women getting hassled by auto shops

[Sirrahsim]

Grrrr... Why are women preyed on at auto shops? My husband called this morning to get an estimate on changing out the brake lights in his car (these Japanese cars are extremely difficult to work on). They told him it would be less than $10. Sounds good. So I go in to drop the car off and they tell me it'll be $25-$30. Of course this shocks me, so I mentioned that my husband had called and gotten a very different estimate and all of the sudden they told me that it would be under $20... Then why the estimate of 25-30? I was so ticked off I've heard from several other couples that this has happened to them to. With a certain couple, it was time for their JCI inspection (Japanese Cumpolsory Insurance) and when the wife brought it in they told her $1000. She left and her husband went back that same day and spoke to the same guy. They told him it would be around $500. What is it about having boobs that makes sleezy car repair shop people want to rip me off?

[guster girl]

I know I've been into places where the guys try to rip me off, but, I've also been given free oil changes and major discounts on repairs, too. So, I just return to the ones that are nice. But, yeah, they can be very nasty to girls.

[moosmom]

Sirrahsim,

I am SO sick and tired of people taking advantage of women who come in to have repairs done to their car!!! !!!

My best friend took her car in to have an oil change. They came back saying ALL kinds of stuff needed done. It cost her over $1,000!! Little did she know that MOST of it was NOT necessary!!

I had my oil changed just before winter. The guy came in and told me that all the fluids needed changing. Fortunately, I'm ALOT smarter than they are. My car had major work done about 6 months ago where the engine and all the fluids had to be removed and replaced, so I KNEW that it was totally unnecessary.

The best advice I can give you is to ALWAYS bring a man with you.

[Sirrahsim]

holy cow the plot thickens. they called me telling me that the car was done, so i walked on down there and paid the bill $15.45. Then when I got into the car there was this exclamation point and something written in kanji showing up in red on my idiot light panel. I started to pull out and found that the car was being REALLY sluggish. I drove around the auto shop to see if it was just the messed up pavement, but my car would not stop being so sluggish and that little red light wouldn't go away. soooo I pulled back around to park and go back inside. I went in to ask if something possibly hadn't gotten hooked up right and saw that several of the workers were snickering (quietly at least). One of the guys was acting all concered and came back out to my car with me. When we got the there he said "yeah, just turn off the emergency break, these guys like to have a little fun from time to time." I was baffled when he said this, cause i had checked the emergency break briely before I had even started the car (though who in the world would bother to use an emergency break on an automatic that was just gonna be sitting in a nice flat parking lot) sooo I get back in and discover a little piece of cardboard under the brake. It was just small enough to make it look like it was turned off, but just big enough to effect the car... Needless to say I was pretty ticked off.. I mean, driving around with the emergency brake on can't be good for my car... so yeah, in the end I was only charged $4.95ish... and both brake lights work now, turns out we had just blown a fuse.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by moosmom

... They came back saying ALL kinds of stuff needed done.
It cost her over $1,000!!

IF (or when) that happens to any of you...

This "usually" works...

1) Say "OMG! I had NO idea..."

2) Then say "I don't have that much with me today,
. . can you just do what I WANT done for now...

3) And then "Give me a Written Estimate - I'll call you
. . Tomorrow and make an appointment..."

Then RUN to a Reputable Dealer and get a "second opinion"!

NEVER authorize an expensive repair - no matter HOW badly they say
"You NEED it" - unless you have the UTMOST Faith in the shop!

And for what it's worth -
The Sleezebag Shops do that to us GUYS, too!

Example from a week ago...
Spotted an NAIL in the Fambly Limo front tyre...
Off to WallyMart - Hey Wally - FIXzit, pleases!

Wally Junior takes it apart...
"Sorrie - can't FIXzit - too close to the edge -
gotta *SELL* ya a New Tyre!"

OK - sez I...
It's YOUR tyre - less than a year old -
with Full Road Hazard Warranty -
NEW Trye (for FREE) is Fine by me!

Wally Junior's BOSS takes a lookie-see...
Suddenly it was "OK ta FIXzit"!
Got a FREE balance, too!

You *GURLz* aren't the Only Wuz to get ripped off!

/s/ Phred

[slick]

I am blessed with a wonderful mechanic. The shop is only about 10 min from where I live and I've been told many times by the owner "You don't need that done". When I first started going to them I would get a free estimate, then go somewhere else and get a second estimate which was always much higher for the same job. After 8 years, I have enough faith in them to tell me the truth. The only downfall is that they are only open from Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm and you usually have to book a couple of days in advance because they are so busy. No wonder.

