Mister bad wrench

I had something similar happen to me, but I had my car towed to the dealer since it was still pretty new and under warranty. I was told that my alternator had to be replaced and it was not covered under the warranty. They quoted me some outrageous figure like yours, so I had the car towed to my mechanic. It was simply the battery and it cost me maybe $80. I did write a letter of complaint to the headquarters. Never heard back, but that dealership closed shop not too long after my incident.

Another time my head gasket blew. I brought it to my mechanic as it was just past warranty. Being an honest mechanic, he told me to contact my dealership as it must have been defective for such a new car and low miles. The dealership said it would not cover me, so I called the headquarters and complained. This time they did cover for it and I only had to pay $50.

Places like Goodyear shops, Midas, and new car dealerships will absolutely rape you any chance they can. Those are the types of places that will go through your car, and pick apart everything your car could possibly need....and hit you with an expensive bill.

If you can find a trustworthy independent mechanic, for the most part these guys will be straight shooters.

That is really stunning! The bastards.

Slappy- A few years ago, my husband and I had a Toyota Cressida and a Camry. He was having trouble with his car, and it was near the end of the warranty. The dealer never could find anything wrong with it. AS SOON as the warranty expired, all of a sudden, the dealer found all sorts of things wrong with the car.

Needless to say, we bought our next two cars at another dealership, two Honda Accords. There was something wrong with one of my lights, and a rather high price was quoted to replace it, as they needed to replace the entire assembly. Anyhow, while I was waiting, that tech walks in and tells me that he has some good news. All that happened was that the switch become unplugged (how it happened is another story), and he didn't charge me anything. He could have charged me for a new assembly, and I never would have known.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband ran over a parking lot cement stop. The splash shield got caught, fell down, and was dragging on the floor. My husband temporarily wired it to the bottom of the car.

He went to Honda, and they quoted him $140- for a new part with installation. When he got to the dealership, the tech looked at it, and said that the tear was no big deal, and he popped the shield back on the underside of the car. When my husband got home, he repaired the tear with Shoo-Goop.

Needless to say, when we are in the market for new cars, we are going back to Honda!

Our Honda dealership has been very helpful in diagnosing a problem with our Civic. Out of warranty for 500 miles and still working on it under warranty.

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I've been in the automotive industry for 23 years and your pretty much right esp about Midas. There are some independant Goodyears but like anything else the service can vary greatly. Most reputable shops will inspect your car and advise you any additional repairs. They should never just do them without your consent. However just because they recommend additional repair does not mean they are dishonest. A quick inspection gives us the chance to advise you about any potential problems and covers the shops backside in case it may be one of those rare but expensive dishonest customers. I've even had a car owner come back to complain about his passenger side rear window not working, 2 days after we replaced the front brake pads. How he assumed they were related I don't know.

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Check for a local trade organization such as ASA (automotive service assoc) or in texas TIAA(texas independant automotive assoc). Members in these organizations are required to adhere to ethical guidelines. Failure to do so can result in their expulsion. I the centers that you spoke of are already members in an organization make sure you report them.

As for the high quotes. Many times a shop will assume that some parts will have to be replaced especially on todays cars with so much made of plastic. During disassembly it they may be able to save some components and save you some money.
Develop a relationship with the shop personnel. The independant shops have a greater interest in gaining you as a lifelong customer. While a national chain is more likely to have employees that may be gone before your next visit.

Talk to your friends before you take your car for repairs. Where do they get there car service at? Are they happy?
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