Argh! sears auto center (OT)
Nathan J. Nagel
MD? Well I'm glad I took the car to Sears because the new alternator is
already fried. With jumper cables to my other car I read 13.7 volts, as
soon as I take the cables off it drops to 12.4. Battery is dead flat
(also a Sears battery, less than a year old) I'm not a happy camper,
esp. since I could really use a spare car this weekend (was planning on
POR-15ing the windshield frame of my GTI) AUGH! I hope they don't give
me too much hassle... anyone had to deal with this before?
It's actually a shame, b/c the guys in OH that fixed my car were
exceptionally friendly and helpful.
n
Oldcarfart
>From: "Nathan J. Nagel" n.n...@verizon.net
> I hope they don't give
>me too much hassle... anyone had to deal with this before?
I don't think they would dare hassle you after all their exposed scams lately.
SBCA96
their Automotive Division ... AND installed tires, alternators, batteries ... I
think I might be able to comment....
I would have to conclude that there is something OTHER wrong with your car.
Sears batteries (provided you bought a Diehard and not their cheap ones) are
among the best, and regularly last 5 to 10 years .. yes 10 ... I saw a few that
old when I worked there. If you are getting 12.4 volts from the battery, it
ISNT dead or flat. That is normal for a NON running car. If your car is
running and at 12.4 then there is a voltage regulator problem or alt. I would
suspect the regulator, if this was not changed (even if it was). Altenators
usually last more then a year, if not year(s). Unless you have water able to
splash up on it. I am not even sure what kind of car you have (Stude?). If
you have 12.4 non-running and it wont crank, then you have a starter problem.
I would be doubtful that it was Sears fault, they install parts that are bought
from local parts houses, if it went bad already, then the "new" part was
defective. Bring your receipt AND A GOOD attitude over to Sears and ask them
to check it out. If you go in with an attitude that its THEIR fault, you will
get flack. No one likes to be "blamed" for things. If a "mistake" was made, I
am sure they wil make good on it.
Tom (R)
BTW .. the Sears scam was a few years ago, and only certain stores, not a
company wide problem. Each Automotive repair unit was individually run from
the store it was at. This was a way Sears tried to cut/track costs when they
were in financial trouble years back. They are now back under the control of
the individual stores again. If you dont feel you are being treated fairly,
then ask to speak to a manager. Just keep in mind that the manager doesnt know
your situation, AND just wants to make YOU the customer happy, without giving
away free stuff. They only want to make things right, for BOTH parties.
Nathan J. Nagel
Tom,
it's a VW, integral regulator alternator. I agree it probably isn't the
battery. I just don't want to go to the hassle of changing the
regulator (about a 1.5 hour job) if it's covered by warranty. I'm
pretty sure the wiring is OK as it burned up about 3 years ago and was
replaced by a good VW shop.
Now if you wanna talk Stude charging systems, Delco all the way baby,
the Autolite generator in my 56J sucks :) (had a Delco on it when I got
it, changed it out to be "correct," I'm a dumbass.)
nate
Studegary
I agree with most of your post. Last year I sold a car with a DieHard that I
put in it nine years before. As far as I know, it is still in the car. On the
other hand, My in-laws bought a DieHard Gold (top of the line) two years ago
and it already went bad. Sears replaced it on a pro-rated basis. Exide
batteries used to be good, but I have had a lot of problems with them in the
last five years (one to two year life span). Of course they were replaced
pro-rated but it is a real nuisance to get stuck somewhere with a dead battery.
There are only a few companies making most of the batteries now. I used to
have a list of who made what but that is always changing. Do you know who
makes Sears' batteries now? Maybe someone has a current list of who makes
what. You are right about complaining nicely. Even though I got pro-rated
replacements, I wrote a letter to Exide. After providing them with a copy of
my receipts, they sent me a check for the price of the battery for my trouble.
Gary Lindstrom
Oldcarfart
>From: stud...@aol.com
> Do you know who
>makes Sears' batteries now?
Johnson Controls under a special mfg. contract as I know of no other brand
batterys produced by Johnson Controls.
Ron Dame
<n.n...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>it's a VW, integral regulator alternator. I agree it probably isn't the
>battery. I just don't want to go to the hassle of changing the
>regulator (about a 1.5 hour job) if it's covered by warranty.
\
1 1/2 hours? Geez! it's more like a 10 minute job, and that includes
getting the screw driver out and putting it away!
Here's how (I've done it 3 times on my Jetta, more for worn brushed
than the regulator... they are all one assembly). Disci=onnect teh
battery. Take out the 2 Phillips screws that hold the regulator/brush
assemby in. Take the old regulator out, set teh new one in, reinstall
screws, attach battery, put screwdriver away. Connections are all by
clamping pressure by teh screws, so be sure to clean up the contacts
and put a little dielectric grease on them.
Piece o' cake!
Ron
Terry & Mary Brandli
3 weeks the battery went dead. I decided to put the engine out
of that car in an endloader so when I charged the battery and
found out it wouldn't hold a charge, I didn't get spit from sears
because it wasn't in the car it was originally installed in.
Terry Brandli
"Oldcarfart" <oldca...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011216170745...@mb-bh.aol.com...
Nathan Nagel
Ron,
you've got one of those newfangled VW's! On an early A1 with the big
York AC compressor the alternator is underneath the AC compressor and
the regulator is blocked by the lower rad hose. *should* be a 5 minute
job, an would have been on any of the other VW's I've owned...
n
Studedajoy
Battery,Sears, Wal-Mart and CostCo under the brand names DieHard, Duralast,
Energizer, Equalizer, Eveready, Everstart, Interstate,Kirkland Signature,
Motorcraft, Optima and ProStart
Ron Dame
VW? When did York stop making auto compresors? I thought it was by the
early 70's!
