I dropped my car off for a wheel alignment today. I left it at their shop and came back to work. I hate the idea of the car being left anywhere. Even though I have known most of the guys at the local Chevy dealership for over 10 years, I just don't like it not being in my garage.
Steven, I couldn't agree with you more. Our 2008 Magnum RT has 34,000 miles on it and we decided to get three minor items taken care of before the chassis warranty expires. They couldn't replicate one (minor) problem that occurs 100% of the time. They didn't fix the second problem. and the parts for the third (a tire pressure sensor) were backordered. They did find and replace a bad tie rod end (I hope that they aligned it, but I'll bet they didn't). They then tried to sell me a $230 transmission flush and service - even though no such service is on Chrysler's maintenance program for the Dodge's Mercedes-Benz 5-speed automatic transmission. It's back there today for the tire pressure sensor. I'll bet they try to sell me something else this time. :spank:
Understand that! I had to leave my car on the trailer on the street in front of my house overnight! I covered it, but was up all night lookin out the windows and stuff checking on it!! Ridiculus how we are concerned about our cars.
In the late 80's, when my dads car was an 11 second street driven buick, he had me take the car to a shop to have trick springs installed in the front...I specifically told the shop foreman to NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE...so I'm sitting in the waiting room for a couple of hours and then I here it fire up..I look out and the guy is pulling out on to the road. When he came back 5 minutes later, he said he just drove it down the street and back to 'make sure everything was ok' yea right.
I will never again bring my car to a shop, unless it's for body work or paint. Anything mechanical, I no longer trust any "professional" mechanic with it. Anything else, I'll figure it out and invest in the tools to do it less than what I would pay the shop. I just might have to ask fellas here some questions
I feel very fortunate to have a very good honest mechanic that runs a shop just at the bottom of Dad's hill. I'm comfortable leaving the Buick and my Dodge with him for any thing. Anything, from new wiper blades to engine overhaul. All of his people are consummate professionals. He has a neat, clean, roomy shop. With many, many satisfied customers. I recommend him to everyone nearby. Mr. Pettus Edgewood Service Center Oxmoor Road Homewood, Alabama 35209
We have a very good transmission shop near here - ATS in Millis, MA. Aside from that, and another shop with the odd name of Crank It Over Automotive in Bellingham, MA; there are few repair facilities that I totally trust locally. A quick question: In Niagara Falls many years ago, there was a Buick-Cadillac dealership. I recall that it was Lammert's. Are they still around? They rescued me when my Buick snapped an axle. A great dealer to do business with.
I feel that way about my meager three, including the two basically new ones. I much prefer to perform my own maintenance just so I know someone did the work properly. On the rare occasion I might send one to the shop I usually devise a scheme to ensure someone actually does the work. Nailed the Lexus dealer one day when they claimed to have rotated tires on a complimentary job. Man that was great working up a number 6 on those guys.
I hate leaving any car I own with anybody else period. I hate taking my truck in to get the emissions test done once a year. I've gotten pretty good at the backyard front end alignment. Did it on my Ranger 5 years ago after replacing tie rods and it drives straight as an arrow with no uneven tire wear. Still on the same set of tires after 4 years. Did it again on my Buick last year when we rebuilt the front end. All is good.
Couple years ago I took the car to a local shop for annual inspection. Only thing I asked was that they use a manual wrench & later a manual torque wrench to remove/install the lug nuts. They are allowed to inspect shoes & pads should they choose. "We don't have a wrench that will fit other than the impact gun". "We don't have a manual torque wrench." "All wheel nuts are torqued to 100 ft.-lbs." after I asked for 70 ft.-lbs. per the chassis manual. Needless to say I took the car elsewhere.
I kinda have to laugh at this thread. Sure, someone else is gonna get in your car and move it around. But... It's a CAR!. It is not you firstborn child. What do you expect when you pay a guy 100 bucks to align it. Pay him 300, and he will put it on a red carpet. Get my drift? I have people come in my shop with a classic muscle car, want the cheapest price on an alignment that they changed all the parts themselves, waste 2 hours of my time talking about it, and expect me to make it go perfectly straight down the road for 100 bucks. ??? Can you say dreaming??? Slide the service manager a few extra bucks, and have some peace of mind. Grease the wheels. A guy who wants it all for cheap isn't gonna get that. Remember, your not bringing in a 2004 taurus for service. Expect to and willfully pay a premium to have yor car paid special attention to. Or, learn/buy the equipment to do it yourself.
