“Ever Since…”

“Ever since you put air in my tires, my wipers come on by themselves.” “Ever since the technician did an alignment to my car, my radio has no AM reception.” Over the years I must have heard it all. The two most exasperating words you can utter when returning to any repair facility or dealership… “Ever since…” Those words are enough to make any service adviser chuckle and any technician cringe. Now, there are some instances when these statements can be legitimately related to a previous repair. As in “Ever since the mechanic put my new seat belt in, my SRS light is on.” SRS stands for Supplemental Restraint System, so perhaps that seat belt electrical connector did not get plugged in. “Ever since that radiator flush, I don’t seem to have any heat in the car when I turn it on.” That might be the case if the coolant system has an air pocket that hasn’t “burped” yet. If I hear “Ever since the mechanic diagnosed my squeaky brakes my sunroof leaks,” I’m going to go out on a limb and say probably not related. On the other hand, something like “Ever since the mechanic changed one of my headlight bulbs, the other one seems more dim.” Sometimes, when bulbs get to the end of their life they can be slightly low in intensity; or, it is possible that the technician did not seat the bulb back into the lamp completely. Do have faith that the mechanic will repair the vehicle to the best of his or her ability. Remember, the person working on your vehicle is human, unlike the robotic machinery that likely assembled your automobile at the factory. Humans make mistakes. Plus, a conscientious and thorough mechanic in any “Ever since” scenario will go back and check his most recent work if any new symptoms do show up on the customer’s list of complaints.