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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Cars / July 2005Am I being way overcharged because I'm a young woman?
Hi :) I hope you all can help me, I'm a 23 year old mother of three, and I took my car to get aligned and they told me they couldn't due to these factors 1) Tire Rod Loose 2)Axle Bad 3) Wheel Bearings (this is what they wrote for me) 4) Struts Loose. They quoted me 564.00 to repair it. To top it off they wouldn't align my car because of it and still charged me. Am i being way overcharged here? I just wanted to get my car aligned! Im' a young blonde female and it seems like people assume I am stupid when I'm highly intelligent, just know little about cars. I sure wont pay anything without doing my homework. please email me and help me to know what the normal pricing for this should be. llaird3@tampabay.rr.com. thank you so much for your help and consideration! Brooke > Hi :) I hope you all can help me, I'm a 23 year old mother of three, and I > took my car to get aligned and they told me they couldn't due to these [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Brooke let me guese ... was it quick fit??? By the way, its a 1995 Ford Windstar.... With the car, it has worn a used tire ( i bought a used tire from a store) in two weeks, it shakes SEVERELY when we get it over 45, and it pops occasionally, usually when we're turning right i believe. I hope this helps. I understand time is money and them charging me is okay, but i also had one more question, now that i have the quote, would it be advisable for me to ask the repairman to give me an itemized bill, such as, the cost and brand of parts they are using to replace the bad ones, and the labor charges? Thank you so much for your help :) if anyone wants to chat with me, my AOL name is LadyKucholick and no its not dirty, its my last name, go figure, and my yahoo name is Brookethebabyfactory....yes i have kids. I have profiles on both. Nothing in particular, i just enjoy chatting on the net, especially with people who help me!! Thanks guys! (or girls) Anadarial wrote: "With the car, it has worn a used tire ( i bought a used tire from a store) in two weeks, it shakes SEVERELY when we get it over 45, and it pops occasionally, usually when we're turning right i believe. I hope this helps. I understand time is money and them charging me is okay, but i also had one more question, now that i have the quote, would it be advisable for me to ask the repairman to give me an itemized bill, such as, the cost and brand of parts they are using to replace the bad ones, and the labor charges? Thank you so much for your help :) if anyone wants to chat with me, my AOL name is LadyKucholick and no its not dirty, its my last name, go figure, and my yahoo name is Brookethebabyfactory....yes i have kids. I have profiles on both. Nothing in particular, i just enjoy chatting on the net, especially with people who help me!! ' From what you said in an early post and the given mileage, it is a good possibility the parts are worn. I not sure what they mean by bad axle. The rest I understand. Ask them to see the book for labor charges. The replacement of each part will have an estimated labor charge. For example struts may actually take 15 minutes per side to change but the book may call for a half hour of labor. They will charge you a half hour of labor. Not having the car repaired will cost you more in the long run and may even leave you on the side the road with your kids. A tie rod failure could lead to an accident. Sarge > Hi :) I hope you all can help me, I'm a 23 year old mother of three, and > I [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Brooke What you need to do to get help here is describe the symptoms that made you take it in for service, and tell us how many miles on it. Tie rods being replaced is fairly typical, axles go bad in many miles, so do wheel bearings, the struts can be worn but usually aren't described as "loose." If it has over 100,000 miles two of the four could easily be shot. They can't align your front wheels with a worn tie rod. Does it make any sounds when you turn, like a clicking noise that sounds like it comes from the front? If so the shot axle diagnosis is probably right. In my humble opinion, blond people are among the smartest. I will agree with Scott.... but I do need to add that the time spent examining the car and preparing the estimate needs to be charged. This is part of the repair process.... the shop mortgage still needs to be paid, equipment paid for and tech time paid. Doctors charge you even though you remain sick... lawyers charge you even though they lost.... accountants charge you even when they tell you that you're broke... For your part, ask questions.... a good shop will show you and explain things to you in plain English rather than fast paced double talk. Aside from the "loose struts" comment (perhaps they meant that the struts have lost their damping ability?), everything else would be expected on an older vehicle expecially of the miles are getting high. > > Hi :) I hope you all can help me, I'm a 23 year old mother of three, and > > I [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > In my humble opinion, blond people are among the smartest. OH, and my car has 103K miles on it, mostly highway miles as i have moved all over the country many times, if i see another moving box, i'll puke! LOL :) > OH, and my car has 103K miles on it, mostly highway miles as i have moved > all over the country many times, if i see another moving box, i'll puke! > LOL :) all that was said about your van may be true... yes you will be charged for no works as they did do an estimate which does take time away from other repair jobs making money so they have to charge you some.... ask if you get it repaired there if they will credit your the time charged to you for the estimate to the work being done?