Got Raped By Mechanic

[pradamike]

Ok first off this wasnt my choice but i brought my car to a mechanic because i had to work and all that needed to be done was to change a hose going to the heater core and the mechanic changed it and flushed my radiator... after all was said and done charged 200 dollars.... it was like 175 in labor or something.... this all would have taken me 10 minutes to do what he did.... He took the hose and it is all hacked up and looks like he cut it with a butter knife first off.. and i dont even think he put the right hose on and i believe it is supposed to be a high pressure line.... but anyways i get my car back and notice there is 90 extra miles on it adn the clutch is loose.. and u coudl probably blow on it and it would go down.. I havnt had a chance to call him yet because i picked it up after work and had my g/f go pay for it and they were closed and it is sunday today so... Should i waste my time and be like what the hell did u do that was worth 175 in labor because i know it wasnt the 2 dollar piece of hose and the .75cents in clamps u put on the two ends and try to get my money back,, or should i just not even bother..

sorry if i spelt wront or bad puncuation.

[npaulseth]

Not to insult you, but are you for SURE they put 90 miles on it? If so, raise hell.

[A//// Guy]

What company or who "fixed" it? I would do something about that.

[pradamike]

yeah i reset the trip before the tow truck put it up on the bed and i got it back and there was 90 miles on it i usually write the miles down before it goes in but i knew a hose was just getting changed and they didnt need to test drive it or anything ot see what was wrong.. but the biggest thing is 200 dollars to change one hose and it was 175 for labor it is a 10-20 minute job what were they doing beating off and the best thing is it took two mechanics to do it.....

[pradamike]

it was firestone up in burnsville i am going to go buy the parts tomarrow on my own drive up there bitch and say what the f is up with 175 in labor rip their part out and put it in in 2 minutes and get my money back because they did a crap job also

[npaulseth]

Doesn't sound like a bad plan.

[unreal808]

I would ask why so much.

Did you ask how much it would be beforehand?

How much do thay charge per hour?

What is the book time for the job/work done?

[A//// Guy]

Which hose did you change? Is it a DSM? Then I would assume its the one going from the coolant lines under the TB to the firewall?

[pradamike]

yeah its that hose but it isnt a hard on to get to and certainly not worth 175 in labor and the hose they cut looks like they cut it with a plastic butter knife it just looks like crap

[A//// Guy]

That shoud be maybe a 30-40 dollar job including parts. I would complain and talk to a manager.

90 MILES. What in God's name would they be doing driving your car after this work. They are smoking something not from this earth. I would raise hell. I am lucky if I drive my eclipse 90 miles in 2 weeks because of work.

[dylan]

Spread the word. Fuck them over as they obviously have done to you. :secret:

That is if secret negotiations go bad.

fer real dude sounds fucked up. id replace the hose myself, then id take their piece of shit back slap it on the counter with all the coolant shit still in it, and say all right i want a refund on this piece of shit!

[pradamike]

that is what i am going to do i am going to go get an estimate from someone else go buy the parts and then go there and change the hose right in front of them and time it and tell them i want my money back

Nice! :thumbsup: make sure to let us know how it turns out..

[A//// Guy]

Ill do it for 5 dollars! Just bring the hose and clamps

[pradamike]

i know its ridiculous but i dont think i am going to get my money back or anything

i too think you were overcharged, but before you can say they overcharged you you have to prove it. You need to find out the Flat Rate labor time to replace the hose and do a coolant flush. yeah baybe it might only take 10 minutes or so to replace the hose but a shop should charge what the specified labor time is. If a Flat Rate time can not be found it would be best get more than one estimate and bring it to the managers attention. An estimate from a dealer is usually best. yopu will find parts prices high but the labor time should be acurate. as far as the 90 xtra miles thing, thats a whole new level. keep your cool! be patient yet stern. and let us know what happens. Oh, did they call you with an estimate for the repairs? Or did they just do them? If no ine ok'd them to do the work thats bad!!!! They should also be able to prove that someone ok'd the work. they should have documentation.
good luck.

[Kracka]

Coolant flushes run about $50-60 at Firestones last I saw. Current mileage reimbursement allows for $.36 for each mile driven; multiply that by 90 and subtract that from the total bill. It would only be fair to have that amount refunded. Also bring the soft clutch to the attention of the manager, if needed work something out where you would supply a new clutch but they would have to supply the labor at no cost. I worked out a similar deal to that when I brought my car in for a tire balance since when I picked the car up the clutch was soft and the car stunk of burnt clutch. After a few days of driving the clutch firmed up and felt like-new again so I dropped the issue.

[DSM97RS]

ok you say it was a firestone in burnsville. DO NOT GO BACK THERE ... here is my story..

i let my pads on my brakes wear down and needed new rotors. Instead of calling around i had them do the work and it cost me a total of close to $600 for new rotors and pads and all. After i finally got the call saying my car was done i got another call saying they needed to keep the car... After being confused i was told that SOMEHOW my passengerside window had shattered in the shop and they didnt know how it happened... They kept the car overnight and replaced the window free of charge but after i got my car back and 600$ later i had a window that didnt line up to the door and weatherstripping, a chip of paint above my wheel well knocked off and also i noticed my passengerside mirror was bent and they were going to charge me to fix that because "one of my friends must have leaned on it or something" according to them. STAY the fuck away from them...

edit: forgot that my passengerside door locks didnt work and sometimes i couldnt open the door at all or close it fully