14. A trip on HUNDRED
Sooner or later in life of each motorist there comes the moment when for carrying out the qualified or technically complex repair it is necessary to address to car service (see tab. 4.1).
It is necessary to be prepared for visit of car service. Wash the car, especially carefully in places of the planned repair. Remove from it all superfluous. Switch-off the alarm system and turn off confidential bolts, having put them on a foreground. Cover seats with old covers, a pure rag or polyethylene. Some drivers leave in a visible place a bottle of mineral water, thereby showing respect for people who will be engaged in your car. Try to facilitate carrying out future works in every possible way. If in the car there is additional electric equipment (electrowindow regulators, additions to system of ignition, etc.), leave schemes or warn about their existence.
Be going to describe clear damages which have to be eliminated, and ask to check at you work of those knots which are subject to repair. Do not make the diagnosis and the more so do not make categorical recommendations. If you, for example, tell: "Pull a belt of the drive of the gas-distributing mechanism", to you it will be will pulled, and in several days the bearing of a tension roller will collapse and all head of the block of cylinders will fail, for example. Ask the master most to listen to the engine (to look at a suspension bracket) and decide together what details need to be replaced surely and what — to repair. Agree on the list of the replaced elements and stipulate who gets them. If service assumes responsibility for quality of details (especially difficult), it is better to charge their purchases to it even if it is a little will increase repair cost. Buying details, choose the best of what is available. Do not save on trifles — nuts, percussion caps, covers, "elastic bands" and in general all disposable details. Their replacement not only increases quality of repair, but also considerably simplifies it, and at the same time and lightens the mood to those who directly repair. If you have no idea of how this or that malfunction is eliminated, be not too lazy to open the instruction or a grant for repair and at least in general to penetrate into the main point. It will add to you authority on the mechanic's eyes, will force to work it more carefully, and to you will allow to control work flow. If there are an opportunity and desire, be present at repair or at least regularly inquire about its course. In the course of work there are many small questions: to do to do, change to change. It is better if they are solved at once. Besides, defects which will be very difficult to be eliminated then are opened, and at present — it is possible. For example, when change a wing or the back panel, the unattractive picture of corrosion of surrounding elements opens (at the cars which are earlier subjected to body repair), it is easy to eliminate it on the course, but it is necessary to coordinate with the customer as it demands additional expenses from his party. Watch work unostentatiously, do not plague. Search and elimination of many "individual" malfunctions happens a trial and error method, and nobody wants that someone saw that he is mistaken. At the same time be ready to answer the arising questions or to explain something to the master. Besides only you know what oil is filled in in the engine and what polish was used when processing a body.
Try to control quality of works step by step. It is much simpler to eliminate the minor body defect which is not stipulated in initial accounting to soil, than after painting.
Stipulate a warranty period, an order of presentation of claims at once. Especially many questions arise to quality of painting. For example, GOST allows light shagreen leather, existence of small dirtiness for this type of works, but does not allow paint potek. Our council — do not demand very smooth surface. It is easy to receive it, having put a thin paint coat. Besides in this case there will be no potek whereas the light shagreen leather testifying to a thick layer can be zapolirovat, and existence of a small potek even in the imperceptible place will allow to reduce working costs significantly.
Nothing happens eternal, but you, probably, will arrange if, say, paint oblezt after the term of the guarantee given you at once. It will be better if you buy (having consulted to those who will work) expendables and some specific means which can not be in a workshop of the average level. For example, if by your car sometime used silicone polish, get special means for its removal. Some polishes containing teflon are not removed nothing therefore it is necessary to delete all paint with a special remover. Buy anticorrosive soil only the best quality, it is desirable two-component epoxy about which it is known that they well take a test of salt fog.
Having addressed in a workshop the first time, think that the visit here will probably be not the last. Therefore take care of that the following repair gave to mechanics less inconvenience: ask the master to process before final assembly threaded and other connections by silicone lubricant. It, as well as the universal getting liquid (WD-40 type), it is always better to have in a luggage carrier.
Do not bargain after to you called the final price, but previously ask to make detailed accounting by separate types of works. Here it makes sense to discuss it in more detail to eliminate double payment of the same work. So, if it is required to replace brake shoes and the brake cylinder, it is impossible to summarize automatically quotations for these works as for replacement of the cylinder it is already necessary to remove a wheel and, for example, the brake drum.
When carrying out big, technically complex and expensive repair suggest to sign the written contract. In the contract for repair the order of giving of claims and a warranty period for the performed operations have to be specified. At the same time conditions have to correspond to the statutory act of "The rule of rendering of services on the maintenance and repair of automotor-vehicles" approved by the resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 11, 2001 No. 290 and not to contradict Art. 730-739 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation about the consumer work. The client has to have all this on hands with the copy of the order or the account. Do not forget to specify number of the license or the certificate on registration with the indication of the exact legal address of car service.
At low-quality repair it is possible to make a complaint to firm according to the law "About Consumer Protection". If guarantee period is not specified, the claim in writing is accepted within 6 months and if not to satisfy it within 10 days — safely file a lawsuit. If orally it is not possible to agree with service and the administration refuses to accept a claim (the document has to be in duplicate; on the second, remaining with the client, have to undersign for receiving a written claim), send it the registered mail with the assurance of receipt and the inventory of an investment. If this service refuses to eliminate defects, it is possible to make repairs and in other place, and to include the cost of works in the requirement about indemnification with the appendix of financial documents and the act of examination with the obligatory indication that the reason of breakage or malfunction — repair of poor quality. And for a lawsuit participation of the lawyer and independent expert of you is desirable.