Is there a reasonable priced battery tester available? What do you recommend?..next time I go to Home Depot.
I go for the free tests at our local parts stores. We had one at work, but does not work on gel cells which may be my choice for the next battery. The gel cell testers were megabucks more, looking at getting rid of stuff, not accumulating more.
I want to share my experience with a Costco “mechanic” and vehicle batteries. From where I parked my car, I had to walk past the vehicle bays. The right most bay, right behind the sales room, had all the old batteries stacked up against the sidewall. The “mechanic” in that bay was replacing tires and he tossed his impact wrench onto the pile of batteries. I noticed this because I saw a flash of sparks as the wrench slide over the batteries.
I stuck my head in, got his attention, and told him that those batteries could be giving off hydrogen gas and the sparks caused by his wrench shorting across the batteries could cause an explosion.
He just stared at me as if I was some kind of idiot; he shook his head and went on with changing the tires.
I went inside the sales department and spoke to the sales rep. at the counter. We went back and he told the “mechanic” that I said putting the impact wrench on top of the batteries was dangerous and the mechanic said (and I quote…), “It is dangerous, especially if he doesn’t mind his own business…”
I just turned around, went straight into the store, and demanded to see the manager and not some assistant. After a few minutes, the manager appeared and I gave him an ear full. Telling him that his “mechanic” was risking a battery explosion by his carelessness and that when confronted with that fact, he threatened me, and if he (the manager) did not do something really drastic, I was going to put it all over the Internet with videos of the mechanic and his impact wrench causing sparks on the batteries, his mechanic threatening me, and the recording of this encounter.
I actually did not record any videos and my phone was not recording anything at that time, but the manager did not know that. I just happen to be holding my phone and the “threat” of a video going viral must had scared that manager as he became very sympathetic after I mentioned the word “video”…
I then left; I was too upset to stay. I do not know what ultimately happened with the “mechanic,” but the battery pile then had a sign put up over it warning about an explosion danger. Sometimes I’ve seen a tarp over the batteries, which is perhaps even more idiotic as the tarp can trap hydrogen gas underneath…
I actually like Costco and most of their employees are great folk, but I now park on the other side of the store and no longer have to walk past the service bays…
The problem was that the parts store monkey left a cable disconnected. So by you post if this happens again the cable needs to be replaced? Where did you come up with that messed up logic? Any useful suggestions?
3 Likes
Well, I do not like your condemnation of my response, your story shows your thinking as messed up! If I was working on this car I would have never left the cable disconnected. I was referring to after you have the cable reconnected and it does not start at some future point. Many people do not find the break in the cable itself but just replace the cable. I had a client who was a Mechanic and had modified an old VW bus with a ford engine in it. He could not find why it was not not starting? The cable lost almost half the 12 Volts and although power was getting through the cable it would not be enough to start the van. I showed him the power loss and he replaced the cable and end of story!
If the vehicle does not start just replace battery cable without doing any checking to see what is really wrong . Now that is messed up logic.
5 Likes
First mistake. A customer never interrupts a technician while he is working. If you think you see a problem, go to the office and talk to someone. You don’t stick your head in the kitchen at a restaurant, do you?
Second mistake. “WE” shouldn’t have gone anywhere. The counter staff should have thanked you for your concern and sent you on your way.
Third mistake. A manger never discusses an issue with an employee while any customer is in earshot. Very poor handling of the situation by the counter staff.
Fourth mistake. As a manager and former business owner, I have no need or patience for any advice on how to run my operation.
Your complaint was mishandled. Your concern should have been noted, you should have been thanked for bringing it to their attention and told that they would address the problem as they see fit. And for that, as a business manager and owner I apologize on behalf of my fellow managers. As for you demanding that the manager do something drastic, mind your own business.
8 Likes
You are right, my complaint was mishandled and even as I admitted, I was “too upset to stay.” However, I do not feel that I did anything wrong, especially in light of the lackadaisical way this issue was handled… I’m not going to try to justify all that I did, but rather explain in a bit more detail…
Let’s set the stage, I parked on the far side of the service bays, I then was walking on the sidewalk in front of the service bays, and only a plastic chain closed off the bays from the outside. The “technician” (as you call him…) was removing a rear tire and was less than 5-feet from me when he flipped the impact wrench onto the batteries and lite the bay with flashes of electrical arcs. I did not enter the bay, I merely called over to him, in a normal outside voice, caught his attention and said that putting anything onto old batteries, including his impact wrench could short out a battery and even cause it to explode. As I wrote, he just stared at me and then, as if on purpose, dropped the tire, allowing it to bounce around…
The “counter staff” was a young man “an old tween” somewhere between a teenager and maybe 20-years old; I doubt that he could legally buy cigarettes or alcohol… It was he who said; let’s go talk to him (the “technician”). When the technician said what he said, the young man just shrugged his shoulders. That is when I went inside to look for the manager.
Oh, you are 100% correct about this. But that manager stared at me just as blankly as the young counter staff man did. He did not say he would look into it or even acknowledge that anything was amiss and no apology was offered. It was not until I mentioned “video” that he seemed to “wake up…”
You are looking back at these events with 20/20 hindsight, if one of those batteries had exploded as I walked by, I might not have my eyesight today.
Your handle, “asemaster” leads me to believe that you are an ASE Master Technician and I tend to believe that anyone with these credentials would probably had booted that “tech” long before he had the chance to hurt himself, his co-workers, the customers, or damage anyone’s property.
If the manager had not given me the “deer in the headlight stare” but rather acknowledge there was an issue, no one would be reading this today.
Back in the 1960s, before I entered the Air Force, I had an Auto Mechanic Certification from Ford and Chevrolet. I also had my New York State Vehicle Inspection License. Later, after joining the AF, I was a Jet Engine Mechanic. And if you think keeping your work bench clean is a “neat” idea, that you have not seen anything yet. There was not tossing of tools or dropping of parts; even a small piece of wire, screw, or nut could cause terrible damage to an engine. When we worked on jet engines, our overalls had no buttons and closed up every opening so nothing could drop and later be picked up by a jet engine.
I served for over 30-years and for more than half, I was a Senior Non Commissioned Officer and I was a Manager too. I knew that you Praise in Public, you Punish in Private, you acknowledge your (and your people’s) mistakes and how to “eat humble pie” when you’ve done wrong.
But this manager was wrong and no customer should be told by an employee being advised of a dangerous situation, “It is dangerous, especially if he doesn’t mind his own business…”
I ran into that once, shop had gone past estimated time, trans pan drop I think, wanted to get my clubs for golf league, You will have to wait a little as we are torqing up the pan right now, took me to the shop to watch and wait. I am glad they are so detail oriented, and the mechanic was using a hand torque wrench, and pattern. I was careful not to disturb him, and watched and waited till he was done. I thanked him for his fine work and he thanked me for my patience, no harm no foul, lowered the car got my clubs and off I went. Got a ride to work the next day, as the shop was across the street, all was good.
1 Like