Crooked Shops - Share your Experience!

[kemo]

I'm not even remotely sure I'm in the right section, but just wanted to share a recent experience.

The family took the suburban in, yes I know, it's not a ranger... but case and point... it doesn't matter what you bring in to shops these days, they are going to do whatever they can to make a dollar. Onward...

The initial complaint was about a vibration on the front end. The truck had been sitting for a good week, hasn't moved an inch, never had a problem on the drive to the airport. After leaving the parking ramp (where it was parked for a week), vibrations began in the front end. I had suggested to them that the tires may have become out of round. The tires were well past their prime anyways, but they begged to differ and brought it in to a local shop on a Sunday afternoon... a shop where they have previously had work done to the truck (brakes).

I'm still hunting for the original estimate, because they racked it up to 2 grand. After arguing with the techs there, this is what they came up with for an estimate:

6 months earlier, the truck JUST had the brakes done. The pads aren't anywhere near 25% gone, and the calipers were fully functional. The truck left the Tires Plus to be brought back to the dealer that it normally gets serviced at. They test drove it, tore down the brake system, found nothing wrong. Plenty of pad life, working calipers, and sound ball joints (on the original estimate, they were said to be bad).

In the end, 4 new tires, and a happy customer (after leaving the dealership)

 

[Hopman]

My mom took her '04 Impalla in to the Vianor Tire Center in Concord, NH get an allignment done. I was with her that day and said they couldn't do it because the ball joints were bad. Our regular machanic (Weed Auto in Concord, NH) had JUST REPLACED them last week in order to pass the NH inspection.

Go figure.

 

[Ranger Kip]

damn....

 

[kemo]

I'm trying to get a hold of the big bad estimate. Ya'll will laugh your ass off.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

my mom took her ranger for an alignment once. while she was waiting the "mechanic" comes in and tells her that the truck needs some parts replaced, she asks what parts? so she goes to see the truck, the guy points some bolts(i dont know what bolts cuz i wasnt there, my best guess would be the shock bolts LOL) and tells her that the ones it has are too short and that he has a larger set he could give her for a good price.

He doesnt knows that my mom wont be tricked that easy and replies: if the truck has those since they build it, why i would replace them? it has worked fince since 93(the truck was a 93).

the guy just walked away speechless lol

 

[Tony Raine]

when i was 15, i took my 84 B2 to walmart for some cheap walmart tires.....


and they stripped the chrome plastic cap off of one stock lugnut. the solution? air chisel the rim (the nice aluminum ones) until they could pull the wheel over it. that didn't work, so they pulled the diff cover and tried to pry out the c-clip with a big screwdriver and yank the axleshaft out (i still don't see how that would have helped anything). that also didn't work, so they called me over the intercom....

yeah, they did all that without my knowledge. then mgmt REFUSED to pay for the damage, stating my vehicle had "faulty equipment" that caused the problem. i was young, and didn't have any authority, so i didn't have much choice.

so i had to go buy some gear oil and gasket goo to fix that part. then i parked right in front of the shop doors, popped the stripped cap off the lug nut, and took it off the lug nut underneath with a 4-way. they were not amused, they told me to leave the parking lot because i was "loitering."

 

[Dweano]

I'm too tired to explain but basically I take my truck in for an alignment...it leaves a week later with a new ball joint, u-joint, and bearings, and random other little things...to the tune of ...I believe $832. Last time I'm getting a shop to do things...or I should at least get an estimate first haha

 

[Ranger44]

Alignment. Total was qouted at $70 for the alignment plus price of alignment bushings.

Had to wait 2 days, constantly being told my truck was in next, to only be pushed back for another car. Just when I was about to call and take it somewhere else, it's in. After 3hrs....

I show up, and they tell me it'd be about $200? How I ask....

They retort with the fact that an hour of labor was charged to install the new alignment bushings!?(give notice the bushings in were new, installed temporarily to drive from suspension work done 2 days previous, and slathered in anti seize)and there is only 1 bolt that holds them in place....so I proceed to ask how much an hour of labor is?....they come back with $70......I do the math and something still isn't right....so I ask where the bushings came from and how much were they? One supposedly $24 the other being $25......I know right away they were inflated cause NAPA didn't have a standard bushing over $15.

I proceeded to lose my temper, and make the b.s. disappear, trash their name in town. Besides, them holding my truck in bay only showed they were screwing me, or trying to, and knew there'd be a chance I'd flip.

Needless to say, I beilieve they had an idiot working on it, it took longer than the standard hour, and they were trying to make money back. Not a good way to run a business.

