On April 17th I went to have my car serviced by Auto Protech Inc. They offered a "free check engine light" diagnostic service, which I didn't see any harm in letting them evaluate my car for any possible repairs. My car would sputter and shut off in mid-drive periodically over a course of 3 months as if it was losing power, but it cranked back up fine, as I was explaining to Chris (1 of the mechanics) over the phone.
I had purchased this 96' Acura 3.2TL in June of last year, and I never had to take it in for any major repairs. It ran fine until recently. The check engine light was on, so I brought in for a quick diagnosis while on my lunch break. With being only minutes away... I left my # and walked back to work.
A couple hours later, I received a call back from the mechanic stating that he ran the diagnostic and it came back that the EGR valve was bad and I also had a leak in the brakes. He said once that is repaired, that should take care all those little maintenance lights on the dashboard. He stated he could repair those two problems for $500.20 even though the cost to repair was really $189 more. It sounded like a cool deal if that was going to keep my car on the road, because I'm not through paying for it and I need reliable transportation to get to and from work.
Be said it'll be done well before I got off at 4:30pm, so he instructed me to swing by and pick up the keys from the service station next door if they happened to be closed. I paid for the services and drove away in what I thought was my newly repaired car. About 15 minutes after driving... The car was back up to it's old tricks again. I called the shop back, and left a voicemail message, because wouldn't you know they were closed. The car cut off on me 3 times in mid traffic on the way back home.
I putted the car back to the shop the following morning and left a short letter attached to my keys reinterating my problems. I was thinking maybe I wasn't clear enough. He called me back later and stated he ran the diagnostic and the EGR valve that he replaced previously was apparently faulty, so he said he called the retailer back and demanded a new valve which should get in the next day. I walked to work the next day. It was near closing for me and I havent heard from the mechanic.
So, I called. That's when he said "oh yeah, it's ready" he stated that he reset the computer now the car should be fine. I had a friend take me to get my car and drove away in what I thought was newly repaired again. I was leaving Wal-mart when the car cut off upon making a turn into traffic. I called the shop to leave another message.
I drove the car back to the shop the following day I called back during my lunch break and he stated he couldn't duplicate the problem, because it wouldn't cut off for him. So, walked back to get my car after work. They had closed, but not 30 secs after I got in the car it sputter and shuts off. It shut off 4 times on the way to my apt.
I called again the next day. He told me to bring it back. He stated they took turns driving to duplicate the problem. After that didn't work. He suggested that he was going to order the EGR valve from the actual manufacturer, because there parts are usually a little better, but a little more expensive, which is why he didn't do it in the 1st place. He told me it would take 3 days.
It was a Friday, so he'll call me on Tuesday. Tuesday rolls around; no phone call. Now a week has passed; still nothing. I tried to give him the benefit. So, I waited another week. Finally, I decided to type my car problems into google and see what came up. Just maybe he was missing something. A topic regarding corrosion came up. I immediately thought there's no way this was a simple battery problem, because why wouldn't that be the 1st thing he checked when lifting up the hood of the car?
Apparently, he immediately went for the biggest repair cost based on a machine's output. Where does common sense come on? I putted the car to the gas station and it cut off on me before I pulled to a stop. I popped open the hood and ok and behold, there was so much corrosion caked up around the terminals it's a wonder it was even running. I followed the instructions on cleaning corrosion from the battery.
I purchased a can soda and poured it ok the posts. I took a photograph midway to show there was still build up even after I was halfway through the can. It finally ate away all that it could. I wiped it down & dried it. I cranked up the car it didn't sputter or shut off on me once and it was then 2 weeks. I decided to call the shop, since I hadn't heard anything regarding the part ordered and it has been close to a month vs the 3 days he said it was going to take.
I told him what I found on the Internet and that I fixed the car with basically a can if cola. He stated that, "In all my 25 years of being a mechanic, I had never heard of corrosion causing a car to cut off." I asked him about the part ordered and all he could say was "oh, right. I gotta check on that, but I remember ordering it" I reinterated that the car is virtually fixed now and that part wasn't even the cause and that I wanted to speak with someone regarding a refund.
He then said, "we usually don't give refunds we try to remedy the problem. Well, I said to him "the problem hadn't been remedied and it's going on 3 weeks I havent heard from you." He restated that in his 25 years he had never heard such a thing. Conversation was getting nowhere, so I hung up on him.
A week later I drove up to the shop and caught up with the manager. I explained to him what was going on and that I had been up there 6 times regarding this same problem & I ended up fixing me own car with a soda. He took my # and said he'll give me a callback today stating that he was going to make me happy. I waited; no call.
I called him the next day and ask him what happened. He told me to hold on. I could hear him fussing with the mechanic who had worked on my car. He came back and said, "he said he replaced the EGR twice. I confirmed that's what he said he did, but the car was still shutting off and all I did was pour soda on the battery for 85 cents. He said he would call me back.
It's been a week. I went to work Friday, 6/26. I got ready to go home and the car wouldn't crank. The lights and everything else were still I working though. I called my towing service, because thd Geico representative said it didn't sound like a jump-start problem. The tow guy got to my car and I gave him my keys. He put the key in the ignition, shook his head then popped the hood.
With 1 look and no high tech diagnostic equipment he immediately spotted the problem was a bad battery. He told me to observe the moisture on the battery and the cruz around the posts. He said the car didn't need a tow, but a new battery. Also, that by soda trick was only a temporary fix. I called the mechanic to tell him I had another person confirming that it was the battery. That's when he said it could have been the battery, but machine diagnosed the EGR valve and the battery didn't come up.
I asked him, "So, in your so-called 25 years, the only way you can diagnose a problem with a battery is if the machine tells you? All the tow guy did was look 1 time and immediately diagnosed the battery" he stated "Good bye ma'am" and hung up the phone in my face. I brought the car up the 6 times and he later stated it could have been either or, why wasn't the battery checked first & foremost?
After, his replacements didn't work he didn't even look to the next possible cause. I don't even think he knew. I had a new battery installed by AutoZone and now the car runs good as new for only $64.99! I'm waiting to talk to the manager when he comes in Tuesday. This is ridiculous!
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