Napoleon54
04-30-2007, 03:00 PM
I dunno if this is S or NSS, but it certainly is a rant so I guess this is the place for it. Definitly would've been S if I hadn't known any better. I was REALLY f'ing pissed when this was all over with.
I was visiting some friends last weekend and when I went to leave my truck wouldn't run. It would start and run for about 2 seconds and then stall. I checked the pressure in the fuel system and there's nothing, so I figure it's a problem with the fuel pump or a clogged line or something like that. I'm away from home and don't have tools with me. I'm not familiar with the area and the only place still open at 6pm on a Saturday was a Cole Muffler. So I got one of my friends to tow me over there and they said they'd look at it first thing on Monday morning.
I didn't hear anything by 2pm on Monday so I called them from work, they say they're still looking at it and can't figure out what the problem is. Guy calls me back an hour later, says they gotta replace all six fuel injectors 'cause they're all "leaking", quotes me the following estimate: ($155 part + $39 labor) x 6 = ~$1300. Also recommended a "fuel system flush" for an undisclosed additional cost. Guy says something like they're not holding pressure and are leaking excess fuel into the cylinders and the engine is flooding itself. Says a few of them have probably been bad for a while but it wasn't enough to cause a serious problem until another few of them went, and they should replace all 6 just in case. It makes no sense to me that all 6 fuel injectors go bad at once. At this point I tell him I'll think about it and get right back to him. I jump online and look up fuel injectors, see that they go for ~$68 (compared to his $155). So I call around to several stores to see if they have them in stock, and each store only has one. This tells me that when someone needs a fuel injector, they don't need six of 'em at once. Call CM back and convo went something like this:
Me: No thank you, put it back together and I'll have it towed somewhere else. How much do I owe you for the diagnosis?
Guy: $80.
Me: And where do you get your parts from? I looked up fuel injectors and I can walk into pretty much any parts store and get them for <$70.
Guy: well, uh, our warehouse, they have them all in stock, and uh, we don't control the price...
Me: And as part of my $80 diagnosis, I want you to write down exactly which fuel injectors are leaking and how badly. Leave that on the front seat with the key and an invoice, and I'll come pick it up tonight and slide a check under the shop door 'cause I can't get down there before you close.
Guy: well, uh, maybe not all of 'em are leaking, but maybe like 4 of them are, and, uh, two of them really badly. And I, well, I can't really do that, uh, so, uh, just don't worry about the $80.
So I paid $100 to have it towed ~30 miles back home to the little shop around the corner from my house. It's a little hole-in-the-wall kinda place with a bunch of junk cars laying around the parking lot, but they do good work and have always been honest and fair with me on the few occasions I've had something I couldn't handle myself. They're busy but agree to take a look at it within a couple days. I get home from work on Wednesday and find a message on the answering machine saying it's fixed. I go over to pick it up. Total bill: $100 towing + $60 repair. Problem: fuel pump, something about a burned out resistor.
So if Cole Muffler had had their way with me, it would've cost me $1300 to replace a bunch of sh|t that wasn't broke, and my truck would still be nonfunctional. When I got home I called CM and hollered about every four letter word I could think of for a few minutes then hung up. :angry:
I never had a good impression of those franchise muffler/repair places (Cole, Midas, etc..), but this takes the cake. I've since heard several stories from friends and family about similar rapings or attempted rapings by Cole Muffler. It's to the point where I'm seriously wondering if intentionally screwing customers is part of their corporate business model. I'm f'ing livid. They'd better hope I never happen to be walking by their shop with an armload of bricks, 'cause there's going to be an awful lot of broken glass in a short period of time.
:censored: :throw:
I was visiting some friends last weekend and when I went to leave my truck wouldn't run. It would start and run for about 2 seconds and then stall. I checked the pressure in the fuel system and there's nothing, so I figure it's a problem with the fuel pump or a clogged line or something like that. I'm away from home and don't have tools with me. I'm not familiar with the area and the only place still open at 6pm on a Saturday was a Cole Muffler. So I got one of my friends to tow me over there and they said they'd look at it first thing on Monday morning.
I didn't hear anything by 2pm on Monday so I called them from work, they say they're still looking at it and can't figure out what the problem is. Guy calls me back an hour later, says they gotta replace all six fuel injectors 'cause they're all "leaking", quotes me the following estimate: ($155 part + $39 labor) x 6 = ~$1300. Also recommended a "fuel system flush" for an undisclosed additional cost. Guy says something like they're not holding pressure and are leaking excess fuel into the cylinders and the engine is flooding itself. Says a few of them have probably been bad for a while but it wasn't enough to cause a serious problem until another few of them went, and they should replace all 6 just in case. It makes no sense to me that all 6 fuel injectors go bad at once. At this point I tell him I'll think about it and get right back to him. I jump online and look up fuel injectors, see that they go for ~$68 (compared to his $155). So I call around to several stores to see if they have them in stock, and each store only has one. This tells me that when someone needs a fuel injector, they don't need six of 'em at once. Call CM back and convo went something like this:
Me: No thank you, put it back together and I'll have it towed somewhere else. How much do I owe you for the diagnosis?
Guy: $80.
Me: And where do you get your parts from? I looked up fuel injectors and I can walk into pretty much any parts store and get them for <$70.
Guy: well, uh, our warehouse, they have them all in stock, and uh, we don't control the price...
Me: And as part of my $80 diagnosis, I want you to write down exactly which fuel injectors are leaking and how badly. Leave that on the front seat with the key and an invoice, and I'll come pick it up tonight and slide a check under the shop door 'cause I can't get down there before you close.
Guy: well, uh, maybe not all of 'em are leaking, but maybe like 4 of them are, and, uh, two of them really badly. And I, well, I can't really do that, uh, so, uh, just don't worry about the $80.
So I paid $100 to have it towed ~30 miles back home to the little shop around the corner from my house. It's a little hole-in-the-wall kinda place with a bunch of junk cars laying around the parking lot, but they do good work and have always been honest and fair with me on the few occasions I've had something I couldn't handle myself. They're busy but agree to take a look at it within a couple days. I get home from work on Wednesday and find a message on the answering machine saying it's fixed. I go over to pick it up. Total bill: $100 towing + $60 repair. Problem: fuel pump, something about a burned out resistor.
So if Cole Muffler had had their way with me, it would've cost me $1300 to replace a bunch of sh|t that wasn't broke, and my truck would still be nonfunctional. When I got home I called CM and hollered about every four letter word I could think of for a few minutes then hung up. :angry:
I never had a good impression of those franchise muffler/repair places (Cole, Midas, etc..), but this takes the cake. I've since heard several stories from friends and family about similar rapings or attempted rapings by Cole Muffler. It's to the point where I'm seriously wondering if intentionally screwing customers is part of their corporate business model. I'm f'ing livid. They'd better hope I never happen to be walking by their shop with an armload of bricks, 'cause there's going to be an awful lot of broken glass in a short period of time.
:censored: :throw: