I Nearly Blew a Fuse When I Heard About Granny's Sedan, Because...
It is not often that my travels bring me so close to my 78-year-old grandmother’s home. I arrived in the afternoon and, after a warm hug, I immediately noticed that my ordinarily calm and serene Granny was worried about something.
Without much prodding, she told me that that she had dropped her car off at a local dealership because her interior lights did not work. A few hours later, the service advisor called and informed her that he had encountered a difficult electrical problem and it was going to require more time than expected. A large portion of her interior would need to be removed in order to access some wiring harnesses. Several hours later, she got another call informing her they had discovered the root cause - a corroded wire at the connector of a control module was the culprit.
Lucky for her, the mechanic said, the control module did not need to be replaced, which would have exceeded $3,000 including parts, tax and labor. However, in order to fix the wiring as well as remove and reassemble all the necessary interior components, it was going to cost $1,500. She was upset since that would nearly wipe out her savings. I volunteered to visit the repair facility.
Questions a Warranty Company Would Ask
Upon arrival, I was met by a friendly young man who began to describe the necessary repairs to me. I stopped him in his tracks and asked two questions: First, did he check to ensure the interior switch was actually turned on? He insisted that he did.
Second, I asked if he checked the interior light fuse. His face clearly indicated embarrassment. I insisted on checking for myself. It was blown and the cost of the part was 72 cents. A new fuse was inserted in a matter of minutes and I happily delivered the vehicle back to my grateful Granny.
I also explained to her that a good extended warranty company will not only pay for repairs to her aging sedan, but would ask these questions to make sure she wasn’t being ripped off.
Granny's Sedan Now Has an Extended Warranty
During our most recent talk, she informed me that she sleeps peacefully now knowing that someone with experience will be looking after her vehicle and her wallet.
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