Yes, yes, yes. The service writter telling the tech, (mechanic), what to do can be just as bad as the customer telling the tech what to do. Best to feed all the info you can directly to the tech himself. (or herself). No matter how small. That small tid-bit of info could turn a "my car pulls to the right", (alignment?), to a "my car pulls to the right ever since I rotated my tires", (bad belt?), or to a "my car pulls to the right when I brake hard", (caliper? brake hose? worn steering/suspension letting the alignment shift when braking?). But, alas, that's not always possible. So before you get mad at the mechanic, try to remember that he could have just done what his boss told him to do. But again, don't "tell" the service writer what to do. Ask. Suggest. But, don't "tell". Unless of course things have already gotten out of hand, in which case you really should have a third party involved if at all possible.
And about that paper trail,,, another point to remember is while I'm sure that you know and remember exactly what the mechanic has done to your car or truck, keep in mind that mechanic has worked on many, many, cars and trucks since he last worked on yours. When you are fighting a re-accurring (spelling?) problem, that paper trail can turn a blank stare from the mechanic, into an "oh yeah, now I remember" expression.
Ken, I was not saying that you were wrong about your tips. They are very good tips, and good things to remember. I was just pointing out that there are two sides to the repair/service issue. If one starts "demanding", well, one could very well find that he has an uphill battle on his hands. One that very well could have been avoided in the first place.
Mack
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