In Reply to: OT, mechanical nightmares posted by Sam P. on April 25, 2003 at 16:01:33:
This last episode has convinced me not to trust my car to another again. On the new ball joints, 3 bolts on the driver side, and 2 bolts on the passenger side were so loose I had to hold the top nut before they would begin tightening...several 1/4 turns of the ratchet before the nice "click" of hitting 17 ft.lbs...so 5/8 of the bolts were loose. Reusing the old cotter pins, really shows the jerks care about your safety, huh. For the want of a nail, etc.
The grease fitting on the new ball joints were pointing at the wheels, no wonder no grease got into them. The wires for the ABS dangling against the tie rod linkage was an unexpected twist. 40psi in the rf tire, for no apparent reason?! So I spent more time fixing what they broke, then to have done it myself in the first place.
EXTREME satisfaction when the O'Reily dudes asked me Sun at 0900 how my day was going. Both were shocked, and prior to my talking to them, each said they had always heard the shop was great, "the best in town" by rep. Not anymore. Then at the inspection place, NEW STICKER. Again, shock, and a firm committment NOT to send other business their way. And I haven't even stopped in at Discount Tire yet..I feel a nice talk with the MANAGER, who orignally sent me to the ahole shop, is in order. LIABILITY. I doubt he will be advising any more customers to "GAMBLE WITH THEIR LIVES". Still need to do the BBB complaint deal, but personal contact with business owners who used to send them business, and are now as shocked and disappointed as me is MUCH MORE FUN.
I figure a nice 2 or 3 page writeup, with pictures and captions will be nice to "hand out" around town. I'll stop ragging their rep when A)cows fly b)the shop refunds the "labor" money to me.
They had bragged about all the insurance company front end alignment work the local body shops send them...oh really?! Where's the Yellow Pages, can't be THAT many. Those old 4 cent cotter pins are gonna cost them tens of thousands of dollars by the time I am done...hell, I may NEVER even bother going back a THIRD time to get in their face, the "poison pen" tactic is better than smacking the indifferent jerk anyway. Ain't capitalism great:) Sam
Follow Ups: