The saga that is my car....
My car had been running rough for a few weeks. Basically, I thought I had some bad gas as if you drove it for about 5-10 minutes, it would cut off and then have difficulty starting back up for 5-10 minutes afterward as it sounded like it was misfiring and the check engine light was on. Wait 15 minutes, and the damn thing would start right up and the light was off.
I figured that after I went through the tank of gas, it would be better. So once I was done with that tank, I still had problems. My next thought was that my fuel filter was clogged. I called pep-boys to find out how much for the filter. 14 bucks. I asked how much for them to replace it. That was 45 bucks. Well for me, 45 bucks is worth not having to deal with gasoline. I absolutely HATE playing with gasoline. It's a bitch to clamp the line and cap it. I ALWAYS end up spilling some and then I cant get the damn smell off my hands for the next 2-3 days no matter how much I was. It was worth it to have them just replace the filter.
The manager then says, it might be the fuel pump as well because 9 times out of 10 if you've driven on a bad filter for long, the pump goes because there's too much pressure to push the fuel through the clogged filter. He had a point and I know that the pump is located inside the tank. Being that the fuel pump is 400 bucks to replace. I figured before I did that, I would just have them replace the fuel filter then run the car through diagnostic while putting pressure on the fuel pump.
That would cost me 85 bucks, but ya know... I was ok with that. 85 bucks plus 45 bucks was ok for piece of mind. That was last wednesday. Unfortunately, they couldnt get to my car until later that night or first thing in the morning. Well, minor annoyance.. but ok.. I didnt have an appointment.. whatever.
Fast forward to mid-day Thursday. I get a call from Pep-boys. Turns out, it's bad news. It doesnt look like the fuel pump is at fault.
What I need is the following:
Replace serpentine Belt (27.99)
Replace Alternator Belt (23.40)
Replace Idle Air Control Motor and Air control Valve (107.90)
A Major Tune up
(which consists of 3 step fuel cleaning, fuel gumout, fuel filter electronic sensor replacement, oxygen sensor, air filter, battery charging analysis, pm inspection, inspect tires, adjust tire pressure, new spark plugs) (326.67)
Wiper Blades (79.90)
Oil Change (28.99)
Dignostic (85.00)
misc parts (15.00)
I tell the guy to drop the wiper blades and oil change from the list. That is not causing the problem and I'm not going to pay that much for things I can do myself cheaper.
He says ok, and drops them.
When I go to pick up my car, the wiper blades have been dropped, but the oil change is still on there. I'm slightly peeaved, but not nearly as pissed as i would have been over the wiper blade thing. It would cost me 17 bucks to do my own oil change and it's a pain in the ass for me to do it, so technically, its just as well. As for the wiper blades, I can do those easily myself for not nearly what they change in the shop.
When I look over the list, I notice that they charged me twice for the air control motor and valve replacement. They fix that and the grand total comes out to 667.37.. Ouch. But still, as long as the car doesnt leave me stranded that cool. It probably was due for a tune up anyway. I dont think the car ever got one as it only has 44,949 miles on it.
It's a 93 chevy lumina
So I drive down to my house, pick up my mail and come back to my parents house Total miles driving that day: 4.5. A day later, I need to go out for a short run to the post office (2 miles) then to the grocery store 7 mile trip from post office to the grocery store. The car bucks a little and I look down thinking.. wtf.. but then it runs ok.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had to go out to the grocery store again as my brother is coming home and my dad has a list he wants me to get for him. I get to the store, do the shopping... the list included ice cream.. and wouldnt you fucking know it.. THE FUCKING CAR CUTS OUT ON ME. Only this time, I CANT get it started. NOTHING I DO WORKS!!
I'm sitting in the middle of the fucking road at a fucking traffic light and this bitch isnt going anywhere. The car is acting like it's out of fucking gas. Nothing is working. I got people honking at me (NEVER MIND I GOT MY FUCKING HAZARDS ON).. Ice Cream is melting in the back seat. Fuck fuck fuck.. Im PISSED......
A cop finally shows up and helps me by pushing this hulking piece of shit out of the road way. I try to start it again, now it will start but there's not enough power to get the car to move. So the cop calls for a fucking tow truck. As soon as the truck comes.. wouldnt you know it.. the fucking car starts. I had to pay for the call. *poof* there goes 90 bucks. By this time I'm fit to be tied.
