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Re: 5-speed transmission seizure, #3 Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:19:51
In Reply to: 5-speed transmission seizure, #3, tz, Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:46:17 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I know you don't want my opinion, so just go ahead and pretend this post doesn't exist. Because you've named someone and I know Walter (if only barely) I feel it's important that I post this, so I'm going to.
1. None of your facts add up in a way that places blame on Walter.
2. Why on Earth would someone drain the oil out of the transmission - intentionally or accidentally - and then not put that drained oil back in *somewhere*? If you take 3 quarts of fluid out of a car, you need to put it back in - power steering system, brake fluid, sump - somewhere. No mechanic believes a car is traveling around with three extra quarts of oil that can just be drained out. That doesn't make sense.
3. Walter is a PRO. I have personally witnessed him and some of his employees knock out some seriously difficult work in a stressful environment. I think oldsaab knows what I'm talking about. ;) He is not the guy that mistakes a 13mm hex for a 3/8" square drive. Never happened, you couldn't convince me of that in a million years.
4. If "Transmission Oil Low" is noted on the invoice, your son has a duty to his Saab to deal with that IMMEDIATELY. We all know how sensitive these gearboxes are, failure to act on that falls squarely on him. I'll buy that Walter Wong may not have explicitly said, "Look, your transmission is low and you need to fill it," but that's why he wrote it down, why we have eyes, and why we're taught to read at an early age. I will bet you money that invoice was never read, and it got folded up and put directly in the glovebox just like most people do. If it WAS read, the next step is FILL THE OIL. Not "drive to Dad's house" or "Go out with a pretty lady." It's FILL THE OIL. NOW. Either way, your son blew it. Period.
5. Walter has ZERO legal capacity to prevent your son from driving off. That would be violation of numerous laws. He has a legal obligation to release a car when the owner comes calling, finished or not, working or not. His job - as REQUIRED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA - is to render services as specified on the work estimate for the agreed upon price. It's not to do anything else. Mechanics are in a terrible situation where words of caution ("your transmission is low") are often interpreted by customers as upsell ("hey, you want more services for more dollars?"). They deal with ignorant/lazy/impatient people daily who want to expend no effort, no dollars, and no brain cells understanding their car and yet are on the hook for making them work. It sucks. Your son may be the epitome of patience, wisdom, and understanding, but Walter simply may not know that. My approach is engage people I work with so they understand that I want to understand the situation, that I will take the time to learn something. If your son showed up with a credit card and asked for the keys, I would have done exactly what Walter did. Charged the card, gave him the keys. Walter is a businessman, not a friendly next door neighbor with a wrench who wants to kick back with you & a beer. (Although, he IS a friendly next door neighbor with a wrench, too)
6. Unless you have driven 915 miles or 3915 miles you have no credible evidence that the transmission leaks or doesn't. Moreover, since you have tampered with the evidence - the drain plug has been removed and reinstalled - your test carries little legal weight. You yourself admitted you installed the drain plug "not too tight" in your earlier posting. That is not the correct method for installation. The correct method is with a torque wrench, to a specified number. Maybe YOU caused the leak, and have now fixed it.
7. If an oil analysis of the transmission and engine oil was too much for you, and if a 60 mile drive it too much for you, I think that you either a) aren't trying that hard, or b) know you have a weak case. If it were me staring down the barrel of a $5,000 transmission replacement bill, I sure as hell would make that 60 mile drive and have already taken steps to secure my position. You have changed the facts by touching the car, failed to gather & protect evidence, and indicated an unwillingness to drive 90 minutes. That doesn't speak well of your confidence in your case.
Look, man, I feel your pain. This is a huge bill, a huge annoyance, and I'm sure like most fathers with good sons you want to believe both you and he acted professionally and responsibly. That all makes sense. But when your pride comes at the expense of another person and you are quite literally trying to develop a complex story out of pretty simple facts it doesn't paint you in a good light. Moreover, when someone like me calls you on your facts and the only response you have is anger instead of contemplation and re-evaluation, you sound like a person who has made up your mind and not a person who is actually seeking the truth. If I were a judge reading this thread - with people like you, people like me, and rational people like Swedecar weighing in, I would toss this case outta court in an instant.
Hope you didn't waste time reading this, good luck with your case, and again, may the right person take the blame.
posted by 12.195.130...
, Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:30:54
, Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:20:35, Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:19:51 <-- Viewing This Message
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