About a month ago, they look at my car and tell me I need to replace an 02 sensor; the initial estimate they give me is $700. This is way, way too much. When I check prices, and call them back, the guy says "oh, gosh, I don't know what happened, I must have hit a key twice . . ." and lowers the estimate to about $400. I still don't bite, and a couple days later I find out the sensor had been replaced by another dealer last November (before I owned the car) and is still under warranty. So I make an appointment to bring my car back in, since I can get it done for free.
Great. I take it in, and I get a call later that day, saying "we don't have that part in stock; we'ver ordered it but it will take a few days. Okay, that's a drag, they're idiots for not having ordered it, since they knew what needed to be done, but not a huge deal. Three or four days pass, and I get another call . . . saying "The parts have come in, please call us back to make an appointment to bring your car back in." They still have my car. I call back and leave a message telling them this. No reply. I call back a couple days later, get no pick-up from service, and leave another message. No reply. I call back today, finally get through to the guy in service . . . and he says "well, who's going to pay the bill for the week's storage?" WHAT?!? He says when they realized they didn't have the part, they left a message telling me to pick up my car. I say "I have the message, that's not what it said." "Are you calling me a liar?!?" he demands. "That's not what the message said, no one told me to pick up my car." "Your car will get done, we'll call you when it's ready." Abrupt. Rude. I check my voicemail when I get off the phone. All the message asked was that I return the call.
Now I'm left paranoid about them having my car, and potentially having a grudge. The last time I argued with a mechanic (who'd tried to gouge me) my car developed serious (and its last) problems about a week later, unrelated to the repair it was in for.
Arrest This Man, He Talks In Maths 
Wednesday, June 18, 2003