I call pep-boys and of course, it's too late. I call them this morning. The manager asks if I can bring it in today because the mechanic who worked on it will be in a noon. He had a firefighter training test he had to do but would be in at noon. I say ok. I get the car in there and I ask for the manager. Well he had to left to go to another store.
I explain what the problem is to the dumbshit that was left "in control".. and that I'm a little upset at having just paid 660 bucks to get what equates to an oil change and tune up and that it did not fix the problem. I point out that the receipt says I got the "Major Tune Up Package" plus oil change. The dumbshit asks me: So you're still having the same problem you had before? I said yes, not only was it the same problem, but this time instead of being able to restart my car immediatly, I had to wait 45-55 minutes to get the car to restart The guy then looks up my receipt and HAS THE FREAKING NERVE to tell me that Because I waived the 2 items (oil change and wiper blade replacement) that they wouldnt guarantee that the problem with my car would be fixed.
WHAT SORT OF BULLSHIT IS THAT!!
I WENT OFF.. I think the entire store heard me go off to.. I litterally lost it. I think my exact words were " HOW FUCKING STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM????? HOW ON EARTH DOES REPLACING WIPER BLADES AND AN OIL CHANGE WHICH I"VE JUST HAD DONE NOT MORE THEN 5 WEEKS AGO AT THIS VERY STORE, HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY CAR BREAKING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING ROAD?!?" At that point I got the dumbest look that I've ever seen on a human's face. I wouldnt let that go. I DEMANDED that the idiot EXPLAIN in DETAIL how those 2 items could cause my car to sputter as though it was out of gas when there's a full tank then MAGICALLY an hour later, when the car cooled down, Able to drive like nothing fucking happened.
He couldnt do it. I watched his face and I know he was trying hard to think it through. His only reply was "The mechanic that you need to talk to will be in at noon. It was now 12:05. I looked at the time on my phone and said. "you're sure he's coming in yes?" He said "yes".
Ok. So I said, Ill wait for him. I need this resolved.
I took my happy ass over to the waiting area and pulled out my knitting (thank god) to calm down. As time ticked by, it was all I could do not to take those knitting needles, vault the counter and sink them deep into dumbass's neck.
FINALLY 1:30pm and I offically gave up. I went back to the counter, asked if the mechanic showed. Nope.. I said, has he called in? The answer: No havent heard from him. I said "well do you think he's gonna show up?" and they just shrugged non-committed like. I said "well if I didnt call in, my boss would be pretty pissed off, but you guys dont seem to care, which makes me think that he's NOT coming in today and your mission for today is full-filled, and you've managed to piss off your customer more then you can possibly fathom." And to this, his response "mam, Billy is a firefighter, and it's not something we can control". My response is "I dont give a shit if he was the pope, if he's NOT coming in today, why cant he pick up a fucking phone and tell you he's not coming in today and for the record 'billy' is NOT a firefighter, he's taking the firefighter's test today. That does NOT make him a certified firefighter" (this is the part where I lied) I'm a fucking EMT, but that doesnt make me any moer special now does it. Billy's ass might be extracting someone from a burning building, but it doesnt do much good, if the EMT who's ass should be taking the victim to the hosptial, is sitting in your fucking waiting room waiting on billy to do his FUCKING Job that he should have done right the first time now does it??"
Yes, I've turned into the ultimate bitch and a liar at that.. but telling me that this "firefighter trainee, makes this some how ok to dick me over for 2 hours of my life doesnt make it any easier. THEN telling me that I should some how be fucking GRATEFUL that this ass hole is off takign a test should make me feel better? Sorry, it doesnt, in fact, it pisses me off that this guy cant fix my car properly, ripped me off and now is gonna be someone in the position to save someone?
No infact, it sours me on whole thing. Specially when I know that "billy" is taking a fucking test.. he's not out pulling someone out of twisted wreckage with the jaws of life.
I tell the nimrod behind the counter that if the manager had told me that Billy wouldnt be in today, THAT i could have handled. THAT would have been acceptible. I would have WAITED to take my car in until tomorrow morning when Billy would be done taking his test and would have tiem to fix what he should have fixed a week ago.
