Put a new battery in my '99 Honda Accord. Went to use the radio, and it was shut down hard. Called Ed Voyles Honda in Atlanta for assistance and was quoted $100 to reset the radio. Thought he was joking, maybe April 1st? Nope, service manager confirmed price.
Called local mom & pop mechanic. Instructed me over the phone.
Do you have a business relationship with Ed Voyles Honda, or was this your first time calling them?
Did you have an existing relationship with mom & pop shop, or was this the first time you called them?
The answers to these questions are VERY important in evaluating what you're saying.
Remember, the Honda dealership is an independent business, just like the local mom & pop shop. If you're a good customer, they'll take care of you--just like the local mom & pop shop.
Of course, maybe they won't. That's their business. It in no way reflects on any OTHER independent Honda repair facility.
Or was this your way of simply getting your story out to make the dealership look bad?
Next time you have to disconnect your battery, get yourself a memory saver like one of these
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or one of these
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They will provide just enough current to keepthe IC chips in your radio and other devices alive. Just don't turn anyaccessories on including the dome light (so either don't open the door orturn it off). That will quickly overwhelm the small amount of current theyprovide and you'll wind up losing the memory anyways. Eric
Ed Voyles in Atlanta is actually a pretty considerate dealership. They have free single-use size tubes of KY Jelly in a little basket siting on the customer's side of service writer's desk-- and another basket on the ledge in front of the cashier's window when you'll need it again.
The problem with the commercial products is that every power outlet I have ever seen or know of on a Honda are switched. Turn off the ignition, and there goes your memory. Attaching leads directly to the battery cables makes a lot of sense.
Yes, logic would dictate that, and that is something I preach too. When all else fails, consult the instruction book (owner's manual). However, the 1999 Accord manual offered no helpful info. The next owner should have it a little easier though. I typed up detailed instructions and attached them inside my owner's manual for the next guy.
Thank you for being, I bet, a heckuva all around citizen. Though maybe you want to give those good folks at the local mom 'n pop shop a little of your business in the future, no? Ah, you probably already wrote down to do this. :-)
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