Re: Re: Yikes! I've been flashed! (long)

From: Andy Levy (andylevy@bigfoot.com)
Date: Thu Sep 28 2000 - 06:29:03 EDT


I think I'm out of dealers. I won't go back to Fayetteville Dodge, they
gave me WAY too much attitude on the peeling bumper, and wasted my time
on the foglight switch (I told them it was broken, they spent an hour
looking at it, told me it was broken, then didn't have the part in
stock). Sam Dell Dodge is the only other Dodge dealer I know of around
here (Syracuse, NY). Unless anyone can come up with a dealer, I'll have
to start planning my trips home to see my parents around visits to the
dealer I bought the truck from.

Mark Kuzia wrote:
>
> Take it to another dealer, and if they can't fix it, try another. There are
> a lot of inconpetent dealers out there.
>
> Mark Kuzia
> flyboy01@mediaone.net
> http://people.mw.mediaone.net/flyboy01/home.html
> 1995 Dakota 13.79 @ 102.45 mph
> 360ci, 5-spd, 4.11 LS, Cowl-induction
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andy Levy" <andylevy@bigfoot.com>
> To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
> Cc: <jlevy2@nycap.rr.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 8:26 PM
> Subject: DML: Yikes! I've been flashed! (long)
>
> > I got flashed today against my will, and sadly, it wasn't a woman doing
> > the flashing.
> >
> > I took my truck into the dealer this morning for the rear brake line
> > recall. I asked them to *look into* (those were my words exactly) my
> > pinging problem ('99 318, y'all know the drill with those). Then to
> > start my day off a little rosier, they made me wait AN HOUR for their
> > shuttle service to take me to work. I was leaving the truck there all
> > day because I thought it would be more convenient (drop-off at 7:45, be
> > at work by 8:15, then they pick me up in the evening). Had I known I'd
> > be waiting an hour for the shuttle, I would have made a mid-day
> > appointment and skipped out of work for an hour. But I did get to crawl
> > around a 2001 QC for a while during my wait.
> >
> > Well, they did more than look into the pinging. Looks like they put
> > about 15-20 miles on the truck (understandable, they had to drive it to
> > check for ping under accleration & climbing) They checked the intake
> > manifold leak; no leak there (there goes my excuse to get the MPI).
> > Then they decided to flash the PCM. They did not ask me about doing it
> > first; they only "advise" and ask if it's a non-warranty item. Since
> > I'm under warranty, and it's blessed by the lords of DC, they just went
> > right ahead and flashed the PCM.
> >
> > Even worse, when I asked what the flash did, my "service manager" (guy
> > who takes care of your paperwork, calls when the work is done, etc.)
> > said "I don't know, I'm not a technician, I don't know what goes on in
> > that thing, they just plug it in and it's flashed." The attitude he
> > gave me and tone of voice were not pleasant (I kept myself on an even
> > keel). Obviously, this conversation was going nowhere. I stated
> > multiple times that I was rather upset that I was not ASKED before they
> > did this. I was under the assumption that the PCM flash was the
> > "last-ditch" attempt when all else failed. Had they consulted me, I
> > would have delayed the flash until after trying the 180 t-stat.
> >
> > Then they brought the truck around & the driver walked away. I popped
> > the hood, and found that they hadn't tried the spark plug wire reroute
> > TSB. At this point, it wasn't worth trying to argue with them, so I
> > just drove off (will try the reroute myself). At the light, the truck
> > seemed to idle a LOT quieter. So I was optimistic. Then I got on the
> > highway and, seeing it was clear, punched the throttle and held till my
> > exit. Got to about 75, and the whole time, what do I hear?
> > PingpingpingpingpingPINGPING!
> >
> > Is there any chance that the flash I got *isn't* the 4-degree timing
> > retard one? Performance and mileage differences have yet to be seen,
> > obviously. Is there any way to "un-flash" these things? IOW, if the
> > dealer has an original program from an identical truck, can they restore
> > it? At best, they took the ping down from about a 7 to a 4 (out of 10
> > on the loud scale)
> >
> > --
> > -andy
> >
> > http://home.twcny.rr.com/andylevy/ --- andylevy@bigfoot.com
> > -------------------------------------------------------------
> > "We like AMD. The enemy of our enemy is our friend."
> > --- Jonathan Schwartz Sun senior vice president
> > -------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
-andy

http://home.twcny.rr.com/andylevy/ --- andylevy@bigfoot.com ------------------------------------------------------------- "We like AMD. The enemy of our enemy is our friend." --- Jonathan Schwartz Sun senior vice president -------------------------------------------------------------



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