How should I handle this repair issue?

Question

I am the owner of a 2000 528i.

Around six months ago my speedometer stopped working. The town where I live has one speedometer shop and is managed by a friend of mine.

Since the car is due for inspection in September, and it will not pass inspection if the speedometer is inop, I decided to get it fixed.

After letting the mechanic have the car for two days, they called me to tell me it was fixed. When I went to pick the car up, they told me the problem was not with the speedomoter, but the left rear speed sensor.

After I paid the bill of $250 (for parts and labor) I got in the car and drove off the lot, and noticed the speedometer was still not working. I quickyly turned around and took it back. The mechanic told me he will then need to replace the right rear speed sensor.

Since I could not part with my car at this time, I told him I would call and setup a time when they could perform the additional work.

The next day I did some research and posted a message on a BMW message board. It turns out the problem was a bad ABS module.

I had the module replaced and like magic, the speedometer works fine now.

My issue is, I called my friend to tell him that his mechanic misdiagnosed the problem and replaced the speed sensor that wasn't necessary. I was expecting him to offer some kind of refund or credit for future work becasue of this mistake.

To much of my surprise, nothing was offered and I was told "This was a part of troubleshooting."

Should I feel cheated or does my mechanic have a valid point? I was told by other's that they should have put a volt meter on the sensor to see if it was bad or not. Instead it looks like they just took a guess and replaced it hoping it was the problem.

Answer 1

i work at a pontiac dealership, if that had happened here (or any gm dealer) your money would have been refunded.  

Answer 2

Absolutely not. That's not trouble shooting. That's guessing, which is what any dumb*ss can do. There should be absolutely 100% NO charge! He fixed nothing, in fact, he disturbed a functioning component which is never a good idea. In fct, he was going to take MORE of your money. You found the problem, not him. I hate people like that.  

Answer 3

though it was part of troubleshooting, i think you should at least get some kinda of money or some free additional work in the future, if you figured out the problem before the mechanic, that makes the mechanic look bad, an if they don't give you any thing for there mistake just let everyone you know not to go to that shop because the mechanic there doesn't know what he's doing.

Answer 4

Mechanics do make mistakes just like anybody. But they should not have released it to you as fixed if it was not really fixed. Your friend should have offered you discounts on future repairs as a consolation.

But somebody's comment that the cluster's motherboard is the real cause of the problem is so "antique", since motherboards of newer BMW's can no longer be replaced separately. Also, please note that the left rear speed sensor cost a lot less than the ABS/ASC/DSC module. The latter costs no less than $800. when new.

So to replace the left rear speed sensor (or to clean it, which is the more logical repair) as a first step is not farfetched. But not to reinstall the old one and remove the new one is a mistake.

The root cause of your situation is the lack of diagnostic equipment,

diagnostic capability, and experience of your friend's mechanic.

By the way, in retrospect, even if the problem was fixed, the ABS/ASC

module should not have been replaced immediately. The contacts should have been cleaned first, and the module allowed to sleep or

remained disconnected for awhile, and rechecked for proper functionality. Disconnecting modules can do wonders in restoring functionality. If after disconnection and it still does not work correctly, then replacement is logical.

Sorry if I look like a sourgrape. I just like to lay it on the table.