Bro just got majorly ripped off by a mechanic

[Blaze]

This REALLY pisses me off. I normally do all the work for my parents, but with my wife's due date being yesterday, we've been on waiting mode and I wasn't able to get over to fix my bro's car.

He broke down yesterday, water pump went bad, so they worked on it while I tried to talk them through it on the phone. Well, apparently last night at around 11:30 they gave up and had it towed to Quality Auto over in Cary off of Chatham. The water pump was all the way off, they just needed to rotate the power steering pump to get it off. The water pump on this car is SIMPLE to do it you know what you are doing. Anyway, my brother gave them all the parts that he had, including some new lug studs that he needed for the front.

They found that the thermal bypass needed to be replaced as well, which is a common problem on those cars (98 Grand Prix GT). He called my brother and told him it would be $170 to replace it, my bro called me and I said that was BS and to just get his car and I'd do all the work at lunch tomorrow. The part is $12. I've installed them in several cars before, takes a few minutes, it is simple to do.

So he calls back and the guy tells him if he just wants the rest of the stuff done, it would be $270 for labor. My bro tells him he's coming to pick up his keys so they can have it towed back to the house so we can fix it ourselves.

He gets there and the guy had already done all the work, said my bro authorized him when he dropped the car off. Never once did he tell him how much it cost, only after he called to ask at which point the work was already done.

Guy charged him $200 to install a water pump that was already off the car.

Then he charged them $70 to replace the lug studs, which my brother had bought already. He said it took him an hour and a half to do the work. He must be a pretty shitty mechanic, I did some studs on the other side of that car before in 20 minutes in my garage without using air tools.

I thought in NC, you were required to give a quote of price before starting work on a vehicle?

I am really pissed right now. My bro was FURIOUS. I imagine my dad is smoking hot right now, too.

 

[snappy]

Quote is required for repairs over $350 iirc.

 

[XJfreakHO]

Sounds pretty shitty, when I worked at Merchants not long ago we were required to call any customers or talk to them prior to doing any work, we were encouraged to press the issue of the repair if it was something that could cause an accident, but otherwise if the customer doesn't want the work done, doing it makes you responsible for the costs. The guy is just trying to turn some hours and rip you off. I would call corporate and try to have it dealt with by them, 9/10 they care enough to make it right.

 

[2tonyota]

Ive worked in a shop like that before. Boss tells ya to fix it then when its done call to get the go ahead. I worked at a dealer for ten years never was like that there but the little shops is the ones that try to sell everything when only takes one part to fix the problem

 

[Blaze]

Yeah, pretty sure they are going to press the issue. My poor bro graduated in May and can't find a job, money is tight and now these assholes just made it worse. I'm sure my parents will help him out, but it really just sucks.

Especially since I could have done it ALL in probably an hour or so, I wish my dad would have called me before he had it towed to the shop, but I guess it was really late and he didn't want to wake me up.

 

[upnover]

Most shops that I know of do not charge for actual time that it takes to do a job, they charge what the book says it should take. Sometimes it may take them longer, than what the book says. IMO taking it to the shop, more or less says, here it is, fix it. Having started the work, and then not completing it, is something a lot of mechanics won't even touch. Not sure what the percentage is, but I do believe if the actual repair will be more than the quoted price, then they have to receive authorization. If not price was quoted, and it was just left open, then that pretty much said fix what is wrong, that is related to said problem/repair. Not saying that always makes me happy, but that's pretty much how it is.

 

[Franklin]

Remind the shop that there is a newspaper in Cary and you need the exact spelling of his name for the article/editorial next week.

 

[Blaze]

In my opinion, a shop should ALWAYS quote a price before doing the work. I think it is total bullshit and I think there may be some poison pen heading his way.

 

[fordwheelinman]

If he never authorized the repair, id take his ass to court.

 

[Blaze]

My bro is guessing the fact that he took him the water pump and the lug studs and said he needed them put on the car, the guy took that to be an authorization.

But when I brother called and said "I don't want to spend that much money on the car, we're coming to pick it up" and the guy said "ok, that's fine" so I can't see where he took that as "go ahead and fix my car."

 

[BIGWOODY]

Basket cases cost more at my shop...if you can't fix it don't take it apart. There's nothing worse than someone bringing there junk in with parts in boxes and want a discount because they took it apart. If want to save cash do the whole job at home.

 

[1stgenxxx]

I hate working on stuff that someone ele has "started" on. I try to stay away from those odd jobs or charge more

 

[Blaze]

I can understand that, but this is more about him doing the work without telling my brother how much it was before hand. Pretty sure once my bro told him he was coming to get the car, he did the work so my bro would have to pay him.

And it was a water pump on a 98 Grand Prix GT, that job is rediculously easy. I really wish I would have jumped in the truck and driven over there to fix it, I thought they had it under control though. I'm pissed at myself. I'm always fixing their junk, thought I'd let them try it themselves.

 

[lugnut]

Not to stir the pot but it sounds like your brother OKed every thing but the bypass when he dropped the car off.

 

[Blaze]

I know, but at the point where he called back and asked about the cost and the guy told him, he obviously hadn't done the work yet. Otherwise he would have said "well, I already did that other work" not "ok, no problem" when my brother said he didn't want to spend $400 on it and we would fix it all ourselves.

What it seems to me like, is that he hadn't done the work, but when he found out that my brother didn't want the work done he went ahead and did it because he had previously told him to do it, that way he had him on the hook for $270.

 

[awheelterd]

Well, apparently last night at around 11:30 they gave up and had it towed to Quality Auto over in Cary off of Chatham.

that place is high as giraffe pussy anyways. i carried my jeep over there to get the transmission flushed after i buried it in a mud hole a few months ago. i cant remember exactly how much the guy told me it would cost but it was significantly higher than my normal guy back home. he tried to get me to just drop it off and let them call me when it was done without giving me a quote. i refused and made him give me an estimate before i did anything. he kept telling me how much damage i was going to do to the tranny driving it as it was. i told him i didnt care, used AW4s are all over the place for less than he wanted to flush it.

 

[Blaze]

I think he must be really hurting for business. Back a few years back before I moved back to the area, my dad used to take his cars there all the time and they gave him good prices. Now they are just a bunch of crooks.