My son attends college in Athens, GA, and we live near Augusta. He has a 94 Mazda pickup that he uses to travel back and forth to school, and uses very little otherwise. On his way home last month, the "check engine" light came on, so he decided that it was due for an oil change anyway, so he would get it checked.
His girlfriend had a coupon for a percentage off at this location, so he dropped it off and asked them to check on the check engine light and change the oil and filter. They told him it probably needed a "tune-up", and that the oil change and tune up would be about $180.00. He said okay, but he had to have his truck back that day because he needed it to go back to school Sunday. He called at noon to check on it and they told him it needed a lot of other work, that one of the belts was messed up and all his hoses were shot. (Funny, none of them were leaking.) They also told him he had to have his radiator flushed and the idler pully replaced. Get out, in 47 years and 12 cars, I've never even HEARD of an idler pulley wearing out.
He picked up the truck and brought it home, and the check engine light was still on. They said they didn't know anything about that. The oil was a quart low after the oil change. They supposedly topped off fluids, which meant they put plain water in the windshield washer container. They replaced plug wires and plugs, 3 hoses and a belt, for $579. Oo. They charged $89 for plugs, $89 for wires, and $25 for shop supplies, among other rediculous charges for things that did not need to be done. (The plugs are on sale for. 79 at Auto Zone this week.)
Well, to top off this story, I borrowed my son's truck this week because we were moving. I noticed how little power it had going up a hill, and the fuel mileage was horrible for a 4 cylinder. When I pulled into my husband's place of business, one of his technicians looked at the truck and told me I wasn't going anywhere. Antifreeze was dripping onto the ground. He popped the hood and low and behold, the new radiator hose that these incompetent oafs had replaced was leaking. Leaking because it was, (1) the wrong hose, (2) was laying against the A/C pulley and had an inch long gash in it. Yeah, it's November but it was 84 degrees yesterday. If it had stayed cool for a few more months they might be out of business before I could confront them with this.
In conversations with other people about his company, it has become apparent that no one is allowed to leave without spending a minimum of $500, regardless of the problem they came in with. These scam artists need to be exposed.
Susan
evans, Georgia
U.S.A.
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