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diff --git a/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.md b/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.md deleted file mode 100644 index d123d92..0000000 --- a/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,158 +0,0 @@ ---- -permalink: "/posts/{{categories}}/{{slug}}" -title: YABS - Yet Another Bad Shop -categories: - - automotive -tags: - - yabs - - sucky - - auto - - repair - - shops -published_date: "2019-07-04 22:12:46 +0000" -layout: post.liquid -is_draft: false -excerpt_separator: "\n\n\n" ---- - -Today I received a text message from a local mechanic/auto shop asking me to -leave them a Google review. It was an automated message from a shop that I know -well and have used many times in the past. Unfortunately, I have had several -poor experiences (at the time they seemed horrific) with them in the past year -and I can honestly say they'll never receive my business again. Now I could -have used this as an opportunity to leave them an anonymous nasty-gram but -instead I'm going to do the opposite. I'm going to write about everything I -don't like about them without telling you who they are or hiding who I am. Why -would I do that? Well for one, they were an excellent shop for many years. I -believe a recent change in management is to blame and I'm not going to ruin -their chances of making a comeback (because frankly I would like for them to -rebound). And secondly, I don't believe in hiding. This page and its author are -public knowledge. Now, in no particular order: a sample of awful work from yet -another bad shop. - -# Mom's Truck -- Balls Out - -Mom's truck is a 2007 Chrysler Aspen that she loves very much. Dad does a whole -lot of work on it himself (the both of us do pretty much everything we can -in-house so long as we have the right equipment). We've been taking her truck -into this shop for years because we've found them to be reliable, efficient, -and economical. As I said before, at some point in their recent history they -changed hands -- either ownership or management, I can't remember which. It was -around this time that Dad decided to overhaul Mom's front suspension. He -replaced the ball joints, tie rod ends, and a few other worn out parts. He then -did his own best-guess front-end alignment, but left everything loose so that -YABS could finish up the alignment and tighten everything. Now read that again -because it's important. Dad did his own alignment in our driveway (as a -cost-saving measure), got it decently close, but then instructed this shop to -finish the job and tighten everything up. - -Now here's where things fall apart. This shop full of professional mechanics -took one look at the alignment Dad did and decided it was good enough. Hooray -for Dad and supernatural mechanical skills, but the shop didn't even touch the -car. They called Dad back to come pick up the car, telling him it was already -good to go. They never tightened a thing, even after Dad explicitly told them -everything was loose and needed to be tightened but they didn't to touch a -thing. So what happened? Dad picked up the car assuming everything was A-OK and -Mom drove the car for about a week before the two front tires wore down so -badly they had to be replaced immediately. Everything fell out of alignment as -things loosened further and further and the tires wore unevenly until they -ripped themselves to shreds. The worst part? These weren't tires with 6+ years -on them. These were brand new tires. So YABS got to install two more front -tires and then tighten everything. They did not cover the costs, presumably -because it was Dad who had done the alignment. Strike one. - -# Friend's Minivan -- Crude Necessities - -A good friend of ours drives a 2005-2006 Chrysler Town and Country. It was -actually Mom's car before upgrading to the Aspen (the minivan was perfect in -every way but it couldn't tow). Our friend has been using YABS for just a long -as we have. Once again, things started getting kinda strange after several -years of good service. She started getting charged extra for simple repairs she -had them doing very consistently. They also started tacking on extra items for -routine jobs. She would go in for an inspection and they would claim she needed -a new Part X. Now this in and of itself isn't an uncommon or even strange -request to make. As cars age they need things and sometimes you don't know what -they need until you visit a professional mechanic. They remember the things you -forget about. - -One day they did all the forgetting, and they forgot a pretty important, nay, -crucial engine component: motor oil. Our friend took her minivan into YABS for -a routine oil change. Good diligence on her part. And she's not the type