I think I shared this before some time ago, but I'll post it again to share in this topic.
I have a '93 with 23k on the clock. I do baby the car. I'll park it in the furthest spot in the parking lot to keep other cars away from it. Anyway, my dealership experience...
It seemed that the PKE transmitter needed to be really close (1 to 2 feet) to the door for it to work. This was inconsistent with what was published in the owner's manual (I believe 5 to 7 feet). I took it in.
When I got the car back, I was told that they took the driver's door apart and found no problems, but cleaned some connections anyway in case corrosion was an issue. I noticed that the power mirror switch no longer worked--they must've disonnected it and not reconnected it. I took it back. When I got it back, I noticed that one of the screws in the door jamb had its head stripped (yes, I know every darned inch of the car!), the paint was scratched near that screw, and the courtesy lights no longer came on when the driver's door was opened.
I took it back.
They fixed the scratch (and not the screw head). They said that the electrical problem was coincidence (BS!). I insisted, so they took the door apart again to fix the switch. When I got in the car, I noticed the door didn't shut properly. I worried about it all the way home. I got home and gave it a good look. The window was now too high! It was bumping into the roof panel!
I took it back, and this time, went to the garage manager and told my story. He insured me that they would correct it to perfection. When I got it back, the window position was corrected.
All of this because the PKE didn't pick up from any respectable distance. And do you know what the problem actually was? My cell phone cable, when plugged into the lighter, interfered with the PKE pickup! Unplug that cable and, viola!, ~5 feet for the pickup.
Anyway, the experience sickened me. Also, after having brake pads replaced they had to "test them". A young kid took it for a ride, and he shot out of the parking lot like a bat outta hell. Sorry, but you don't need to accelerate quickly to test the brakes, a$$hole!
I wish I was a knowledgeable mechanic.