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The Wednesday my car repair estimate flipped by $800 after I asked one question
Took my 2012 Civic in for a shaking steering wheel last Wednesday. Shop said I needed a whole new rack and pinion, quoted $1,400. I asked if they checked the inner tie rods first. Service guy goes quiet, walks back, comes out 20 minutes later and says it's just a $300 tie rod job. Same shop, same car, same symptom. So I'm wondering how many people just pay the first quote without asking a simple question. Has anyone else caught a repair shop doing this on purpose or was this just my lucky day?
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shane_bell6d ago
Wait, they actually had a diagnostic checklist they were supposed to fill out but just skipped it? That's wild, that's basically them admitting they were hoping you wouldn't ask.
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The quiet pause before he came back is the part that gets me. If you hadn't asked, that $1,400 quote would've been the final word, and they probably would've swapped the rack anyway even if it wasn't the issue. What bothers me more is the shop's own paperwork, most places have a diagnostic checklist they're supposed to fill out, so either they skipped it or they're banking on people not knowing the difference. That's not a mistake, that's a strategy, and the only way they lose is when a customer knows just enough to make them uncomfortable.
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