One half hour of diagnostic time gets you a basic check out.
Unfortunately, if you draw an incompetent mechanic or a thief, you
will probably just get a code read.  If you're lucky a bad tech will
mention a pertinent TSB or recall outstanding that may fix the issue,
and if you are "lucky", a bad tech will guess exactly which part you
need.  A good tech can find out a lot in a half hour checkout, but
some problems require one hour or more to cover all of the appropriate
diagnostic bases.  I wouldn't like to get paid .5 to properly check
out a code that requires 1 hour of work.  Some techs screw the
customer, and some techs screw themselves for the good of the
customer.  The rare lucky and good tech gets paid properly for any
checkout time spent.

This is a situation that could take over one hour of combined testing
(*with* the problem currently acting up) to cover torque converter
shudder with test drive and scan tool, checking for proper closed loop
fuel control and looking for ECM/ spark/fuel problem(s), possible
scope testing in the shop or on a road test.  But it sounds like the
tech found that your wires were arcing.  Sooo.... how did a reputable
shop install Mopar wires for less than the dealer would sell them?
How would they make any money on the part to cover business expenses?
Every real shop gets OEM parts at a slight discount, then typically
sells them at dealer list -- the same as most dealers sell them for.
If they are new Mopar wires and they are arcing, perhaps there is an
underlying cause, like misrouting, lean air/fuel mixture causing
voltage demand to rise, chaffed wire on installation, wrong or
incorrectly gapped plugs, etc...

Show the service writer what you are talking about or don't let them
address this complaint.  It could be engine mounts, a valve body
issue, worn CV joints or side gears in the transaxle (of whatever
model you have, which model is it again?) but I seriously doubt that a
torque converter is causing shift shock during gear engagement.

I don't know.  I fix cars for a living, I don't get into the screwing
of customers.  It's hard to imagine how the bad mechanics can sleep at
night, but that's the way it is.  You need to be assertive if you want
to get your $ worth of your extended warranty.  Call the Chysler 800
service hotline if need be.  You also need to realize that your other
'mechanic' might not know what the hell he is doing either, and that
incompetence at any price isn't a bargain.

Toyota MDT in MO

I took my car in for 3 issues...

1) P0404 code (EGR Valve stuck) on the odometer when I turn the key
on-off-on-off-on, except when I took it into the dealer to have them check
it out, they wouldn't even look at the EGR Valve because the code was no
longer in the computer. I told them I saw the code on the odometer display
using this method AND by using a scan tool from AutoZone. They told me the
AutoZone tool is worthless, just so they can charge $70.00 to connect
theirs, but it showed the exact same code as the ignition method.

2) My car has been hesitating, lurching, bucking, whatever you want to call
it, while maintaining a constant speed. They said they sprayed water on the
plug wires and they are arcing to ground. Need to replace the wires AND the
plugs they said! I Just had the plugs and wires changed 6 weeks ago! Top of
the line stuff too. But instead of saying to replace the wires only, they
said the plugs too! Why? My regular mechanic said they are full of BS.

3) My car clunks when I shift into a gear, and when I take off - my regular
mechanic says Torque Converter and it's killing the CV Joints. I told them
this, they said they could not duplicate the issue so they did nothing! I
picked my car up from the dealer and when i put it in gear and took off -
SAME CLUNKING sounds! What the heck? They wouldn't even check the Torque
Convert and CV joints out - most likely because there was no computer code
for them.

Why are dealer service dept's like this? Why don't they fix your car when
you take it to them? I'm so sick of dealers. I have an extended warranty and
my guess is that they want out of it as cheaply as they can, wait till the
warranty is over, then fix the car for 2-3x what a regular mechanic will
charge you. I'm sick of it - can someone explain to me why this is?

Ticked off bad,

-TRogers