took my car to the shop...

[HTownws6]

Re: took my car to the shop...

It's great when you can do the work yourself. These newer cars really aren't as complicated as people think they are. I've built a 10 second '98 Trans Am, and do all the PCM tuning myself. Here is an article about it:

http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/shootout/hppp_1008_pontiac_shootout_ws6/index.html

But...there are some things either you can't do yourself, or your better off getting someone that has the right equipment, who you can trust.

I have a mechanic down the street that does odds and ends on my wifes SUV, because he is competent, and honest (a combination very hard to find these days). Sometimes I just take her SUV to him, because I don't feel like messing with it.

My Trans Am is a different story, that car can run into big bucks maintaining it taking it to a speedshop. But most speedshops around Houston, I trust them about as far as I can throw them, which is not very far...

In summary, find a good, honest mechanic and stick w/ him. Or learn to do it yourself (or a combination of the 2).

 

[Dave Barnett]

Re: took my car to the shop...

I don't take my vehicles anywhere for anything anymore if I can do it myself. I don't even get them inspected anymore (I renew online, say they're "out of state"). I can't even get a tire patched without it being screwed up. I saw the other thread about quality products being hard to find, I think quality workmanship and customer service are even more scarce today.

If I need tires I order them online and drop the wheels/tires off to have them mounted. The last time I bought tires and dropped off the vehicle to have them put on I ended up with 2 cross threaded lug nuts on my wife's car, which I found when I went to do a brake job. The last time I had my car inspected they scratched the he** out of 2 of my nice blemish free aluminum wheels with the impact socket.

My last issue was when I dropped off a wheel & tire to get the tire patched (instead of me plugging it), I told them it needed a patch, the hole was already circled with a grease pencil, and I told them valve stem was leaking & needed to be replaced. I picked it up, put it back on the wife's car and it's out of balance, they didn't rebalance the tire after breaking the bead to patch from the inside (the original wheel weights are in the same spots, evident by the dirt buildup around them).. Then a week later I notice the tire looks low, check it, 15psi, upon closer inspection, they didn't replace the valve stem either. Wow.

And to the OP: did they tell you it'd be $XX per hour for diagnoses? If it wasn't going to be "free" they probably should have mentioned it up front. Under $100 for a shops time to diagnose an issue really doesn't seem bad though.

I hope I'm not having a "Dense moment" here but how do you pull off the "out of state" inspection thing?

 

[98Shabah]

Re: took my car to the shop...

Every state has to have a system in place for those residents that may loan a car to someone in another state, or work in another state far from their home state..

When the renewal for your vehicle comes in he mail it has the web address to renew online, the online renewal system has a check box for "vehicle has been out of state for the prior 60 day period", check it and renew your plates, the tags can be mailed to your house.

I hope I'm not having a "Dense moment" here but how do you pull off the "out of state" inspection thing?

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: took my car to the shop...

There as many good and bad experience stories as there are sands on the beach. The bottom line is get an estimate and if you can't afford it don't get the work done. If the work is done but not to your satisfaction then a NICE talk to the manager will usually make it right. If still not satisfied take it to the next step in the chain of command. I agree with taking to a dealer, since they have a reputation to uphold and also the support of General Motors, Ford, Toyota or whatever dealer you went to.. Also agree that dealer prices usually aren't too far out of line for what you're getting. My two cents worth.

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Re: took my car to the shop...

I don't take my vehicles anywhere but the dealer. They know what they are doing and don't "experiment".

Granted, some are better than others.

If you REALLY shop and compare what you get for the dollar, you might be surprised at what a bargain the OEM dealer is.

As an example, my local dealer offers an oil change, tire rotation and a 23 point inspection for $39.95, including a hand wash/vacuum and dry.

It's $29.95 after a manufacturer rebate. Even at the $39.95, it's a bargain.

NONE of the "Quickie" places can touch that and I know I'm getting the right stuff.

They know me by name. They check for any updates (service bulletins, recalls, etc.) and do quality work.

If I need something like Brakes, their prices are within 10% of any of the Quickie places and they don't replace what doesn't need to be. If the OEM pads went 60K, why should I chance a Quickie place pad deal?

I see no reason to go anywhere else.

