A story about soot, brains and honesty

May 14, 2023

Was I dreaming?

I had to pinch myself in the arm several times, as I thought I was dreaming. How come?

I recently had my car inspected. In Belgium cars older than 4 years need to be inspected annually. Mine is 11 years old, so I went to the inspection station. My car had no flaws but one: the particle emission (soot in the exhaust gases) was too high. Reason? As of this year the inspection station uses a particle counting device instead of an opacity meter. Conclusion? I need to have the issue fixed before the next inspection, i.e. next year. So when I presented my car to my dealership for regular maintainance, I asked them to address the soot issue. A few hours later, I got a phone call from the dealership. On the other end of the line there was a new employee, I did not recognize his voice, nor his name. He wanted to quiz me about the soot issue.

My car dealership

Before I continue, I need to tell you something about my dealership. When I bought my car there, 11 years ago, it was a family business (operating at multiple locations, so by no means a small business). I was happy with their no-nonsense and honest approach. They asked fair prices, both for the cars and for the maintainance. Moreover, the service was ok. A few years ago they were taken over by a big chain. From that moment things went downhill. Prices went up and instead of them telling what was wrong with my car, I had to tell them. Instead of repairing, all they did was proposing to replace entire subsystems. E.g., a leak in the airco? "We'll have to replace the radiator, the compressor, and the dryer, and the piping, otherwise we won't be sure the issue is fixed." Another example: I heard a grinding noise when driving the car and suggested it could be the front-wheel bearings. They changed the shocks, the tires and the anti-roll bar, without the issue being fixed. A year later I asked them to change the bearings (and they were laughing for such a stupid request - "what dumbass suggested this solution to you?"). Result? The issue was finally fixed. To illustrate their bad practices even more: they also charged for new windscreen wipers, without my permission, and... without renewing them. To cut things short: they are a money hunting lot and I don't trust them anymore. I swore never to by another car from them again.

So honest my ears were hurting

And there I was on the phone, feeling a little dizzy in the head while this new young chap was asking me how far I wanted to take the soot issue. This is what he said to me: "You know, sir, a workshop like ours is no longer well equiped to solve these issues. The only thing we can do is replace all related subsystems one by one. First, a new catalytic converter, 1500EUR, but we don't know whether this will solve te issue; then, new diesel injectors, 700EUR a piece without labor; then, even opening the block to inspect it, which will cost you an arm and a leg in labor. So my question is: how far do you want to take this?" At first I was baffled and tried to reply: "so you are not capable of diagnosing the cause of the issue?". His answer was strikingly honest: "No sir, I've seen the workshop for the few weeks I work here, and frankly: I think you're better off finding yourself a specialized company that deals with soot issues on a day-by-day basis." There was a noticeable silence on the phone while I was frantically pinching my arm. "Are you still there, sir?" "Yes, I am, and I want to thank you for your more than honest message."

So, now I spent my weekend to find a company that still has expertise in its workforce. Not an easy task, I can assure you.

Conclusion

This world is going down, not only because of the climate crisis, but also because of its focus on making money and "growing". The smart reader will - of course - realize that the two are related. Dealerships are morphing into brokers who just sell cars and maintainance. Expertise and repairs? No longer their business: the profit over brains ratio is nog big enough.

I fear that because of the declining expert intelligence in our economy, soon all intelligence will be considered to be artificial.