One time I left a Porsche to get new tires, no alignment. Just tires so there would have been no need for a test drive... So it just so happens a little while later that morning I am driving down in the work truck and I see my car sitting in the street and it looks wrecked. After I get closer I can see what the problem is. The moron that decided to test drive my car forgot to put the lug nuts on and the wheel fell off. The car landed on the shock mount and it did not hurt anything but needless to say I was pissed. Bert
I had a Goodyear center that should have road tested the car. Went in for an alignment got the car back worse than when I left it. If i were to let go of the wheel, it would make a left turn. Took them an entire day to get it to go straight again.
well said steve, you guys out there that don't trust shops, please do the work yourself, i get tired of you guys knocking guys who make being a mechanic their livelihood. you need a brake job done, an alignment or tire work? the mechanic NEEDS to test drive it to make sure the job's done right. you hate leaving your car alone? camp out next to it overnight. geez.ou:
I hate to leave my car at the shop, but there is someone else who hates it more than me - it's the guy who has to listen to me.... "Now are you going to keep it inside or outside overnight?"; "you remember it has manual choke right - the quick-start is in the back seat"; "remember, the hood lock is right here"; "You know it's an X-frame, right? Can I show you where to set the lift?"; "be careful with the center cap inserts, I can't find replacements"; "the top leaks, so we can't have it left outside if it is going to rain"; "I've got several sources if you need help finding the parts, do you need me to help?"; "Do you want to hear the story of the summer the car sat on the guy's lift for 4 months while we scoured the U.S. for a 4 speed flywheel?"; "now it's a 401, but out of a '64 Electra not a Wildcat, so order parts accordingly". I know my mechanics have to be happy when I drive away. At least they all know old cars pretty well. And BuickRat - I'm definitely not cheap with them and definitely am appreciative, and careful with my use of their time! Good points for us to remember.
HMMM. Wow. I changed all the suspension myself. My guy did the alignment in about 45 minutes. All the specs are right and it goes straight as an arrow. I could not be more pleased. I paid him the $79.95 that he quoted me and everyone was happy. I did not have to bribe him or his boss to care about doing the job right. To be fair, I have known him for 15 years and he is a suspension specialist. He owns and knows classic cars. Because he knows what he is doing, he needed no special instructions and because I know he knows what he is doing, I needed no hand holding. I was in the car business for 20 years and I have heard stories about dealership repair shops in the northeast being cesspools of corruption where: Customers had to pay off the service writer or the manager to get his car in quickly when they were booked up. The mechanic has to pay the service writer to get the good jobs The mechanics hold up the service writers to get their customers cars done on time. The tool guy has to pay off the service manager to sell tools to the mechanics in their shop. Car salesman slide the body shop writers money to get stuff done for their sales customers. Customers sneak around the back and pay the techs cash to get stuff done cheaper. Guys replace parts that do not need being replaced and then sell the old parts out the back door. Guys lie about even replacing the parts and sell the new parts out the back door. I did see personally a parts department managers get caught as he actually financed his boat using funds from selling A/C delco cores out the back door and pocketing the money and then writing it off as a loss to the company. You never had to worry about any of that crap in one of my shops. If I found the slightest hint of any funny business going on, a police officer stood by why the scum bag packed his belongings and was escorted out.
Of course there are two sides to every story. In my comments I have been referring to stock automobiles. When you get to modified vehicles, I am likely to take the technician/shop owner's side. Frankly, modified cars are a PIA. The shop owner cannot usually refer to a manual. Everything is tailored to the individual vehicle. I remember a rich kid who bought a highly modified Chevelle that was built by a serious knuckle-dragger. I finally had to tell him to get the POS out of our shop unless he was willing to let us just start over. I don't understand what is so difficult about properly wiring a simple, non-computer car. Basic circuitry is not rocket science. I don't mind antiques, but the only modified cars I want to work on are my own.
John I hear ya on that. I remember the first time taking my stock 70 to get aligned, one of the first questions was is the suspension stock? Stock alignment was $79. It was an old timer who used to set up gm A body race cars. He put a few extra degrees of caster angle and a few other things and it handled awesome. Other than stock parts it would be shop rate until it goes down the road straight. now the 30 dollar tire rotation and oil change at midas when the wife took my car there. They forgot to tighten the lug nuts on one front wheel. she drove around the block with the front wiggling and clunking like crazy right back to the shop. It wallowed out the holes in the alloy wheel and broke a stud. They thankfully took care of it without issue but still, it's something so basic.
As an owner of an independent repair shop, I have cut-out 99% of classic car work. The owners tend to be overly-difficult to work with, never have any money, parts are often difficult to readily get, and the unknown (especially working behind some back-yard hacks) makes it a loosing proposition. The customer is not happy. I'm not happy. Simple solution - go away! Since taking this new "stance", morale is better and the bottom line is better. I have a thankfully never-ending "regular" stuff to work on, with people who want their cars fixed correctly and in a trustworthy manner. I don't miss the classic car folks, that don't trust you, have no money, and suffer from "seperation anxiety" from their baby. Some candid advice: If you are in this hobby, you need deep pockets to obtain GOOD, professional work. If you do not have deep pockets (or knowledgable friends), then you are left working on it yourself. If neither of these work for you, then maybe another hobby is an option.