Ron
On Mon, 17 Dec 2001 15:54:28 GMT, Nathan Nagel <njn...@earthlink.net>
wrote:
Nathan Nagel
statement - all were built by Karmann.) They switched over to the
Sanden in mid '84 just about the time they went to the space saver spare
and transfer pump in the fuel tank. AFAIK that's about the last vehicle
built with a York compressor... I don't know of any newer.
Unfortunately, as I said, my car is an early '84 and has none of the
"good" stuff. Only thing I can console myself with is that I can carry
a full size spare. Haven't fallen victim to the dreaded pickup tube
failure yet like it's predecessor (a US-built Wabbit GTI) I did however
pay a whopping $900 for it 3+ years and 70K miles ago so I can't bitch
too much. (I can, however, spend lots of unnecessary money on
suspension, exhaust, lights, rims, and tires, "because it's cool," as I
have repeatedly proven.)
Ironically, the GTI finally got sold because of the same problem. At
the time I couldn't find a parts store that carried the regulators.. I
*knew* that new brushes would fix it, but I could only get complete
reman alternators... and the bolt behind the timing cover was stripped,
so I would have had to pull the T-belt off to remove the alt to replace
it... off to a new home it went.
nate
Transtar60
the one in my '66 Cruiser.
Transtar60
"Nathan Nagel" <njn...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3C1EA667...@earthlink.net...
David Levesque
I bought a 5 year warrantee for the battery in my 52 Stude pickup.
Bad in two years.
I carried the battery into the store in a plastic battery box.
They wouldn't honor the warrantee.
I was told that the battery box proved to them that I was using the
battery for other than it's intended purpose.
I had the pickup listed in the warrantee as the vehicle it was to be
used in, but carrying it in a battery box gave them an "out" in their
minds.
They have the same Clinton-ethics as the State Farm Crooks.
They have lost a lot more of my business than they have gained on one
"profitable" ripoff.
D L
Lee Aanderud
battery out of the box and asked for a new battery. I've found when you
end up dealing with assholes at a chain-type store that you can usually
get the answer you want if you go back when the next round of workers
clock in.
Lee
SBCA96
carry-ins ... most people carry in their batteries when they go dead anyway!!!
..
I had heard they had problems with Diehard Golds .. was it one of those? They
didnt handle "shock" well ... so if abused the plates would break. The plain
Diehard was always the best. .. but every company makes a bad one off and on
... also if your battery was drained (power) repeatedly or was allowed to
evaporate down past the top of the plates (water) .. it would be a goner!
Sears did have some "bad" shops ... sounds like you had one near you ... I had
a simular experience at a local tire shop years ago ...
I brought my Hawk in for an alignment after I had the front end COMPLETELY
checked out by a specialist. The "mechanic" pulled the car into the shop and
went under it for about two seconds ... then came out ...
"you need a complete rebuild".
I said he was full of crap.
he said "no I just looked at it ... your ball joints are shot .. this car isnt
even safe" ..
then I told him .. "this car has KING PINS idiot! .. give me my keys I will be
leaving now!!"
Unfortuanately there are a lot of BAD shops out there ... this one was SUPPOSED
to be good .. and was recommended to me by a friend ..
Tom (R)
Randall Knapp
find their ass with both hands. I take my Studes in for allignment to
one shop in town where we get all our tires and I had to teach the
allignment guy how to do the allignment. Same shop tried to pull one
over on me though when the Rice burner needed a new CV shaft and I did
not have time to do it. The owner tried to nail me for a thrust
allignment and I told him right in front of his customers that there
was no need to rip people off for an allignment when these shafts were
replaced if you knew what you were doing. His comment was that they
could not guarantee that the job would be right unless it was alligned
and I said to him that I had replaced more of them shafts then he had
probably seen and if the car was alligned before the shaft replacement
all you had to do is use a sharp coal chisel to make index marks and
you could put the car back together in the same allignment as when it
came in.
Nathan Nagel
Well the happy resolution to *my* story at least is that my battery had
a bad cell. Probably repeated shock from my (~3/4 race) suspension
setup did it in, but I didn't say that. Went in the AM and left an hour
later with a free new battery. I'm pretty happy, although I havent put
a meter on it yet.
nate
SBCA96
business you know. It also helps to talk to the right person .. and like I
said .. go in with a good attitude, one that wants a RESOLUTION, not to place
blame.
Tom(R)
Randall Knapp
with the paperwork I decided to check it. I bounced it and no air so
I grabbed the kid that was still on duty and said Hey isnt this thing
supposed to have air? He gave me one of those dumb looks and came
over and checked it and sure enough my new tire was flat. Evidently
they dont teach them to use bead seal at SEARS so I said to him pull
it down and fix it with bead seal it aint payed for even yet and its
flat. The kid finally got it sealed and I made him rebalance it and I
watched to make sure it zeroed out. It took them two weeks to get in
one tire that they advertise for, glad I had something else to drive.
SBCA96
cant reorder. To get you that tire/size they most
likely had to contact other Sears stores and have
it shipped. Usually a closeout tire is a discontinued
tire, so there isnt a big selection. They should have
explained it to you, so you knew why there was a
wait to get the tire.
Tom (R)