 

[ufgators68]

I got hit twice, by the same dealership. Once for $275 and once for $1600.

The first time, I took my truck in because of a loud noise coming from the front end. The local Ford dealer said it was the wheel bearing and replaced them. Worked good for a week or so. Turned out it just need an alignment and tire rotation. Apparently, the driver and passenger side were off the same amount and of course that cause it not to pull to one side or the other.

Whatever it was, the alignment and rotation worked. I still have the old bearings, that are good, in my toolbox. Just in case I need a quick repair to get me home.

The second time the Ford dealer got me was for a ping sound coming from the transmission/transfer case area. They had the truck for 2 days trying to diagnose it and finally came to the conclusion that it was the transfer case. 2 more days and $1600 later, the ping is still there. On a hunch, I bought a used front drive shaft from the local junk yard and swapped it out. That solved the problem.

The next day, I stormed into the parts department, drive shaft in hand, and demanded my money back. The parts manager's expression was priceless. He knew he was screwed. You could shake the drive shaft and get the ping sound.

Since the new t-case was already installed, I kept that, got the old t-case and a little over half of my money back. I'm not real happy with how it turned out but at least I have a spare t-case.

That dealership is now no longer in existence.

 

[jodom15sc]

I got hit twice in like 2/3 months

just last year I replaced my thermostat since my truck overheated. It kept overheating so I took it to a MIDAS in Nashville, Tn, the so called ASE certified specialist my ass place. Anyways they said I have to have a new radiator and water pump put in. I was ok with that cause I knew in the next year I wanted to change them out myself, but next thing I know they charged me 1500 for a new radiator and water pump. I was like take that stuff off and Ill tow my truck home and replace both those things for way less. But after talking to corporate bosses and non stop hassle Im stuck paying 1500 and best part......truck still overheats and I ended up taking it back and forth for a week.

After I gave up on midas I took my truck to the ford dealership and they said they would look at it. Next day they said they have to tear my motor down to figure it out and I said go ahead. Next day another call and they say I have a cracked head and 99% sure its a cracked block. So now im thinking ill just have them put it back together and ill sell it for whatever I can get. But no no no, to replace just the heads they wanted 3400, to replace the block and heads 4500, and to just put it back together 2900. So I basically had a heart attack since in a span of 2 months I lost almost a whole year of college tuition because of this.

 

[Andres629]

My truck went in for alignment... They told me they couldn't align it because the wheel bearings and ball joints were shot, and that while they were doing those, they could do my brakes for me as well. Guess why it went in for alignment in the first place? DING DING, you got it! I just did ball-joints and while I had it apart, wheel bearings on both sides! And my brakes were just fine, thank you. My reply to them: "Super cool story, bro. Put my truck outside your bays, I'll align it myself!"

 

[Daniel_187]

Brakes plus $99.98 pads and shoe deal turned into a $456.21. This was on my mom's Heep whoops Jeep and I swear they were making up words to sound like they were brake related and needed to be replaced

 

[Ranger Kip]

We got my truck into a mechanic to get it runnin, they charged us 800, and refused to tell us what they did to make it run.

We also had a bottom pan welded onto the bottom of the cab, the one there was rusted out, and that cost us around 600.

the other 100 was from god only knows what for the truck....
($5 for the tube to patch the muffler that fell off and we ran over it)
(etc.)

 

[Buba Ganushe]

a couple years ago my sister took her escort into a shop to change a couple spark plug... i told her id do it but she was far to impatient. they ending up charging her about $150 for three plugs. haha her fault

 

[AllanD]

I got hit ONCe by a sears ~1982 when I was only in to do an alignment and no other person has touched any of my vehicles, except alignment WHILE I WAIT since

If the shop won't do the alignment while I wait I tell them that me and my money are headed elsewhere.

Also if they won't set the alignment fairly closely to MY specifications, NOT the factory specifications I'll head elsewhere.

For some odd reason I don't get a lot of shit from people... could be
I'm 6'4" 305lb and look like I spend my spare time tearing people's arms
off for personal amusement.

Often I'll go in to a shop and have them MEASURE the alignment and just tell me where it is with the understanding that they are to do NOTHING else and even if they find something horribly wrong they ain't gonna be fixing it.

as for anything else? I can and will do it myself, shit my truck is essentially built from junkyard parts, as I tell people I could write a list of what parts on my truck are original to what the factory put on (at Twin Cities in February 1987) on the inside of a wet matchbook cover with a dull crayon.

I actually have to specify what parts of the frame are original (the two side rails and ONE of the eight crossmembers (the crossmember that runs between the two rear cab mounts) the bare cab shell... which I am about to replace...

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