The Fucking Runaround

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

So I take my car on the 9th of April to get inspected. Don't have a problem with it whatsoever. But waiting in the line was taking forever, so I shut my car off. I turn it back on and BAM...SES light comes on. My luck, right? So I fail the inspection for "P1506". Guy at the inspection station tells me "I don't have a clue what that code means."

I take it to the guy that usually fixes stuff on my car, Dan. He gives me an answer later on that day that P1506 is Idle Air Control Overspeed, and he thinks that the problem might be a sticky IAC valve. I could try cleaning it or just replace it. To replace it, it'd be $300. Didn't sound right, so I figured I'd get a second opinion.

I double check a million websites. None of the things are matching. Mostly everyone says they have some sort of problem with the car, like, its got that code and its not starting correctly, or its got that code and the gas cap isn't on right. My car's running perfect. No poor gas mileage from what I can tell, no squeals, no squeaks, no stalling, no starting issues, no weird smoke, no clicks, no ticks, nothing but this damn SES light.

So I go to this guy, Bill. He tells me he can't do anything about it that day, so I go to Pep Boys. Guy at the counter says "we don't do transmission work". Uh...what? So he recommends I go to this transmission place down the street. I go there, the two guys working say "Why did he send you here? This has nothing to do with transmission errors."

I get back to Bill. He has the car for like, 5 days, doesn't call me back. I have to call him up. He says "I'm not getting P1506. I'm getting an oxygen sensor code. I think you need to replace the 2nd bank O2 sensor. It'll cost you $200." Didn't sound right to me either, considering how nobody said anything about my O2 sensor yet. I check the price, the O2 sensor would cost me around 45 bucks and its a quick, easy job to replace. Not worth 200.

So today, I go to AutoZone. They check the code. P1506. Bill has no idea what he's talking about and lied about the codes, cause the one IS showing up, and the other ISN'T. If I buy a new IAC valve, its $103, and its another quick and easy "two-bolt" job, the guy says. So that sure as hell isn't worth $300 like the first guy, Dan, was talking about.

I'm getting tired of this shit lol.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

makes me glad I don't own a car.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

It usually happens, most mechanics have no idea about the newer models and different types of cars, the end up talking out their asses most of the time in order to make a quick buck

 

[Milkyway!]

Nyeh my dads basically a mechanic...Works at AutoZone, works on cars daily. Tis the awesome to hear how overpriced this crap is. Those AutoZone breaks that are 200$ cost 10$ to make. LOL

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Well my car's definitely not new. 99 Mercury Tracer lol.

Its ridiculous how much things are marked up. Even things not related to cars. I have a friend that works at Best Buy, so he gets his employee discount, and I was going to buy an S-Video cable and an Audio cable specifically so I can hook a laptop up to my big screen TV. If I'd have just purchased it myself, it would've cost me around 30 bucks. When HE bought it, it came out to a total of $3.15. 10x less. I bet this IAC valve that's 100 bucks is actually like, 20 bucks to make it.

 

[Ty Burna]

That's the thing about mechanics that work at bigger places like that, they will try to fuck you over so damn hard it's ridiculous. Really you did the best thing by doing research on it. Bigger city mechanics are the worst however. They will "fix" your vehicle, while fucking something else up on it on purpose just so you come back in a couple weeks later.

How do I know all this? Well I practically grew up in a mechanic shop at a GM dealership that my dad is a mechanic at. Now don't get it twisted, my dad isn't one of those bullshit mechanics, he does his work straight up and he does it right, especially since GM's always checking customer satisfaction from their GM dealerships. He's probably one of the best, if not the best mechanics in the state.

 

[SavageTaker]

Hmm it's a good thing that you went to different places to find out information about what was wrong.unfortunetly they tried to screw you over. which i just hate when people do it.

i once wanted to buy this DVD of one of my favorite comedians, so i went to target and the dvd was marked at like 7 dollars, i couldnt buy it because i didnt bring my wallet thinking that the dvd was probably not in stock.so a couple of days later i bought it at best buy and it was marked at 20 dollars, and then later that day i went to the mall and at FYE it was marked at 15 dollar.

Well i think it is bullshit how all of these different places have different prices for the same item.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I would take it to someone and say "I dont give a shit what it is, just make the light go off so I can pass the test"

and that would be that.

 

[Fizzy]

I would take it to someone and say "I dont give a shit what it is, just make the light go off so I can pass the test"

and that would be that.

Word.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Called around to price for the IAC valve, one of the places wanted 175 more for it. That's fucking ridiculous.

And somehow, AutoZone's price went from $103 yesterday to $108 today. 5 buck increase for some reason. Only 5 bucks, not a big deal, but that's stupid too lol.