two-year-old IS 300 (at the time) for that money, or 39 months of lease payments on a nicer new car, out the door.

A few years later, someone brought their LX 470 in with smoke coming from the exhaust. The truck also had around 41,000 miles, and like the red car mentioned above, the 1000-mile service sticker was still visible on the windshield. Again, owner never changed the oil. Interestingly, the 1,000 mile service disappeared around December 2004, so we can't even remind them when the car and owner is new. Sigh.

In both cases, the customer said nearly the same thing: "The car never had any problems, so I never thought about bringing it in." A bit of a paradox, I'd say. So don't let anyone tell you these cars aren't damn strong or reliable, except in extreme cases of ignorance.

 

[Duke]

My wife's friend's husband just put diesel into her 10,000-mile-old CRV. She said by the time he got home from the gas station, it would only go 5 mph, and the catalytic convertor was glowing hot enough to show red in broad daylight.

One wonders how people make that mistake, since the diesel nozzle is designed to be too large to fit in a gasoline car...

 

[Pupik]

One wonders how people make that mistake, since the diesel nozzle is designed to be too large to fit in a gasoline car...

In some pumps, yes it is. But I've been told by several people that the diesel nozzles aren't 100% standardized anymore; some use the same, or nearly the same, diameter nozzle as gasoline, so it will fit the car's filler neck.

 

[TopHat]

Which is really, really stupid.

 

[lpb-nissan-gt-r]

Wow we need more stories.