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?

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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?

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