Gen 5 – Subaru Service

I usually let the service writer know in advance (in creative ways) that I keep a close eye on fluid levels, check for leaks, and wash my car by hand usually once a week. This lets them know that I am not a person who does not take care of my car. Most of the time this prompts them to make a comment to the technicians to be a little more careful with my car. Sometimes, however, it makes them defensive. If that’s the case BEFORE they touch my car, I usually take the keys out of their hands.

Unfortunately for my psyche I have first-hand knowledge of the backstage at the stores. I have worked both on the general service/tire changing side and on the management side and have seen it all. Both good and bad technologies. I’ve seen the crashes and the desperate corrections that follow, hoping it goes unnoticed.

I vividly remember two incidents on my watch. There were many more, but these two come to mind.

First it was a very expensive supercar next to the supercar that my tech replaced the wipers. While waiting for the new wipers, he removed the old one and the arm slipped from his hand and hit the windshield. He didn’t say anything at the time. He then replaced the wipers and started driving the car out of the shop. When the windshield hit the cold air outside, it immediately cracked all the way. Imagine if it didn’t crack there, but 30 minutes down the road.

I believe the second one was a very rich Mercedes. One that has the cartridge filter on top of the motor. We had a GS that was almost done with its mechanic’s certs, forgot to put the top on the filter after the oil change. He started the car and sat in it for a few seconds. I’m not sure what it was doing, but when I looked at the car from across the room, oil was literally spraying everywhere from the filter. It was all over the car. Naturally, the center manager took the car across the street to clean it before the customer returned.