(no subject)
I called my job and left a message, saying I'd be late. I *must* get my car fixed, get it inspected, and be legal again. Oy!
My engine light has been on since...oh, July! I had taken it to Meineke, they changed the power steering switch, and I drove it home. Almost to my house (at that time, an hour from the shop), it started smoking, and there was a terrible smell of something burning. My father looked in the engine when I got there and said there was no oil. I thought "how could they not put oil in?!" so we emptied a bottle into my car. It sat for a little bit, but drained back out. "What?!" My dad called in late to work the next day and followed me back to the shop at 7 a.m. to make sure I made it okay. They looked at it and said "yeah, we didn't have the right size o-ring" like it was no big deal. They lifted it, cleaned it, put a new ring on it and said it was good to go. The engine light, however, was still on.
This is where it gets tricky. They told us to drive a few hundred miles and everything would reset, then the light would go off. This never happened. So this past Saturday, when my car was past its inspection, my father and my dear hubby unhooked my battery to manually reset it. It worked! For about 20 minutes. Took it to Auto Zone, who said it was the same problem (according to their little machine). Grrr!!!! Dad tells me he got his car inspected with the engine light on, and I should bring it to the place he uses. So my sister calls them as soon as they open today and they tell her "no way!" Dad forgot to mention that, too fool the inspector, he put a business card over the engine light, and they didn't even bother looking. Gah! Trying to find a way around it, Gus and I go out to the car and start pulling fuses to see if one of them will make the light go off, I can get it inspected, then worry about fixing the problem when I have time. Found the fuse. It also makes every other indicator light go off, as well as my digital mileage display, which they need to see.
Took it to a shop across from our apartment complex (referred there by his friend), and leave it, not knowing if this will cost me both arms and legs, or just one each. They checked it out and called me a bit ago. It definitely is the same problem, and they can fix it for $125! Rejoice! I get to keep both of my arms and legs! Minus a few fingers, but big deal! The part was $85, the diagnostic test was $38, so the labour cost is only $2?? *confuzzled* Doesn't matter, it's being fixed and will be a-ok by this afternoon.
So the question is, did Meineke even fix my problem? Did they fix it, and when they put in the wrong o-ring, blow the new sensor they just installed? And if that's the case, they would have had to know they blew it and they let me drive off like that!
Moral of the story, don't go to Meineke!
My engine light has been on since...oh, July! I had taken it to Meineke, they changed the power steering switch, and I drove it home. Almost to my house (at that time, an hour from the shop), it started smoking, and there was a terrible smell of something burning. My father looked in the engine when I got there and said there was no oil. I thought "how could they not put oil in?!" so we emptied a bottle into my car. It sat for a little bit, but drained back out. "What?!" My dad called in late to work the next day and followed me back to the shop at 7 a.m. to make sure I made it okay. They looked at it and said "yeah, we didn't have the right size o-ring" like it was no big deal. They lifted it, cleaned it, put a new ring on it and said it was good to go. The engine light, however, was still on.
This is where it gets tricky. They told us to drive a few hundred miles and everything would reset, then the light would go off. This never happened. So this past Saturday, when my car was past its inspection, my father and my dear hubby unhooked my battery to manually reset it. It worked! For about 20 minutes. Took it to Auto Zone, who said it was the same problem (according to their little machine). Grrr!!!! Dad tells me he got his car inspected with the engine light on, and I should bring it to the place he uses. So my sister calls them as soon as they open today and they tell her "no way!" Dad forgot to mention that, too fool the inspector, he put a business card over the engine light, and they didn't even bother looking. Gah! Trying to find a way around it, Gus and I go out to the car and start pulling fuses to see if one of them will make the light go off, I can get it inspected, then worry about fixing the problem when I have time. Found the fuse. It also makes every other indicator light go off, as well as my digital mileage display, which they need to see.
Took it to a shop across from our apartment complex (referred there by his friend), and leave it, not knowing if this will cost me both arms and legs, or just one each. They checked it out and called me a bit ago. It definitely is the same problem, and they can fix it for $125! Rejoice! I get to keep both of my arms and legs! Minus a few fingers, but big deal! The part was $85, the diagnostic test was $38, so the labour cost is only $2?? *confuzzled* Doesn't matter, it's being fixed and will be a-ok by this afternoon.
So the question is, did Meineke even fix my problem? Did they fix it, and when they put in the wrong o-ring, blow the new sensor they just installed? And if that's the case, they would have had to know they blew it and they let me drive off like that!
Moral of the story, don't go to Meineke!