Automotive Repair Shops - RANT

[BigBoy99]

Since I've gotten older, I can no longer do the vehicle maintenance I use to do when I was younger. I'm sorry to say that I'm at the mercy of the Automotive Repair Shops.

RANT ON!

A coupon was received in the mail which was for maintenance work which included the oil and filer, a tire rotation and brake inspection, all for a set price. I had to have other things done (mandatory state vehicle inspection, replacement of fuel and air filters and replacement of transmission fluid) to my truck so when I got the bill, there were many individual items listed as expenses on the bill. When I got the end of the second page on the itemized bill, there were separate charges for the oil, oil filter, labor for the oil change, labor for the tire rotation and brake inspection.

I asked why there were separate charges for the items which were to be included in the set price of the coupon? I was told that was how it was done to keep track of the cost of the individual items in the shop and there was a credit at the end of my bill, making the cost, the coupon cost. I asked to be shown where the credit was on the bill (there was none!).

They were scrambling to come up with an acceptable answer. I told them I wanted those separate charge removed from the bill and the price of the coupon added to the bill. Funniest thing, when the bill was recalculated with the price of the coupon and individual items removed, the total price of the bill was reduced by almost $60. They apologized for the "error" but if I hadn't looked at the bill and complained they would have had a nice "tip."

I'm sure most people don't even look at the individual items on the statement. Most people just plop down the credit card, sign the bill and away they go. They don't look at the individual items. They make the statements very complicated and hard to read and I'm sure that is done on purpose.

RANT OFF!
__________________

 

[Maddog 521]

You caught that one. Good for you.
I look at all of my receipts. I even read every line on the grocery bill. Sometimes I catch a mistake and sometimes the mistake is well worth a discussion on WHY.
Keep up the good work.

 

[Jack Flash]

Well, it worked out ok because you were alert and vigilant. How many folks would just pay the bill without checking it?

 

[rwsmith]

I have to admit...

I have to admit, when I get a car fixed, I throw down the card and want to get out of there before something else breaks.

 

[Arik]

My first rule of car care is to never go to places that issue coupons. In other words no chains

I love my repair shop. I remember a few years ago we were working on my friend's VW Corrado and got stuck. This was either Saturday or Sunday night. I called my mechanic to get some tips. He ended up coming over and helping us. This guy does all my cars. If I tell him my car makes some noise he'll listen and then say it either needs to be fixed or you have another 20k miles before that needs changing. He also hooks me up with some other essential fluids

 

[rwsmith]

Once they get you in the door.....

My first rule of car care is to never go to places that issue coupons. In other words no chains

I love my repair shop. I remember a few years ago we were working on my friend's VW Corrado and got stuck. This was either Saturday or Sunday night. I called my mechanic to get some tips. He ended up coming over and helping us. This guy does all my cars. If I tell him my car makes some noise he'll listen and then say it either needs to be fixed or you have another 20k miles before that needs changing. He also hooks me up with some other essential fluids

Coupons, etc are just to get you in the door so you can be victimized.

An old high school friend has a shop that screams 'Professional' where you can eat off the floors. They ain't cheap but they fix exactly what needs to be fixed and that's all.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I have no problems when I take my car in for anything........

I just have them tell me the final cost before I hand over the keys and put it on the bill in the bottom left corner..........
if they will not give me a copy of the bill.

They can't charge more than 10% above this cost, in Nevada.

A "Oral" price is binding in the state of Nevada........ if you accept it with a positive reply.

 

[loknload]

I never take any of my vehicles to a chain! I have used the same garage for the last 40+ years with no problem. Only use dealerships when it pertains to warranty issues.
My kids use those chains and just about every time they come away from one there's a problem!

 

[PA Guns & Ammo]

I was a mechanic for 15 years and got out of the business. Too many hacks and backwoods Bubba's. I tell anyone who thinks about being a mechanic to never do it for a living but do it for a hobby. If you do it for a living, you will most likely not want to do it as a hobby.

James

 

[labworm]

Been dealing with the same group since 1973, and sorry to say, I have been unable to expose them for trying to rip me off.

 

[radar1972]

Hopefully that will be your last time in that shop.

