Mechanic Blues

[JediKnight2]

Well...looks like I'm going to have to bid my mechanic adieu. I initially took my Jimmy up to them because I had a coolant leak. They called back with a 720 price to do my intake manifold gaskets. I called down the street at another mechanic shop and they quoted around 500. I wasn't wanting to dump too much money into the Jimmy as I was actively looking for an Expedition. I took it over to them and they called back and said it was the water pump. There was a gasket leak between the water pump and motor and it was spraying up from the gasket break. I had it fixed because it was 300 bux and I didn't really want to do it myself as I didn't have time and I also really wanted to keep it as a third vehicle. I thought, OK, honest mistake. COULD have mistaken it for an intake manifold leak at the front of the engine based on how it was spraying. Fast forward to today and I took the wifes Explorer up for an inspection. I also left a TPS sensor in the car and asked that they place the sensor in the front right tire. Now, I had already put the TPS system into program mode and got a honk at every tire but the front right. They told me the back 2 tires TPS were bad too. They also had charged me for ONE HOUR of labor to program. Now, I didn't ask them to program them. I also know it doesn't take more than 5 minutes or so to program the TPS sensors as I've done it with a magnet. Now, in their defense I didn't state to NOT program, but nobody called me either to ask as it was a weird situation to begin with to just have them put the sensor in. However, to try and tell me it takes an HOUR to program...made me ill! They took the charge off and after I cooled down I did call back and tell them I was willing to pay half the cost of the labor as a sign of good will for the miscommunication. The declined and said it was OK and not worry about it. Just makes me feel uncomfortable now. I don't want to take the Expedition up to have a once over on it now! Just curious on what your thoughts are...?

 

[1955moose]

I was a service writer for years, and one thing I can tell you, is anytime theirs a jump from the original estimate, you have to call or meet your customer at your shop, and revise estimate, its the law! The revised amount, along with time, date, and who approved it, have to be either on the work order, or in today's digital world, done on the computer, then printed, initialed or signed by customer. By just charging a higher amount at vehicle pickup, parts and labor are free. As far as the misdiagnosis of the intake manifold, that shop should have pressure checked the cooling system rather than just running vehicle. I always told my mechanics be sure to get your diagnosis right first time, and if they had more than 1 part bad, put them both on work order. The hardest thing in the repair industry, is when you tell the customer this is their problem, and they have other things causing their problem. As far as still using that shop, It's up to you whether you still trust them. Sounds like they don't listen, shame!

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[Adieu]

Screw em

Fool me thrice...

 

[1955moose]

I agree move on to another shop! Life's too short for dealing with incompetent mechanic shops!

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[SEPTIC PROFESSOR]

and what does this have to do with the fact this is an Expedition forum ?