Steven asks…
Any retaliation against a bad business?
Last week my 95 Honda Accord wouldnt start so we had it towed to a reputable (or so we thought) garage. So — they tell us the timing belt has slipped and quoted us $1300 to fix it. Then ASKED TO BUY IT FROM US when my husband was hesitant to give them the go ahead to do repairs. Fast forward after husband calls various garages to get ballpark quotes. We take it to a Honda Dealership and after giving it a thorough diagnostics/look over, they call my husband confused and say “What did they tell u was wrong? The timing belt is fine on this car. It just needs a new battery.”
So after 2 tows, a car rental for the wk, and diagnostics, we are out almost $500 for a bad battery. I know we wont get our money back, but is there anything we can do to make this garage regret having been so dishonest and unprofessional? Dh has called twice and they wont let him speak with the owner, he just gets the service mgr who says “I’m really sorry”.
admin answers:
Have you paid them ?
You might consider not paying them and letting them put a lien on your car … Which would put you in the spot of not being able to sell the car, but since it is a 95 and it sounds like you’re gonna drive it til it dies …
If you paid them or didn’t – You could also try to sue them in small claims court for defrauding you … That might at least let you get in a position to negotiate some of the money you paid them.
Chris asks…
Do we have any options?
Last week my 95 Honda Accord wouldnt start so we had it towed to a reputable (or so we thought) garage. So — they tell us the timing belt has slipped and quoted us $1300 to fix it. Then ASKED TO BUY IT FROM US when my husband was hesitant to give them the go ahead to do repairs. Fast forward after husband calls various garages to get ballpark quotes. We take it to a Honda Dealership and after giving it a thorough diagnostics/look over, they call my husband confused and say “What did they tell u was wrong? The timing belt is fine on this car. It just needs a new battery.”
So after 2 tows, a car rental for the wk, and diagnostics, we are out almost $500 for a bad battery. I know we wont get our money back, but is there anything we can do to make this garage regret having been so dishonest and unprofessional? Dh has called twice and they wont let him speak with the owner, he just gets the service mgr who says “I’m really sorry”.
$500 may not be much to some of you, but what if we had gone ahead and paid the $1300 in repairs?? Sorry, that’s a lot of $$ to us and I think it’s wrong to do business that way.
admin answers:
Did you get the estimate in writing from the first shop? Did you pay them anything for the improper diagnosis? If they did not charge you for the diagnosis, you have no real recourse because you have no loss (other than the second tow job, which they are not responsible for) If you paid them to check out the car, you should be able to get a refund of that money!
If f they refuse a full refund, take them to small claims court. Be sure you have the receipts from the Honda dealer and the incompetent shop to show that they diagnosed the problem incorrectly!
Susan asks…
Buying Car with Odometer problem?
I’m looking at this ’95 honda accord from a dealer, went w/ my uncle who’s more experienced in buying a car than me. We did the usual body check, popped the hood and checked the engine, incl. timing belt, oil checks, and no leaks. We did a test drive, city and highway, which was smooth. it’s got pretty high mileage, about 230k km, mostly hiway kms. but was assured that it was regularly serviced at the dealership. I’m inclined to buying it, as it looks and drives like mint cond. Told them to let me sleep on it and i got home.
I got home, pulled a CarFax on it. Truth be told it was regularly serviced @ Dealership. But, was flagged with Inconsistent Odometer Reading, could be rollback or clerical error. Jan 7/04 185,510km, Jan 16/04 it was 196k km, but Nov 15/04 it was 185400 km. Sold @ auction 3 times may & jun ’05, feb ’06. mar ’06 odometer was 204k km. mar ’07 it was reported 120k km.
Two Odometer Inconsistencies, screw up or not? & sold 3 times in auction, what do you guys think?
oh yeah, i forgot, i also went to AutoCheck, but AutoCheck doesn’t see any problems to it, unlike w/ CarFax. Also, according to AutoCheck, it’s only been to Auction twice. lol now i’m confused who to believe >.<
admin answers:
From my experience with those kind of cars id pass on it,id say its been tampered with, truth be known it may have 400 k on it,so i wouldn’t mess with anything that has a record like that on it,there’s better cars than that on the lots to buy,good luck on it.
Carol asks…
Please, I need mechanic help with my 98 VW Passat?
So we bought a 98 Passat a few weeks ago (march 14th is the actual purchase date) When my husband brought it home from the dealership (we bought it out cash) he didnt notice anything wrong with the car. Not until he took the car to get an oil change is that he noticed that the car was leaking coolant. So we took it to VW to get an Diagnosis on what was wrong with the car. So they told us that it had a hoe that was leaking coolant. So to repair that hose it would be around $220 for the part and the labor.
