Told mechanic I was having electrical issues for months. Car broke down while backing out of a driveway. Wouldn't turn over, not even a clicking sound like a bad alternator. There was a very faint clicking underneath the fuse box. I told him all of this. Said I heard faulty ground wires were common in '04 Pacifica. After 2 days, I called to see progress. He said it's basically back to the condition before it died. Rigged a lever on the positive battery cable so I wouldn't have to disconnect cable every night since dash lights stayed on when car was off. Had no alarm, key fob didn't work, navigation either(previously)Says he replaced TCM because there was a burned area and leaked tranny fluid after it broke down. Charged me $600. I saw a part on my seat. It looked brand new. He claims that was my old TCM and quickly took it. Do they look brand new after they're removed?
So when I took it for a ride, it was still in limp mode, all lights on dash, no navigation, etc. and now was so hot I couldn't open the hood and prop it open without a glove. Drove it back to him and said it's not fixed, now hot and he couldn't have possibly driven it. He said he never drove it. He claimed he couldn't scan for codes because it wouldn't communicate due to a faulty PCM that he WAS going to replace and said I needed until I told him I didn't have a lot of money and could only barter items for the $600. He did work on it without asking me first and after I said I couldn't pay cash. When he brought back my car, he said if I took off my clothes he'd forget the debt! I was so upset, appalled, disgusted.. I'm not some ****! I'm celebate in fact after a brutal divorce. He's also married! Claims he never offered that deal to anyone before. I ushered him outside to see what repairs were done. Then I found he didn't fix anything really.
Anyway, after I drove it right back to his shop, he told me to take my car home for the weekend- why not leave it at the shop right then? I was outside by it with the motor running come Monday. Ha! Anyway, it was finally fixed. He fays ound melted wires- was an electrical issue like I said the first time. Charged me $40 for the scan that worked when I was standing there. Charged $150 to have it towed (with his own truck) to Chrysler to reset the codes after putting in the TCM which he now slipped and said was used. So that PCM wasn't necessary after all. I said I needed the work in writing after the first "repairs". He again fixed it without contacting me what it would cost and for my permission. Now he wants $1200 which includes the $600 for a rigged lever! How do I know it just needed the codes reset and that would resolve the whole problem? He told me the TCM would cause the dash problems I was having. He never showed me what wiring was melted.
He said labor was $540- no hourly rate or amount of time listed.
I think he's gotten the hint to quit hitting on me. This from a guy who asked if I had insurance or not and to let it catch on fire!
What do you think? Are the prices fair? I'm in a small town where everyone takes their car to him- cops included. I'm not telling anyone about his sexual suggestion since I didn't expect it, I didn't record it. I have to still live here..

 

Oops- The Title was to be changed to read How do I know If I Paid a Fair Price For Repairs?
It won't let me edit!!

 

Its guys like this that makes every honest tech out there has issues me for one.
First if im not mistaken its unlawful for a shop to charge you for anything that you did not sign for or have a written agreement or have atleast a phone call to inform you of what needs to be done.
As for teh repairs he obviously had no idea of what he actually was doing nore from what i can see he did anything to warrant any such amount.

 

What can he legally do if I don't pay? I STILL haven't signed anything. He's been on vacation all week and hasn't bothered me yet. I'm just afraid he knows the judge, clerks and everyone else at the courthouse which is in another small town where everyone knows everyone. I can't bring up the sexual advances without proof though.
And again.. I still have to live in this small town until my lease is up in Dec. His shop is only a block away from me.

 

well its his word ver yours as of right now with no paper work.
if you need proof record you and his next convos and bring up well you did say i did not own you anything if i slept with you which i found disrespectful and dishonest something of that nature.

 

Well, actually he just wanted me to take off my clothes and dance around- I think he was having a stripper fantasy. He actually didn't say I had to have sex with him.
My question is if I didn't sign to have the work done and I didn't sign anything even after I demanded to have what he did in writing, will I get in trouble if I just don't pay? That's probably not a good idea when I live up the street.. kinda answered my own question.
Maybe you can answer this: if he put in a new TCM, would that change my mileage? When Chrysler dealer put in the codes, do they have to enter the current mileage? My mileage was just over 150,000 and when I got the car back it says it's 166,700. Why would that happen?
I haven't called Chrysler yet, but if I wanted to sell, it now looks like there is more mileage than there really is.
Also, I asked in my original post but haven't heard an answer... would the old TCM look brand new? Would there be any noticeable wear? Like I said, the part was on my seat and when I pointed out it looked brand new, he immediately took it and said it looks new because it's protected. Is that true??
Thanks for reading.

 

the PCM stores the mileage for the car which it cant be changed unless you have a DRB scanner which i highly doubt this guy knows what that even is.
and a TCM protected? protected from what?

 

Hi. Like I wrote, he towed my car with his tow truck to Chrysler to have the codes set so shouldn't they have put in the correct mileage?
He claims the TCM has a cover over the parts protecting them from dirt, etc. Like I said the part in my seat that was supposedly the old one looked brand new. I saw perfectly fine computer prongs, clean, gold not bent...
Sound like how it looks when removed? He immediately took it and put it in the trash- bet he took it back out when I left! I'll get the work order from my car and post what he supposedly did, then maybe someone can make more sense for me.
I can see the TCM. Is it as simple as unscrewing the screws and replacing it with the new one or does it get complicated when the screws come off? I'm trying to figure out this labor. Even at $100 an hour, I can't see where over 5 hours was spent. Especially if the wires turn out to be the ones I thought looked a little fried that I already found while looking around in plain site- not like they had to be traced individually from a starting point. I'll post more during the week and call Chrysler and ask why my mileage is off by over 16,000 miles.
Thanks for your Reply