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I suspect I'm thoroughly being taken by my repair shop, but I'd like to throw the situation out there and hear from cooler heads...
Went out to my car recently to find it wouldn't start. Talked to someone at a repair shop I've used before, and they recommended bump starting/push starting it (it's a stick shift) to see if it'd run that way. Had a fellow CU'er help me with that, and the car started via that method without problem and drove fine as always. I then drove it directly to the repair shop with said CU'er following in his car so he could bring me back home afterwards.
Unsurprisingly, the repair shop's diagnosis was that the starter was shot. I OK'd the replacement of the starter, and they replaced it. According to them, the new starter turns, but now the engine does not run.
I asked them if they tried bump starting it. They said that they did, and it didn't work. They've apparently spent 6 hours trying to diagnose the new problem, but say they can't figure it out and don't have the equipment necessary to properly diagnose it. Which means they can't fix it.
So, with that, they say they want to charge me for the starter and otherwise wash their hands of it altogether. Basically, I brought them a car that ran under its own power (but needed a working starter), and they're charging me $450 to return me a car that no longer runs under its own power (but has a working starter).
I spoke with the president of the shop, and when I explained that the car ran fine when I brought it there and suggested that it was reasonable for them to make sure it runs as it was before, the president said he was done with me and hung up.
Am I getting the shaft as hard as I feel like I am?
I should also add that they had to remove the battery to replace the starter. During diagnosis (after installing the starter and finding the car wouldn't run) they told me they found that the radio wasn't working. They removed the radio, and had to replace a fuse on it for it to work again. It was working before I brought it in. This strikes me as deeply suspicious.
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