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Car Saga ...
Jul. 15th, 2010 07:06 pmCar Saga is annoying. *sigh*
So, my car (my NEW car) sometimes doesn't start. It's done this ever since I brought it home. But it doesn't do it all the time. And I can't predict when it will do it -- as in, what kinds of factors lead to it not starting. Just, sometimes, I will turn the key and nothing happens. The radio will come on, the lights will come on, the AC comes on ... but the car doesn't start. There's no click of the starter turning over ... nothing. When it happened the first few times, I did not take it back to the dealer. That is my mistake, period. It was stupid of me, but I just kept thinking: "This is a new car, darnit. There can't be anything wrong with it." And I didn't want anything to be wrong with it. So I buried my head in the sand, so to speak.
Needless to say, the problem didn't go away. It's still intermittent. It's still unpredictable. And it's still happening. The more it happens, the more I worry that I will end up stranded somewhere with a car that won't start at all. Even worse, that it might happen when my daughter is with me or when I have to be on the way to pick her up or something. Having a little kid, I just feel like I need to have a reliable car.
So I took it back to the dealer three days ago. For the "not starting" problem and because my bluetooth linkup wasn't working. It wouldn't recognize my phone at all. The dealer had the car for three days, and every call I got from them dealt with the bluetooth not working. That they had figured out the bluetooth issue. Or that they had determined that the bluetooth actually worked just fine, but the phone was hooked up incorrectly. And each time, I was like: "That's great. I can make phone calls. But what about the starter?" And then I would get a big bunch of nothing. *sigh*
Today, they call and tell me I can pick the car up any time after 1 PM, so that the technician who worked on it can show me the proper way to hook up the bluetooth. So when we called back (my hubby called, actually), they told him they didn't know why the car sometimes won't start. Basically, they couldn't find a reason for it, and they couldn't duplicate the problem. So they were releasing the car. I was so very ... Not Happy.
So I go to pick the car up. I had my hubby meet me there, because, truthfully, I feel like most repair places try to jack you around when you are a woman. I grew up with mechanics and people who worked on cars, etc ... so I can tell when guys are jerking me around. My hubby talked to the technician who worked on the car to find out exactly what they had done, etc. And the technician told us that, if it happens again (which I know, inevitably, it will), I need to bring it back. Because, then, they can escalate the issue to the next level and change out the starter or test the keys without Volvo's approval and without duplicating the problem in the shop. And, basically, that was all they could do for me at the moment.
I am still Not Happy. I told them so, in no uncertain terms. This car is only 7 months old, for crying out loud. It should not do this. It should start every time I turn the key. The first time, every time. Period. And I told them this, too. And everyone agrees with me. But it's like they really just don't give a shit, which is so frustrating. And I told them this, too. I didn't say "shit", but told them it seemed they were unconcerned about releasing a car that was not functioning properly. That was when they told me they could escalate things the next time I brought it in. I guess that makes me less unhappy than I was when I first went in there. I mean, at least, it seems like they will continue to work on the issue. But, still, I'm left with a car that I love but that, maybe, won't start when I need it to.
So ... freaking ... frustrating. Blehblehblehbleh.
(Oh. And the Bluetooth is working just fine. Whoopie. It turns out that it was hooked up through my phone and not through the car. And the technician told me it was "user error". But the funny thing is that our salesman from that dealership is the one who hooked the bluetooth up for me. So I told him it wasn't my "user error", but the dealership's "user error". So ... take that, Mr. Car Dealer Mechanic Guy. *blows raspberries*)
So, my car (my NEW car) sometimes doesn't start. It's done this ever since I brought it home. But it doesn't do it all the time. And I can't predict when it will do it -- as in, what kinds of factors lead to it not starting. Just, sometimes, I will turn the key and nothing happens. The radio will come on, the lights will come on, the AC comes on ... but the car doesn't start. There's no click of the starter turning over ... nothing. When it happened the first few times, I did not take it back to the dealer. That is my mistake, period. It was stupid of me, but I just kept thinking: "This is a new car, darnit. There can't be anything wrong with it." And I didn't want anything to be wrong with it. So I buried my head in the sand, so to speak.
Needless to say, the problem didn't go away. It's still intermittent. It's still unpredictable. And it's still happening. The more it happens, the more I worry that I will end up stranded somewhere with a car that won't start at all. Even worse, that it might happen when my daughter is with me or when I have to be on the way to pick her up or something. Having a little kid, I just feel like I need to have a reliable car.
So I took it back to the dealer three days ago. For the "not starting" problem and because my bluetooth linkup wasn't working. It wouldn't recognize my phone at all. The dealer had the car for three days, and every call I got from them dealt with the bluetooth not working. That they had figured out the bluetooth issue. Or that they had determined that the bluetooth actually worked just fine, but the phone was hooked up incorrectly. And each time, I was like: "That's great. I can make phone calls. But what about the starter?" And then I would get a big bunch of nothing. *sigh*
Today, they call and tell me I can pick the car up any time after 1 PM, so that the technician who worked on it can show me the proper way to hook up the bluetooth. So when we called back (my hubby called, actually), they told him they didn't know why the car sometimes won't start. Basically, they couldn't find a reason for it, and they couldn't duplicate the problem. So they were releasing the car. I was so very ... Not Happy.
So I go to pick the car up. I had my hubby meet me there, because, truthfully, I feel like most repair places try to jack you around when you are a woman. I grew up with mechanics and people who worked on cars, etc ... so I can tell when guys are jerking me around. My hubby talked to the technician who worked on the car to find out exactly what they had done, etc. And the technician told us that, if it happens again (which I know, inevitably, it will), I need to bring it back. Because, then, they can escalate the issue to the next level and change out the starter or test the keys without Volvo's approval and without duplicating the problem in the shop. And, basically, that was all they could do for me at the moment.
I am still Not Happy. I told them so, in no uncertain terms. This car is only 7 months old, for crying out loud. It should not do this. It should start every time I turn the key. The first time, every time. Period. And I told them this, too. And everyone agrees with me. But it's like they really just don't give a shit, which is so frustrating. And I told them this, too. I didn't say "shit", but told them it seemed they were unconcerned about releasing a car that was not functioning properly. That was when they told me they could escalate things the next time I brought it in. I guess that makes me less unhappy than I was when I first went in there. I mean, at least, it seems like they will continue to work on the issue. But, still, I'm left with a car that I love but that, maybe, won't start when I need it to.
So ... freaking ... frustrating. Blehblehblehbleh.
(Oh. And the Bluetooth is working just fine. Whoopie. It turns out that it was hooked up through my phone and not through the car. And the technician told me it was "user error". But the funny thing is that our salesman from that dealership is the one who hooked the bluetooth up for me. So I told him it wasn't my "user error", but the dealership's "user error". So ... take that, Mr. Car Dealer Mechanic Guy. *blows raspberries*)