 

[wyccad915]

a couple of months ago I went into the grocery store to get some miscellaneous stuff. All in total, maybe 3-4 items, 2 of which were 2 liter bottles of coke. I went through self check out and as I was about to swipe my card I noticed the bill was just under $30. Well, I was lucky to spot that before I paid and it turned out they were trying to charge me $10 for each bottle of coke

sorry if kind of off topic, I'm just trying to relate to the not looking at the bill and swiping away

 

[wbraswell]

I am fortunate that I take my vehicles to a shop owned by a friend who is a high school classmate. I have used him for 30 years. He is good and I think honest, but he's not cheap. He does good work and stands behind it. He will let me know if he finds anything that needs addressing.

 

[redlevel]

I'm lucky. One of my former students runs a very professional repair shop about ten mile from where I live. Another former student sells retail tires at the same location.

A few years back, I started having trouble with my Chevy 2500HD. I took it to Buck, who put his computer on it. He told me what he thought was causing the problems. I believe it was something like an injector throttle-body, or some such. He said he wasn't 100% sure, but he was about 75% sure that was the problem, along with some other minor stuff, and some not-so-minor stuff that had to be addressed. I told him to go ahead and fix it. He estimated the bill would be between $1000 and $1100 for parts and labor. Two days later I picked the truck up. It was running great. (Still is). All problems addressed in a timely manner. The best part was that the bill came in at just under $900. Needless to say, Buck continues to get all my business as regards auto repair.

A bit of advice I always give to young teachers is to treat every student as well as they will let you. Some time, some where, some of these students are going to be in a position to either really help you out, or really sock it to you.

 

[Len]

Oooohh, you touched a nerve here!

My problems have not been with repair chains, but with the dealer.

Short list: Wife's window switch wasn't working. She took it to the dealer, who charged her 400 bucks to replace the switch. Subsequently, it happened again about a year later. Found a fix on a Ford forum. Took ten minutes to get it working again, using a pencil eraser!!!! While I was into the switch, I saw that the tamper tape on it had already been cut, so they did exactly the same fix I did but charged her for the new part.

Had a coupon for a brake job on my F150. At 100 K it had never had brakes done, so it was due. Not only did they "forget" to do the brakes during the service visit, but when I made another appointment, got the job done, the brakes ground like crazy. Took it back, they swore they took it all apart, couldn't replicate the problem. They asked me to leave it overnight so the service manager could drive it home and back to check it out.

Not only did he not find the problem, not only did he put 200 miles on my truck in one night, but when I finally took the wheel off myself, I found a small chunk of gravel inside the caliper works. Problem solved, and they obviously lied about taking it apart!

Get my oil changes at a local place. They changed diff fluid, but after, noticed the rear end slipping on moving from a stop. Took it in to the dealer, the guy blandly looked at me and said, "that's a new clutch pack, it'll set you back 1800 bucks.

Went back to the forum, and the answer was the the oil change place did not know about adding a friction modifier to the diff fluid. I told the dealer to just change the fluid, add the modifier. They did, 160 bucks, but then said that it "didn't work." I told them I'd need a week or two to "drive it in" and get the fluid and modifier to mix. Worked FINE!!!!! Total fix!!

The straw that broke the camel's back was when the wife's car wouldn't start when the key was turned. Left it at the dealer, they called and said they were done. Remember that, "done." I had my wife drop me off to pick up her car. She was working the night shift, so she borrowed my truck to drop me off and then go on to work.

When I got to the service desk, the manager told me that they "couldn't replicate the problem", and that there was no charge. Okay, then.

He sent one of the minions to go get the Escape....kid's gone for 15 minutes...it's now past closing time.....still no kid, no car.

He comes back breathless and asks me if there's a "special trick" to start it!!! I say "YEAH, IT HAS TO BE WORKING!!!!"

The key is to avoid cheap chains and dealers and find a good independent garage. Word of mouth is the best way to find them. I now have found one, and am totally happy with all his work.

I love my Ford truck, got a good deal on all my Fords....but the ripoff game at the service counter has made me seriously consider Toyota in the future!

Len

 

[vytoland]

SOP standard operating procedure = review/verify everything.....question/challenge all...

 

[Taurus627]

Just a reminder.

