Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 12:44:11 -0400 From: Four Weis <mweinopsamcom> Subject: Re: SAAB & dealers - who is responsible?
Robert Brown wrote: > davehinznopsamcop.net wrote: > > > Someone who looks an awful lot like Robert Brown <rjbnopsamvvtripnetvvvvvv.se> wrote: > > > > > Grunff wrote: > > > > >> Not just in the Saab world, but in the world as a whole. If you take the > > >> approach "I only drive it, I don't know or want to know how it works", > > >> you will come across similar problems all over the place, cars, > > >> computers, washing machines, etc. etc. > > > > > Get off your high horse Mr. Grunff. OK - having seen many people drive > > > wonderful cars into the ground due to either a disrespect for the limits of > > > engineering or just sheer neglect, I do agree with you a fair bit. "If you > > > can't fix it then you don't deserve to drive it". > > > > I don't see where Grunff wrote "If you can't fix..."; are you perhaps > > paraphrasing what you think he's saying rather than quoting? In any > > case, it's a case of "know the machine". > > ----8<------cut the rest > > Right you are Dave :-) Re-reading my text, it looks as is I attribute the "if you > can't fix it then you don't deserve to drive it" quote to Grunff. Thanks for pointing > this out. > > No, that one's mine, and I apologise to Grunff if I managed to put him into a bad light > because of the way I wrote. And as Four Weis and Dave Hinz say, those who do not learn > about their cars (whether or not they have good reason for this or not) risk paying the > price for the lack of knowledge, one way or another. Some of these people truly believe > that manufacturer-specified maintenance intervals alone will suffice to keep a car in > good shape. I learned the hard way when I was young. I trusted a Ford dealer and was burned bad. However, let it be said that I was somewhat smart, I learned from my mistake. I had two choices, complain or learn something about the product, a car in this case, so I could ask the right questions. I buy the shop manuals, even at $300 this can be a real bargain for the information and especially the diagrams. I learned to read the electrical diagrams and rebuilt the power lock solenoids, which were identical in the 1980's Volvos and Saabs - helpful since I own both. This has served me well as I have not had any major problems with any of my cars in the last 20 years. Let be said that a smart person learns from their mistake, an even smarter person learns from others mistakes. So let this painful experience be a lesson for those who have not had to experience the pain of Louis - learn about your car and other products so you will be able to ask the right questions when you need service. This group is a good place to start learning about your Saab. If anyone needs information on the 1986 Saab 900, I have the full set of Saab shop manuals. > > > Now it's unclear to me whether Louis Cornelio belongs to this class of owner or not. But > this really doesn't matter here. If I had a stamp in my book that indicated, among other > things, a timing belt had been changed, then I'd assume that the work had been done, > even being experienced at tearing apart my car (reconditioned heads, refurbished brake > units, pulled my engine to get my gearbox pinion bearing changed). No reason to suspect > that such a service stamp should not be taken at face value. > > I think Elisabeth Karlsen had it right when she saw it as a matter of trust. Certainly > this is a question of breach of contract, between the franchised dealer and a consumer > paying for service that has in part *not* been received, with expensive engine failure > as a direct result. > > No doubt the manufacturer could gain a lot of goodwill by covering the bill and > compensating for bad dealer network. Louis could also ask Saab why they chose to > disenfranchise that particular dealer. No smoke without fire. Another tactical hint > could be to ask the *new* dealer if they have background info about why the old dealer > lost the franchise. > > But it's unlikely that Saab themselves have a legal responsibility here. My guess is > that it's the dealer, and that they could be liable to pay, even if they're no longer a > Saab dealer / service centre. The old timing belt, plus the info from Saab concerning > the lack of warranty repair record, should suffice as evidence. > > Regards, Robert
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