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Old 01-08-2008, 12:03 PM   #10
BonzoHansen
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Location: Hamilton, NJ
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So it always kicks in at ½ tank? If you have less then ½ tank, is the problem there immediately (cold and/or hot) or do you have drive a while? I’m just wondering if something is heating up & crapping out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pampered-Z View Post
You can duplicate the problem and the shop can't? That just means they don't want to do warranty work!

How about this, Fill the tank, record the gallons and drive the car and monitor the milage until the problem occurs. See if you can verify that it is a fuel pick-up problem when you get to a certain amount of fuel, maybe the gauge is just FUBAR?
Usually with aftermarket warranties, the shop can charge as usual and the warranty company reimburses the owner whatever the amount they agreed to/feel like. It isn’t like a dealer warranty with reduced flat rate hours. The shop is under no onus to work with the warranty rates, they can choose how much they want to play along. The customer can also choose to go elsewhere for repairs. So a shop doesn’t care about the warranty aspect.

Jobs like this are often no-win for the shop. Speaking in generalities and not about Bob, there are few customers that like paying flat rate for troubleshooting. Not saying Bob would complain, again, I am saying how 999 of a 1000 customers have reacted in the past and why a shop may shy away from things like this. Overhead & payroll costs money. And the busier the shop or the less familiar with the customer they are (that is a big key), the less likely they want anything to do with it.

Example. What is R&R on the fuel pump, 2 hours or so? I think we’d all start there (after we already spent 2+ hours chasing codes & troubleshooting charts and checking fuel pressure). Pull the tank & inspect. What if they don’t see anything definitive? Maybe change the pump, internal hoses & sock while you’re there since you are already paying the labor. If it doesn’t fix the problem, now what? The customer isn’t going to want to pay 3+ hours labor & parts (~$450+) for poor results. The shop can’t send that stuff back or recoup the lost time. There is a different view from the other side of the counter. Just adding some perspective.

Bob, if they can’t figure it out, post back. One of us can help you pull the tank and replace the pump, sock & hoses. If you can make it to the end of the month, I’ll find some time if this 99 shell is gone out of my garage.

And so goes my lunchtime. LOL
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