Diagnostic charge

[toobfreak]

If it were a simple mistake I would pay it
I do not believe in the imposition of this fee when their research resulted in them being paid for fixing was discovered in their diagnostic

Valid point. The diagnosis allowed them to identify the problem and fix the car so they could be paid. No diagnosis, no payment. Like you said, had they diagnosed the problem and you then DECLINED the repair because, say, you couldn't afford the cost, THEN they would have had every right to recoup their investment in a service charge.

Not after.

 

[toobfreak]

If it were a simple mistake I would pay it

If you REALLY REALLY love this garage and want to keep using them you might point out that the mistake was THEIRS and offer to SPLIT the fee with them.

Now you are being magnanimous.

If the owner isn't a total asshole, he should gladly JUMP at the offer. If not, find yourself a better garage.

 

[AZrailwhale]

I used to charge 35 dollars if that was all I did to the car. 235 is way too much. But the only question I have is how you got out of there without paying it?

Besides, it not very often if ever a machine pin points what's wrong with the vehicle. For example, a scan tool telling you that you have a trouble code for the left bank O2 sensor does not mean the O2 sensor is bad. It probably is but it could also be something else like a burned wire on that circuit, etc. We had a 97 Dodge truck with all kinds of transmission codes and no matter what we did, it had no effect on the trans. We finally figured it out by just unplugging various sensors until we unplugged one of the O2 sensors and the trans started working. The O2 sensor power circuit was shorted to ground and the trans ground circuit was in the same circuit. Trans didn't like power going to it's solenoids at the wrong time. Nasty one there.

I had something similar with an RV I took it to several dealers and they replaced sensors and even a computer. I took it to an independent mechanic and he found a totally clogged fuel filter. It would starve the engine of fuel under hard acceleration and throw O2 sensor codes. Thousands of bucks to the dealers, fifty bucks to a real mechanic.

 

[okfine]

I used to work on George Kennedy's car, a Crown Vic. That grumbly dude didn't care what it cost, just make sure it's done when you say.

 

[sparky]

My experience has always been that the diagnostic charge is part of the overall cost and is included with the total. It is only broken out as a separate charge if, after the diagnosis of the problem, the customer decides not to proceed with the repair.

or, it's used as a 'foot in the door', being waved on bid acceptance

~S~

 

[toobfreak]

I had something similar with an RV I took it to several dealers and they replaced sensors and even a computer. I took it to an independent mechanic and he found a totally clogged fuel filter. It would starve the engine of fuel under hard acceleration and throw O2 sensor codes. Thousands of bucks to the dealers, fifty bucks to a real mechanic.

I'd want my money back.

 

[miketx]

I had something similar with an RV I took it to several dealers and they replaced sensors and even a computer. I took it to an independent mechanic and he found a totally clogged fuel filter. It would starve the engine of fuel under hard acceleration and throw O2 sensor codes. Thousands of bucks to the dealers, fifty bucks to a real mechanic.

We had a guy at a shop I worked at pull his trans out and bring it in for us to rebuild because it would not shift. I took it apart and told him I couldn't see any reason for it not shifting but he wanted it rebuilt anyway. We did. He picked it up and after he got It installed he came back saying that it was doing the same thing, not shifting. I went and drove it and came back and told him his fuel filter was plugged and explained that the engine was starved for fuel and couldn't accelerate and so you are giving it more throttle and that makes the trans shift late. He threw a fit! Told me we we ripped him off and rebuilt his trans for nothing. I told him that he diagnosed it and pulled it out and that if he had came in and let me drive it I could have told him it was the fuel filter.

 

[toobfreak]

We had a guy at a shop I worked at pull his trans out and bring it in for us to rebuild because it would not shift. I took it apart and told him I couldn't see any reason for it not shifting but he wanted it rebuilt anyway. We did. He picked it up and after he got It installed he came back saying that it was doing the same thing, not shifting. I went and drove it and came back and told him his fuel filter was plugged and explained that the engine was starved for fuel and couldn't accelerate and so you are giving it more throttle and that makes the trans shift late. He threw a fit! Told me we we ripped him off and rebuilt his trans for nothing. I told him that he diagnosed it and pulled it out and that if he had came in and let me drive it I could have told him it was the fuel filter.

I hope you told the idiot to go fuck himself. You TOLD him the tranny seemed fine and he still wanted it done anyway. Sounds like the tranny operated off the manifold vacuum and his trying to gun it just killed the vacuum giving the shift valve nothing to work off of.

 

[daveman]

One day after work my Town & Country van wouldn't start. Wouldn't even crank. Interior lights and headlights worked, but nothing on the engine. I called the local guy I usually deal with...shop's less than a mile from my workplace...and he brought his service truck out. He tried jump-starting it and vaporized one of my battery terminals by hooking his jumper cables up backwards. Still wouldn't crank.