( shrug never know ) yes tie rod could be gone if you wore out a tire in very low miles i would suspect that... 103 k miles ... strut would be prolly leaking as well .... if you do it all (ie new tie rod struts etc ) the the work should last for quite some time .... as for the axle ... is there a split cv boot? axle should last longer than that unless the boot is split. you can se that yourself just look at the axle behind the wheel and see if the rubber bellows boot is ton open and usually grease sprays out everywhere. 600 bux is not bad either by the way as long as that includes the alignment and labour I believe they said the axle was bent. As if I had been in a wreck, which i have not. I dunno, well, I know this place is the cheapest in town to get tires, and i'm talking 20 bucks cheaper than anywhere near my area, so hopefully, its an all around good shop. Thanks for your time. Brooke Tell them when you bring in the car you want to shown the worn parts on the rack. Also request that you be shown the old parts before you pay the bill. Sarge I know that feeling quite well.... from the time I was born. If you have been in an area long enough to meet people you feel you can trust, it also helps to get referrals to shops in the area. While there are many quality shops (hat off to Jim) there are also poor quality (aka rip off shops). And, there is NOTHING wrong with getting a second, or even third opinion, and estimates. If a doctor told you he was going to have to remove half your insides, you'd hopefully get a second opinion. Preventive maintenance is the way to go. Head off trouble by getting the job done right before it reaches the point where you are stranded somewhere in the middle of winter or summer, with the kids. The peace of mind you'll have is priceless compared to the cost of the repairs and alignment after. The front end of my car has been totally rebuilt (except for the front coil springs), and now I need a shop to do an alignment. But, even before that, I have found that I should have replaced the springs when the rebuild was being done. But they looked fine. Well, turns out they are not. So now it's going to cost more to add the new springs and then get the alignment than if I had just used a kit that included them in the first place. Same applies with your situation. Get it done and done right the first time. Happy motoring >OH, and my car has 103K miles on it, mostly highway miles as i have moved >all over the country many times, if i see another moving box, i'll puke! >LOL :) Spike 1965 Ford Mustang fastback 2+2 A Code 289 C4 Trac-Lok Vintage Burgundy w/Black Standard Interior; Vintage 40 16" rims w/BF Goodrich Comp T/A gForce Radial 225/50ZR16 KDWS skins; surround sound audio-video. "When the time comes to lay down my life for my country, I do not cower from this responsibility. I welcome it." -JFK Inaugural Address > Hi :) I hope you all can help me, I'm a 23 year old mother of three, and > I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > They quoted me 564.00 to repair it. To top it off they wouldn't align my > car because of it and still charged me. Am i being way overcharged here? If they declined to do a repair, it is reasonable for them to charge you for the diagnostic services, but not for the repair they didn't do. I would call the shop and ask to speak to the shop manager and tell him that it seems unfair that you have to pay for work that wasn't done. If they won't give on this, and you paid by credit card, I would ask the credit card company to hold payment. And, I would not go back there again. > I just wanted to get my car aligned! Im' a young blonde female and it > seems like people assume I am stupid when I'm highly intelligent, just [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > llaird3@tampabay.rr.com. > thank you so much for your help and consideration! It is hard to tell what the normal pricing would be. However, you can call other shops in the area, and ask them how much it would cost to repair those things. I think, unless you really that first shop, that I would definitely take it to other shops for a diagnosis and quote. Warning: A bad vibration over 45 mph with a used tire makes me think you can have serious safety issues. I think I would go to a shop right away (but very slowly, in case the wheel comes off or something). Jeff > Brooke I think it is all shops I am also a woman a I get told what the bill would be and I sent my husband and it is always cheaper for him. Is your husband better looking? ;) mike hunt > I think it is all shops I am also a woman a I get told what the bill would > be and I sent my husband and it is always cheaper for him. |
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