So the right sending unit arrived but when checking things over before replacing it, neither fuel gauge fired up. That means it wasn’t the problem after all. I just spent $500 on the wrong part. This was my first official moment of buyers remorse. I really dislike being on the phone, I mean, I will spend hours online trying to do what could be done in seconds on the phone. I will go so far as to take days to finally build up the nerve to pick up the phone and dial. I’m not sure if it’s my voice or my tone or what, but it doesn’t take long for the person on the other end to decide I am their mortal enemy. So having had to make a call to order this part was really what started the feelings of regret, not the money.
Anyway, our beloved mechanic decided it must be the whole 6 pack- the engine gauges. And after climbing under and upside down to look at the wires behind the cluster, he announced the need to call the parts place again. My anxiety was already skyrocketing being crammed in the tiny little plane with the mechanic, who was upside down and cursing. The only window is about 6”X5” barely big enough to allow some air in. I was trapped. After explaining what we needed I asked the once friendly, now my enemy on the other end of the line about returning the sending unit. Boy was that the wrong thing to ask. I was lectured at length about their 30 day return policy and failure to be prompt would end in no refund. I quickly learned that the time it takes to receive a part, organize (beg) the mechanic to get to work, and then return the part takes more than 30 days. Needless to say, I was just as impressed with these people as they were with me. I hope to not have to deal with them in the future.
Two weeks later, the new cluster arrived and I spent another close encounter with the smoking mechanic getting it all wired in. There were a few sketchy moments of uncertainty but eventually we got it all figured out and wired correctly. And the sending unit was returned with 1 day to spare. I had kept it just in case we needed it after all. By that point, I had owned the 84Juliette for a little more than a month and had been up in her twice. This was not what I expected and the disappointment was considerable.
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