to do -that change on her own. She's too old to get under a car anyway (no offense!). -So she took the van to YABS and they did a job they've done thousands of times: -drain oil, replaced the filter, and gave her back the car. Easy peasy right? -Now I know I'm not a professional but I'm thinking someone might have wanted to -double-check that several quarts of synthetic had left the shop shelf and gone -into the car they just backed out of the bay door. Now this part of the story -I'm a little fuzzy on so take it with a large, heaping grain of salt, but I can -say for a fact that they failed to *completely* refill the engine oil before -returning her car. Supposedly there was enough in there such that the minivan -survived long enough for them to realize it before she drove off. - -# Monty, My 2013 Ford Focus -- Nut Allergy - -I decided to give YABS another try after a long leave of absence. I needed new -tires all around for my daily driver. I also needed an inspection and an -alignment. A simple set of tasks for any shop (you see where this is going). I -initially tried to go to another local shop but they were all out of the tires -I was looking to get so I caved and went to YABS. About halfway through the job -they gave me a call and told me they had some bad news. They said that there -were some issues getting the lug nuts off my wheels and that they had all been -stripped, warped, or otherwise destroyed in the process. They told me the only -fix was to get new ones from a supplier in town for about $160. Keep in mind -the entire job (inspection, tires, etc.) was going to cost $650. Furthermore, -dad and I had no problem getting those lug nuts off and back on again just a few -weeks prior when we changed the transmission fluid. - -They didn't have an explanation that I could reconcile with. Joe Schmo over -the phone told me this is typical of Fords and Chryslers these days and that -they'd like to keep my lug nuts for a class action lawsuit they're participating -in. Now why on Earth would any sane mechanic, with full knowledge they are -dealing with a defective set of lug nuts, take a high power impact wrench to -those wheels without speaking with the owner about it first? Smelled fishy to -me honestly. But what was I gonna do? Dad went out and grabbed twenty new -lug nuts for cheaper than they wanted to sell them for. - -Oh the tires were Cooper GTs by the way and they're amazing. They're smooth -and quiet and came with a very nice warranty. They're also made in the USA, -which is very important to me. 10/10 would recommend. - -# Ole Blue -- Tunnel Vision - -This was the real kicker. And this one doesn't really have any trailing -narrative. I got four new tires on Ole Blue, my 1953 Hudson Hornet. They were -delivered to our house: four brand new Diamond Back wide white wall radials. -Super nice tires, with a super nice road hazard warranty (as a side note I -totally recommend you [check out Diamond Back's website]() if you're looking -for white wall radials). So we brought the car to YABS with the new tires and -asked them to mount them on the car. - -When we went to pick up the car everything looked great and I drove off. I made -it all the way to the Monitor Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel before I heard a -loud rattling and a bang. I looked in the rear-view mirror and swore I could -see my precious hubcap rolling off to eternity. When they replaced the hubcaps -they didn't fully press one of them on. And it's not that difficult. These hub -caps are very secure when pressed on the rim, we've never had problems with -them. Oh and we're talking about Hudson hubcaps that came with the car, and -aren't super easy to find. And I couldn't stop to get out and grab it because I -was right at the mouth of the tunnel. We went back later to try and see it but -we couldn't. And it was probably destroyed getting thrown from the car anyways. - -The worst part is, the hubcap took a chunk out of my white wall on its way out -from under the wheel skirt. So the day I got the tires I had to take a picture -and redeem my road hazard warranty. Luckily, Diamond Back were true to their -word and sent me a new one no questions asked. The beat up tire is now my -spare. - -# Not All Bad - -Like I said before, YABS used to be a very nice shop with friendly people that -did good work. And they didn't charge exorbitant prices for their work. Times -have changed, and I believe management has as well. I've stopped visiting their -shop completely. I found a new one that I trust and will be taking all of my -cars to. They've already done a safety inspection on Ole Blue and didn't put up -a fuss. They're clean and friendly and don't seem to be out to screw me. But as -with everything else, your mileage may vary. - - - |