Bad

On March 29, 2008, I took my 2000 Saturn LS1 to the dealer I have been using for some time for routine scheduled service. This included both regular oil change and related items (done by the dealer's express service department) and servicing of the fuel injectors (done by one of the technicians who do more complex tasks.)

The results of this were anything but routine.

After I paid my bill I went to the car to drive away and start on weekly errands. Upon starting the car it was immediately obvious something was seriously wrong.

• The engine's fan was running for no apparent reason.
• Moving the transmission into Drive had a distinctly clunky feel that had not been present previously.

I took the car directly back to the service intake area. A service adviser other than the one I had worked with initially came out, and I explained the problem and gave him my receipt. He took me inside and and spoke with the technician who had done the fuel injector service. The technician explained he had written on the original work order comments about those problems being present, and the original service adviser should have told me about those comments before having me pay my bill. This had not occurred.

By this time the original service adviser was free, and I was turned over to him. I explained to him these problems had not been present when I first brought the car in. He took me out to the car to look in the engine compartment and see if there was anything obviously wrong.

So, we opened the hood, and voila - the air sensor was not attached properly to the hose it goes on! It was explained this would have happened when the air filter was checked by the express service people. So, he put the air sensor in place then drove the car off to be looked at by one of the technicians.

A few minutes later he was back with the car and the explanation of just what had occurred. When the engine was started after completion of the express work to be taken to the technician for the injectors service, the car's computer basically basically freaked out because it did not detect the air sensor, and that in turn caused the continuous running of the fan and the clunky shifting of the transmission into Drive or Reverse or Park. He said the computer had been reset, and all was now fine. I found that to be the case.

So, I drove straight home to write a complaint letter to the dealer's service manager, with a copy sent to Saturn corporate. My complaints being:

• The service adviser had not let me know about the comments about the problems written on the work order by the technician who did the injectors service.
• The express service people had not reattached the air sensor, thus causing those problems in the first place.

I received a written acknowledgment from Saturn corporate in good order. But it has now been almost a month and the dealer has not acknowledged my complaints in any way. My intent now is to call Saturn corporate on Monday (assuming I can find time at my job) to ask them to make note of this lack of acknowledgment by the dealer, and to tell them that because of that I do not intend to give that dealer any of my business again.

I'm also intending while at work on Monday to put a request on my company's electronic bulletin boards for recommendations of independent shops that service Saturn cars and are a reasonable distance from my home. If I don't get any such recommendations (at work or elsewhere), I'll have to use the next closest dealer for any further service needs.

If the economy weren't in such bad shape right now I'd be working on finding another car to purchase, which would not be a Saturn. I decided on that some time ago because Saturn's cars can't match the best miles-per-gallon ratings from several other manufacturers. But I'm hesitant to be doing so while the economy is in such poor condition.

Melting

The San Diego area is having what a heat wave that is supposed to be short (today and tomorrow), but unusually strong for April. Temperatures are definitely over 90 degrees as I type this. (April is not supposed to be that hot!)

While I was driving around earlier I spotted a truck for "Total Ice Services" that did have a refrigeration unit. I can just imagine how many people seeing that truck today thought about trying to jump into the refrigerated portion of it!