Since the evaluated the whole car, on thei evaluation sheet they marked that the 1. Shock absorbers/suspension/struts, 2. Steering gear box/linkage and boots/ball joints/dust covers, 3. engine oil/fluid leak, 4. drive shaft boots/constant velocity boots/u joints/transmission linkage (if equipped) where all in the red meaning they all need immediate attention. This was all under the “under vehicle” of the inspection report they did on the car.
Ok then on the comments/estimates they added:
Upper links $1027.13
Camshaft Adj Leaking $457
R/Outer CV Boot Torn $250
Reccomend T-Belt $590
I am a lil skeptical and I find it hard to believe that a car with only 104k miles would need all of this. It is a 5-speed manual so I dont know if that makes a difference at all. Part of me just wants to say I told you so and nag him on making the quick purchase and not getting a civic or an accord (i have a lot of faith in honda) but what ever its too late now. I also want to make sure that the dealership servicing is not trying to rip us off. My husband found some receipts in the glove compartment and found that a new timing belt had been put in in the summer of 06′ so we could get that off the list. But that still leaves us with a total of $1734.13 in reoairs which is almost half of what we bought the car for grrrrrr…..
My husband has a mechanic friend who can do the work for him but my husband says he would rather have vw do the work that way he has warranty if anything were to happen with those specific parts.
So what I am wondering is is all this stuff necessary or are they just trying to scam us. I would hate to think so, but you never know.
teh car was purchased as is from a small dealership. the car was always serviced at vw since theprevious owner had a lifetime of free oilchanges with the car. I am wondering if she too the car in to vw and they gave her the list of things that needed to be done so they decided it would be better to sell the car.
admin answers:
My first question is what sort of inspection or warranty did you get from the place that you purchased the car from. Was it a VW dealership? Was a smog and safety inspection performed on the vehicle? Is the dealership where the hose was replaced the same place where the vehicle was purchased? Inspections should always be performed before a car is purchased, but as you say, that’s water under the bridge. Was the car sold as is where is? Perhaps contacting the department of consumer affairs or the Better Business Bureau might help… All they can say is no…
I have not seen the car, so I cannot verify that the vehicle needs all of this, what I can tell you is that given the milage on the vehicle it is possible that some of this work needs to be done.
I would have the vehicle inspected by another VW specialist; it does not have to be a VW dealership, but someone who works on VW’s nearly all the time. If he/she is able to verify some or all of these items need service, you should be able to get this done for less money than the dealership charges.
The CV boot can be replaced by a completely rebuilt or exchange axle shaft for the same price or less, An aftermarket axle shaft can be purchased for $125 or less in most cases, plus anywhere from .5 hr to 1.0 at the most for labour to replace it. This will give you two new cv boots and rebuilt or new CV joints, rather than one boot (also there is the possiblity you might need a joint when they remove the old boot and inspect the joint). As far as the upper links on the suspension go, yeah, that’s possible depending upon the type of driving and where its been driven given the miles on the vehicle. However, its something that a good mechanic or front end shop can do for you for less money. They’ll also align the 4 wheels for you to reduce tyre wear after replacing the links.
I’m not no sure about the camshaft adjuster, but again, I’m not there to inspect the vehicle and say.
IF it’s any comfort, at least your Passat is a very safe car and a good car to be in (heaven forbid) an accident, as your chances of survival without serious injury are excellent.
Anyway, I hope this helps, a car nut.
Betty asks…
Honda Accord 1996, new water pump/timing belt/oil change, smoke coming out from under the car and heats up?
I just had my water pump/timing belt replaced and oil change. When the pump failed, white smoke was coming out, which I figured out to be coolant from the smell. Now there is smoke coming out from under the engine, which I believe to smell like oil. Also, the temperature gauge goes up to the halfway point when I am at a stoplight or idling. The highest I have ever seen it is at 1/3.
I had my car serviced by the dealership and I asked them. The man said its burning oil residue from the oil change and that it will burn away in a few days. Is this true? I have had my car worked on and oil changed for the past year at this dealership and have never had any smoke or other problems. What else could be going on? Worse case scenarios. Thanks everyone.
admin answers:
When engine is cool take radiator cap off in morning see if you have any bubbles in coolant other wise head gasket is leaking air oil is sometimes spilled see if they changed thermostat that could be reason for change in temp.
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