Yea that's what I meant to say put nicely  Not all mechanics do shit like that, BUT MOST DEALERSHIPS DO!!!!!! 90% of dealings I have heard of with dealerships are way over priced bad service that has to be taken back time and time again. That or you go in for a dead battery and end up getting a phone call with 20 other items that 'MUST' be done.  

Zig

+1

I two weeks ago I was feeling lazy so I brought my car (1985 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham; Mint Cond) into Valvoline for an oil change rather than doing it myself...  Rather than pushing & turning the oil fill cap (like a radiator cap style) to open the fill tube, the kid there just twisted & ripped the whole F#cking fill tube right off the engine!!!  

They weren't going to tell me about it, but I heard them saying, "It won't go back on... I can't get it."  I stepped out & saw what they had done.  I asked them if they were going to fix it and they said, "Sorry, we don't fix cars."  I'm thinking...  Yup, you don't fix 'em you just break 'em.  F#cking Geniuses!  THEY JUST DUCT TAPED THE DAMN THING ONTO THE ENGINE & SENT ME OFF TO DEAL WITH IT!!!  

So I drove down to the parts store 1/2 mile away & they didn't have the part & told me to go to the dealership.  Went to the dealership, and they said it's cost $120 for the part plus labor, and it can't get fixed for 2 days because the service dept was out for the weekend!  

I was PISSED!  $120 for a PART and tacking labor on top of that!?  

I drove it to my friend's house (Mechanic) and told him the story...  He said, "The only REAL problem I see is that you took your car to Valvoline!"  We went to the parts store, bought 2 gaskets for $5.00, re-bent the fill tube the way it should be, and used a little RPV Silicone and the gaskets to fix it just like new!

F|removethispart|@CK dealerships!  They'll screw you every time!
F#CK Valvoline!  They'll screw up your car every time!

I paid my friend $40 for his time, and $5 for the parts, and went home happy (as happy as can be after dealing with Valvoline &  a Dealership).   :-/

Oh, that was the death of my 92 4-door.  Took it into Firestone to get new tires on - and told them sure, do an oil change, and replace the belts...

When I got it back, the head gasket was blown, and I had antifreeze in my oil.

You suppose they ran it with no belts on for awhile?

+1

I two weeks ago I was feeling lazy so I brought my car (1985 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham; Mint Cond) into Valvoline for an oil change rather than doing it myself...  Rather than pushing & turning the oil fill cap (like a radiator cap style) to open the fill tube, the kid there just twisted & ripped the whole F#cking fill tube right off the engine!!!  

They weren't going to tell me about it, but I heard them saying, "It won't go back on... I can't get it."  I stepped out & saw what they had done.  I asked them if they were going to fix it and they said, "Sorry, we don't fix cars."  I'm thinking...  Yup, you don't fix 'em you just break 'em.  F#cking Geniuses!  THEY JUST DUCT TAPED THE DAMN THING ONTO THE ENGINE & SENT ME OFF TO DEAL WITH IT!!!  

So I drove down to the parts store 1/2 mile away & they didn't have the part & told me to go to the dealership.  Went to the dealership, and they said it's cost $120 for the part plus labor, and it can't get fixed for 2 days because the service dept was out for the weekend!  

I was PISSED!  $120 for a PART and tacking labor on top of that!?  

I drove it to my friend's house (Mechanic) and told him the story...  He said, "The only REAL problem I see is that you took your car to Valvoline!"  We went to the parts store, bought 2 gaskets for $5.00, re-bent the fill tube the way it should be, and used a little RPV Silicone and the gaskets to fix it just like new!

F|removethispart|@CK dealerships!  They'll screw you every time!
F#CK Valvoline!  They'll screw up your car every time!

I paid my friend $40 for his time, and $5 for the parts, and went home happy (as happy as can be after dealing with Valvoline &  a Dealership).   :-/

Haha, that sounds like Valvoline for ya... used to work there

i pooped the hood

Sorry, I had to point it out.

If the battery was shorting out inside.  The alternator would be on perma charge at max load, essentially burning it up.

That's what my mechanic was essentially telling me.

No this isn't a dealership mechanic.  It's a small independently owned shop just mere feet from my house.  He's done the work on my car for years now and works on a lot of trucks and 4x4s.

Well anyhow, thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it, and next time I think I'm going to do my own work.  There is also another shop up the street from me where I get my emissions test done and they do pretty good work too, maybe I'll take it to them and hopefully get more straight answers.

That Valvoline story is something I think you can get an attorney on or a small claims court on. I don't care what their policy is as far as "we don't fix cars", maybe not, but if they broke something, they HAVE to fix it, you didn't go in there to get it fixed, and they messed it up, that should be on them then.

That Valvoline story is something I think you can get an attorney on or a small claims court on. I don't care what their policy is as far as "we don't fix cars", maybe not, but if they broke something, they HAVE to fix it, you didn't go in there to get it fixed, and they messed it up, that should be on them then.

My mechanic friend whipped up a professional looking "Invoice" to use as a a receipt, and I took that into Valvoline the following Monday to get reimbursed...  The manager 'kid' there had no idea about the situation, but wanted to discover the culprit before giving me my money...  Someone ratted on the kid that tore my fill tube off, and he said, "I didn't break nuthin'...  Whatchu talkin' about?  I ain't seen this car befo."

Another one of his workers called "B.S.!" on him, and he admitted it, apologized for just taping it back on.  I got reimbursed for the repairs, and two days later they put the $43 back on my credit card for the oil change (used max-life) as well.

Still, I'm not going back there ever again.  No matter HOW LAZY I'm feeling that day.   :-/