In January I took my 2000 Hyundai Accent to the Econo Lube 'n Tune on 4th Ave because my "check engine light" came on.
The store manager, Miguel Dominguez, called me to tell me the various services that allegedly my car needed. After explaining all these services, I trustworthy, gave them the green light to go ahead & perform the job. After 3 hours had passed, they called me from the shop and told me that the car was ready to be picked up. I returned to the store and payed for the services totaling $600.
Four days later my "check engine light" came back on. I called Econo Lube, explained what happened to the manager's wife who prompted me to bring the car in. After dropping my car off, a few hours later the manager called me and explained that my Hyundai now needed the fuel pump and fuel filder to be replaced. After talking it over with my husband we agreed to allow them to replace it. They kept the car over night, and the next afternoon I received a call letting me know the car was done and I could come pick it up. I once again returned to the store, the manager showed me "my" old fuel pump and filter, when I asked if I could have them I was told "No!" that they had to send them back to "a refurbisher" to keep their costs low. I forked out another $1,200 and went on my way.
The next day, wouldn't you know it, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT BACK ON!!! Once again I called Econo Lube, and had the managers wife, tell me to bring the car in. I dropped it off right away and recieved NO call letting me know what was going on.infact I was the one who had to call half a hour before close to check if my car had even been looked at. I was told "Oh yeah, it's done, come on by and pick it up" Now mind you, my car was ONLY supposed to be looked at, I never authorized any kind of service. So I went with my husband to go pick up the car. When we walked in the manager told us he had to replace the Air valve and filter and that we owed him ANOTHER $600!!! Over my dead body! My husband explained to him that we never got a call letting us know what was going on with the car, we never authorized any kind of service other then to "check" the light. We had already forked out $1,800 and wouldn't pay a dime more. The manager tried telling us that he didn't have to call us to authorize service and this "authorization" that I kept demanding was merely the act of dropping the car off at his business and he was supposedly allowed to do anything he wanted to our car and we were obligated to pay it.
It was at that point that I took my car keys off the desk, got in my Hyundai and left without paying. My husband stayed in the lobby with 3 other coustimers and started explaining how we were ripped off. Finally the manager told him to just leave without paying.
The next day we drove 5 hours to my parents house in Southern California. And wouldn't you know it, 4 hours into the trip my check engine light went back on. While in California we took the car to my family's mechanic (VERY trustworthy). And here's the kicker, he told me the fuel pump and fuel filter needed to be replaced! When I tried explaining to him that he must be mistaken because Econo Lube literally JUST replaced my fuel pump and filter just a week prior, he said that was an impossibility. He could tell the original fuel pump was in the car, because it was in it's original Hyundai sealed casing. He showed it to me, it was so black and filled with gunk... He said Econo Lube had replaced the fuel filter, which shouldn't have cost anything more then $20, but because the fuel pump was in such bad shape the week old fuel filter was already clogged and needed to be replaced again. He told me I needed to take the original fuel pump (he gave me) beck to Econo Lube and demand my $1,200.
Of course, upon returning to Yuma I did. The manager denied NOT repairing the car. When I threatened with a law suite (which my father's mechanic originally promped me to do) the manager of Econo Lube threatened to counter sue for unpaid services. So make a long story somewhat shorter, it turned into a big shouting match where we were getting nowhere. Yes I could have and probably should have sued him, but at the time I think I was 20, with a new baby, getting ready to move to the East Coast. I just didn't have to time for it.
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