I took the car into the mechanics to have it looked at. They fixed a few things. I paid and took the

[applegrove]

car home. By the time I got home the "check engine" light was on. I took the car back in yesterday. They said they'd look at it. Turns out there is something wrong with it that will cost more than $400. I agreed to pay. What choice do I have really....this is my dealership. Would anyone have fought this? What would you have said?

[noamnety]

1. I would have argued, and if that didn't work

options are to call the corporate office, or file a complaint online with the BBB.

I've filed once or twice before with the BBB, always with satisfactory results. And once with a dell laptop lemon, I did finally work my way up the chain enough to get a free replacement after 4 or 5 rounds of repairs that would each only hold for a week or so.

[Haole Girl]

2. My grandfather (who was a mechanic & eventuallly owned his own shop) used to say...

"That's why they call 'em dealers."

[Kali]

3. I drove several vehicles for years with the check engine light on

I would take it to an auto zone store if you have one and they will read the code for free.

[Crazy Dave]

4. $400 is cheap for a dealer

It must be just to turn the light off.

[safeinOhio]

5. I never go to a dealer

except for warranty stuff. My local shop is always one third what the dealership charges. Find a local good guy, ask friends and neighbors, and take him some home made cookies.

[some guy]

6. You should find a new dealer.

The check engine light is set to come on at certain mileage points, so if you're close to one of those, they should have reset it when they were doing the other stuff.

The check engine light will also come on for certain actual problems, but a good dealer would have checked things and ought to have found whatever problem they're going to fix now, when they had it the first time.

My opinion is, the light shouldn't have come on after you left them. no excuse, if they were good at mechanicing.

It depends how you feel about your dealer, but my fear at this point would be they had marked you as "easy to overcharge" in their computer.


edit: they should have plugged it in to their diagnostic computer the first time. Ask why they didn't, and make deduct some of the cost for not having done so. :)