I had my car serviced at American Service Center(Mercedes).
The oil was changed. The harmonic balancer was replaced,
because there was a recall.

When I got home, I popped the hood to take a look.
I was shocked when I discovered a wrench next to the engine...
It was sitting on the AC condensor. I couldn't believe that
it didn't fall off when I drove home on I-66 and I-495...

What should I do now? Call and yell at them? Any suggestion
appreciated! :)

Depends on if you want to keep a good relationship with the mechanic.

My husband, is a mechanic, and his advice is that you should call and ask for the mechanic, and arrange for him to come pick up the wrench.

Mrs. K Wrote:
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> Depends on if you want to keep a good relationship
> with the mechanic.
>
> My husband, is a mechanic, and his advice is that
> you should call and ask for the mechanic, and
> arrange for him to come pick up the wrench.


I have no idea which mechanic worked on my car. I only know the
name of the service advisor at American Service Center that I dealt with.

Calling them and asking the mechanic to come to my house
and pick up the wrench... sorry, no way... I do not have
a death with and have no desire to end up on tomorrow's
news.

You jsut got a free tool. Use it, if you need it. If not sell it, if you know someone who needs it, or sell it for scrap. Mechanic's tools are usually hihg-quality metal and should fetch a good price

Remember the old adage of "treat others the way you'd like to be treated?"

If you call and say, "I'd like to speak to the mechanic who worked on my car and thank him," they'll put him on the phone. You can then tell him you found the tool, and ask if he'd like to pick it up when his shift is over.

Mechanics' tools are really expensive -- especially if they are Snap on tools. If you are nice about the situation, that mechanic will remember it.

LOL if you are going to take Mrs K's advice I hope it is a female mechanic that worked on your car...

You come off as one of those people that try and cause trouble over every tiny thing that goes slightly wrong and like to feel in control. I have worked with many techs and they are struggling to pay the bills the way the auto market is right now and that tool probably cost him over 100 dollars. I think you should do the right thing and just return it. Think of it as if it where one of the tools you use to do your jobs goes missing and some rude chump wont return it to you it is quite frustrating. Please just return the tool. There is also this little thing called Karma. It will bite you in the ass one day

Is your name Peter O'tool?

If you have ever worked on a car you would know how easy it is to forget a tool under the hood.

Firrat Wrote:
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> LOL if you are going to take Mrs K's advice I hope
> it is a female mechanic that worked on your car...

Or Vince.

Barney Franc Wrote:
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> Firrat Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > LOL if you are going to take Mrs K's advice I
> hope
> > it is a female mechanic that worked on your
> car...
>
> Or Vince.


Vince only does lube jobs.

hey` Wrote:
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> You come off as one of those people that try and
> cause trouble over every tiny thing that goes
> slightly wrong and like to feel in control. I have
> worked with many techs and they are struggling to
> pay the bills the way the auto market is right now
> and that tool probably cost him over 100 dollars.
> I think you should do the right thing and just
> return it. Think of it as if it where one of the
> tools you use to do your jobs goes missing and
> some rude chump wont return it to you it is quite
> frustrating. Please just return the tool. There is
> also this little thing called Karma. It will bite
> you in the ass one day

Exactly. Put the tool in a box with a note explaining what happened, and send it to the dealership's manager and ask for your postage to be refunded and the tool to be returned to the tech.

If it is on the way to anywhere you are going in the next week I'd just return it to the manager (make sure it gets into the hands of someone in charge, otherwise it may never actually make it back to the mechanic). Maybe send an email to the service manager via their Web site and say you found it and will return it at earliest convenience. If they want it sooner then ask for a shipping label.

Peter2007 Wrote:
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> I had my car serviced at American Service
> Center(Mercedes).
> The oil was changed. The harmonic balancer was
> replaced,
> because there was a recall.
>
> When I got home, I popped the hood to take a
> look.
> I was shocked when I discovered a wrench next to
> the engine...
> It was sitting on the AC condensor. I couldn't
> believe that
> it didn't fall off when I drove home on I-66 and
> I-495...
>
> What should I do now? Call and yell at them? Any
> suggestion
> appreciated! :)


Why would you call and yell at them? What happened to your car? Is anything damaged?

