QuestionI have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with a litle less than 100,00 miles on it. I drive from a wheelchair and have hand controls. The van windshield wipers just cut on one day by themselves and never shut off. I had the motor replaced in the driver's side windshield and the wiper arm. That didn't do it. The garage then told me it was the multipurpose switch so I had it replaced. I am now into it by $800.00. Now that the switch is replaced the garage says that they won't reconnect the wipers because the computer that controls the switch is bad and ithas to be replaced and a Dodge dealer will have to do it because it will have to be reprogrammed. I called and the dealership says that it will cost $700 to $1000 if that's ALL it is. I work for a living and my husband died a year ago. And I am missing my right leg because of cancer and I am not made of money and I don't know what to do next. Can you tell me what the name of that computer is. Can I purchase it from a place like ebay and have the dealership install it to save money? I just really need someone to help me with these questions right now. I can't drive to work when it rains. That's going to get short with my boss.
AnswerHi Mary,
The garage that has made the repair effort so far is incompetent. They tried to fix the problem by 'throwing parts' at it, which is extremely costly and unrewarding. There is in fact a Chrysler factory Body Diagnostic Procedures manual which if they had accessed would have led them through a step-by-step process to properly diagnose and repair the problem.
None of the diagnoses would lead to a replacement of the motor, so that job is a total boondoggle and they should put your old motor back in the van and refund your money for that job.
One of diagnoses would lead to replacing the switch but only after making a specific measurement which would prove that it needs to be done, which they evidentally did not do or it would have solved the problem. Again, they should replace the switch and refund your money.
As to their recent advice about a 'bad computer' that controls the wipers, that is a possible diagnosis but again have they made the necessary measurement to conclude that will solve it?
The procedure lists two other very simple/inexpensive possible causes:
a defective "wiper on" relay or
a short to ground in the circuit for that relay
There is also a third possibility:
a short to voltage of either the high or the low speed circuit of the "wiper hi/low" relay.
All those possibilities can be tested very simplyby following the manual before you consider replacing the Body Control Module which I assume is what they mean by the 'computer' which is 'bad'. If it needs to be replaced a used one from a wreck at a local yard or from eBay would be the economical way to go. If you have an anti-theft system that aspect would require a dealer's use of a "Diagnostic Readout Box III" to accomplish the programming of that system.
I will be pleased to copy the four pages in the Chrysler Corp. manual that show the procedure for figuring out what to do, and mail it to you. Just tell me a postal mailing address.
In the meantime, see the repair shop manager/owner and show them this response and request that they put the old parts back in and refund your money. Then when you get the pages you can give them to the shop or go to a dealer and have them go through the procedure to figure out if it is simply a matter of replacing the 'wiper on' relay (takes a minute, costs no more that $25) or repairing the circuit that is causing the problem (less than an hour of labor). The computer replacement will take less than an hour and a used one should be less than $100.
If you cannot receive satisfaction, filing of an action in your local Small Claims Court is my advice for getting your money and parts back.
Roland
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