Entry bubble Car Repair Problems

By: Joanne | December 09, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

overheating car

Last week I told you the sad story about my car trouble. It’s going to take some effort to reach the happy ending.

The good news is that the Ford is happily rolling down the road with a shiny new water pump. The Subaru has not been so lucky. I mentioned last week that we mistakenly took the Subaru to an unfamiliar garage, and now we’re paying the price. We racked up $500 in charges for parts and labor and it appears that in the course of the repair (and I use the term loosely) the mechanic actually damaged the engine.

The Subaru was towed to a dealer. I didn’t think that I should have to pay for the ($200!) tow and calmly and politely told the garage the same. They said no.

This garage just doesn’t know that I work for the people that wrote the Consumer Action Handbook.

I let them know that I had already been in touch with the state Attorney General’s office and would file a consumer complaint. They immediately backed down and took care of the tow. One minor victory for the informed consumer.

The Subaru is with the dealer. I’ve given the service manager instructions to figure out what’s wrong with the car and if it’s the result of normal wear and tear or if it was damaged by the previous mechanic.

I’m prepared for the worst. If it was damaged by the mechanic, I’ll talk to the shop manager and ask them to pay for the repair. If that doesn’t work, I’m going to write a complaint letter to document the problem, and fill out the consumer complaint form that the Attorney General’s office sent me so we can begin mediation. Any other advice?

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: car   complaint   consumer   garage   joanne   mechanic   repair   tow  

 

Entry bubble Car Trouble

By: Joanne | December 02, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

overheating car

Our cars have had a bad week. First the Subaru broke down 40 miles away from our house while we were on our way to a funeral, and then the Ford broke down when we were on our way home from Thanksgiving at my mother’s house. The Ford at least had the decency to break down on the road directly in front of our house.

I try to do a good job of maintaining the cars and I’ve never had a car break down on the road. Until now.

Getting the Subaru repaired has been problematic. It broke down about 50 miles from our mechanic, and we saved money on the towing and had it repaired locally. The local mechanic had it for a week, and we’re now having it towed to a dealer. I think it would have been smarter to have it towed to our regular mechanic. Lesson learned: carefully select your repair shop and stick with the people you trust.

One thing that I didn’t mention is that both of my cars are pretty old. The Ford is a ’94 and we’d get rid of it, but we don’t drive that much and the darn thing won’t die (until now, at least). It’s been a perfect backup car. I know in the back of my mind that we’ll be buying a car soon. I usually don’t buy a new car, but opt for a used car that’s only been on the road for a year or so and has very low miles.

I haven’t been seriously in the auto market for 7 years now. What car do you recommend for an active mother of two who’s concerned about safety, reliability, fuel economy and price?

| View Comments [12] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: car   garage   joanne   mechanic   new   repair   tow   used  

 

Entry bubble Frustrated by Car Repairs?

By: Nicole | May 02, 2008 | Category: General

Car MechanicA coworker stopped me in the hall last week and said, “Girl, I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it to that conference yesterday.” Even though she’d just paid for tire rotation, tire balancing and wheel alignment at her local repair shop, her entire car began to shake violently while cruising on a major highway. She was 50 miles from home, so she used her cell phone to find the nearest dealer repair shop. There, she learned that the original tire and wheel maintenance had not been performed. $800 later the car was back on the road, but it was an unnecessary reminder that a good mechanic is hard to find.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution when searching for a mechanic. The FTC and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) publish brochures with tips about finding a good repair shop. Both agree that word of mouth is still the best way to find a trustworthy mechanic, but sometimes that’s not enough.

ASE Blue SealThere are other ways to research mechanics. Look for the ASE Certified Technician seal awarded to individual technicians who pass standardized tests. You can even search online for repair shops that have earned the ASE Blue Seal, which requires that at least 75% of the repair shop’s mechanics have an ASE certification. The Motorist Assurance Program is a nonprofit that also gives its seal of approval to qualified repair shops.

In addition, there are consumer review services where you can read the real life experience of other customers. The radio program Car Talk offers this service for free. Consumers' Checkbook and Angie’s List offer ratings and consumer reviews for a fee (but the money might be well worth the peace of mind!).

Needless to say, my friend won’t be taking her car back to that local repair shop. She could file a complaint with her local consumer protection office. I’ll write more about that in a future post. For now, do you have a repair shop experience you’d like to share?

| View Comments [11] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: auto   automobile   automotive   car   engine   fix   mechanic   repair   technician