jupitersolo

I took my car in last Wednesday, got it back today. It took it in left rear Aspec shock blew out. But I also wanted them to fix the left drivers door panel. They told me that the tinting shop did it. They also said for $99 they could fix but wouldn't guarantee the work. At first told them not to do, then told them to do and I would go to the tinter afterwards.

Called them Friday still no replacement shock. He said would come in Monday, didn't hear from him Monday. I had to call about 3pm. He said shock just came in would fix Tuesday, they hadn't even started the work on the door panel. Everything was going to be done today.

During this call I asked him what the door panel looked like, was the window still making noise. He said didn't do the work yet. I said OK make sure I get the door panel. They were charging $501 for the panel and $150 to replace.

Now here's what gets me, they call saying car is ready, they didn't have to replace door panel just weather stripping. It looks fixed.

Now was it that I asked for the door panel, did they just fix it by replacing the weather stripping and call it a go. If I hadn't asked for the door panel would they have said they did and charge me for it?

csmeance

what happened with the door panel?

subinf

Can you be a little more specific. You wanted the door panel replaced because....

Also dont understand what you are worried about. Did you need a door panel or did you just want one?

jupitersolo

The window was rattling the dealer said the damage was done by the tinter. I told them to replace door panel because they said the could fix but not guarantee the work. I told them to replace and give me the panel back so I could get my money back from tinter for damage. When I ask for panel, THEN they were able to fix. I'm not sure but I think they were going to charge me full price for panel but just fix it, until I ask for the panel.

This pic: from the dot on the left to the one on the right I could see underneath. Tinter busted the material in a straight line. I couldn't see because of the tint on the windows.


This pic: the panel was coming up from where the tinter pulled on it.

KJSmitty

Could very well have been the case Jupitersolo... That type of vehicular repair dishonesty takes place everyday, more often than not!!
I'm currently dealing with a similar issue on my boat. The dealer charged me $120+ to change the drive oil but when I checked the unit out while storing it, there is absolutely no signs what so ever that they ever even drained the oil let alone put new in... Given the location of the drain/fill there is no way you cant make a little mess and no way to wipe all of it "perfectly" clean... It still had an even layer of dust over the entire area.. The other problem is the oil is perfectly clean due to it being changed each season (required for warranty). Thus, its not like you could tell if the oil was old or new etc. (short of having it analyzed).
Normally I perform all of my own work - car, boat etc.. This time I was having a little warranty work completed and figured what the heck... You just can't trust anyone anymore.

Back to your issue,,, On the other hand, they may have just got into the repair and figured out they did not need the entire panel etc.. And,, basically did the right thing for ya.

subinf

Ahh. Got it. Could be the case. Could be the case. Customers have to request their parts be returned before work is done (you can make the request any time, but I believe only if you tell dealer before do they have to obey). Would be tempting but seems like it would be too easy for them to get caught.

CobraGuy

Reputable shops will always offer you the option of your old parts....unless it's warranty of course.

KJSmitty...I can change the oil and filter on my Cobra and NEVER leave a trace...and they are difficult to get to also. But I take the extra time to build a "funnel" of sorts out of tin foil to keep all the used oil away from everything. A dealer wouldn't do that. How many miles was on your oil? If you had a couple of thousand miles on it, there is no way...no way in the world...it would look new. Impossible. Normal combustion contaminates alone will discolor the oil. If your oil looks new, it was changed.

BustedJack

No matter where you go, there will always be someone trying to take advantage of you. They are in business to make money so some will try to make maximum amount of money with minimum amount of work.

KJSmitty

Very true CobraGuy,
Like I mentioned though, this was on my Cobalt Boat. I agree with "no trace" oil changes on a car, but unless you've changed the drive oil in a VP Duo-Prop you wouldn't understand why I said it is near impossible to do without leaving some residue. And as you mentioned, no shop would remotely go through the time to ensure that it was a "no trace" job.. Unlike engine oil, drive oil is changed annually and is in a closed environment. Unless water gets in, the oil would stay "new" looking for years... Looking at it you would never know if changed or not. This is why the dealer "could" easily say they did, yet didn't..

Anyway, not wanting to hijack the thread rather just using a current example of mine to reiterate that this type of fraud takes place all the time.. That's why I normally never take something to a shop that I can perform myself (I just got lazy this time and very well could have been taken for $120+ for nothing...)
- With exception to warranty, asking for your old parts is a dang good idea. Then again, their are many ways of misleading a customer with that as well..


Cheers

geekybiker

I know places like jiffy lube are infamous for this. They charge for services never performed. Every once awhile a new crew does a "sting" and catches alot of them.

subinf

That is why world of mouth recs. are so important in the automotive field. You don't really know what your mechanic/service department is going to do unless you have some knowledge about their past practice. Talk to other people in your area, if they think the local quick lube is more trustworthy than your dealer, avoid the dealer. If the mechanic on the corner always winds up 100 bucks over the estimate, don't go there.

CobraGuy

Point taken. Thanks for the clarification.