GAH GAH GHA.. IM soooooo fucking pissed.. I feel like this place has taken me for a complete ride and then tried lying to me out it all.
I figured that after I went through the tank of gas, it would be better. So once I was done with that tank, I still had problems. My next thought was that my fuel filter was clogged. I called pep-boys to find out how much for the filter. 14 bucks. I asked how much for them to replace it. That was 45 bucks. Well for me, 45 bucks is worth not having to deal with gasoline. I absolutely HATE playing with gasoline. It's a bitch to clamp the line and cap it. I ALWAYS end up spilling some and then I cant get the damn smell off my hands for the next 2-3 days no matter how much I was. It was worth it to have them just replace the filter.
The manager then says, it might be the fuel pump as well because 9 times out of 10 if you've driven on a bad filter for long, the pump goes because there's too much pressure to push the fuel through the clogged filter. He had a point and I know that the pump is located inside the tank. Being that the fuel pump is 400 bucks to replace. I figured before I did that, I would just have them replace the fuel filter then run the car through diagnostic while putting pressure on the fuel pump.
That would cost me 85 bucks, but ya know... I was ok with that. 85 bucks plus 45 bucks was ok for piece of mind. That was last wednesday. Unfortunately, they couldnt get to my car until later that night or first thing in the morning. Well, minor annoyance.. but ok.. I didnt have an appointment.. whatever.
Fast forward to mid-day Thursday. I get a call from Pep-boys. Turns out, it's bad news. It doesnt look like the fuel pump is at fault.
What I need is the following:
Replace serpentine Belt (27.99)
Replace Alternator Belt (23.40)
Replace Idle Air Control Motor and Air control Valve (107.90)
A Major Tune up
(which consists of 3 step fuel cleaning, fuel gumout, fuel filter electronic sensor replacement, oxygen sensor, air filter, battery charging analysis, pm inspection, inspect tires, adjust tire pressure, new spark plugs) (326.67)
Wiper Blades (79.90)
Oil Change (28.99)
Dignostic (85.00)
misc parts (15.00)
I tell the guy to drop the wiper blades and oil change from the list. That is not causing the problem and I'm not going to pay that much for things I can do myself cheaper.
He says ok, and drops them.
When I go to pick up my car, the wiper blades have been dropped, but the oil change is still on there. I'm slightly peeaved, but not nearly as pissed as i would have been over the wiper blade thing. It would cost me 17 bucks to do my own oil change and it's a pain in the ass for me to do it, so technically, its just as well. As for the wiper blades, I can do those easily myself for not nearly what they change in the shop.
When I look over the list, I notice that they charged me twice for the air control motor and valve replacement. They fix that and the grand total comes out to 667.37.. Ouch. But still, as long as the car doesnt leave me stranded that cool. It probably was due for a tune up anyway. I dont think the car ever got one as it only has 44,949 miles on it.
It's a 93 chevy lumina
So I drive down to my house, pick up my mail and come back to my parents house Total miles driving that day: 4.5. A day later, I need to go out for a short run to the post office (2 miles) then to the grocery store 7 mile trip from post office to the grocery store. The car bucks a little and I look down thinking.. wtf.. but then it runs ok.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had to go out to the grocery store again as my brother is coming home and my dad has a list he wants me to get for him. I get to the store, do the shopping... the list included ice cream.. and wouldnt you fucking know it.. THE FUCKING CAR CUTS OUT ON ME. Only this time, I CANT get it started. NOTHING I DO WORKS!!
I'm sitting in the middle of the fucking road at a fucking traffic light and this bitch isnt going anywhere. The car is acting like it's out of fucking gas. Nothing is working. I got people honking at me (NEVER MIND I GOT MY FUCKING HAZARDS ON).. Ice Cream is melting in the back seat. Fuck fuck fuck.. Im PISSED......
A cop finally shows up and helps me by pushing this hulking piece of shit out of the road way. I try to start it again, now it will start but there's not enough power to get the car to move. So the cop calls for a fucking tow truck. As soon as the truck comes.. wouldnt you know it.. the fucking car starts. I had to pay for the call. *poof* there goes 90 bucks. By this time I'm fit to be tied.