Are you one of those people who tries to turn every little mistake into a federal case and hope to get something out of it?

The guy made a simple, understandable mistake. Haven't you ever misplaced your car keys, or your sun glasses, or anything? If you're so perfect, I suppose you have room to criticize every little meaningless mistake of others.

By the way, the mechanics usually own their own tools, and if they don't own them, they probably still have to pay to replace them. If you want to screw the guy for doing you such and injustice, keep the tool. If you want to have the mechanic be extra dilligent in caring for your car in the future (and maybe even doing some minor things for free while he does other service on your car) personally return it to him and make sure he knows who you are for future favor.

Next time, try Fairfax Service Center in Merrifield. They specialize in
BMW's Mercedes. It's family owned.

I would have to agree with the other posters..

You do come across and someone who likes to make a mountain out of a molehill.

The guy left a wrench in your car, and you act like it was a doctor who left a pair of forceps in your chest..
Did it break your car? No? Did it almost kill you? No? Chill out.

Just stop by and drop it off. And maybe by just being nice, the shop might remember you next time, Hey that guy helped me out..etc etc.

Or you could be a jack-off and jump up and down and complain about how it almost killed you, until they give you what ever you want just to get you out of the shop.

You choose.

And really, a death wish..? Seriously!!? Are you scared of your own shadow?
maybe you watch too much CNN before bedtime

Peter2007 Wrote:
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> What should I do now? Call and yell at them? Any suggestion appreciated! :)
This is just pathetic! How can you even ask what is the right thing to do? Give the guy his tool back!! Keeping it makes you a thief (No matter how you you try to justify it)..

Dear Mr. Perfect,

You are a typical Mercedes driver. You should have had your turn-signals looked at as well, since they never seem to work on Mercedes.

How about this -- Make some poor mechanic's day and return his tool. What costs you one hole at the golf course probably cost this guy several hours of pay. Stop by the shop, ask around, and be a MAN, with real live TESTICLES, and give the guy his wrench.

Whoever you are, I'd be pretty impressed if you actually did this. Karma can be a bitch.

Margie Wrote:
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> Peter2007 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What should I do now? Call and yell at them?
> Any suggestion appreciated! :)
> This is just pathetic! How can you even ask what
> is the right thing to do? Give the guy his tool
> back!! Keeping it makes you a thief (No matter how
> you you try to justify it)..


This guy is the perfect example of the typical uptight jerk-off that gives this area a bad name and a bad overall attitude.

I bet he parks in front of Giant blocking the wheelchair/shopping cart ramp because his uptight wife is "just running in for one thing", or will drive exactly the speed limit or 5 under in the left lane, a car length and a half behind a car in the right lane, but as soon as someone has the gall to "cut him off" by passing him on the rght, he'll speed up to chase the guy to prove that he is the alpha male.

I always wonder what kind of jobs these people have. They must work for a very emasculating boss who yells at them all the time, or something. They are obviously miserable people.

Ronald Mexico Wrote:
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> Dear Mr. Perfect,
>
> You are a typical Mercedes driver. You should
> have had your turn-signals looked at as well,
> since they never seem to work on Mercedes.
>

It isn't a Mercedes driver thing to not use a turn signal.

At every traffic light, I always to a survey to see how many people actually use their turn signals. It always ends up being something like 3 out of 10. I did actually witness a 7 out of 10 one time at a particularly long light, but I can only assume that some of those were because they thought turning their signal on would make the light change faster.

I think this area has a high proportion of profession-oriented highly educated people who are not very smart in general terms. Specialists. They don't have a well-rounded education or knowledge, and they can barely function outside their career parameters.

You have to admit, it is hard to decide when is the appropriate time to use your turn signal. I mean, should I use it when I turn? I'm not sure, the name of the device isn't very clear on that. Besides, I might mistake my windshield wiper contro and end up breaking the law by mistakenly telling people it's raining. Not to mention, if I lift it up, is that right turn or saying I'm going up? If I push it down, is that a left or going down? It's too complicated.

durrh, how should I know, I'm retarded.

Bob Wrote:
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>
> At every traffic light, I always to a survey to
> see how many people actually use their turn
> signals.

I agree with you... there are plenty of idiots who
don't use turn signals.

