I took my van there to have the carburetor redone. The other repair place in Claflin had given me an estimate of $140, so I thought it would be about the same. However it turned out to be $300.
When I got on the road, the van was running horribly, chugging, hiccuping. I took it back (it had been running smoothly before the carburetor was redone) and Bob told me that the new problem might be the spark plugs. I asked him how much that would cost, he told me about $250. I asked again, and then I asked why so high? He said "Hard to get at."
Anyway, I bought some spark plugs ($20) and decided to change them myself. The first thing I noticed (after removing the van's engine cover) was that one of the spark plugs was disconnected, just hanging down. I plugged it in and tested the vehicle again. It ran smoothly.
If you are not familiar with cars, it is impossible for a spark plug to just work itself loose.
I went ahead and changed the spark plugs anyway. It took me (I am not a mechanic and I have never worked on a van) 45 minutes (for this job Bob had estimated $250). The van continued to run smoothly.
My advice: if your car breaks down, take it into Great bend. It is a 15 mile tow, but it is still cheaper than this.
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