I'm stuck at a coffee shop for 3-7 hours.

[jimbo]

Each shot is a composite of 2-5 shots of varying exposures.

 

[JaySwear]

i especially love the old barn.

will be keeping your family in my prayers, Justinginn!

 

[weldfish]

I think the tilt of the headstock is making the logo look a little weird.

 

[whyachi]

So I dropped my car off at National Tire and Battery and signed off for a written estimate only. They called three hours later saying I needed spark plugs which would be about $90. I got nothing in writing, of course.

They called four hours later and told me to come get my car for $420. $90 for plugs, $150 for plug wired, $90 for labor and $100 for "engine cleaner."

They had "lost" my paper I signed saying I only authorized an estimate. They were als closing in a few minutes and I had no ride home. I raised hell til they knocked off $50...and drove home on my $370 spark plugs.

Only one of which was actually bad.


FML.

 

[JaySwear]

next time they'll be the ones raising hell when you demand to use their xerox machine to make a copy to prove you signed a paper saying "spark plugs only!"

 

[whyachi]

I didn't even sign for the plugs. I just signed for an estimate.

 

[OzziePete]

Well I'll mention something going on right now. My little cousin (age 10) had a tumor found running from the lower part of his brain to is shoulders. He went into surgery yesterday and the doctors got about 50% of it out but he's still got a long road ahead of him of radiation and probably chemo and at this point we still don't know if those treatments will even be effective. Please keep him in your prayers.

Whoa that's seriously worrying news, Justinginn. Prayers for the youngster and a speedy recovery.

 

[-CB-]

So I dropped my car off at National Tire and Battery and signed off for a written estimate only. They called three hours later saying I needed spark plugs which would be about $90. I got nothing in writing, of course.

They called four hours later and told me to come get my car for $420. $90 for plugs, $150 for plug wired, $90 for labor and $100 for "engine cleaner."

They had "lost" my paper I signed saying I only authorized an estimate. They were als closing in a few minutes and I had no ride home. I raised hell til they knocked off $50...and drove home on my $370 spark plugs.

Only one of which was actually bad.


FML.

Ya know chepie OBD-II scanners are only $19 at most discount auto places.  Good ones.. less than $100.  I cant tell you how much my $20 code scanner has saved me and a few guys I know.  Literally paid for itself 10x over the first use. 

 

[whyachi]

So I dropped my car off at National Tire and Battery and signed off for a written estimate only. They called three hours later saying I needed spark plugs which would be about $90. I got nothing in writing, of course.

They called four hours later and told me to come get my car for $420. $90 for plugs, $150 for plug wired, $90 for labor and $100 for "engine cleaner."

They had "lost" my paper I signed saying I only authorized an estimate. They were als closing in a few minutes and I had no ride home. I raised hell til they knocked off $50...and drove home on my $370 spark plugs.

Only one of which was actually bad.


FML.

Ya know chepie OBD-II scanners are only $19 at most discount auto places.  Good ones.. less than $100.  I cant tell you how much my $20 code scanner has saved me and a few guys I know.  Literally paid for itself 10x over the first use.   

I had it scanned, thats how I knew to go in for plugs. The trouble is, my engine is like sideways or something, and the bad plug wasn't where I could get to it.

 

[-CB-]

I think of it this way - they got to it, so you can get to it.  Whatever it cost in a weird wrench would be money in the bank.

 

[Dan025]

subaru?

 

[whyachi]

I think of it this way - they got to it, so you can get to it.  Whatever it cost in a weird wrench would be money in the bank.

True.

subaru?

...Mercury Sable... okay, so I'm gullible. Now that I look at it, I just blew a week's pay on something I could have easily done myself. Then again, I buy Monster Cables.

 

[Dan025]

yeah that's not even a tough one

 

[whyachi]

yeah that's not even a tough one

I know nothing about cars, and my mother's husband refused to look at it for me. I got taken.

 

[Dan025]

in japan i did a tune up on my skyline and nissan wanted 2100 yen for EACH plug. that was only about $19 us at the time. i said no way i'm payin that. i got the part# and they aproximately use ngk part#. i went to the hardware store and got 'em for 325 yen. in the us i can get 'em cheaper.

this is typical abuse of a customers ignorance. not uncommon. $100 for an unnessesary cleaning and $90 for labor. i know labor is $90 an hour and it should be but that is a 20min job. it cost alot to run a shop. but if they were good they could get jobs in and out and charge by the book to make more than the hours they work. the work load would pile up and they wouldn't need to do what they did. next time get a lawer or atleast threaten it

 

[whyachi]

There won't be a next time. I have a good family friend with a shop I've always taken my cars to, so this is my first time with a corporate mechanic. He normally charges me parts + a six pack of Miller Lite.

This was stupid of me, but because of my experiences with him I never considered being f'd by a mechanic. Next time I'll drive the extra miles to his shop, or die trying.

 

[Justinginn]

Just thought I'd drop an update on my cousin. The tests on what they extracted of the tumor show that it's an extremely slow-growing type which has a mortality rate of only about 5%. He's one tough kid and I'm confident he'll make it out of this. He's still got about 14 months of intensive chemo and radation ahead to get rid of the rest of the tumor and we're not 100% sure if he's lost any nerve connection to his limbs yet but it's looking great. A huge thanks for any of your prayers regarding him. It's good to know he'll be back to being a 10-year old in a few months (ok, maybe an 11 year old).