Same here for my Ford F350. Oil change for 15 qts plus filter is $58.00. I have a pit in my garage and can't find oil and a filter for that price plus my time and then I have to dispose of the old oil...
Plus they wash it and pick me up at work to get the truck. (They drive me to work as well.). Of course I tip the driver but for the money, I can't beat the dealer... Plus as said, they check all service updates and let me know if I need any...

 

[jonesg]

Re: took my car to the shop...

I drive a 1995 Ford E350 van and a 1990 volvo 740 wagon, each has its own website where I can get expert advise on repairs so I DIY and save.
My regular mechanic is very good but $1100 to do balljoints on the van?
DIY cost me less than $250 and the part store lent me the press for removing balljoints (upper and lowers on E350).

Timing belt estimate on the volvo was $360, cost me $12 for a belt.
I have a code reader for the van, the volvo has its own onboard reader.

 

[642mx]

Re: took my car to the shop...

Same here for my Ford F350. Oil change for 15 qts plus filter is $58.00. I have a pit in my garage and can't find oil and a filter for that price plus my time and then I have to dispose of the old oil...
Plus they wash it and pick me up at work to get the truck. (They drive me to work as well.). Of course I tip the driver but for the money, I can't beat the dealer... Plus as said, they check all service updates and let me know if I need any...

That's cheap! It is amazing how cheap some dealerships do things...

I just had the oil changed in my Lexus IS250 and the tires rotated for $55 at the dealer. I would have normally done this myself, but I have a broken foot and can't get around that great. And after thinking about the price, I may just have them do all the oil changes on it...

 

[BF]

Re: took my car to the shop...

Told them I wanted an oil change, to see why its running rough, and to see why the steering is loose.

get a call the next day

Him: Yeah, we looked at your car, everything is working properly, we cant
figure out why its not running right.

Me: Ok, and what about the steering?

Him: It needs a new or rebuilt grearbox.

Me: Ok, in there now is a Quick ratio box, will the replacement be the same?

Him: Oh no, it work fine.

Me: Butttt....It wont be the quick ratio?

Him: No It steer straight.

Me: Well I want to keep the origional box, can you just rebuild that one?

Him: No.

Me: ok, what do I owe you for the oil change?

Him: $89 + tax for everything

---------------------------------

So is it me or is $89 for an oil change a bit high? He looked at the car, but couldn't do anything to it.

and tax? cant you only tax physical goods, not a service?

For $89 you learned that you do not want them wrenching on your car!! That information is worth more than $89. You got off lucky. If they would've been able to at least sound like they knew what they were doing, they could've got you on the hook for lots more. Pay and move on to mechanic with a bit more going on upstairs. No, I'm not a believer on dealerships for service (except under warranty), but there are really GOOD independent shops around. (the one you dealt with is not one of them)

 

[greenbush future]

Re: took my car to the shop...

hmmppfff.... I have never been able to get work done at a reasonable cost from a dealership....in fact the last place I would even consider taking a vehicle in need of repair would be to a dealership...this is only based on the ones I have personally done business with though. What I've gotten from the dealership's around here has always been overpriced (highly inflated) parts, overpriced labor rate's, and work being performed and not needed.

I got a new off the floor taurus (I know..I know...a taurus:redface and within the first two years the transmission went out of the thing... I was past the warrenty on miles. I took it into two different Ford dealerships and was astounded by their quotes to repair it. The first place wanted $2,800 and some change to replace it with a new one and $3,300 to rebuild the existing one because of the added labor of tearing into one. The second place wanted almost the same amount but a few bucks more.. And both places only came with a 30 day guarantee.

I then went to the local "Edmore Transmission" shop 5 minutes from my house and he said he would pull the old and see if it was rebuildable...if it was it would cost me $980.00... If he couldn't rebuild it, then he would get me a lightly used one and install it for $1,200.

I ended up with a used one from edmore transmission for $1,200...and he even gave me a written guarantee in the amount of 1 year regardless of miles put on the vehicle.... find that at the dealership.

Thumbs down on dealerships here in Michigan, Caddy with under 75K on it shows ?Service Trans? light on dash, take it in to the dealer and they very quickly quote me $5500.00. I ask, what?s the problem? They say, we don?t even open em up we just replace em. I say I have no symptoms, just a dash light, they say we can?t fix that. I say, no thanks, and 100K later the light is still on, and the car and tranny run just fine. I have more stories about dealers but IMO they are not qualified any more than any other trusted mechanic, and they are very very expensive.