"Oh yeah? well this is going in my web log"
Last September my check engine light came on and electrical system was pulsating and so we brought the car to our local fixit shop, Sandberg's Import Repair on Minnehaha and 35th in South Minneapolis. They replaced a fuse box and two oxygen sensors for a total of $900.00. Then, in June the same symptoms came back and the same fixit shop said we needed a new computer, alternator and battery for a total of $1300.00. Then, right after they replaced all that, the symptoms recurred! So this time, clever fellow, I brought it to the dealer who fixed it for $95.00. The dealer showed me Honda technical service bulletin 99-029 which said that these symptoms point to a short in some wiring that blows a fuse that sends the computer codes calling for oxygen sensor replacement! The exact same codes that Sandberg's got last fall! So now I am trying to get my money back from Sandberg's. Richfield Bloomington Honda gave excellent service and left me with an audio tape of the technician explaining what he did and why. I hate to bash the little guy, but Sandberg's really let the ball drop by not being aware of this service bulletin. That was a costly mistake that was made repeatedly by them totalling $2200.00 vs. $95.00.
I stopped by their shop with the report from the dealer (and the tape). Sandberg's claimed that they didn't have access to the service bulletin (I just found enough information about it on the internet for free at About.com). They also fell back on the excuse that "we just replaced what the scanner told us to replace..." and offered to refund labor costs of $280.00. So now I think I'm going to resort to anger and threats to see what else I can shake out of them.
Such wisdom as I can share: "Check engine light aglow, to the dealer thou shallt go "
5:51:47 PM 
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