***WARNING*** Bogus Car Repair

[Richard in Smithville]

I have a local independant shop for my needs. The guy is so honest that he even keeps the old spark plugs to show his customers!

[cabinetman]

Some of my worst luck is dealing with the dealer. What they get away with is as criminal if not more than the Jiffy story. I had to have my vehicle towed to the dealer for repair. I couldn't get the ignition to click on, or get the truck out of "Park". So I called Tripple A, and they came out in a flash, and they said they can't do the linkage disconnect, that the dealer would have to do it.

Prior to the dealer sending their own tow truck I had the battery on a charger for about 3 hrs, and it was up to snuff.

To make a long story short, when the tow truck driver showed up he said $10.00 to disconnect the linkage so he could pull the truck to the front of the house to load it up.

When the dealer called me with the problem/fix, it was a multiple list of items in the steering column, a switch, linkage problems, and the total bill was a little over $800.00 of which they charged $40 to re-hook the linkage, and $40 for a battery charge.

I thought I would argue a few things when I went to pick it up. One of my contentions was the battery charge. I told them it was charged up immediately before they picked it up. Well a big argument ensued, and the service manager was called in plus a few other guys, in case I got rowdy. I thought, it's only four of them...naw...not worth going to jail. So, I was told either pay the entire bill or they keep the vehicle.

Hence, argument over...I pay...and it will be the last time I ever go there. You would think for a bill that high, they would want to keep a happy customer. Maybe they forget that the dealership also sells new cars and trucks.

[sparkeyjames]

I used to wrench on my own cars all the time. Including engine rebuilding, suspensions the works. I gave it up because I no longer care to do it. Every time I take a car in for service on something small like oil changes and such and they try to snow ball me on something I look at them and say BS you just got busted. I have seen some pretty red faces. Best solution I found for not having to do any mech work is that I now lease my vehicles. This cuts down on the service garage BS factor by a large amount.



sparkeyjames

[Ed62]

I don't like to work on cars any longer, and only do it when I have to. Duke of Oil (Jiffy Lube's competitor) has been changing my oil for the last 5 years or so. They always want to do other little things, like install new wipers, pcv valve, etc. I always tell them I'll take care of the other little things myself (they charge 3 or 4 times more than I can do it myself in 5 minutes or so.) I also watch to see what kind of oil they're putting in my vehicle, but I never thought to watch to see if they put on a new oil filter. I will from now on. Thanks for the link.

Ed

[ejs1097]

A woman relative of a member of another board I visit, took her late husbands VW Beetle to JL and got charged for a radiator flush and fill.

That one made me laugh. Sad story but funny.

I don't think I'll stop changing my own oil. I know what comes out, what goes in, the plug installed correctly. Same for tire rotations. I know they are rotated in the same pattern and torqued correctly.

I wish I could find an easy way to install cameras on my vehicles when they go anywhere for service.

[docrowan]

I moved to a new town about two years ago, and went through 4 mechanics before finding a place down the street that does all our oil changes, tire changes, and minor work, and a place near where I work that gets anything they don't handle. The place down the street lets me pick up our vehicles after hours, and will bill me a week later. They've even driven out to my grandmother-in-law's house to pick up her car for an oil change while I've been out of town, no extra charge.

About two months ago, my wife was upset over needing a set of tires on her minivan that we hadn't budgeted for and called me to discuss taking the van to Wal-Mart instead to save $20.00 on the set. She just wasn't thinking. Service and mutual trust counts for a heck of a lot in my book.

[scorrpio]

I went to Midas once, and swear I'll never go to one of those places again.

Best way to find a good mechanic? I'd say ask around, and people will usually point out those they consider good and honest. When I lived in Brooklyn, a number of people recommended a certain Russian shop. I used those guys whenever I had a problem, and their repairs were always exactly for what was needed and done just right - and at a good price. One day when my starter died and I called AAA to tow, and told the guy to tow to that shop, he laughed and said that in my neighborhood, about 9 out of 10 tows are to that shop. That's saying something. Too bad I no longer live there.

These days, I drive a new car that's under warranty, I prefer to service it at the dealer. They don't try to stiff me for things I don't need cause warranty would have to pay for it - and if they mess the car up, warranty will have to cover repairs, and I better not give them a loophole by having the car serviced at a 'wrong' place. I am generally pleased with the way they handled my previous car, though.