Dealer made a BIG Boo-boo! (Semi-long) - Benzworld.org

Dave OH · 03-14-2003, 02:03 PM

I got my new suspension components installed by my dealership this Tueday and was quite surprised to hear a metallic "rattling" noise coming from only the right rear wheel when going over bumps in the road... I figured that they hadn't reattached something properly so I took it in today to get it checked out.

I drove the tech around the parking lot and he noticed it right away. They put it up on the lift and within 3 minutes there were about 12-15 service techs under my car looking at the right rear suspension components. A few minutes later my SA came out of the service area with an intersting experession on his face to tell me that "We've got egg on our face, the tech who installed your parts forgot to remove the top half of the spring compressor from the rear spring." [:(!][:(!][:(!]You've got to be kidding me!!!!!! Let's just say the Head of the Service department was lucky he wasn't there at the time, he'll love the phone call he gets from me tomorrow morning. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR That's just ridiculously sloppy and uncaring!

SteveL · 03-14-2003, 03:49 PM

**Bruce R.** · 03-14-2003, 04:14 PM

Tools aren't cheap by any measure, and I'll bet he was happy to get the rest of his equipment back.
Granted he was more then slightly careless for leaving the tool in place, but it's Friday, and maybe he wanted to get home early for some reason.

**Buellwinkle** · 03-14-2003, 06:28 PM

You would think that's bad but then you hear about a doctor that leaves surgical clamps in peoples bodies after surgery and that doesn't sound so bad. I don't know if it's sloppy work or he had something more important on his mind. Hope it didn't damage anything. You may want to have them put it on a lift so you can see for yourself. Could have dented fuel or brake lines in that area, neither if which is good.

Dave OH · 03-14-2003, 08:50 PM

The scary thing about the tools being expensive is... I got the car back on Tuesday so he's been missing it for the entire time. Just irks me that i pay through the nose to have it done by the dealer (relatively tuner friendly dealer) because they know the car better than any shops in the area and then this happens. I'm going to have them put it on the lift on monday to make sure there was no damage caused to the spring itself or any other parts in the vicinty.

But I agree with you, we all make mistakes. I'll be the first to tell you I'm not perfect, though if I'm being paid to do something (like working on someone's car) I'm extra careful not too.

**Bruce R.** · 03-15-2003, 03:43 AM

get it correct the first time. I would be PO'd just like you are. It's just that we all make mistakes so that should be taken into account.
Here's a story about a mistake:
A good friend of mine owned a Cessna 320 a few years ago. That plane had two turbocharged high performance engines that went into the shop for overhaul. The overhaul was close to $30,000 on each engine. On the first take off he sucked a nut the mechanic left in the intake manifold, into the engine. Less then one hour on a $60,000 overhaul (total) and the plane was in the shop again for another overhaul. Oouch! [:(!]
All I'm saying is it could have been worse. [B)]