Recently I took my car in for repair to a local shop to have the muffler replaced. I had used the shop's services a couple of times in the past and thought them to be reputable. I asked them to take a look at the serpentine belt also. The mechanic said the belt might last a couple more months, but since it had been making noise since last fall I told him to go ahead and replace it. I was concerned about the cost because my clothes dryer had died that same morning, but did not want the car to unexpectedly break-down somewhere. The mechanic calls again to tell me the belt tensioner assembly broke while they were taking off the belt, and needed to be replaced. The car was now inoperable so I had no choice. The tensioner was the most expensive part and now the bill was more than double the original cost.
So the question is whether or not the tensioner actually broke, and if so was it because of wear, by accident, or on purpose. I asked to see the broken part but was told they couldn't find it because the part had been thrown into a dumpster. When in a position like this how do you know whether or not you can trust what you are being told? The economy is bad and everyone needs the business but I felt like I was under the mechanic's thumb so to speak and he was applying pressure. Do businesses wait until they have your trust and then maybe stretch the truth a bit? When a single woman walks into the door of a repair shop it is more likely she will be taken advantage of more than a man who walks in the door. I have talked to enough people to know this to be true. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle the situation? Names and phone numbers of trustworthy reliable mechanics are also welcome.
Thanks,
Donna
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