Missing the Window Crank? Too Bad, Say Muskego Mechanics

It began in spring.  The spontaneous roll-up of my driver's side window. Or, when I needed to roll it down, nothing would happen when I wanted to roll it down by pressing the magic button on the door.

Then it progressed to affect the passenger side window, and the rear window, and suddenly my power windows left me powerless.  Remembering a similar problem with my 1999 Grand Prix (God, I miss that car), I thought 'oh, well, it's only $100.'

That was indeed so 1999.  My 2006 Trailblazer improved technology apparently.  This is auto-speak for 'after five years, it will cease to work effectively, and it will cost you five times what it used to.' So I learned from the guys at repair in Muskego.

"Even if you bought the part (a master panel for the driver's side door), it wouldn't work by just plugging it in," Clifford explained. "The cost comes in from having to reset the computer, which with the part and labor is about $500."

Ken Gummo at agreed with that diagnosis, and said it's getting worse with every new improvement on cars.

"Take a look at the new LED headlights, for example," he said. "You've got dozens of smaller lights that make it up.  If you're pulled over, and a cop sees you have a couple of those out, does that mean your headlight's out?" 

Apparently if the answer is yes, that will likely be $200.  For a headlight.

Don't necessarily blame your mechanic.  They are constantly trying to keep up with changing technology to fix your car, and with the new tool box being expensive diagnostic equipment, those costs also go up.

Keith Hammitt at Muskego Firestone has told me that he won't fix some imports, because their diagnostic equipment is around $15,000, and that's without the cost to educate mechanics through certification programs to operate the equipment.

All this makes me pine for the days of the simple, geared window crank.  Goes up and down in rain, winter, ice - like the postal service.  Or the seat control.  When did we become so inept that moving a simple lever and pushing forward or backward became something out of our capability?  It's not happened to me yet, but I shudder to think how much that mechanism would be to fix.

I am hoping the Big 3 will remember we're all struggling in this economy and sometimes the best 'new' thing on a car is something 'old' that doesn't require NASA and a six-figure bank account to fix. For now, I'm looking at purchasing a mustang...one that whinnies and requires a saddle.