Words a technician can work with
A shop in Mobile can only start from what you tell it and what the car does while it is there. Some faults show up on cue; others hide the moment the car rolls into a bay. The clearer your account of the problem, the sooner a technician can decide where to look, and the easier it becomes for you to judge whether the repair that follows matches the complaint you brought in.
Naming the sound
Sounds are hard to describe, so borrow plain comparisons, such as:
- a squeal or a squeak, high and thin;
- a grind, rough and metallic;
- a click or tick that speeds up with the engine or with the wheels;
- a clunk or knock, single and heavy;
- a hum or a drone that rises with road speed;
- a hiss, like air or steam escaping.
Then say where it seems to come from: front or back, left or right, under the hood, under your feet. If you can, record a short clip on your phone with the car parked safely or with someone else driving, and offer to play it at the counter.
Smells and what you see
A smell is worth mentioning even when it fades. Say whether it is sweet, like syrup, sharp like burning rubber or hot metal, like raw fuel, or like rotten eggs, and whether it comes through the vents or only outside the car. Note any smoke or steam, its color, and whether it rises from the hood, the tailpipe or a wheel.
The feel through the wheel and the pedal
Your hands and feet notice things a scan tool may not. Tell the shop about a shake in the steering wheel and the speed where it starts, a pull to one side, a pedal that sinks, pulses or feels hard, a gear change that slips or jolts, or a car that hesitates when you press the accelerator. Say whether the feeling is constant or comes and goes.
A drip under the car
Slide a piece of light cardboard under the car overnight and look at it in the morning. The color, the feel between your fingers and the spot where it landed can all help a technician. Mark the cardboard to show which end faced the front, take a photo, and bring it along. Ask the shop what the color and position suggest, and how it would confirm the source.
When the fault shows up
Timing helps narrow things down. Before you call, jot down:
- whether it happens on a cold start, once the engine is warm, or both;
- the speed, gear or road surface when it appears;
- whether turning, braking, accelerating or switching on the air conditioning brings it on;
- how long it has been going on, and whether it is getting worse;
- any warning light that came on at the same time.
Ask for a ride-along
If the fault only appears on the road, ask whether a technician can drive the car with you in the passenger seat, or ride with you while you drive. Pointing to the moment the noise starts can save time. Ask whether a road test is part of the diagnosis charge or billed apart.
One card for the counter
Put the whole description on a single card or phone note: the symptom in your own words, where it seems to come from, when it shows up and what makes it worse. Hand a copy over at drop-off and ask that it be attached to the work order, so whoever picks up the car reads the same account you gave.
The license question
Once the shop has heard the problem, ask: "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?" Write the reply and the date on your card. Ask, as well, for proof of the liability coverage that applies while the car is in the shop's hands.
Mobile's beginnings
Founded by the French in 1702, Mobile is Alabama's oldest city and was the capital of French Louisiana until 1720.
A tax line in the Code of Alabama
Alabama law (Code of Alabama section 40-12-54) sets a license tax on garages or shops where automobiles or other motor vehicles are repaired, painted, trimmed, or welded for the public: $5 where the work is done by one man, $10 where it is done by two men, and $10 plus $5 for each workman over two.
NOAA's figures for Mobile Downtown
NOAA engineering weather data for Mobile Downtown, at an elevation of 26 feet, gives a 1% summer design temperature of 91°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 77°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 33°F.
Before you hand over the keys
- Describe the sound, smell or feel in plain comparisons.
- Say where on the car it seems to start.
- Note when it appears and what brings it on.
- Bring the drip card and any phone clip.
- Ask about a ride-along if the fault hides in the bay.
- Ask the license question and keep the answer with your card.