We are all human and therefore, prone to mistakes and this could have very well been an honest mistake.
Also remember, just because shop A didn't perform up to your standards, aka dealership, doesn't mean all dealerships work the same way, but in today's society, some just don't get that.

I am not perfect, therefore I do not expect nor demand perfection from others!
(but it seems that there are quite a few that do)

 

[gdnagle]

And as a precaution check the oil level before you leave the parking lot. I don't trust anyone.

 

[MK]

I know I sure had a bad dealer experience a few years ago.
My mother had a Camry that was having run issues, and she
took it into a shop that is close by. They went all through it,
and couldn't find the problem. It would run OK cold, but once it
warmed up, it would quit. I forgot what they thought it might be,
but they couldn't fix it, so they didn't charge her.
At least they were honest and not a rip off bunch.

Took to another close by shop which has a pretty good local rep.
They went all through it for 2-3 days, and they too couldn't figure it
out. I forgot what their theory was, but they couldn't fix the car,
and thus did not charge her.
At least they were honest and not a rip off bunch.

OK, it's dealer time. They oughta be able to fix it with all their
fancy diagnostic gear, etc.. Right?
The first thing they did was replace the battery cables, which while
they may not have been the best in the west, did not need to be
replaced, and most certainly was not the cause of the problem.
As I recall, they tried to pawn it back off on us a couple of days later as
repaired. I think I made it about one mile and it was starting to act up.
Drove it back to the dealer and made into the driveway before it totally
went kaput.

The problem seemed spark or fuel related, but no one could find a
problem. In all, they kept it two weeks, and finally gave up. I went to
pick it up as to get the explanation..

They tried to tell me that it had a bad wiring harness. I asked them how
they came to that conclusion. They said, well, it can't really be anything
else. I then asked them if they tested it. They claimed it couldn't be
tested.

That is the wrong thing to say to someone who knows how to test any
wiring harness, and I decided the circus had gone on long enough, and I
would just take the thing back home and try to fix it myself. They charged
us $433 for not fixing the car, or even being able to diagnose the
problem. Unlike the two other shops, they might not have been totally
dishonest, but they were a rip off bunch charging that much for nothing
done but changing out the not really defective battery cables.

I took the car home and the first thing I did was check the wiring harness
which they said couldn't be checked. It took me about 1 hour to test
every single wire in the harness. So much for impossible. The harness
was fine. Every single wire.
I then checked all the other systems.
I even rigged up a fuel pressure gauge up with a hose that I could keep in
the car with me while I drove it. It was proven to not be a spark or direct
fuel issue.

But I did find the problem, which none of the others were able to do.
The problem was the engine was loaded to the gills with carbon.
It builds up behind the intake valves. And it expands when it gets hot.
When cold, the car would run fine. But as it warmed up, the carbon
expands, and it keeps the valves from fully closing. Valves won't close,
you lose compression and no run. One of the tip offs was that when it
acted up, I could tell it was losing compression because the starter
motor would go faster than normal, and irregular due to compression
in some, but not other cylinders.

Cleaned it out with a mix of techron and other wonder chemicals for
a few days, and all was back to normal, and the car was running great.

I've got a 2005 Corolla now that has a ECU recall. I'm so paranoid about
that dealer I won't take it there. I haven't decided which other one to use,
as the thought of leaving my perfectly fine running car in their hands
frankly scares me to death.

The recall is due to possible bad solder joints on the ECU, and so far I
have had zero problems, so haven't worried about it yet. I've kept all
the recall letters, so if it does act up later, I should be able to get it
taken care of for free. But I'm sure in no hurry to take it in.

BTW, they wanted about $2000 to replace the non defective wiring
harness, and when that didn't fix the problem, I really doubt they
would have not charged me for it to get the car back.
I would have ended up paying $2433 for basically nothing.
So yea, they may be human, but their mistakes and poor diagnostic
skills can really cause severe problems for people, particularly when
they insist on charging big bucks for such ineptitude.

 

[Donn]

Still try to do as much as I can, although the newer cars and trucks make it extremely tough. Just wrench and screwdriver jobs. No pulling engines, dropping trannies, or rebuilding rear ends. When it's a job I can't handle, take it to a shop I've been doing business with for many years. I know the owner and the guys, they don't BS me. They're not cheap, but everything's out in the open before any work starts.