said by TheHarvester :

Without looking under the dash it sounds like it could be a wiring nightmare from the sounds of your description. Shorts, especially intermittent shorts can be very hard to track down.

If they will diag it for $80.00 you are getting a deal and a half.

Before we even start on a short problem we get authorization for a min. of 3 hours. ($270.00) and if they are not willing to spend up to and possibly more than $1,000.00 we don't touch it. Now if it only takes an hour to find we only charge an hour. But if we need to start taking the dash out, the seats out and/or pull the carpet up or who knows what, then we don't shock the customer when we call them back and need more money.

We had a customer come in with a short in one car and it ended up costing him $1,200.00 to find the short in the center console where one of the wires was rubbing on the shifter bracket. Granted this was not a mass produced car and the wiring diagrams were of little help.

said by sailor :

Why a dealership? Isn't there a independent auto repair shop locally that specializes in electrical stuff? I would suspect it would be less costly to you..

said by NJxxxJon :

Damn. F that. Half of the car is ripped apart already though....heh.

said by joako :

Are you electrically inclined at all? I'd look at the wire diagram and trace the wiring starting at the fuse.

Honestly I think most dealers for any marque are totally incompetent. Guess what I'm moving in a month 40 miles away and I will keep on taking my car to the same place here in town. A good shop is hard to find... I wouldn't waste my money taking it to the dealer. They will probably change the fuses and say they checked it and there is no problems.

Have you searched the internet to see if this is a common issue? I know the car I drive its very common that the wiring in the trunk from opening and closing goes bare and causes all sorts of weird issues and you never would have suspected that was the cause, so much so that the manufacturer in the parts catalog basically has 1) front half wire harness ($2k), 2) back half wire harness($2K), 3) trunk repair harness ($50)

said by NJxxxJon :

920.00 Was the estimate at that dealer - and that was 2 big problems I am told - I found a place that "specializes" in car electronics after all...Next thursday taking the Dealership paper work their and showing them what they told me.

The guy I saw drive away on his lunch break it looked like and didnt bother to come out to the waiting area to help me -Granted its a 94 but he drove away for what looked like a lunch break -Pathetic.

said by TheHarvester :

So they found the problem for $80.00 and the repair is $920.00? I'd be interested in hearing what they said problems are. 90 % of the time the repair is easy and the hunt is a pain in the ass.

You lost me on this one.

said by joako :

Sounds to me like they did the "well since its not the fuse and nothing under the hood looks melted its probably the cluster or lightswitch so if we replace the cluster or lightswitch it will probably fix it and if not we'll throw more parts at it when he comes back, oh and we drove it around so its not the engine" diagnostics.

Typical car dealership. I would find a place that is familiar with DSMs not car electronics...

said by 3SGTE :

Sounds like a whole lot of baseless conjecture on your part, and yet another chance for you to grind your anti-dealer axe.
Or was that polish your pulpit...

said by HEDP :

How about you let the man do his job? It's probably been there for 4+ days because he probably has been greeted with the following.