Should we pay the garage for doing work we didn't ask for?

Question

My fiance's car broke down saturday. The key would not turn in the ignition. I knew it had something to do with the tumblers. AAA towed it to the nearest garage, my fiance said to go ahead and fix the tumblers. The charged us $410 for the tumblers and a "rod". The guy said "we went ahead and fixed it, we're surprised you didn't wreck in the car". How could we wreck it if it wouldn't start?

What should we do? Doesn't this sound like a sham?

2002 Chrysler Sebring 77,000 miles and always serviced on time with maintenance.

Answer 1

Find out if the rod is part of that assembly, it would be on the repair order you signed before they started working on the car. By law, a mechanic/garage must provide you with a repair order that you sign, including estimates, before they even begin to work on the car. Anything they add that you didn't sign for, you are not liable to pay. Any damage to your vehicle due to them they must pay. Any estimates you signed are what you are liable to pay, and remember, you sign these BEFORE they do the work. If they need to do something else, you have to sign a new repair order before they do it.

If you didn't sign anything before they did the work, you are not liable to pay anything.

Answer 2

The problem was most likely the rod that goes to the actual ignition switch and not the tumblers.
So when they fixed the tumblers the switch still did not work so they also replaced the rod.
If the instructions to the mechanic was to fix the car, then you have to pay.
But if there was a written estimate and it was over that, in some states you are not liable for any charges over the estimate.
However not always.

Answer 3

Sounds a little more than a little fishy to me. First off rods don't usually get (under normal usage) bent unless they are defective to start with. It that was the case you'd gotten a recall notice from Chrysler about it.
Difference between having to pull the steering wheel and a lot of labor and just changing the key and tumbler part of the ignition switch.
Ran into that same problem in a Chevy s-10 pickup on the road. It had a CPI fuel injection system which requires at least 65 pounds pressure to operate.
Fuel pump went bad and it wasn't putting out but 42 pounds pressure.
Had it towed to the nearest Chevy dealer. Guess what next day went back and they had the engine tore apart telling me I needed a new engine because, the engine pick up had 140,000 miles on it and the engine was completely wore out..
What they did not know was I had just put a new crate engine in it and had less than 3,000 miles on it. .They like to have s.h.i.t when I informed them about it being a new crate engine. Don't think that made G.M. very happy having to give me another engine because I refused to let them just reassemble the engine. Made them get me another engine and replace it free of charge for both parts and labor. That included doing what they were only supposed to do in the first place, replace the fuel pump.

So you have to watch them. too bad too, You always need to get several estimates and diagonsis from several different shops unless you know the shop also the mechanic working on your car or truck, and trust them completely.

Reason I was going to have it done in the shop was I was on the road. I didn't have anyplace that had the necessary fire fighting equipment in case of a fire when dropping the gas tank to change the fuel pump.

Answer 4

When you replace the tumblers it is in your best interest to replace the Rod as well.

The cost for the Rod is cheap, it's the labor that is expensive (cant imagine the rod is more than $40).

If you don't replace the Rod at the same time you could find yourself doing the same repair a few months later and have to pay all the labor charges again.

Answer 5

What kind of "rod" was it? There is one in the steering column that might have been part of the original problem.
Did you sign a work order in advance or did you just tell them, "fix it?"
From the information given I would think that they might be refering to a tie rod. And yes a faulty one of those could cause an accident. And chrysler products produced at that time are famous for needing tie rod replacement at 65,000 miles. If that is what they did, then the price is reasonable. But they should have contacted you first about it.

Answer 6

The law in this situation would vary by state. In Florida you have to sign a written estimate and work order. The estimate can go over by $50 or 20% (if I remember correctly) whichever is greater. Without this form signed I believe they can charge the minimum fee (probably 1 hour labor). Again, your state may be different. Contact the consumer affairs office with the government. They should be able to let you know.
It is also doubtful that both those parts needed replacing. Probably just one or the other. They were probably just too lazy to figure out which one it was.

Answer 7

A "rod" ????

Typically that refers to connecting rod (a major engine component), or tie rod (an important steering/suspension component).

They are probably referring to a tie rod, and yes it could have wrecked you. They should have consulted with you before any additional repairs were done, especially since the tie rod shouldn't need to be touched in the course of replacing a lock cylinder.

If that is in fact what was done, you have an issue regarding notification and approval, but the price isn't outrageous, and you'd have had to get it done anyway.

Me being me, I'd jack the car up and look at the tie rod to be sure they actually did the work and aren't just telling stories.

Answer 8

well They should have called you before any other parts was put on,they needed your OK to do that,Are you sure the Rod was not part of the tumblers? If you are unhappy with the service ,you need to call in or go in and talk to the service manager and see what they have to say ,if you did not authorize a part you should not have to pay for it.

Answer 9

Sounds like these guys are trying to jam you. Like many here have said, mechanics normally must contact you to perform repairs not included in the original estimate they gave you -- hopefully you still have that document. The point here is not whether the cost of the repair is reasonable, or whether it might have been necessary. The issue is whether they called you before making a repair. If no, then you should not pay. D

Answer 10

The answer is no. That is illegal and every state. Mechanics try to pull this over on people. Thats why you sign for work. You do not sign to allow them to fix other stuff. Tell them to either remove what they did and you charge them for the extra time your car sits while they do so. OR you tell them to kiss your *** and you just got free work. They can not do that legally. You can win a law suit in this matter with out even getting a lawyer.