From The Bloch Files:
Accepting the Improbable
Is Not Best Practice
By Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor
As I drove my car to the dealership for
service, I saw my role very clearly: I was only a data taker or data observer and simply responding to a dashboard display that read ”Service Engine Soon.”
My job was done quickly. I signed for a loaner
car and drove home.
THE NEXT DAY
A day later, and notwithstanding a smooth-running, vibration-free, 6-cylinder fun-to-drive turbodiesel, I found myself shelling out $185 for an analysis that informed me of a faulty injector in cylinder #2 of my 2011 automobile.
I was promptly advised that a new injector would cost just a bit over
$2,000, which included labor and the 6-oz. bottle of water I had consumed while waiting.
MY PROBLEM WAS
TWO-FOLD
As a point of reference, during a previous visit to the dealership for service (at 48,000 miles), the injectors in cylinders #2 and #5 of my vehicle had been replaced under warranty, as had the twin turbo.
In this latest visit, however, I was surprised to learn that parts replaced under warranty are not covered by a customary 2-yr. warranty, but only as long as the original vehicle warranty remains in force.
Personnel at the service center seemed to believe that I was experiencing the “Random Failure
Coincidence” of a not-quite-18-month-old injector (which, by the way, had only logged a scant 4,500 driven miles since being installed).
That type of coincidence, I opined, was about as likely as a meteorite striking the neighbor’s cat as the cat delivers a registered letter to my
doorstep.
At that point, I smiled politely, so as not to aggravate my problem.
THE MESSAGE IS THREE-FOLD
1. Repeat failures either happen because the root cause has not been discovered,
OR
2. Someone knows exactly why your repeat failures occur, but they refuse
to talk.
3. Don’t accept unreasonable opinions. Make it a practice to act on
facts.
BOTTOM LINE
As for how this incident panned out, let's just say that standing up for principles seems to still count for something these days. If you're interested in the rest of the story, please email me directly.
heinzpbloch@gmail.com
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