I’m leaving UVH (animal hospital, I buy my cats’ food there) to go to the Tempe Petsmart when I notice my car is doing something odd. At first I thought it was the clutch because when I started out in first, it didn’t seem to want to go, and then again in second, third, etc. I’m almost to the Petsmart and it’s still doing it, only now I think I’m smelling something. My gauges are all ok, except the battery one is almost on the bottom. I decide that I’m just going to go home and take the car to my mechanic on Monday morning.
I get in one of the two left turn lanes and stop at the light. When I stopped, so did they car. Dead. Won’t turn over, nothing. There was also a weird like bubbling noise or something (I think) coming from the engine. I call my uncle get his AAA number for a tow. (side note: remind me Monday or Tuesday to get AAA for myself, no matter the cost). The only problem is I’m way out in Tempe and my mechanic is farther than they will tow. Ok, I ask them to just tow me to the closet repair shop they know of to my current location.
They take me to some AAA approved Goodyear repair center. They hook the car up to the diagnostic machine (quote of $89, unless it’s the battery and then it’s just $21). Come back 20mins later with good news/bad news. Good news is diagnostic is just $21, bad news is that not only do I need a new battery, but an alternator and serpentine belt as well. Est: $680 (parts and labour)
Yeah, that’s what I said. :o
I got him to agree to give me the AAA discount even though I didn’t have the card with me and that brought the total down to $640, then I guess he did some recalculating, or whatever, and the final estimate was $598 + tax. That seemed like quite a bit of money to me, but what do I know about cars? (The answer is nothing).
I called my ex because he knows about cars, and this car in particular. He told me they were trying to rip me off. He said there is no way an alternator should cost $250 for the part, nor should it take 2 hours of labour (at $82/hr) to replace. They quoted me $162 for labour alone if I supplied the alternator. $40 for the belt, and I don’t remember how much they were going to charge me for the battery (probably my first born – which would have been a nice fucking joke on them considering I’m not having children).
When I asked them (at my ex’s request) why their alternator was so costly compared to an auto parts store, this is the story I got: the ones at Autozone, Checker, etc. have been rebuilt time and again, but the one they were going to use is on the 1st factory rebuild so it’ll last longer than the 2mos the one I’d buy at those places would. :rolleyes:
Yeah, that’s what my ex said.
He told me to tell them to fuck off and tow my car to my mechanic. It might cost $80, but the cost of parts and repairs at my place would be a lot less so I’d still end up paying less than “AAA rated” place was quoting me.
I called up a towing company, they came and got me and my car and took me to my mechanics. He’s not open on the weekend so I was going to leave my car there until Monday and call him in the morning when he opened. Or go down there with the key. Only problem is somehow at the repair place, they got my driver’s side window down. I didn’t know until we got to John’s and now it won’t go back up.
Strainger was kind enough to pick me up at John’s to drive me home so I wouldn’t have to walk. (Thank you, again!) He had jumper cables so we tried to give my battery enough juice to roll up the window, but it was a no go. I was concerned about leaving it two nights at the mechanics because it’s not the nicest neighbourhood, but I didn’t know what else to do.
I called my uncle again to see what he suggested (I was really stressing the window thing) and he suggested I call his framer (art framer, not a j’accuse kind of framer). I called him and told him my ordeal (he said “they saw you coming” when I told him the reasoning behind the $250 alternator). He’s helping one friend replace his battery right now, so when he’s done with that, he’ll come back on this side of Phoenix, pick me up, take me to get a battery, and put it in my car. He said with a fully charged battery, bad alternator or not, it will run for a couple days (without lights or a/c, but it’ll run). Which means I can bring it home, roll up the window (unless that other place broke it somehow getting the window down – fuckers), go to work on time and take it to my place on Monday if needed.
He also said he’d look at the alternator and if it was an easy repair, not with funky screw locations or whatever, he’d do it himself for under $100. (I think including the cost of the alternator). He said if it was really easy one he’d only charge me a 6-pack of beer… I told him I’d buy him a 12pk, and whatever damn beer he wanted.
So, while it seems to be ending ok, I’m still super fucking pissed at that “AAA Goodyear Repair Center” (Gruelichs on Elliot Rd in Tempe – avoid it!). How fucking dare they try to rip me off! A trustworthy mechanic is worth triple his weight in gold. I love mine, and I swear by Godiva I will never take my car any place else again!
*Thank you Dire Wolf for the thread title.