Besides, the owner has a huge Saint Bernard that he brings to work everyday and when I get my car fixed there he lets me take "Bernie" for a walk.

[Moose]

This is all why I make Josh deal with stuff like that. Not only do I have the girl factor working against me, but people always think I'm just some ditzy, "twenty-something" girl with her daddy's money.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times workers have tried to take advantage of me. It's ridiculous. I remember one time, Josh came with me to go get something done to the car and I waited for it while he ran across the street to buy something from the store. He was still gone when they came and told me what else needed to be done to the car and didn't even mention the cost. Completely clueless as to what was really necessary and what wasn't, I asked him how much everything would cost. Not a word...all he said was, "Oh...uh, not too bad...and your car really needs it so don't worry about it." Uh, nuh-uh. Thank goodness Josh got back just in time to interrupt the crap he was saying and stop the confused look I had on my face.

Turns out, I didn't need anything else done except what we took it there for. Josh and I were both angry, and he definitely let the guy have it. I think if we hadn't been standing in the building waiting for our car...that guy would have been meeting with Josh's fist and heard even more "french" than what were already said.

Needless to say, I haven't been to the mechanic since...I try to stick to the stuff I actually know about.

[Karen]

It always is annoying when a car dealer - never mind mechanic, talks to Paul instead of me. Hello! I was raised in a family of mechanics, he wasn't. Never been ripped off by a mechanic, I have been fortunate, and let them know, up front, that I DO know what I'm talking about. It's a matter of attitude - and luck, too, I guess.

The one place that "fixed" a window, only to have something else in the door go kaflewey a few weeks later got to deal with a very annoyed me. I only paid parts for the second repair when I was done giving them what-for - and we never went to that shop again.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by Karen

"something ... go kaflewey"

.

Cinder sez ~

Dat's Gurlie Hi-Tek Talk!

. .

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by Karen
It always is annoying when a car dealer - never mind mechanic, talks to Paul instead of me. Hello! I was raised in a family of mechanics, he wasn't. Never been ripped off by a mechanic, I have been fortunate, and let them know, up front, that I DO know what I'm talking about. It's a matter of attitude - and luck, too, I guess.

Same with me. I like cars, I'm interested in them and try to learn about them ... although there's a lot of stuff I don't know yet, that's for sure.

Treat a car repair like you would any major purchase in your life ... shop around, get several opinions, do some research ... even just enough to throw out an appropriate phrase at the right moment.

I once went in for a new battery ... the woman who worked at the shop tried to tell me it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator. Oh, puh-lease. I just let her talk, telling me why I needed to spend $500 on repairs, instead of $50 on a battery ... then told her manager about it. So, it's not only guys trying to rip off girls ... I'm sure this woman pulled the old alternator/battery switch on many an unsuspecting and uneducated man, too.

[Fox-Gal]

I hate that they think woman don't know any better when it comes to cars. They see us coming and $$$ run through their heads.

One time I had a problem with the car shifting grears so I took the car in to be looked at. They told me it was going to cost $450 to fix it, because some part needed to be replaced. The part they named was made up. There is no part with that name on any car!!! I called them on it, boy where they suprised I knew something. I ended up taking it some place else and it cost $20 to get it fixed. It was one day I was happy my husband taught me about cars and I was listening.

[Miss Meow]

I had one mechanic who used to charge an arm and a leg, but I tolerated it because the work was always perfect. However, one day I drove off after a service and the temperature gauge immediately rose. The idiots drained my radiator and didn't replace the fluid. Nearly seized the whole motor That was the end of that mechanic.

My Datsun mechanic is a saint. He's known the car for about 15 years and has become a dear friend.

[smokey the elder]

4 years ago I went to this quick oil change place and they didn't put the oil cap back on! Oil split all over the motor; fortunately I caught it and put the oil cap back on. Later I heard that this place had drained the oil out of someone's car, put new oil in, but forgot to replace the drain plug! $3000 later, they had to replace the person's engine.

[minkyboodle]

When I grew up my dad and older brothers always worked on their favorite old cars *dusters and such* I was always around to hold the flashlight for them cause sometimes they woudl have to work at night. They taught me a few things about cars and my dad knows alot about cars still.

My fav thing to do is dress up pretty, drive my nice 2002 yellow neon to the dealership mechanic in my area, flutter my eyes and talk to them about my car which they try to get me to do new things. Then after they do their speil on me, I whip their butts with what I know and I think it tends to piss them off :-p

Sorry, I just love to be 21, cute, and smart. People tend to underestimate me and I just love to bash them around.

ps. I really don't like my mechanics at my dealership over here. They are sneaky lil bastards and I'm glad I know my stuff.