Dealer Service Department Saves Dopey Husband From Irate Wife (long story) ...
03-26-2007, 03:01 PM
#1
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Dealer Service Department Saves Dopey Husband From Irate Wife (long story) ...
My dealer's (Storms Motors / Southampton, L.I.-NY)service staff saved my butt this past Saturday.
Instead of helping my wife with some yard work on Saturday afternoon, I decided the fix a noise coming from the windshield defroster vent on top of the instrument panel---The plastic vent (with the interior air temp sensor attached to it) was making a vibrating sound. The vent popped out easily enough, and the plan was to affix some adhesive-backed felt lining to the undermount sides of the vent...easy, right?
Well, as I look at this plastic part, I realize how lucky I was that I didn't break it, since it consists of two long pieces where the plastic is rather thin where the vent portions attach to the center frame that houses the temperature sensor---Could have easily snapped that sucker into two pieces.
Before I begin to fit the felt around the vent, I noticed a small screw hanging from under sensor housing (obviously the screw came loose and was the cause of the noise I heard). No way to get the screw out of its position without disassembling the air sensor housing from the vent frame---But heck, I'm the man, I'm game, no little piece of pointy steel is gonna beat me. So I pop out the frame mount that holds the sensor to the vent frame. This plastic mount is so small and delicate that it's truly a miracle I didn't break the damn thing. Well, now I have the vent frame, the screw, the sensor frame and the sensor itself, which has a wiring harness attached to it.
I successfully cut and affix the felt strips to the vent. Hmmmm, now let's re-assemble the sensor, vent and screw. No dice. Sensor won't seat properly for the housing to attach to the vent frame---NUTS! OK, let's detach the harness from the sensor, and slip the sensor out of the vent frame---Nope, not gonna happen; the harness coupling won't give up the sensor---need a special tool to unlock the harness? There's a tiny opening on the side of the plastic bottom of the sensor where the harness is attached. I can see metal through this very tiny hole, but it may be where the two lock together. I don't have any special pliers to undo perhaps the strongest connection on the darn car! What I do have are several unattached parts staring back at me. Clearly, I'm no longer the man; I'm "schmucky the clown" with an open hole in the top of my car's instrument panel at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon with my wife staring daggers at me for 1)not helping her, 2)for tearing apart our car, and 3)for doing this the day before we have to travel 100 miles back to the city the next day. Nope, not da man.
Twenty minutes later I walk into the service department at the dealer. It's Saturday, so they're pretty busy with lots of folks milling around waiting for their cars.
If you're still reading this, then here's the POSITIVE end to this novella...
After taking a lot of well deserved needling and kidding, they call out Peter, one of the A8 techs who I know. Within a half-hour my car is returned with a tight fitting defroster vent that seems to also be laughing at me. No paper work, no charge...Nothing but some additional kidding and a handshake (I took care of Peter, obviously). After several sincere thank yous, I drive away heading for home---Again da man!
Profuse thanks to John, Kristen and Peter at Storms Audi/Porsche.
p.s....Still had to do the yard work when I got home!!! :^(
Instead of helping my wife with some yard work on Saturday afternoon, I decided the fix a noise coming from the windshield defroster vent on top of the instrument panel---The plastic vent (with the interior air temp sensor attached to it) was making a vibrating sound. The vent popped out easily enough, and the plan was to affix some adhesive-backed felt lining to the undermount sides of the vent...easy, right?
Well, as I look at this plastic part, I realize how lucky I was that I didn't break it, since it consists of two long pieces where the plastic is rather thin where the vent portions attach to the center frame that houses the temperature sensor---Could have easily snapped that sucker into two pieces.
Before I begin to fit the felt around the vent, I noticed a small screw hanging from under sensor housing (obviously the screw came loose and was the cause of the noise I heard). No way to get the screw out of its position without disassembling the air sensor housing from the vent frame---But heck, I'm the man, I'm game, no little piece of pointy steel is gonna beat me. So I pop out the frame mount that holds the sensor to the vent frame. This plastic mount is so small and delicate that it's truly a miracle I didn't break the damn thing. Well, now I have the vent frame, the screw, the sensor frame and the sensor itself, which has a wiring harness attached to it.
I successfully cut and affix the felt strips to the vent. Hmmmm, now let's re-assemble the sensor, vent and screw. No dice. Sensor won't seat properly for the housing to attach to the vent frame---NUTS! OK, let's detach the harness from the sensor, and slip the sensor out of the vent frame---Nope, not gonna happen; the harness coupling won't give up the sensor---need a special tool to unlock the harness? There's a tiny opening on the side of the plastic bottom of the sensor where the harness is attached. I can see metal through this very tiny hole, but it may be where the two lock together. I don't have any special pliers to undo perhaps the strongest connection on the darn car! What I do have are several unattached parts staring back at me. Clearly, I'm no longer the man; I'm "schmucky the clown" with an open hole in the top of my car's instrument panel at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon with my wife staring daggers at me for 1)not helping her, 2)for tearing apart our car, and 3)for doing this the day before we have to travel 100 miles back to the city the next day. Nope, not da man.
Twenty minutes later I walk into the service department at the dealer. It's Saturday, so they're pretty busy with lots of folks milling around waiting for their cars.
If you're still reading this, then here's the POSITIVE end to this novella...
After taking a lot of well deserved needling and kidding, they call out Peter, one of the A8 techs who I know. Within a half-hour my car is returned with a tight fitting defroster vent that seems to also be laughing at me. No paper work, no charge...Nothing but some additional kidding and a handshake (I took care of Peter, obviously). After several sincere thank yous, I drive away heading for home---Again da man!
Profuse thanks to John, Kristen and Peter at Storms Audi/Porsche.
p.s....Still had to do the yard work when I got home!!! :^(
03-26-2007, 08:19 PM
#4
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Time to change your user-name to DopeyA8L... LOL
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/70306/derf.1.jpg"></center><p>I'm sorry Derf, I just couldn't help myself... I'm just having a little fun with you. lol
Glad everything turned out okay!
Glad everything turned out okay!
