Consumerist
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fleet maintenance
FAA Continues To Investigate American Airlines, May Charge Individual Mechanics
The FAA has been investigating American Airlines for a while now over allegations that it wasn't repairing its planes properly, and yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that the agency may widen its investigation, and even bring charges against individual employees who signed off on substandard repairs. More » -
happy endings
Walmart Responds, Fixes Ruined Transmission
We're not entirely sure Consumerist is responsible for Walmart finally getting back to Jeff on his ruined transmission—and frankly, because of the length of time between the incident and his complaint, as well as Walmart's reputation for silence on consumer complaints like this, we didn't expect much to happen at all. We were wrong, and we tip our hats to Walmart for making good on a very expensive mistake. Read Jeff's update below. More » -
vehicles
Mysterious Oil Change Ruins Transmission, But Walmart Won't Respond
Update: Walmart has responded!
Jeff's 2006 Toyota Tacoma is now sitting in his driveway sans transmission, because back in February someone massively screwed up an oil change:
More »Apparently, a mechanic mistakenly drained all of the transmission fluid out of the housing. After realizing their mistake, they filled up the transmission with a mysterious chocolate-milk-colored, burnt, foul smelling liquid. Like gear oil.
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follow ups
Dodge Dealership Refunds Money On Truck It Couldn't Fix
Last Friday, we posted about how a Dodge dealership in New York spent nearly a week working on a truck, and charged over $700 for the labor, only to say they couldn't fix it in the end. It looks like the story has a happy ending: after the truck's owner sent in a formal complaint and pointed the dealership to our post, the dealership's owner refunded both the repair fees and the towing fees. More » -
repairs
Dodge Dealership Can't Repair Truck After 6 Days, Local Mechanic Does It In 10 Minutes
A Dodge dealership in Alexandria Bay, NY, wasted over $700 of Joe's dad's money and a week of their time not repairing a 20-year-old truck. Joe says he heard that the dealership recently replaced all of its mechanics—maybe they took a page from Circuit City's playbook? More » -
cars
Ask The Consumerists: When An "As-Is" Car Isn't What It Seems
Trisha in Oregon bought a great new-to-her car from a used car dealership. Unfortunately, the problem with buying a car "as-is" is that the dealer may not be up-front with you about how the car actually is. More » -
scams
Watch Out For These Ways Mechanics Try To Carjack You
As Hal from Malcolm in the Middle used to say, "just because someone's smarter than you, that doesn't make them a genius." Thus, I can't tell you whether car shop owners are geniuses, but I do know they have managed to pad their profits by blinding car-ignorant saps like me with science that's way over our heads, getting us to spring for unnecessary repairs. More » -
success stories
EECB Convinces Jiffy Lube To Pay For Repairs After Damaging Car
Jiffy Lube agreed to pay Alison over $250 after botching routine work that forced her to interrupt her road trip for emergency car repairs. Alison's mechanic said that Jiffy Lube's attempted transmission fluid flush could have caused "catastrophic car damage" if left unfixed. Jiffy Lube denied all responsibility until Alison fired off an Executive Email Carpet Bomb to C.E.O. Rick Altizer, who agreed not only to reimburse for the repairs, but refunded the original cost of the transmission fluid flush, and tossed in a few coupons for free oil changes. More » -
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jiffy lube
Jiffy Lube Tries To Scam Yet Another Customer
Seriously, Jiffy Lube? You haven't received enough bad coverage about ripping off your customers? Fine, here's another one: Daniel says they tried to add about $170 in extra "needed" repairs and replacements recently when his girlfriend dropped off her car to get the oil changed. Even after she turned them down, they still slapped an extra $6 "Peak Global Life Time 100%" charge on the bill. We don't know what that means, but those are all good words, and anything that's 100 percent has got to be quality. Apparently Jiffy Lube doesn't know what it means either. More » -
cheapskates
Austin Jiffy Lubes Too Cheap To Dispose Of Oil Properly, Keep Dumping It In City Sewer System
