endowdly
05-04-2010, 08:18 PM
I thought I had learned my lesson. Always work on your car yourself. If you can't, double check other's work.
But no.
Again, being pressed severely for time due to being Active Army, I raced to the local garage and dropped my car off to get the tires balanced and rotated. I hopped into my buddies car and we darted off to the next class requirement.
Fast foward a month to now. I changed my wheels today. A little late you might say. Well about five days ago, we had to plow out our driveway because it was buried under snow. About two feet of it. Yes, I know it was late April, but Northern New York doesn't care what you think about Spring. So I held out to rotate my winter wheels out until today. When I moved my car into the garage to lift it up and start loosening some lugs, I noticed the CEL was blinking. I figured it was just an old misfire. To check I dug out my handy dandy Cobb AP from under my seat so I could talk to her in her language. "Talk to me baby," I said as I plugged the USB cord into the AccessPort. I reached up under the wheel with the other end to find a gapingly wide female port on the OBDII connector. "What the f..."
Panic.
I looked under the seat. I looked under the mat. I opened the glove box. I jumped into the passenger seat and repeated. I got my wrench out and took the dead pedal out; maybe it fell behind it! Alas. Gone.
Those bastards.
The shop must have done a simple diagnostic for whatever reason back in Kentucky. To do that they would've had to have removed the dongle. They must have forgot to replace it.
I also noticed they didn't replace one of my air valves caps when I swapped out wheels.
Those bastards.
But the biggest bastard is me. I didn't check their work. Worse yet, I didn't check their work for about a month. Stupid. And I thought I learned this lesson last time I was pressed for time.
The semi good news: Cobb will sell you a dongle individual and separate from the AccessPort package for $80.00. Yes, that's a bit if you ask me. But shipping is free. Cobb will also ship you any component individually if you loose it, just for reference. Missing a USB Cable? Yeah they'll ship that, probably just for the low cost of an arm and a leg. But shipping will be free.
So guys, please make sure you check everything as soon as you pick your car up if you absolutely have to leave it at a shop.
If you're one of those folks who always leave your car at a shop... start learning how to do basic maintenance and replacement yourself. If I had the time, I would've rotated and balanced my own damn wheels because I've taken the time to learn how. Not only does it save you a ton of $$$ but you can also rest assured that the job was done right.
But no.
Again, being pressed severely for time due to being Active Army, I raced to the local garage and dropped my car off to get the tires balanced and rotated. I hopped into my buddies car and we darted off to the next class requirement.
Fast foward a month to now. I changed my wheels today. A little late you might say. Well about five days ago, we had to plow out our driveway because it was buried under snow. About two feet of it. Yes, I know it was late April, but Northern New York doesn't care what you think about Spring. So I held out to rotate my winter wheels out until today. When I moved my car into the garage to lift it up and start loosening some lugs, I noticed the CEL was blinking. I figured it was just an old misfire. To check I dug out my handy dandy Cobb AP from under my seat so I could talk to her in her language. "Talk to me baby," I said as I plugged the USB cord into the AccessPort. I reached up under the wheel with the other end to find a gapingly wide female port on the OBDII connector. "What the f..."
Panic.
I looked under the seat. I looked under the mat. I opened the glove box. I jumped into the passenger seat and repeated. I got my wrench out and took the dead pedal out; maybe it fell behind it! Alas. Gone.
Those bastards.
The shop must have done a simple diagnostic for whatever reason back in Kentucky. To do that they would've had to have removed the dongle. They must have forgot to replace it.
I also noticed they didn't replace one of my air valves caps when I swapped out wheels.
Those bastards.
But the biggest bastard is me. I didn't check their work. Worse yet, I didn't check their work for about a month. Stupid. And I thought I learned this lesson last time I was pressed for time.
The semi good news: Cobb will sell you a dongle individual and separate from the AccessPort package for $80.00. Yes, that's a bit if you ask me. But shipping is free. Cobb will also ship you any component individually if you loose it, just for reference. Missing a USB Cable? Yeah they'll ship that, probably just for the low cost of an arm and a leg. But shipping will be free.
So guys, please make sure you check everything as soon as you pick your car up if you absolutely have to leave it at a shop.
If you're one of those folks who always leave your car at a shop... start learning how to do basic maintenance and replacement yourself. If I had the time, I would've rotated and balanced my own damn wheels because I've taken the time to learn how. Not only does it save you a ton of $$$ but you can also rest assured that the job was done right.