Was I ripped off?

[white97wagonguy]

How's that for a clickbaity title? I'm posting here because I think most of the guys here are car people, and it's the only car-related forum I belong to, even though I sold my Legacy a couple years ago The car in question here is a (boring) Nissan Versa.

 

I had a recent incident with a repair shop that really pissed me off, but I'd like to know whether it's justified. I recently replaced my battery at a battery specialty shop (not a general repair shop). As a result of that, for some reason, my CHECK ENGINE light came on. There's a repair shop in my neighborhood that I've been thinking maybe I should try... it gets generally very good reviews on yelp, and is much more convenient than the shop I usually go to.

 

So, long story short, I take the car there, they determine that there's nothing actually wrong, and they reset the indicator. The charge: $130. I flew off the handle and basically accused them of being ripoff artists The guy didn't take it well...

 

Do you think the charge is appropriate, or was I right to be angry? I should maybe mention that this is in Hawaii, where things are often more expensive, but if a typical mainland shop would do this for $20-30, then the Hawaii "markup" would certainly not be expected to be THAT much.

 

Thanks.

[ehsnils]

Seems like a mistake to trust Yelp. It seems like they give out ratings depending on how much they are paid and if they aren't paid the ratings goes down.

 

 

 

And I think it was a rip-off, you can buy a decent code reader for $130 and figure out what the problem is yourself - or just reset the code. If a code comes back, then the problem is real.

[chowser51]

Yep. A code reader is cheap. They even make phone apps and bluetooth connectors.

 

I quit going to dealerships and shops and started learning a long time ago. I went in one day and told the dealership that my low fan speeds weren’t working. They said $80 for a diagnostic. I said it’s the resistor. You fixed it under warranty last year. They said no warranty left and they have to diagnose it first and if it is the resistor then they will knock half off the fee. So $80 for the diagnostic and $170 to replace the resistor minus $40. I told them to foad and bought the resistor for $28 and changed it myself.

 

My dealership wanted $700 to do my rear brakes. Parts cost me $200.

Took an hour.

[ammcinnis]

... I take the car there, they determine that there's nothing actually wrong, and they reset the indicator. The charge: $130.

There's nothing unusual about a shop charging for diagnostic time, although it's often waived if they perform subsequent repair work. The question is whether $130 (probably 1 hour shop time) is reasonable or not. Many shops do have a 1/2 hour or 1 hour minimum. Understand that shops are often plagued with non-tech-savvy DIYers looking for free diagnosis, who then leave and never return.

 

Next time, ask about diagnostic/minimum charges ahead of time, before any work is done ... especially at a new (to you) shop. Sometimes a quick and accurate diagnosis is the best investment you can make in maintaining and repairing your vehicle ... rather than just throwing parts at a problem, for example.

 

I agree that a simple scan tool/code reader is one of the best investments you can make in DIY automotive tools. The other essential investment is in the relevant Factory Service Manual for your vehicle.

Edited August 4, 2020 by ammcinnis