Auto mechanics from hell

My son had a new starter installed in his car last week. A couple of days later, the car started acting very strangely. It wouldn’t start, the alarm kept going off, the headlights would mysteriously come on when he turned the key to the off position. You get the idea, the car acts like it’s possessed.

It also has a new battery, which was installed about a week before the starter was replaced, and obviously it works if the lights work and the alarm works. It’s pretty clear at this point that there’s some kind of problem related to the replacement of the starter, probably wires crossed or loose.

Several days ago, I called the garage who did the work, and they said they could take a look at it Saturday. My son contacted them today, to let them know he was bringing the car in. However, they told him that they can’t do it until Wednesday, because he is not written down in the book.

However, when I originally called, I asked them exactly what I needed to do insofar as getting the car to them before Saturday (it doesn’t run, so it will have to be towed), so as far as I was concerned, the appointment was set for Saturday. They claim I told them I’d have my son call.

Why the hell would I tell them I’d have my son call them again, when I had just called myself and discussed arrangements for getting the car to them, as well as when they would work on it? That absolutely defies common sense. Obviously, I was the one making the appointment, and as far as I was concerned, it had been made. They asked all the questions which would lead any reasonable person to believe they had made an appointment.

I have to admit, I flipped out, which is something I very rarely do. I actually flipped out to the point that I took half a valium to calm myself down. I’m absolutely sick of dealing with this repair shop already, and this newest problem just pissed me off even worse. I have never dealt with a mechanic who wouldn’t look at your car immediately if you had serious problems right after they worked on it. In the meantime, I am out even more money for providing him with transportation to and from work.

I previously asked two people who know a lot about cars. My significant other used to race in NASCAR, and built and maintained his own race cars until he won enough races to get sponsors, so it’s an understatement to say he knows about cars. My brother worked his way through college as an ASE-certified auto mechanic. They were both stunned that the repair shop didn’t tell us to bring the car right back in. Both agreed that the current problem is a direct result of replacing the starter, that something in the electrical system isn’t right, probably something loose. However, neither of them are in the auto repair business now, so they don’t have the equipment necessary to diagnose the problem. Plus my son’s car is a Dodge Intrepid, and those cars are very hard to work on due to the arrangement of components. For example, to replace the battery, you have to remove the tire. It’s a real pain.

It’s bad enough that they crossed some wires or something, and made the car even more messed up than it was when we took it to them the first time. It’s worse when they are jerking us around on looking at it again. I don’t want to take it to another mechanic, because then I’m paying someone else to fix their mistake (yes, I’m the one paying for all of this). So we are at the mercy of the incompetent mechanics who worked on it the last time.

I absolutely abhor dealing with mechanics. While some of them are very intelligent and quite competent, many of them are downright incompetent and yes, sometimes even dumb as a box of rocks. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell which is which, until you learn the hard way. I had been referred to this repair shop, so I assumed they were competent. I was wrong.

Argh.