However,

I don't get why people use their turn signals when they
are in the left-turn-only lanes. (especially at intersections
with two left-turn-only lanes) I mean, where else are
they going to go, except turning left or perhaps making a
U-turn? :)

Georg Wrote:
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>
> I agree with you... there are plenty of idiots
> who
> don't use turn signals.
>
> However,
>
> I don't get why people use their turn signals when
> they
> are in the left-turn-only lanes. (especially at
> intersections
> with two left-turn-only lanes) I mean, where else
> are
> they going to go, except turning left or perhaps
> making a
> U-turn? :)


Because they are making a left turn. That's why.

Even if they are in a left-turn only lane, some asswad might decide he's going to run through the light on the opposing lanes (or for whatever reason doesn't realize he's going to blow through a red light). He sees you coming towards him, but since he has decided he has the right of way by going straight, and since you do not have your turn signal on, he imagines he's clear to go through the intersection, and he ends up T-boning you and killing whoever was in the passenger seat.

You are supposed to ALWAYS use your turn signal whenever you turn or change lanes.

If you are on a two lane highway and you are passing a slower moving car, you should put your left turn signal on as soon as you are ready to go into the oncoming lane, and when you clear the cars you are passing you should always put your right turn signal on to let not only the cars you are passing know that you're moving back into the proper lane, but to also let any distant oncoming car know you are no longer a risk to them.

I don't know if you've ever driven across Chain Bridge, but even there, where you have no other choice but to go right, you should signal right. At the very least, you are signaling to the people coming from DC who are turning left onto the bridge that they don't need to worry that you might turn left into their path.

That's why it is called a "signal". It's a form of communication.

Bob, you are one bitter motherfucker.

Georg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> However,
>
> I don't get why people use their turn signals when
> they
> are in the left-turn-only lanes. (especially at
> intersections
> with two left-turn-only lanes) I mean, where else
> are
> they going to go, except turning left or perhaps
> making a
> U-turn? :)


Sometimes people on the opposite side of the intersection can't see lane markings and may have no way of seeing that a car is in a turn lane (some intersections have dedicated turn lanes and others have a left lane shared as yield-for-left-turn and straight (any regular driver on 50 inside the beltway knows this is an example of where this is common). Using a turn signal tells opposing traffic that you want to turn.

People often forget that turn signals aren't only useful to people traveling in the same direction (like for lane changes)... in the case of intersections they are needed to communicate with people traveling in opposite directions.

496 Wrote:
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> Bob, you are one bitter motherfucker.


I'm not sure what in the above comment could come across as bitter. I thought some of what I wrote was actually sort of funny. It's not bitter to make fun of stupidity. It's bitter to get angry at stupidity.

Call them and let them know what happened.

They get paid to do a quality job.

Today its a car repair man, tomorow its a doctor forgetting something in your stomach after the surgery is done

Oooops, we forgot.

Fuck em. Do whats right.

I am getting sick and tired of people doing a shitty job in the American service industry,

Dude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Call them and let them know what happened.
>
> They get paid to do a quality job.
>
> Today its a car repair man, tomorow its a doctor
> forgetting something in your stomach after the
> surgery is done
>
> Oooops, we forgot.
>
> Fuck em. Do whats right.
>
> I am getting sick and tired of people doing a
> shitty job in the American service industry,


Karin, this is an example of a bitter "dude".

"dude", hate often? Leaving a wrench under the hood is nothing like leaving a sponge or a scalpel in your stomach during surgery.

I drove around for a week before I found a wratchet wrench sitting on the battery. I don't think my car would get an infection or anything.

My god, why are some people so uptight and angry that they feel that everyone else needs to be more perfect than they themselves will ever be?

Doing what's right is to let the mechanic know you have his wrench, and offering to return it to him.


Hey, I know. People who are this uptight are probably lonely and not very good at dating. I can teach you another lesson here as well. Women like to leave something behind after a date, so that you have a reason to call them. Maybe the mechanic wants you to return to his shop so he can get more business from you. Now you not only know why the mechanic left his wrench in your engine compartment (to make more money later when you have another repair need.) but now you might be less uptight by being able to finally get a second date with whatever girl you meet at some online dating site.

You find something, and you know who lost it, but you don't know what to do?