The Truth About Parts
Q: An independent auto-repair shop replaced the fuel pump on my '96 Chevy Suburban. The new pump was obtained from the Chevy dealer (so we wouldn't have a problem with an aftermarket pump). It turned out to be bad. GM will replace the pump, but will not pay for the redo of the repair unless the job was originally done in a GM shop. I believe it would be a service to your enthusiastic customers to let them know of GM policies, which attempt to steer repairs away from independent repair shops and into the dealership. It's unfair for the customer to have to pay twice for the labor. It's also unfair to expect the independent shops to redo the job without pay. I know that you depend on advertising from auto companies to pay the bills, but you also have an obligation to subscribers to let the truth be known.
A: There's an age-old rule in the automotive-repair industry: the replacement of a defective part, under the part- manufacturer's warranty, doesn't normally include reimbursement for additional labor hours. This, of course, only applies to vehicles no longer under the original manufacturer's warranty. The use of an aftermarket fuel pump in your situation wouldn't have helped because that manufacturer would have also refused to pay labor costs. It's common business sense when you look at all the variables, a chief factor being the strong possibility of misdiagnosis. The first thing that comes to mind when told of a brand new Delco fuel pump that was just installed and doesn't work is to evaluate all other possible causes of the problem. There could be a bad relay, fuel regulator, and so on. There are also circumstances where parts become damaged during installation. When the job is performed at the dealership, and it's confirmed to be a defective part by a GM-trained technician, the labor can then be performed under the manufacturer's warranty on a case-by-case basis. Common sense, once again. I don't see this as a tactic in steering clientele. Keep in mind there's another unwritten law in many quality repair shops, whereas they'll traditionally absorb the loss in repeat labor to replace a defective part. Let's say a similar situation occurred at a Chevy service department after the installation of an aftermarket part. There's a likelihood they'd cover the labor cost if the part turned out to be defective. The expense would, most likely, come out of the service department's and/or technician's pocket in order to maintain customer satisfaction.
Unsteady Ram Acceleration
Q:I have a '98 Dodge Ram, short-bed quad-cab with a V-8. Occasionally, when I take off, the rpm is unsteady. Once I'm in second gear, it's fine. Until then it bounces up and down, slightly, but enough to notice. And, in case you were wondering, my foot is steady. I've checked.
A:There's a wide range of suspect areas to investigate. This includes the engine and transmission. The first place to start is the elimination of faults that have plagued the Magnum engines installed in '94- to '99-model-year Dodge trucks. First, perform the ignition-wire routing modification. The original positioning of the wires form the assembly line that resulted in a crossfire condition, which produces symptoms such as spark knock, various single-cylinder misfire, and/or a surge. Confirm the notorious intake-manifold plenum pan gasket hasn't failed and caused an internal vacuum leak. The symptoms may be one or all of the following: excessive oil consumption, spark knock, misfire from oil-fouled spark plugs, and the check- engine light coming on. The folks at the dealership or any qualified repair shop should be familiar with the repair procedures if these conditions are relevant. After that you'll have to take it step by step down the diagnostic tree.