Heartland Automotive Services, Inc., which runs 31 Jiffy Lubes in the Austin area, has to pay a $300,000 fine after admitting to pumping used oil into the city's sewer system instead of recycling it. Normally shops are paid by the gallon for used oil, but in this case a damaged wall let water seep into the oil collection area and create a toxic mess that couldn't be sold—so instead of paying to remove it, they pumped it down the drain. More » -
success stories
EECB Against EZ Lube Gets $50 Returned To Hoodwinked Customer
An EZ Lube store in California overcharged Timothy for a new cabin filter when he went to get his oil changed. The mechanic managed to do this by quizzing Timothy on his knowledge of air filters, then using that info to make vague assurances that sounded good but didn't convey the actual, final price. Timothy admits that he let his guard down, but when he was hit with the final bill, he regained his consumerist footing and began to take steps to remedy the situation—and he succeeded. More » -
jiffy lube
Jiffy Lube Pulls Dirty Filter Trick On Unsuspecting Customer
Josh has been paying $30 extra to change out the air filter each time he brings his car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. This time, to save money, he decided to do it himself—and that's when he discovered that Jiffy Lube lied to him about the filter. More » -
enterprise
Enterprise Tells Post-Op Patient To Drive 400 Miles On A Faulty Tire
Enterprise wouldn't replace Melissa's rental car even after a mechanic declared the tire on her current car "unrepairable," and warned that it would be unsafe to drive 400+ miles back to New York from Rochester on a donut spare. Enterprise told Melissa to spend the day repairing the car at a garage at her own expense. Melissa, who was recovering from surgery, asked to swap her broken car for one that worked, a request Enterprise repeatedly denied. More » -
cars
Demystify Car Repair Prices With RepairPal.com
Now you never have to wonder if the mechanic is scamming you on repairs. RepairPal.com lets you punch in your make, model, year zip, and repair and then they'll tell you the normal range of prices for it are. A graph shows the range of costs, broken down to whether you are going to an independent shop or a dealer. The source data, which the site has never been publicly available before now, goes back to 1990. A good resource for getting general numbers for what you can expect to pay for basic auto repairs.
RepairPal [Official Site]
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auto repair
Caliber Collision Center Damages Car Brought In For Repair
Sean's car had a blowout over the Easter weekend, and he had it towed to Caliber Collision Center for repair. Three weeks later he "forcefully retrieved" it from their lot—they kept telling him it wasn't drivable due to "very serious suspension damage," but he visited the shop in person on April 11th "to find that their shop gate is wide open, and my vehicle is unlocked." Now there are scratches on the bumper and one of his speakers has a hole in it, and when he called USAA to complain he was told the scratches would constitute a second comprehensive claim within a month and that his premiums will consequently go up. More » -
complaints
Sears Automotive Tries To Charge You For Work They Didn't Do
Here's a story that illustrates how important it is to ask for documentation. Reader Jarome had already handed over his credit card to pay for an alignment on his car when he learned that the work hadn't even been done: More » -
whistleblower's anonymous
Dollar/Thrifty's Unwritten Rule For Mechanics To "Find" Problems Covered By Warranty And Bill The Manufacturer
An unverified reader report has an interesting claim that should grab the attention of every auto-maker. Dudes, Dollar/Thrifty Group car rental is totally ripping you off. More » -
caveat emptor
The Used Car You Are Looking To Buy May Have Been Totaled
Most states prevent totaled cars from re-entering the market without a salvage license, so consumers know that the used car they are looking to buy was once a complete wreck.What bugs dealers and consumer advocates is that the tangle of state laws makes it possible to move a vehicle across state lines and apply for a "clean" title that makes no mention of its checkered past. The fact that some states don't even require salvage titles stretches the loophole even wider.
The practice has become so prevalent, particularly in states affected by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, that Congress is considering a measure that would establish a national database of totaled vehicles. Before you buy a used car, especially in the south, first ask your mechanic to give it a once-over. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER More »
mechanics
New York, 1:35 AM
Thu Nov 12
19 posts in the last 24 hours
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