this is complicated. complicated enough that it's set me back eight months to do the update (and pre-date it), but the dance-able part goes something like this ...
i take the cruiser in.
i tell them that i've got an error code that has appeared and disappeared. i also say, "and there's a ticking i've been hearing the last few weeks," which is true. but, amazingly, not only am i able to get the noise to reproduce itself in the drive (it's pretty subtle ... sounds kind of like a quiet wind-up watch), but i also get the service tech (ST) to hear it.
great.
the ST is just barely at the third grade level of written literacy (he spells work, "worck" and mark, "marck"), but god bless his spirit and soul his heart's in the rite plaice (sic) and he takes down everything in detail.
two days pass. i need to get my posterior to CA, but when the shop calls, the car's not going to be ready.
"um, okay. can you just hold it for two weeks, then, until i get back?"
"yes."
okay, good. not the answer i want, but my car's just as fine -if not "finer"- in their lot.
get back from CA without an update from the shop, so i call.
"oh, yes. we've been trying to get hold of you ... [ed: that would be a lie] your camshaft position sensor is failing..."
aside from the lie (DID I MENTION THAT YET?), that would make sense. it would explain the mild misfiring i've been experiencing, and the error code. "...i'm sorry to tell you it's not covered by your lifetime service contract."
"uh, yes it is..." this is just a simple case of being new and not understanding the concept of 'if it's mechanical, it's covered.' it's become very clear to me over time that nearly no one has these service contracts, so i'm not surprised. being a brand new dealership doesn't help. "we won't go into that now, i'll call chrysler and they'll put the hurt on you [ed: in fact i called chrysler immediately after this phone call and they did put the hurt on 'em.] ... but i can tell from your pause there's something else."
and, in fact, there is more.
"... but when we fixed that, we brought the car out on the drive and it was still ticking..." (at least they both checked it and told me.) and i'll just let the write up carry it from here, because it all feels so much more, um, "official" (caps are theirs on the shop receipt).
USING STEPHASCOPE, FOUND NOISE TO BE COMING FROM TURBO ASSEMBLY. REMOVED INDUCTION TUBE AND INSPECTED TURBO. NO CRACKS OR OBSTRUCTION SEEN IN HOUSING OR ON IMPELLER. SEAMS TO BE BEARING NOISE HEARD FROM OTHER SIDE OF TURBO ASSEMBLY. REMOVED TURBO.MINIFOLD ASSEMBLY, FOUND CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD TO CYLINDER HEAD BOLT, EXTRACTED BORKEN BOLT IN HEAD, REPLACED TURB- & MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY. REASSEMBLED ENGINE.
(sic)
now, in the event you're not fluent in the subtleties of reading bastardized shop-speak, what they did was replace my fricken turbo-charger.
but guess what ... no. no. it's much better than that.
after another two weeks, the ticking is still there. so they, get this, completely replace my transmission.
all told, they have my car for six weeks.
horror of horrors? well, not exactly...
because i now have:
- a new cam position sensor
- a new turbo charger
- a new transmission
- two new engine mounts
but this means i have to do some adjustments to this blog, because i haven't had powertrain warranty work done before and this actually is a separate break-out item.
$150 in SCR
$6000 in lifetime power train warranty return
