Stupid cars

So I send my fiance to get tires installed that I ordered online after I researched for weeks to get the best deal. Should cost 140 for installation max.

Comes back and goes oh yeah, they said I "needed" new front brake pads, a wheel alignment and brake fluid. Came out to 480.

I send him for something simple and thats what he comes back with? WTF? You have car with 30k miles on it (and got tricked into a wheel alignment last time I sent you for an oil change) how could it possibly need any of that. Stupid shop is just jacking you for money. So now I've been getting screamed at all night for second guessing him even though I know I'm right.

Just proves I need to do everything myself... Here I am trying to save money and all for 5-10 dollars and he lets over 350 fly out the window...

Daaayyyum! Yah, those people dont sell me crap.

$340 for pads, brake fluid, and an alignment?!

Lets see, the pads and fluid cost 40 dollars (more like 30 at Murrays/AutoZone). 300 dollars for labor to install pads and do an alignment..

Then he shows me the alignment print out as "proof". They moved maybe 3 of the 8-10 numbers by .1-.2 degrees. Even though every single one of them was smack in the middle of the acceptable range.

Our spending money for the entire month is only $500! I just can't get over how you can be so naive. But what can I do?

No. 480 for pads brake fluid and alignment!

Better take it yourself from now on.

All I can think is.... there goes my kegerator.

I'd be tempted to call up that fine auto establishment and get an explanation of the cost.

You should be required to know how your vehicle works in order to drive it.
In all reality you are a less safe driver for not knowing.

do you have any idea how many kids coming out of high school can't even change a dang tire? that is the truly scary thing since they no longer even offer a basic car care course at the schools or heaven forbid as a requirement to get your license.

That is the price you pay for not knowing what is going on.

A local place will come to my work and pick up my truck for an oil change, and return it for less than $20. I wondered how they could do that for so cheap. Then my wife had hers done and they wrote on the bill that she needed a hub/bearing replaced for mega bucks. I went to another place for a second opinion and they said no, it's fine. No charge.

They got money by cheating unknowing customers. I'd just change the bearings myself for about $150 plus tax anyway (And wish I still had only bearings like the good old days and only cost $40).

He should have got you to agree to this before spending the money. At least get a second opinion before deciding. or do it yourself. Brakes are not hard, especially front disc. You *might* need new pads at 30,000, but not likely.

We've had really good luck with a local Firestone for basic stuff. They don't cheat my wife first off. Then, once I told them the engine in my car had been replaced, they entered it into the data for our account and they don't tell me what needs serviced off the odometer reading alone, they check it against the installation mileage.

Once they learned I do some things on my own, they just send a printout of what needs to be done, I pick and choose what I have them do.

As for your fiance, give him some space to lick his wounded pride (maybe a day). Then go back and look for ways you can work together to prevent getting ripped off, be it auto service, siding companies, insurance scams... Whatever you can do to improve communication will help so much in the long run.

TeufelBrew said:

We've had really good luck with a loacl Firestone for basic stuff. They don't cheat my wife first off. Then, once I told them the engine in my car had been replaced, they entered it into the data for our account and they don't tell me what needs serviced off the odometer reading alone, they check it against the installation mileage.

Once they learned I do some things on my own, they just send a printout of what needs to be done, I pick and choose what I have them do.

As for your fiance, give him some space to lick his wounded pride (maybe a day). Then go back and look for ways you can work together to prevent getting ripped off, be it auto service, siding companies, insurance scams. Whatever you can do to improve communication will help so much in the long run.

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Good advice. I read an older book about how car places rip you off and it's insane what some places will do or try to do. I am always suspicious to start with with those guys. It helps that I can usually fix anything myself. The trick is to find a trustworthy place and give them your business. Good luck.

Is the car yours or his? if its yours I would go down and make a stink . You didn't authorize the repairs.

The curious thing here is it sounds like he showed up and they had already done the work. Screw that. Really though, if he's the type to trust a repair shop and let them do any work they claim needs to be done, I'd get back to fiance shopping.

This is why I am soo gald to have a family mechanic. My step dad and his parents used the guy for years so we did too, guy dies and his son took over, and is just as great as his dad was. He calls you before everything he does to get the ok and will honestly tell you if something needs done. I took squeeky brakes in asking to check teh pads and rotors. Any other place would have automatically replaced everything and raped me. he called and said someone turned them once and didn't do a great job but safety and function wise they're great, but if the squeek bothered us he could replace them, but wouldn't recommend it. And it's funny when something does need repaired, Now this part needs replaced, I aint gonna lie it's pretty expensive. Usually at a mechanic that means thousands. It's gonna be around 2-300 bucks! Whew!! Don't know what I'll do if he ever shuts down. And he's not afraid to admit when he can't fix it. He sent me to another place once when he couldn't figure it out. he absolutely won't throw a part at something unless he KNOWS it will fix the problem.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

ummm . . . I don't think it was your car that was being stupid. it's alright though, yeah some money was scammed from you, but everyone gets burned by a shady mechanic at least once in their life. it just happened to be his turn and you can but he'll probably never let it happen again.

My X went to the firestone i had been using for YEARS, for someting simple, and left with an estimate for $750. I took it myself the next day when the other crew was there, and had them look at it again, and amazingly everythign was working fine.

I was a long standing customer, and she was a first time female customer. I had words with the manager I had known for years, and they did everything her car needed for free labor.

I learned this early. I was about 12 and went with my dad to Sears because the car needed snow tires. They told him the shocks were trashed and had to be replaced. So, he told them to do it. When presented with the bill, he told them to scratch the shocks and labor, since they had replaced a set of Sears Lifetime Shocks. He always kept all receipts for each car in the car, so he had no problem proving it.

Yeah, its just I thought it was obvious. He just went for a full service oil change, literally 2 weeks ago, at the dealer and they said everything was perfect (all green on the red yellow green chart). So I thought with that and knowing your car only has 30k miles that them telling you you need $600 worth of stuff would make you think twice. I thought it was so obvious that I didn't need to explicitly say it before letting him go by himself.

They even gave him a printout to "prove" the car needed alignment. And everything on the printout was in specified range!!!

Someone needs their man card revoked.

In this case the right thing to do would be to try and fix it yourself. Then only take it in when you totally screw it up, but at least you tried.