A view from the other side Dealing with mechanics and/or mechanical problems can be frustrating for both parties! - by J.S. Richardson

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Whenever guys get together to talk about their motorized vehicles, someone is sure to bring up the subject of mechanics and service departments. Just about everyone has a sob story of being overcharged or ripped off in one way of another. I don't recall all the details, but several years ago a writer for one of the national magazines drove a car across Canada from east to west, calling on many service stations and garages along the way. Before consulting the service people, he would unplug a wire or a vacuum hose on top of the engine causing it to run poorly. After many stops, only a few mechanics or technicians as they are now called, plugged in the hose or wire and sent him on his way. The rest diagnosed a variety of problems including expensive engine repairs. A television station conducted a similar test in the city of Edmonton with much the same results. I think diagnosing problems or trouble shooting, as it used to be called, is one of the most important duties of a mechanic. Looking at the dismal results of the before mentioned surveys might cause us to have some doubts. I don't believe that the majority of the service people were crooks, although I am suspicious of the ones that wanted to make extensive repairs. One trait we all have is the tendency to overlook the obvious. How many can say that they haven't spent hours looking for some object and finally found it right in front of their nose. Consequently, I think most of the mechanics made an honest mistake and didn't notice the unplugged wire of hose. About the last thing they would expect would be to have someone sabotage their vehicle before they went to see them. It doesn't make any sense that a group of people who choose to repair automotive vehicles, would be any more dishonest than any other segment of society. Although there are many others more qualified, I think a word of encouragement for these people is long overdue. Before retiring in 1995, except for six years operating machinery, I spent all of my working days repairing, modifying and welding on construction and logging equipment. During those years, I have known and worked with all kinds of mechanics. As in any other occupation, some are more interested and conscientious than others. Obviously some have more knowledge and experience. However I don't remember anyone deliberately doing a sloppy repair job. It appears to me that most people have very little knowledge or interest in mechanical things. A superintendent at one of the places I worked made the statement that , "A mechanic is a mechanic whether he is working on a chain saw or a D8 Cat, the principle is the same." That was from an intelligent person with a university degree. I believe that most vehicle owners have very little understanding of what a mechanic's capabilities are. They expect him or her to be able to raise the hood, and with a quick glance at all the mess of wires and hoses, make an accurate diagnosis of their problem. What they really want is a magician with prophetic powers and X-ray vision. Arms four feet long with six joints in them would also help. I have done a lot of trouble shooting and made my share of mistakes. The hardest part I found, is keeping an open mind to all possibilities. I remember when I was about sixteen years old, my dad bought a used army style Jeep. While driving it home we must have picked up a nail as we had a flat tire. Using all the strength we had, there was no way we could get the wheel nuts loose. My mother was with us and said, "Maybe you are turning the wrench the wrong way." Of course my dad and I thought that was hilarious. Who but a woman would come up with something like that. We eventually got someone to come from a garage a few miles up the road. Of course he had no trouble getting the left hand threaded nuts off by turning the wrench the other way. We had to eat some crow that day! On the newer cars and trucks that have computerized systems, it's nearly impossible to do any electrical trouble shooting without the proper test equipment. This has eliminated a lot of guess work, but it must be remembered that test equipment is just a tool, and doesn't tell us everything. Intermittent problems are the hardest to diagnose. Any symptom that isn't constant can drive both the mechanic and vehicle owner to distraction. I wasn't personally involved, but a few years ago we had a vehicle that kept coming back for an engine stalling problem. Several different mechanics worked on it with a variety of ideas on what the problem was. It would run for a while, then would start to miss and finally quit. After a great deal of frustration, someone found a piece of rag floating around in the fuel tank, which would occasionally plug the fuel supply pipe. There is no test equipment made that will solve a problem like that. I had the misfortune of having one of those intermittent problems on my own truck. I have a 1993 Dodge Model 250 with a Cummins diesel engine that I use to pull a twenty eight foot Vanguard fifth wheel. I have been very well satisfied with the overall performance of this vehicle, but an annoying problem developed about the time the warranty ended. We were touring the state of New Mexico when we noticed the air conditioner would occasionally cut out. This marked the beginning of a problem that took months to diagnose. On the way home we stopped at a Chrysler dealership in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I was informed that the warranty was over, and the air conditioner was working perfectly. We were getting into cooler weather so I decided not to worry about it until we got back to Canada. I took the truck back to the dealership at home, and of course it made a liar out of me again. I got another bill with a work order attached, saying that everything was working according to specifications. I don't blame the service departments, after all it's pretty hard to fix something that "Ain't Broke." It was apparent to me that I was gong to have to solve the problem myself. The next thing that happened was the cruise control quit working. Shortly after that, the volt meter on the dash indicated that the alternator was charging only part time. Without going into all the boring details, I established that my problems were electrical and had to be something common to all three components. After a lot of trial and error (mostly error) and studying the wiring diagrams in the service manual, I finally found the solution to the problem. I took the wiring harness apart in front of the fire wall and found a wire splice that was making a poor connection. Consequently, all it took to repair all three problems was a drop of solder and roll of electrician's tape. Let's say you are traveling across Canada in your shiny new motor home and the engine loses power and starts to vibrate. You are miles from a dealership so you have no choice but to limp into the nearest small town and look for a service station or garage that has a licensed mechanic. The first thing I would suggest is to look in the engine compartment yourself. You may not have any idea what you are looking at, but you could possibly spot a separated wire, or where something was unplugged. In fact you may be better equipped to do that than a mechanic whose mind is cluttered up with technical ideas. Of course your problem may not be so straight forward and simple. Be wary of the repair person who makes a snap decision without making some diagnostic tests. We tend to admire people with a confident, positive, "No problem" attitude. However these types will seem like geniuses, but if wrong they can cost you a bundle without fixing anything. Be encouraged when your mechanic is a methodical sort whose first move is to make sure there's enough fuel in the tank. This should mark the beginning of a thorough step by step process of elimination. Very likely your problem will be solved during this time. If it proves to be more complicated, don't be alarmed if your mechanic spends some time searching a service manual, or consults a colleague, or phones someone for advice. You can rest assured that he or she is doing their best to help you, which is all you can hope for wherever you go. On the other hand, what would I do if I was the mechanic in this story? I would try to remember that I was dealing with a person whose expensive dream machine has let them down and likely feels like a chicken about to be plucked. After our preliminary consultation, I would likely suggest that you go for a walk to try out a near-by restaurant. I can assure you that nothing would be gained by looking over my shoulder and watching my every move. This would be especially true if you happened to be the "motor mouth" type. Finally if I found you to be completely unreasonable, with the disposition of a cornered rattle snake, I would send you down the street to the opposition. Who needs that kind of business? Probably wouldn't pay your bill anyway. Oh and speaking of the bill, I would give you as good a deal as I could. Maybe you would pass the word around that not all mechanics across Canada are crooks, eh?