I call pep-boys and of course, it's too late. I call them this morning. The manager asks if I can bring it in today because the mechanic who worked on it will be in a noon. He had a firefighter training test he had to do but would be in at noon. I say ok. I get the car in there and I ask for the manager. Well he had to left to go to another store.
I explain what the problem is to the dumbshit that was left "in control".. and that I'm a little upset at having just paid 660 bucks to get what equates to an oil change and tune up and that it did not fix the problem. I point out that the receipt says I got the "Major Tune Up Package" plus oil change. The dumbshit asks me: So you're still having the same problem you had before? I said yes, not only was it the same problem, but this time instead of being able to restart my car immediatly, I had to wait 45-55 minutes to get the car to restart The guy then looks up my receipt and HAS THE FREAKING NERVE to tell me that Because I waived the 2 items (oil change and wiper blade replacement) that they wouldnt guarantee that the problem with my car would be fixed.
WHAT SORT OF BULLSHIT IS THAT!!
I WENT OFF.. I think the entire store heard me go off to.. I litterally lost it. I think my exact words were " HOW FUCKING STUPID DO YOU THINK I AM????? HOW ON EARTH DOES REPLACING WIPER BLADES AND AN OIL CHANGE WHICH I"VE JUST HAD DONE NOT MORE THEN 5 WEEKS AGO AT THIS VERY STORE, HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY CAR BREAKING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING ROAD?!?" At that point I got the dumbest look that I've ever seen on a human's face. I wouldnt let that go. I DEMANDED that the idiot EXPLAIN in DETAIL how those 2 items could cause my car to sputter as though it was out of gas when there's a full tank then MAGICALLY an hour later, when the car cooled down, Able to drive like nothing fucking happened.
He couldnt do it. I watched his face and I know he was trying hard to think it through. His only reply was "The mechanic that you need to talk to will be in at noon. It was now 12:05. I looked at the time on my phone and said. "you're sure he's coming in yes?" He said "yes".
Ok. So I said, Ill wait for him. I need this resolved.
I took my happy ass over to the waiting area and pulled out my knitting (thank god) to calm down. As time ticked by, it was all I could do not to take those knitting needles, vault the counter and sink them deep into dumbass's neck.
FINALLY 1:30pm and I offically gave up. I went back to the counter, asked if the mechanic showed. Nope.. I said, has he called in? The answer: No havent heard from him. I said "well do you think he's gonna show up?" and they just shrugged non-committed like. I said "well if I didnt call in, my boss would be pretty pissed off, but you guys dont seem to care, which makes me think that he's NOT coming in today and your mission for today is full-filled, and you've managed to piss off your customer more then you can possibly fathom." And to this, his response "mam, Billy is a firefighter, and it's not something we can control". My response is "I dont give a shit if he was the pope, if he's NOT coming in today, why cant he pick up a fucking phone and tell you he's not coming in today and for the record 'billy' is NOT a firefighter, he's taking the firefighter's test today. That does NOT make him a certified firefighter" (this is the part where I lied) I'm a fucking EMT, but that doesnt make me any moer special now does it. Billy's ass might be extracting someone from a burning building, but it doesnt do much good, if the EMT who's ass should be taking the victim to the hosptial, is sitting in your fucking waiting room waiting on billy to do his FUCKING Job that he should have done right the first time now does it??"
Yes, I've turned into the ultimate bitch and a liar at that.. but telling me that this "firefighter trainee, makes this some how ok to dick me over for 2 hours of my life doesnt make it any easier. THEN telling me that I should some how be fucking GRATEFUL that this ass hole is off takign a test should make me feel better? Sorry, it doesnt, in fact, it pisses me off that this guy cant fix my car properly, ripped me off and now is gonna be someone in the position to save someone?
No infact, it sours me on whole thing. Specially when I know that "billy" is taking a fucking test.. he's not out pulling someone out of twisted wreckage with the jaws of life.
I tell the nimrod behind the counter that if the manager had told me that Billy wouldnt be in today, THAT i could have handled. THAT would have been acceptible. I would have WAITED to take my car in until tomorrow morning when Billy would be done taking his test and would have tiem to fix what he should have fixed a week ago.
GAH GAH GHA.. IM soooooo fucking pissed.. I feel like this place has taken me for a complete ride and then tried lying to me out it all.