I dropped my car off on Friday. I called Monday and Tuesday and he had diagnosed and found out what was wrong with my vehicle. But was unwilling to give me a quote he told me parts were $110. Finally he told me it was going to cost $288 to unlock my hood and replace battery. Had he told me in advance this was going to be the charge I would have said "no." He still did not give me a quote or estimate. Finally I called and said I need an estimate and he said $600-800 to replace $250 worth of parts at maybe 1hr-2 hours of labor. So the discrepancy here is $150 plus no estimate at the amount of time or labor. I asked what his labor rate was after he had opened the hood and replaced the battery is $128. Four States and others shops are $70. This rate is not posted be aware! I do not trust this mechanic. He will dodge your questions for estimates. I never would have had an estimate or a phone call if I did not pressure him for one. If I were you I would take your car to Four States or any other shop in town. They will provide you with a written estimate, shuttle to work, and return phone calls. If you want to pay twice the rate for sub-par and dishonest service take your vehicle here. Also he said he had the parts on order from Mercedes. I said if I see an invoice from Mercedes I will pay you what you have in them. He said he would call me in one to two days when they were in. I'll give you 3 guesses as to whether or not I received a phone call. The answer is no. I ordered the parts online at %80 of the dealer cost. This man will look you in the eye and lie to your face. I have no idea how he is in business.
The following info is from: http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/transportation/car_repair_laws.htm
Al's Service did none of these. He also did not put the amount of labor it required to unlock my hood and switch my battery around.
Did you know you have certain rights when you go to a car repair shop? Hopefully you won't have to use their services, but it is always a good idea to check out a repair shop before you really need it. If you do have damage to your care or need repairs, these tips may prove to be invaluable.
Here are some things you should consider before you let anyone work on your car:
* Is the body shop neat and well organized?
* Does it have modern equipment?
* Is their policy regarding labor rates, guarantees and methods of payment, clearly posted?
* Is the staff qualified and the shop certified by AAA, the Automotive Service Council or the Better Business Bureau?
* Is the manager willing to answer any questions you may have?
* Do they specialize in any particular vehicles such as foreign cars or farm equipment?
Once you've picked a repair shop and need their services, you need to get an estimate and know your rights. An estimate should be given in person if it costs more than $100. Once you have received your estimate, the repairs cannot cost over 10% of the estimate without your prior approval. In most cases, the repair shop can keep your car until you pay your bill. However, you can take your car if the following things have happened: if during the face-to-face contact there wasn't a written estimate given, if the charges were more than 110% without your approval, and if the repair shop did not post a sign stating "your customer rights." If all these requirements were met, then you must pay your bill before you can receive your car.
Once the repair shop has fixed your car, you should know exactly what work was actually done. You will receive a bill called an invoice. This will have many items listed on it besides the cost of the repairs. By law, it must contain a description of the work they did on your car. It also must have a list of all parts used. It must state if the parts were used, or if they were in a collision previously. It also will give the price for the parts and the company who made them. Lastly, the invoice will contain the charge for labor and the total cost for the repairs.
What happens if some of these requirements were not met? What if your car doesn't run as well after the repair? That is a violation of the law! First try to work it out with the repair shop. Then, if this does not work, contact the Automotive Service Council or Better Business Bureau, because you may be eligible to receive compensation for up to three times the amount of the damages to your car.
Now you know what to look for in a car repair shop, what is on an invoice, and what to ask the repairman. read more