yesterday i went to get a brand new tv cable for my brand new engine a transmission. It was a pain in the butt installing it but i finally got it. i adjusted it and took it for a drive. the car didnt shift out of first untill about 4500 rpms!!!! i only drove it around the block. The cable seemed alot tighter after adjustment that my old one, but the old one was broken, so i figured that was how they were supposed to be.
I called the dealer to make sure they gave me the right one, and of coarse the idiots didn't. this cable was for a vin f. I have a vin "e". the counter guy never asked what vin i had so i figured they were created equal.bast ard!!! did this screw anything up? I only ran it a few blocks and never even took it into 3rd or OD. Please Help!!!!! Thanks!!

 

Nah, should be fine after you get the right cable on and adjust it correctly.

I stick with GM parts for cables...my TV and throttle cables for the TPI swap were only like $20 each at the local dealer.

 

S7880,

Get a few of them for me, too.

Actually, spare the counter people, and ask to speak with their manager. The counter people should be better trained than that, but that isn't their fault. If they have been better trained than that, the manager really needs to know.

Seriously, calm down and ask to see the parts manager. Explain what happened without losing control. Explain your concerns over the potential damage to your car, and how this could happen to any customer's car. If the manager is any kind of manager at all, he/she will appreciate the feedback, and should use it constructively to make the department better. If you don't say anything, they'll never know any better, and will likely keep on doing business the same way - and you won't be able to blame them for that. You might suggest that the counter sales people take a bit more time to ask more of the detail about the vehicle in question. Again, don't be negative, just relay what your experience was. It's completely possible that it wasn't even their fault, and that the parts database didn't even list alternate possibilities. If that or something simlar is the case, they should still be able to use the information that you provide to go back to Bell and Howell or Mitchell (or whoever) and improve their systems to prevent future problems. A good manager will recognize that right away. Then again, I get those kind of "wild" ideas from hanging aroung ASE certified service managers (certified since 1974, with a Masters' Degree in Education, no less), so those ideas probably don't have any basis.

If the manager doesn't care and/or appears to blow you off, ask to see the dealership manager/owner. I'm almost POSITIVE the owner would like to learn more about the attitudes, professionalism, and management skill of those being paid to work for him/her. You're the customer, so you DO have the final word. If none of them understands that, you can take solice in the fact that you'll be around a lot longer than they are.

As for any damage to your engine or transmission, I seriously doubt that any harm was done. A WOT shift can easily occur at 4,500 RPM, and since you didn't do it repeatedly and constantly, it's no worse than making one good run down the track. If your engine and transmission oil are maintained as the service schedule requires, you should have no problems.

If you want to cut/paste/print this and take it with you, be my guest. Add my email address if you want: Vader@ThirdGen.org. I'd be happy to discuss management theory with anyone interested. My IMC/Certified Professional Manager certificate was issued in 1994, so I might be getting a little rusty....

 

vader.....
well aparently this manager does not have your credintals.....
i went back today (ancira winton chevy in san antonio) I followed your advice and was calm and rational. 3 guys and the manager were all there. after explaining what happened and how i spent 3 hours doing cables swaps....they laughed!!!! they thought it was hilarious that thed cable was so long. the manager said "you didn't realize it was the wrong part?" i said, I assumed that your people had some sort of automotive intelligence. all four of them had a smirk on there faces that i wanted to beat off with my new cable. no one apologized to me. I left angrier than i was before. they even tried to charge me a 10% restock fee. (which i refused to pay) I would have compared the cable to my old one but i did not have it anymore so i hade to trust that what they gave me was correct. When I got home I called the main dealer part and asked to speak with the manager. I then spoke with none other than Robert Ancira himself. I was very apologetic and said he will call me tommorow after he looks into it. He is also giving me the cable free. so i guess thing ended up working out.......

 

Hey there...glad you're happy with the new cable and all...but what you do with it is your business...

 

kevinc is funny

 

lol

 

Sublime,

As I mentioned, just follow the chain. Eventually you'll find someone there that has some business sense, and realizes that customer satisfaction is what will kepp them operating and profitable.

I'm thinking that the parts manager may remember this one. It probably made for an interesting meeting yesterday morning...

The free part was probably unnecessary, a nice gesture of good will. Obviously, Mr. Ancira has a grasp of the concept of customer satisfaction. A well-run business should generate very few complaints, but when it arises, it should be a "red flag" that something is wrong, not dismissed as a joke. The fact that you got the wrong cable is less an issue than the fact that your complaint got blown off. Usually some simple communication can resoleve those issues. This gentleman apparently understands the difference. Too bad you had to get to the top to find that understanding. I've got a feeling that may change.

Whatever you do, thank him for taking the time to listen and resolve your concerns. I'm sure he gets very little positive feedback either.

So, how's she running now?

 

its amazing what a few little clicks on the tv ratchet change in your tranny......i now have some pretty firm shifts in the 2500 range i now longer feel like im driving a tractor........ Im still having what feels like some kind of slippage in the 2-d and d- od shifts it seems to go away when i tightened a few clicks though.