Ripping off women

[SueNC]

...or trying to.

my car started giving me a fit a few months ago. if it had sat for a bit without running, like a few hours or overnight, it wouldnt go when i first started it up. it would be sluggish and all but completely stop.

i took it in to get looked at and i was told my catalytic converter was plugged and that it would be around $1000 to get it replaced [i drive a 2000 Toyota Echo].

well, i went online and found a parts dealer and got the part for around $63, with shipping.
ok... that still left a bit over $900.

i told my daddy about the problem, he made a few calls, then told me to take it to a place he knew and said not to worry about the cost. he'd take care of it.

i took it in this morning and it was done before lunch.

my total cost:
$25

um... ok... it looks for all the world that somebody was trying to scam me, doesnt it?

 

[Frankie 86]

was that at the dealership? if so, call Toyota headquarters and tell them about that cute lil' story... i bet they'd like it alot

 

[Jurched]

Sue, I'm not at all surprised by what happened to you.

Repair shops are the last great refuge of the sexist rip-off chauvinist!

Its been shown time and time again how those filthy swine, who have no qualms about ripping off and overcharging men, go the extra mile to suck all the money out of women's purses just because "wimmin no nuffin bout cars."

I'm glad you didn't get ripped off. But that guy's probably very successful at overcharging the ladies.

What scum.

I suggest a little call to the chamger of commerce followed by a short note to the letters section of the local papers, advising ladies to avoid that shop. To hell with his business!

Jurched

 

[Decibiel]

I used to work as a car mechanic, and let me tell you that you get ripped off almost everywhere, even if you know enough about cars and engines, be on the look out for used parts being sold to you as brand new.
That's one of the reasons I quit, and I don't regret it at all.

 

[Mxgonzo]

Hi Sue. DId you go to a Toyota dealer? I've worked for Toyota for 13 years and now Lexus for almost 5 yrs. I can tell you that oem converters are not cheap. I'll double check when I go in today how much one is for an Echo. Was that price including labor? Just remember you get what you pay for. I've seen a lot of people put shit aftermarket parts on their cars only to come back because well... they put shit parts on their car. New cars these days are expensive for parts. Even the less expensive models.

 

[Evil Dead]

I drive a crappy old 1998 Ford Taurus. Everytime I take it to get the oil changed something new is wrong. Last time, they said my tie rods were about to give out, and that it would cost 750 to fix. I asked, what happens if they go out? The guy replies, "you will lose control of your steering." So I replied, "then I guess where I crash my car will stay.

Im not paying 750 for that piece of shit! It still runs, and gets medicore gas mileage. I always tell these mechanics that Ill run this into the ground before I put money into it. Its paid off, why bother. And to top it off, they never seem to notice the problem thats existed "for a while" even though I just brought the car in for an alignment weeks ago. It's always a scam. The labor is retarded high.

I dont care about this car anymore. The sooner it stops working the better. My economical side says "Buy a Jeep Patriot." It has good gas mileage, decent space, cool sound system. But my splurge side wants to either get a new Mercedes C class or the new Charger.

But not to wander too far from topic, I understand how guys think they can take advantage of women when it comes to cars, or anything mechanical/electrical.

I had an ex wife put diesel in my car....DIESEL. She didnt notice the green handle, and, when I asked her how she got the nozzle to fit (since diesel is bigger) she said she though my car was wrong, so she just held it over the hole............. She also decided to "Wax" my car when I was in Afghanistan, and used some sort of hard core 3M rubbing compound on my car...thank you swirl marks from hell.

I also had a girlfriend who used to fill her gas tank up past the flapper, and she would fill the inside of the area where the cap screwed in. I had to explain to her that all of that extra shit just gets dumped out when you drive off.

 

[SueNC]

Hi Sue. DId you go to a Toyota dealer? I've worked for Toyota for 13 years and now Lexus for almost 5 yrs. I can tell you that oem converters are not cheap. I'll double check when I go in today how much one is for an Echo. Was that price including labor? Just remember you get what you pay for. I've seen a lot of people put shit aftermarket parts on their cars only to come back because well... they put shit parts on their car. New cars these days are expensive for parts. Even the less expensive models.

well, i ordered the catalytic converter myself from an online parts store. it was a universal and had to be cut and fit for the Echo, but even with all that, the place that finally put the part on didnt charge me but $25. i took it in at 8am and picked it up by 1pm.

it seems to be working fine. whereas i've had to sit and let the car completely warm up before trying to drive, before, i jumped in after work last night and took right off. same when i left for the gym this morning. it's not sluggish at all.

 

[Evil Dead]

I used to work as a car mechanic, and let me tell you that you get ripped off almost everywhere, even if you know enough about cars and engines, be on the look out for used parts being sold to you as brand new.
That's one of the reasons I quit, and I don't regret it at all.

The few times I have gotten honest work done on my car it has either been from people I personally knew, vets who knew I was a vet, or when it was me going "look, there is the hole in the pipe, weld?"

 

[SueNC]

well, i know NOTHING about cars. i know where to stick the key and i know the gas pedal from the brake pedal. that's pretty much it.
thankfully, i've got my daddy and 3 brothers to go to if something like this happens again.

