Saturday, June 2, 2007

An expensive lesson... just use good parts

On Thursday, I was running errands around the Berkeley area. When I hopped back into Minnie, she wouldn't start. When I turned the key, all I heard was the click of relays. After a few tries and an attempt at a jump start, I called the tow truck. The next day, I received a call from the mechanic - a faulty starter caused the problem.

Now, let me explain why I was surprised: Minnie received a new starter in March. That starter went bad and was replaced under warantee in early May. This is the second time a brand new starter has gone bad. The culprit? Cheap parts.

I've learned my lesson: Minnie only likes Bosch parts. Anything that costs less will cost more in the long run.

Luckily this story has a happy ending - the mechanic was able to get a new Bosch starter installed quickly and Minnie is back on the road.

In the meantime, I will try to get reimbursed for all the labor I have had to pay in changing the starter out two more times than was necessary.

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