Towed it to his shop and he had it a week. He said he could never get the computer booted up to throw a code. I said, "If you hit the unlock button, everything lights up for about 45 seconds. Is that long enough to read a code?" He said, "Should be. I never thought of that."

So it worked, and turned out the chip in my key fob was burned out. I went home and got the other key. Van started right up. Bastard charged me for the battery terminal he vaporized and an hour of shop time.

Not taking any more business there. I did all the work.

 

[miketx]

I hope you told the idiot to go fuck himself. You TOLD him the tranny seemed fine and he still wanted it done anyway. Sounds like the tranny operated off the manifold vacuum and his trying to gun it just killed the vacuum giving the shift valve nothing to work off of.

Sort of only it had a throttle cable instead of a modulator.

 

[toobfreak]

Sort of only it had a throttle cable instead of a modulator.

Sounds like a similar basic idea except I'm guessing the throttle cable showing hard throttle prevented the tranny from upshifting because naturally, if the car really were under hard acceleration, you would normally want to stay in the lower gear (delay shifting) in order to stay in the car's power range! So naturally the tranny might not shift as expected.

I hope you laughed as the guy took his tranny. He came there thinking himself smart looking to save a buck and ended up spending a couple grand rebuilding a perfectly good transmission.

 

[miketx]

Sounds like a similar basic idea except I'm guessing the throttle cable showing hard throttle prevented the tranny from uplifting because naturally, if the car really were under hard acceleration, you would normally want to stay in the lower gear (delay shifting) in order to stay in the car's power range! So naturally the tranny might not shift as expected.

I hope you laughed as the guy took his tranny. He came there thinking himself smart looking to save a buck and ended up spending a couple grand rebuilding a perfectly good transmission.

Yeah, that's how it worked, only I didn't deal with him anymore, he dealt with the manager. He was a dope.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

What?
I take the car in
They do $1260 of work
I take the car home and get a call that I need to come back and pay a $235 diagnostic charge,
My response was they researched the deficiencies and corrected them and any charges would be when I picked the car up AND since they did perform the indicated work they found necessary they already have been paid. I agreed that had no work been done then a charge for their diagnostic efforts would be valid and paid by me. So many people left their jobs and their new wiz kid service manager I think is thirty. He’s called me twice about the “overdue charges” including they won’t render future service until its paid which is fine with me

I honestly don’t know what this charge is about so can someone let me know?
Thanks

Thats fucked up!
But get this. We had two instant hot water heaters installed in our house and when the installers ran into some problems during the install we were charged $250 bucks an hour per unit for the installers to go to a class to learn the proper way to install them.
Talk about being Pissed off!!! Of course I bitched about us having to pay for their ignorance and that the company shouldnt have been selling the damn things if they didnt know what the fuck they were doing. After many threats of legal action they backed off.
When it came time to have the units flushed to remove any scale build up they wanted to charge us $600 bucks per unit. I laughed and told them I can buy the very same unit they were going to use to clean them for $400 bucks which is exactly what I did.

 

[toobfreak]

After many threats of legal action they backed off.

I hope so. These people misrepresented themselves as qualified when they weren't, then expected you to pay for their training which benefited them indefinitely with all future installs while only giving you what you had thought you had already paid for.

 

[sparky]

We had a guy at a shop I worked at pull his trans out and bring it in for us to rebuild because it would not shift. I took it apart and told him I couldn't see any reason for it not shifting but he wanted it rebuilt anyway. We did. He picked it up and after he got It installed he came back saying that it was doing the same thing, not shifting. I went and drove it and came back and told him his fuel filter was plugged and explained that the engine was starved for fuel and couldn't accelerate and so you are giving it more throttle and that makes the trans shift late. He threw a fit! Told me we we ripped him off and rebuilt his trans for nothing. I told him that he diagnosed it and pulled it out and that if he had came in and let me drive it I could have told him it was the fuel filter.

i really really hate helpy helpertons....

~S~

 

[gipper]

I had something similar with an RV I took it to several dealers and they replaced sensors and even a computer. I took it to an independent mechanic and he found a totally clogged fuel filter. It would starve the engine of fuel under hard acceleration and throw O2 sensor codes. Thousands of bucks to the dealers, fifty bucks to a real mechanic.

This happens a lot with RV repair shops. Many of them are incompetent and like to throw parts at a problem they’ve failed to properly diagnose. It’s an expensive mistake many RV owners make. I’m as guilty of this as the next guy, but no more. I now do almost all my repairs myself on my DP.