 

[Mxgonzo]

Hay Sue. The converter on your car is part of the pipe that bolts from the exhaust manifold all the way back to the muffler. IT's all one piece. One big pipe. Price on that is $927.00. SO whoever told you $1000.00 were not lying.

 

[SueNC]

Hay Sue. The converter on your car is part of the pipe that bolts from the exhaust manifold all the way back to the muffler. IT's all one piece. One big pipe. Price on that is $927.00. SO whoever told you $1000.00 were not lying.

yet, i got the part i needed for $63 or so and had it replaced for $25 and the car is running fine now.

 

[IAN442]

This one repair shop i've sometimes had an oil change done insists two different vehicles i've brought have leaking power steering units.

hmm.

 

[Karina_666]

I used to think my old mechanic was purposely fucking with my car just so I'd have to bring it back. Everytime I saw him it was something new. then my ex father in law told me to bring it to his dealership and I haven't had a problem real or imagined by a mechanic since. No one there tells me I need a new Johnson rod.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Johnson rod

I just had to look that one up in urban dictionary.

 

[Evil Dead]

my Johnson Rod needs adjusting!

 

[fah-q]

Sue, the symptoms you describe are true to a catalytic converter failure but, in reverse order. Normally, a car with a bad cat will run fine right up until it reaches operating temp. Then, the catalytic converters core would expand and restrict the exhuast. This would result in stalling, bucking and crappy fuel mileage. If everything happened in the order that you said. I would be interested in hearing whether or not replacing the cat fixed your problem. Was the O2 sensor replaced when the cat was replaced? There should be an O2 sensor right in front of the cat on your Echo.
-The reason catalytic converters are so expensive is because their core is made from platinum. Trashers are taking cordless reciprocating saws to dealerships and cutting catalytic converters off of new cars and then taking them to the metal recyclers and getting $75.00 per.
-Sue, you live in a non-snow/salt state. Regardless of mileage, it is really odd that your cat was shot on your echo.
In case you are wondering...Before working at IBM, I was an ASE certified mechanic. I have owned 7 Toyota pickup trucks and know Toyota's inside out.
A really good website for Toyota questions is www.yotarepair.com
The FAQ section might answer some of your questions.

 

[SueNC]

Sue, the symptoms you describe are true to a catalytic converter failure but, in reverse order. Normally, a car with a bad cat will run fine right up until it reaches operating temp. Then, the catalytic converters core would expand and restrict the exhuast. This would result in stalling, bucking and crappy fuel mileage. If everything happened in the order that you said. I would be interested in hearing whether or not replacing the cat fixed your problem. Was the O2 sensor replaced when the cat was replaced? There should be an O2 sensor right in front of the cat on your Echo.
-The reason catalytic converters are so expensive is because their core is made from platinum. Trashers are taking cordless reciprocating saws to dealerships and cutting catalytic converters off of new cars and then taking them to the metal recyclers and getting $75.00 per.
-Sue, you live in a non-snow/salt state. Regardless of mileage, it is really odd that your cat was shot on your echo.
In case you are wondering...Before working at IBM, I was an ASE certified mechanic. I have owned 7 Toyota pickup trucks and know Toyota's inside out.
A really good website for Toyota questions is www.yotarepair.com
The FAQ section might answer some of your questions.

well, the funny thing is, it started out well. i wasnt having any trouble with it, BUT, about 3 seperate times i'd start out and it would suddenly slow down.
i dont think the O2 sensor was replaced because nobody mentioned anything about that.

 

[charger]

I drive a crappy old 1998 Ford Taurus. Everytime I take it to get the oil changed something new is wrong. Last time, they said my tie rods were about to give out, and that it would cost 750 to fix. I asked, what happens if they go out? The guy replies, "you will lose control of your steering." So I replied, "then I guess where I crash my car will stay.

Im not paying 750 for that piece of shit! It still runs, and gets medicore gas mileage. I always tell these mechanics that Ill run this into the ground before I put money into it. Its paid off, why bother. And to top it off, they never seem to notice the problem thats existed "for a while" even though I just brought the car in for an alignment weeks ago. It's always a scam. The labor is retarded high.

I dont care about this car anymore. The sooner it stops working the better. My economical side says "Buy a Jeep Patriot." It has good gas mileage, decent space, cool sound system. But my splurge side wants to either get a new Mercedes C class or the new Charger.

But not to wander too far from topic, I understand how guys think they can take advantage of women when it comes to cars, or anything mechanical/electrical.

I had an ex wife put diesel in my car....DIESEL. She didnt notice the green handle, and, when I asked her how she got the nozzle to fit (since diesel is bigger) she said she though my car was wrong, so she just held it over the hole............. She also decided to "Wax" my car when I was in Afghanistan, and used some sort of hard core 3M rubbing compound on my car...thank you swirl marks from hell.

I also had a girlfriend who used to fill her gas tank up past the flapper, and she would fill the inside of the area where the cap screwed in. I had to explain to her that all of that extra shit just gets dumped out when you drive off.

I work at an auto parts store and I priced the outer tie rods for your Taurus in our economy brand. They are $40.83 each, part number ES3349.
Just thought I could help.