Wouldn't it be nice if all service people were like this?

[1gobluedem]

Yesterday, driving to work, the Theft System light came on in my car; I had reset last fall when it happened before but the guy who fixed it warned me it could happen again so, naturally, the light came on two days before my big pledge drive, after six months of working fine. But the car started when I had to leave for lunch, come back from lunch, go to the gym, and come home from the gym and the light didn't come back on so I figured all was well.

Well, this morning the car wouldn't start. I remembered from reading an online message board that this is a common problem in 2002 Malibus and that, if I turned the car off for ten minutes, the system would reset itself and the car would start. Except it didn't. So, I stormed into the house to call a tow truck to take the car to the dealership because I have to have the car for the next twelve days. They said it would be about 40 minutes so, while I was waiting, I called the dealership to try and get a ballpark figure on repairing this (fuming all the while because I don't see why consumers should have to pay for what is obviously a design flaw). Of course the guy told me that he had no idea and wouldn't until he ran the diagnostic which he could tell me was $95. So, right off the bat I'm on the hook for a $95 diagnostic fee, $47 hookup charge for the tow truck plus $4/mile.

Forty minutes came and went and no sign of the tow truck so I called again. "Oh, we're running a little late; he should be there in 20 minutes." I asked if I got any kind of discount for that and the dispatcher actually laughed at me and said no, that they can only give estimates not exact times anyway. If it were I, I'd make the initial estimate for what I figured would be the maximum time but, apparently, that's just me. So, I wait and wait and wait again.

After another forty minutes the tow truck arrives and the driver is very dismayed by my long narrow driveway; he said he was going to have to put the car on some sort of dolly to get it down the driveway because front wheel drive cars have to be towed from the front so the alignment isn't wrecked and that was going to be more expensive than the original estimate. Grrr. BUT...then he said "Where's your owner's manual? I'll bet there's a way we can reset this." I told him what I'd learned from the message board and that I'd tried it but I dug the manual out anyway and we searched diligently through the gobbledygook until we finally found the right page (needlessly delayed because even though the dashboard light says THEFT SYSTEM, the manual calls it by the trademark name Passlock). Anyway the manual said that if the car wouldn't start and the TS light was flashing to turn the key to ON, let it sit for ten minutes, turn it off, and then try to start the car. Well...it worked. The tow truck driver didn't charge me for anything because of the delay (he said it was just between us), he told me not to even bother taking it in to the dealership now that I know how to reset it, and was disgusted that the guy at the dealer didn't tell me to try this first before bringing it in. So, while I lost the morning, I didn't lose any money. I wish, though, I'd thought to give the guy a $20 or something because he really did save me a bundle.

And here I am finally at work now.

[flvegan]

1. In a world gone mad

it's always nice to hear random acts of kindness.

[Breeze54]

2. I love running into honest mechanics like that!

They always make my day. You should find out the name of the tow company and keep their name handy, "just in case" you have need of their services in the future and you might want to go by there and bring the guy a gift certificate for a dinner or lunch or something. He sounds like a mechanic you want on your side in the future. ;)

[1gobluedem]

3. I need to do something nice for someone now

You know, pay it forward.