Steering You Right With Sharon Peters
Q: I have a three-year-old car that I took in for regular maintenance last week. The service guy mentioned that a service bulletin was issued on the car last year — something having to do with a warning light. He didn’t perform any work (he said the car didn’t need it), but said if I have trouble in the future, I’m to bring it in and I’ll have to pay for the work and replacement part. I asked him why he wouldn’t fix something if it’s unsafe, and why the manufacturer wouldn’t be paying for it, since they’ve paid for other problems. But he didn’t really explain, and got annoyed when I said I didn’t really understand. Should I call the manufacturer to figure out exactly what the problem is and get it taken care of before it’s a hazard?
A: You probably need to do absolutely nothing about the car until a problem presents itself (which may never happen).
But you should find a new dealership service tech or a mechanic who will explain things — using as many different words, diagrams, hands-on demonstrations, or whatever it takes for as long as it takes until you fully understand.
Most of us didn’t go to car-fixing school, and most of us have less than intimate knowledge of the secret workings of a vehicle’s innards. The mechanic’s our go-to guy on these matters and each time we turn to him is his opportunity to share the one thing that makes him superior to everyone else at that moment: his ability to diagnose and fix a problem … and explain it all in a way that helps us understand exactly why we’re writing that $638 check.
The smart ones have gone to some trouble in recent years to make sure they communicate properly and leave little room for misunderstanding, suspicion or disappointment. Indeed, my experience in the last decade or so is that the service guys far outshine the sales people and management types in terms of competency, communication skills and eagerness to please.
So don’t assume that rude behavior is the norm. It is not.
Now I’ll climb off my bad-behavior lecture box and answer the question you asked. A recall is either conducted voluntarily by the vehicle’s manufacturer or is ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for known malfunctioning systems or pieces that can be a safety hazard. That might be a gas pedal that sticks, a rear door lock that doesn’t stay locked or wiring problems that can ignite. The manufacturer is required to pay for any safety-oriented recall-type repair.
A TSB (technical service bulletin) is something else. It is sent out to technicians to alert them to problems that seem to be arising in higher than usual numbers in a particular make and model. These problems are often of the sort that are difficult to trace (you might take it in and for that moment, the car is showing no evidence of having a problem at all) and to overcome. When tackled on an individual basis, it can take hours of exploration time to resolve. The bulletin pinpoints the problem and offers a step-by-step guide on making the fix.
What you now know, thanks to the little bit of info shared by the service guy, is that there seems to be a greater than normal chance for your vehicle to develop an issue with a warning light coming on. It’s doubtful that every model of that car made that year will display that problem. But if yours does, you won’t have to spend lots of hourly diagnostic money as the technician attempts to get to the bottom of a stubborn problem; he’ll already have a pretty good idea of what it is and how to fix it.
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What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving, repairing and making the most of your vehicle. Send your questions to [email protected].