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In This Issue
Worn vs Damaged
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Worn vs. Damaged
I finally got my cutlass to point that I can drive it and not be embarrassed. The dash is done, the windows are done, the top is done, the electrical work is done etc. The last thing to fix was the transmission. Here is what I know. Before I changed the engine (from 350 to 455) is was shifting well. I drove it back from the body shop with no problem. It tool me some time to change the engine and the transmission was detached from the engine. I put the 455 in at my dad's house and then drove it to my house. Didn't shift initially, then "warmed up" and started shifting fine. I brought it to the first transmission place, let's call them Dee Kyles Transmission, and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. So, a lot of time went by before I got the cutty to a point where I want to drive all the time. This was last week. The transmission now shifts went it wants to. Sometime cold, sometimes hot. So I took it to the transmission next to my work, let's call them SCAMCO Transmission. This is where the fun begins.
I bought it in for the "free" diagnosis. I told them what is going on with and that I thing there is junk in the valve body and possibly low vacuum pressure. They do their free test which is just driving around the block probably) and tell me the problem is inside..."no sh*t Sherlock." Now the guy says it will cost $375 to take apart the transmission and see what the problem is. I can't believe it. I told them it was something small, something that should not cost $375. "Well if we find that it is something small then we will just charge what is will be to fix it." Right now I want to take a vote from all of you out there to bet if they will find something small or something huge? What do you think?
I told them I am confident that it is something small and to go ahead and pull the tranny apart. Guess what happens next? I get the call later that afternoon and a long scripted speech about what is wrong with the transmission. Here is the conversation:
SCAMCO: "The gears are bad, this thing is bad, the Johnson rod is bad, the ball bearings are bad, the this is bad, the that is bad and the torque converter. $1800"
ME: "STOP! Are you kidding me? I just drove it to you and it sure as hell didn't feel like all that stuff was wrong with it?"
SCAMCO: "Well sir, we have been doing this for 50 thousand billion trillion years..."
ME: "Just STOP! Put my tranny back together I will come pick it up."
SCAMCO: "Well it's going to cost you the $375 inspection charge and the seal kit and the labor. Total $800 plus"
(At this point I was fully going to call my credit card company and dispute the charges for poor service rendered)
ME: "I don't care, a rebuilt transmission does not cost that much, and I can buy a brand new 4-speed that will bolt right up there."
SCAMCO: "Sir they will not bolt up yadda yadda yadda..."
I told the guy I would call him back. I then called my mechanic and he said he would pull the tranny, have his tranny guy rebuild it and put it back in for $600. If I wanted the 4 speed, $1000. So, I call back SCAMCO.
ME: "My mechanic said he can do it for $600. So, if you can do it for $600, then go ahead."
SCAMCO: "There is no way I can do it for that, I can do it for $1500"
ME: "Put my tranny in a box and I will tow my car from your place"
SCAMCO: "Sir, I can put a different rebuilt tranny in for $1150."
ME: "How do you sleep at night? Put my tranny in a box and I will pick my car up at 3:30." And I hung up.
Now, I am reminded of a saying that my Dad taught me "Cornuto e Bastonato" (if you are Italian, you know what I am talking about). The point of that saying is to at least get something from nothing. Actually it's more like, try not to get scammed twice on one thing. Here is the PG version: You are climbing a cherry tree and you slip and fall out of the tree. You fall and break your arm on the ground. So not only did you exert the effort to climb the tree, you didn't get any cherry's and you arm is broken. Cornuto e Bastonato! Screwed twice! So, grab some cherry's on the way down, because when you are in the hospital getting your arm set, you at least can enjoy the cherry's. No, I wasn't drunk when I was writing this.
So, the manager at SCAMCO calls me back.
SCMACO: "I understand you would like to take your business elsewhere? What did we do to drive you away?"
ME: "2 things, your service and your prices. I have had several transmissions rebuilt and NEVER...NEVER did it cost $1800."
SCAMCO: "We have a wholesale price for $991. Will you do it there?"
ME: "No, because if I am spending that money, I want a TH400 so it can handle the 455. I was planing on waiting for the TH350 to go out and then replace it with a TH400 or a 4 speed."
SCAMCO: "What if I were to build the tranny to a point that it will handle 500 HP?"
ME: "Ok, done."
So, I went from a simple rebuilt TH350 at a price of $1800, to a hot TH350 at a price of $991. I didn't get Cornuto e Bastonato!
Now, the title of this article is "Worn vs Damaged." I brought up this point to the manager of SCAMCO. I asked him that out of all the parts that needed to be replaced which ones wear worn versus damaged? He didn't know what that means. I said, worn is still functional but used and damaged is not functional anymore. He mentioned all of the parts were worn and not damaged. So, for all intensive purposes I could have put the parts back in and it would have worked, mind you, not at 100% but still worked. That is what the point that I wanted SCAMCO to learn. If the first gentlemen said, this part is damaged and can be fixed for $300 with no warranty, or you can have the whole thing rebuilt for $900-$1000 with a warranty for 1 year, I would have probably gone with the rebuild. Give ME the options and let me decide, not you decide for me, SCAMCO.
I wasn't planing on spending that money and booooy did I hear it from the little lady. "No more money on that stupid car!" "SHADDUP, SHADDUP....." I said..... to myself......on the inside.....
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So there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed this Newsletter.
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We at Classic Car Community believe that the most important part of a community is its members. We ask that you join us in our quest to provide a state-of-the-art community for classic car enthusiasts
Sincerely,
Joseph Montenegrino
President
Classic Car Community
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