I recently took my client's car to our local Chevrolet dealership to have the PCM flashed as they have manufacturer-specific software. This car had symptoms that GM released two technical service bulletins for, noting clearly that the car needed to be flashed. I have to say, my experience with their service department left me... speechless.
After paying for the service, I went to the car and tried to start it. The engine would run but then stall. I tried a few times and finally I pushed the accelerator pedal lightly to keep the RPMs up and the engine ran fine. The service advisor confirmed the issue but told me that the stalling condition was “normal” and all I had to do was “give it some gas.” You ever get that gut feeling that what you're being told is just not right? That's exactly what I felt. Even if you don't know how to fix cars, you're probably raising an eyebrow reading this.
Now keep in mind that I'm fully decked in my coveralls and my shop regularly buys parts from them. Clearly the service advisor knew that I worked in the industry. I asked him if he had to give his own car some gas every time he started it up, to which he didn't respond. The service advisor then asked me if I checked the fuel pressure. Why would I? The car ran fine when I dropped it off. I asked if his shop does a fuel pressure test when there's nothing wrong with the fuel system, again no response.
He spoke with the shop foreman who apparently told him that the vehicle came in already with the stalling issue. I am 100% sure that the car didn't have stalling symptoms when I dropped it off, my client also confirms that he's never experienced that before. The service advisor then offered to have his technician diagnose it, for a fee of course.
Although I had a good relationship with the dealership's parts department, I was ready to close our account altogether. I know I'm a small shop, a small-volume customer, a small invoice... but I didn't deserve to be treated that way by their service advisor. Their parts manager called me within the hour. He apologized and offered to give me a refund. I was impressed by the parts manager's promptness and commitment to customer service even though my frustrating experience was with the service department.
The story ends well. I took the car to
another Chevrolet dealership and had no hassles getting the car flashed. The car runs well now. And I still buy parts from our local dealer, only because we have a good relationship with the parts department. One thing's for sure, I have lost faith in their service department's ability to communicate professionally with their customers.
So I know how you feel, if you've ever been talked down to. Whether I'm in 'regular' clothes or wearing my shop coveralls, there are some service advisors out there who will communicate inappropriately. In those cases, trust your gut feeling... chances are it's not you, it really is them.
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