I went to pick up a car for my son's ex-significant other today. We gave her
the car, a '97 Pontiac Grand Am into which I had just installed a 24 K engine,
about 3 years ago. She lost her job, then her home, and then had car trouble
that she described as a smashed catalytic converter. So she took the car to
this sloppy, greasy, redneck Tennesee slopbucket of a shade tree mechanic. He
then, after he claimed to have fixed the car, quoted her a $500 charge for
fixing it, which obviously she could not afford to pay. We got our lawyer
involved who convinced the slopbucket to let her have the car for $200. He
says he is going to hold her to the extra $300. When I arrived at his
property, back a few backcountry lanes--kind of a Deliverance kind of place
(didn't hear banjo music so I figured we were ok), we knocked and knocked and
finally he came to the door, opened it, and shot a stream of tobacco juice past
us onto the ground. I told him we were here to pick up the car and gave
him the $200, whereupon he grumpily gave me the key.
I asked him what he had done to the car. He grunted and mumbled that he had
put in a new coil and new plug wires and couldn't remember what else he had
done to the car. He said he had checked out the catalytic converter. I asked
him if he had installed a new one and he said "No, they cost too much money."
As I drove the car away, I noted that the exhaust system was dragging the
center hump of his land and the brakes felt soft. So he checked the converter
but couldn't get the exhaust system hooked back up properly.
With a SOB like this taking advantage of people in need is it any wonder that
mechanics have almost as bad a rap as bankers. I advised the young lady that
if the predator attempted to collect any more money from her that she should
immediately call our lawyer.
Just thought I would pass along this car story to you guys. 8^)
--David C.
"Those who matter don't judge me ... those who judge me don't matter." --
Anonymous
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
http://www.team.net/archive
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/spridgets
|