Tyre fittters!

My Dad used to rationalise with me when I would get frustrated by such people ... like would they be working there if they could be doing something better, and whilst I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions, I'm seeing more and more of it in many walks of life.

It has got to the point now when if someone does what they should, what would be expected, I'm surprised and find myself being overly grateful!?

But re the tyre fitters / tracking setters ... I wonder if it's a fact that many can get away with a less than a professional service because fewer drivers actually know anything about cars these days?

Like the whole process of fault finding seems to be just replacing a list over ever increasing 'modules' till they happen upon the right bit? I can appreciate it can be difficult, especially with intermittent faults but again, this IT Support Guy wanted to be pretty sure the fault was within the right bit, before getting that bit fixed (the ECU in that case). Who knows what other bits might have been changed first, had I taken it to the main dealer.

Cheers, T i m

Some time ago I was driving to work and the car started playing up. Although the ignition light wasn't on, I'd guessed the alternator had stopped charging as the windows etc were slower to open than usual. It eventually went into limp home mode (auto gearbox in only one gear) so I stopped in a convenient place and called the RAC. They would only take the car to an approved dealer - not home - since I'd be carrying on to work. As suspected, the alternator had failed. And the garage would only fit a very high priced genuine spare. They also said the battery had failed - it was perfectly OK when starting that day. I asked for both the old alternator and battery back, but was refused.

It's no real surprise I consider the majority of the motor trade fraudsters. Gives me a warm feeling on the odd occasion I use them with no complaints.

In Michigan, where we lived for many years, the installer of new parts has to give you the old ones back, unless they are too large, but then you have the right to inspect them. Can they refuse to give them back to you here if you ask them? Might be a question for uk.legal.

In message , T i m writes

In the glory days of US radio, Allen Shelton, thought by many to be the greatest 5-string banjo player ever, worked as a tyre fitter. The tyre shop backed onto a building housing a local radio station. Every lunch time the station had a live music show featuring a band with Allen on banjo. In the next county another radio station had a band led by another banjo player, Don Reno. The story goes that each would work up an instrumental and the other would try to top it the next day.

Perhaps some of the people fitting tyres have other gifts as well?

Perhaps if the new parts are supplied on an exchange basis?

I had a minor run-in with BMW who 'forgot' twice. But a local independent I've been using is very good - keeps the parts if I ask.

;-)

We can only hope. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Before he left for pastures new - the repairer in the back street garage I used to use usually left the customer with the old parts in a bag in the car to get rid of unless it was on an exchange basis in which case he kept the part for the customer to inspect before paying the bill.

This still relied on trust and with some knowledge of what may have been at fault because the old the part could have been from any of the other cars he worked on that day/week.

I could see a cowboy/fraudulent outfit keeping a sample set of leaky shocks, worn brake pads etc. to show when trying to justify the unexpected bill for the replacements of these parts - even if no work had been undertaken.

In the dim, distant past Ford dealers made a sales pitch of doing this nationally. A work colleague showed me his bag of bits which included four spark plugs - said to be from his six-cylinder car!

I checked the number of the plugs, and they weren't even the right ones.

I've found mobiles always leave the replaced parts for you, presumably because it's easier than disposing of them.

Chris

In message , Chris Whelan writes

At the moment I'm trying to find someone wanting to dispose of a certain faulty electronic box ** so that I can practice dismantling, investigating component type numbers and values, resoldering and so on before thrusting myself into the car and having to catch the bus for a few weeks.

Both garages I've approached just said they bin faulty electronics immediately.

** 2004 Range Rover Lighting Control Module (Not sure what it does that couldn't be accomplished by directly using the switches already there!).

[...]

On the assumption that it is likely to be a multiplexed electrical system, it reduces the cost and weight penalty of all the heavy copper wiring that would otherwise be needed.

Chris

Bill explained on 22/10/2017 :

I suspect it will do rather a lot more, than just basic switches would, such as monitoring the lights are actually working and replacing failed tail lights, with partially lit brake lights.

Likely a replacement LSM will need to be coded to the car too.

And you can do the switching with weedy little switches which otherwise couldn't cope with the current. (Like the 'leccy window switches in my SD1, which burned out regularly).

Chris Whelan pretended :

True, I forgot the multiplexed part!

Could be the switches merely handle low current and a control module uses that signal to switch the high current feeds to things. Rather like a relay. Sounds complex, but can save quite a bit of cost and weight when mass produced. And should be more reliable.

An early SD1? Later ones have the window switches controlling relays, two per door. But then only handling very low current means the switches get dirty more frequently. If only they'd used some silver etc plated contacts rather than plain copper. But at least a dirty switch can be cleaned.

In message , Harry Bloomfield writes

Precisely. That's why I'm keen to practise on a duff one so I'm ready to work on the already coded one. I am encouraged by others to believe it may be just burnt out MOSFETs and that I might get away with not going anywhere near anything terribly digital.

Genuine OEM "NEW" parts are never on an exchange basis.

Only re-con parts are on exchange as the re-con service needs the core back to re-con for the next sale.

Or just put a 3p resistor in parallel with the relay coil to draw enough current to keep the contacts clean.

Do any car makers supply re-cons these days? Other than for major parts like engines?