<VV> Flat Rate crap shoot - New parts

[Charles Lee]

I'm glad you mentioned that "New parts don't always work as they should ... 
they are the wrong part for the application ..."

Another friend's battery wouldn't charge (I met her pushing her car through 
traffic on Christmas Eve a  while back)

The local shop had replaced the regulator, a reasonable place to start, 
right ?

When that didn't fix the problem, they replaced about $1000 worth of other 
stuff trying to figure it out.

Their next step was the alternator, also reasonable, right ?

I asked the shop if they could test the alternator before replacing it, just 
in case that was not the problem.
They we'll know when we replace it whether it fixed the problem, right ?

While she waited another week for them to have time to schedule the repair, 
I removed the alternator and had it tested.  It was fine.

Since everything had been replaced, regulator, harnesses, distributor, and a 
complete tune-up (under their theory that an underperforming car would not 
have the power to charge the battery - that's when I decided to check it out 
myself)

OK, bottom line, I started from scratch with the regulator, and a wiring 
diagram, and noticed that the 12V didn't make it through to the correct 
terminal coming out of the regulator.  What ?  It's brand new, so I popped 
the cover off to see if a wire was broken, but THERE WS NO WIRE between 
those two terminals !  Why not ?

Turns out, as you correctly surmised, but the mechanic apparently did not, 
that it was the WRONG REGULATOR !  It required a a 1234XYZ and the shop 
apparently figured that a 1234XYZ-A was "close enough" and never checked to 
see if it  had the correct output !

So, they continued replacing $1000 worth of stuff that she could not afford, 
and nearly broke her.

They were angry when I went back with her and asked, again, if they would 
check the alternator before replacing it, which they steadfastly refused to 
do.

The alternator was of course non-refundable, being an electronic part, even 
though it was their wild guess (and defective diagnosis) that caused the 
expense.

I, as usual, became her mechanic, and we had no more problems.  I wonder how 
she's doing now that she no longer has me ?  (That was back in New York)

So, it's not just me, but I why is it that I'm always involved ?
Do I attract them to other people too, or is it just that I notice when 
people make mistakes, and she would never have known if I had never come 
around  ?

Good thing they don't kill the messenger anymore, or do they ?  (On VV, it 
seems they do ?)

Charlie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BBRT" <chsadek at comcast.net>
To: "Charles Lee" <Chaz at ProperProper.com>; <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 8:05 AM
Subject: Re: <VV> master cylinder R & R - Flat Rate crap shoot


> Charlie,
>
New parts
> don't always work as they should; they leak, they are the wrong part for 
> the application, the don't work correctly or not a all, or they fail soon 
> after installation.