Was I fooled at the car repair shop? They charged me $581.81?

Question

I went to Pep Boys for a wheel alignment. I was told that I needed a new steering rod, the two front tires replaced and a couple of other things I don't even remember. I ask the guy "I don't really have a choice, right?" .- "(chokes) Nnnnno!."
Now my coworker here tells me that they fooled me. Repair shops will tell you that you need more things so you spend more and help their business. She says her husband used to work at Firestone and he knows how that deal goes and they will do that to people.
Has this happened to you? How do you deal with this? Should I learn to rapair my car on my own? Do you recommend an autodidactic car repair material?

Answer 1

Yes,you were ripped off! Always get at least 1 other estimate not someone who they reccomend.

Answer 2

While it is possible that your vehicle did need this stuff, I would probably lean towards it not being true, especially since you stated that it was Pep Boys.
Those chain places tend to do this...alot. Not that other shops don't, but chain stores are well known for it. You come in for a service and they try to sell you everything else that could possibly go along with it. Alot of times people will call them on it and they say "It's really just a recommendation" or that they replace everything so they can't be introuble if something goes wrong. (Check out ripoffreport.com)
But really I guess it's because they know what it takes to make money. They don't spend millions of dollars a year in advertising to bring people in, only to make a low profit. Whatever they spend, they must bring back in someway or another.

I think this has happened to everyone, at least once. If you want to learn to work on your car, go for it. But I would try finding a better shop first. Find a repair shop where there are people that will answer your questions and will be there next time you come in. All those chain stores have different employees every other month. They don't remember you and they don't care about you. Find someone who does. And get all things in writting. You can always come back later and have something done if it really is needed.

Answer 3

Ever hear of something for nothing Mechanics get paid by what they do , no work= no pay.That being the case wouldn't you like to get paid for something you do?Or to make money off the 1,000's invested in tools and equipment and knowledge for the time you spend looking at something.Cars are more complicated that hooking up a scan tool and it telling you ,this is bad.If you want that ,then go to auto zone im sure they can sell you a erg for every code that comes up as erg insufficient flow.Some shops do no charge for diag, but the mechanics eat it in the long run.It doesn't make sense to be paid .4 for a repair when it takes you an hour to look at it.Electrical problems taking much longer no one will make money, not the mechanic and the shop losses out, you cannot stay in business charging .5 for repairs that take 1-2 hours of looking in to for the fault.Generally you pay the diag and the money goes towards the repair say you pay $80 for the initial look and you need a tune up thats 100 bucks then you only pay additional $20 on top of the diag. Problem with not charging people is ,one it wastes time I've had countless numbers where ive spent time looking into a problem and finding it for the customer to say thanks and walk away to go get the parts and do it their selves.If you cant figure it out on your own you shouldnt be doing it.Being charged even a slight fee, you would be more willing to have the problem fixed having money invested in to it.Or people that want everything looked at because its free,waste your time and decide oh nvm that costs money.Shops that charge are not looking to rip people off, they are there for fair compensation when people seem to think this is a charity business how many people go into a doctors office and expect to get looked at no charge.GL

Answer 4

you can be taken advantage of anywhere you go. the best way to protect yourself is find shops that are AAA approved or shops that friends use that they are happy with. learn as much as you can about your vehicle and cars in general, this forum is a good way, if you read answers to problems you can get an idea of what goes wrong and how its repaired. always ask the shop to show you the bad part before you authorize repair(some it will not be possible to see the problem), like the tie rods they replaced should have visible play. always ask for the old parts to be saved and look on the car to make sure they were. they may not have fooled you, you could very well have needed the repairs, but you can't find out after the fact. stay away from chain store like the 2 you mentioned and try to find a reputable independent shop and be loyal to them and they will be loyal to you.

Answer 5

Everything you stated can be caused by a bad steering rod, apparently the vehicle was doing something abnormal to be in the shop to begin with, a couple tires are about 110.00 a piece, mounting, balancing, tax wheel alignment, labor steering rod. Did they show you the parts? Did they offer for you to take them with? I would say they probably didn't do anything wrong, workers at pep boys, sears, wal-mart, sam's make the same if they are working or not.

Answer 6

I recall taking an advanced auto repair course at the local HS and was very surprised to see so many women in attendance. I thought it was great that they wanted to learn to speak with authority at their auto repair shop. I suggest you get an estimate and then take that estimate to another shop and compare prices. At least then you know you can compare estimates and feel pretty good about the price of the repairs. Depending on the region you will pay different "door rates" for labor but the parts should be equatable. Good luck and keep your car well maintained like change your oil every 4,000 miles.

Answer 7

Could be valid. If you look at the tires they can be showing metal on the inside rim, from a bad wheel alignment. If you don't have it done, the tires can actually be shredded while you are driving. I have no idea about the steering rod. Most honest shops will show you the inside rim of the tire that's bad, to show you the wires.

Answer 8

I work at a Goodyear dealership as a mechanic and we NEVER tell a customer they need something they don't the dishonest garages make a bad name for all mechanics. If you ever go to a garage and they tell you you need a new part first ask them to take you out to your car and show you what part and exactly why the second thing to do is always ask them to bag and give you back your old parts that way you're sure they changed them and you can ask another garage to look at old parts for you to see if really are bad. and finally be sure to go to a garage that you trust and know has a good reputation ask friends who they take their cars to and how the service is. unfortunatly it sounds like you got taken and that sucks garages like that should be shut down. there is one more thing if you go to a garage and they say you need something they can't make you fix it there so it might be a good idea to go to another garage and get a second opinion.

Answer 9

you can't just pay them. Never ever go to pep boys. Your best going to the dealership. Every other place does the job right but charges you an arm an a leg. It's hard to find a good teck guy these days but you gotta do some research

Answer 10

Actually, any time they tell you you need a bunch of unanticipated repairs, tell them no and take it somewhere else, and ask them to inspect that area.

I took my car to Midas one time for brakes, and they told me I needed all kinds of work that I wasn't anticipating. I told them no and took it to another shop and asked them to inspect that system. They told me nothing was wrong and I paid the $40 inspection fee.

Anytime you can find a mechanic telling you that you don't need work when you thought you might, is a mechanic worth going back to.

Answer 11

In these situations, ALWAYS tell them to show you what's wrong and explain why it needs to be fixed. Never take their word.

Same thing happened to my mom, but fortunately, she was warned in advance to say she would have to have her son or husband look at it and confirm the defect..

THEN, the story changed to: Well, it's not critical to have it done right now, but you should have it checked periodically.