Last July, we turned our van in to the dealer because we could not see spending both a car payment AND all the repair bills for it. We were paying $204 a month for the van PLUS an average of $200 a month on repairs because things just kept failing and breaking (from simple things like the power window not working all the way to dead pistons). Come to find out the dealership has a history of selling cars that need a lot of work before they are road worthy, but they are one of those “everybody can finance through us” places.
After the voluntary surrender, we were left without a car until we found one on Craig’s List in Early August. We brought our mechanic with us to look at it, since at this point we thought he was a great mechanic, we had never had any problems with his work before. The car was fine, it just needed the heads to be repaired. So the mechanic took the car to his shop and we made arrangements to pay for the repairs.
After waiting for 6 weeks for the heads to be retooled, it was finally ready to be returned, or so we thought. The mechanic was test driving it between his place and ours and he threw out a rod. He had the car towed back to his shop and told us the bad news, it needed a new engine, but he had a lead on one already. Ok, cool.
Several weeks later, still no engine, and it is getting close to time for us to leave for a planned Christmas trip. He decides to trade us for our car he is waiting for the engine for, all he needs to do is put new seals on the transmission, even trade, and we are done. Sounds good to us, lets do it.
The day we are supposed to leave for our trip, I am all packed up, waiting for the car to be dropped off so I can pick up Big J and get on the road. I call the mechanic about the car and no one answers. I keep calling until he answers and tells me that the car will not be done for two weeks! Did I mention that this is three hours before we are supposed to leave, that ALL our Christmas stuff is still put away, we have no tree, ALL gifts have been sent to Vegas, etc? So, after much panic, the mechanic’s wife agrees to let us use her truck for our trip. Not an ideal situation but it works.
We get home from Christmas and it is just excuse after excuse. We were waiting for 7 weeks for the ball joints for the car, then when he dropped the transmission back into the car, he stripped a gear, which he had to order from a transmission place. Wait 2 weeks for that. They supposedly didn’t send a gasket. So, we wait another three weeks for a gasket, with excuse after excuse.
I would understand if ONE or TWO things happened to cause delays, but every week and almost a year? Different excuses every week for two different cars?
Supposedly, the gasket will be in tonight at 5 and we will, supposedly, get the car back on Friday. I am not holding my breath and, quite honestly, I doubt I will get it back on Friday, but, we shall see.