Believe it or not, following is the short version of what I went through this morning (4+ hours' worth) at our friendly neighborhood auto repair garage:
After having my tires rotated (along with an oil change), suddenly my
steering wheel could no longer be adjusted up and down.
After going back inside the shop to have them check that out, 45
minutes later I was told that I would have to bring the car back next week when
I could leave it for two days.
Upon finally leaving and driving about a mile down the road, with the
car bouncing so badly that my head was practically hitting the rooftop at each
little bump, I took it back.
The mechanic told me that it had already been doing that before I
brought it in.
Me (incredulous): No, it wasn't.
Mechanic: Yes, it was.
Me (disbelievingly): No, it WASN'T.
Mechanic (staring me straight in the eyes): Yes, it WAS. I know
because I've jumped out of a lot of airplanes, and my back can tell when
something is wrong.
Me (staring back even more incredulously): I don't care how many airplanes you've
jumped out of. Do you want to compare back injuries?
Mechanic: I know because I test-drove it after having it on the rack,
and it was bouncing like that.
Me: You drove it, after having it on the rack, it was
"bouncing like that", and you DIDN'T TELL ME?
Mechanic: Unnhhh.
Me: It wasn't bouncing until you balanced the tires.
Mechanic: I didn't balance the tires.
Me: Well, somebody balanced the tires.
Mechanic: I didn't balance the tires.
Me: I don't care who balanced the tires, somebody balanced the
tires!
Mechanic (grinning snarkily): I rotated the tires.
Me: Are you kidding me? I want you to tell my brother what you just
told me.
Mechanic on the phone to My Brother: (after more bold-faced lying): I
know what I'm talking about because I used to work for PepBoys, etc. etc.
etc.
Brother (who is an experienced car mechanic himself, and fed up with
the long-winded self-congratulatory A**-holedness of this character): Why don't
you stop talking about your glorious past and talk about what needs to be done
to the car?
As it turns out, I had to leave the car there for new front struts (it's
undriveable as it is), and needless to say, we are changing mechanics!
I absolutely hate the attitude, apparently universal to all mechanics, that
because I am female and unfamiliar with automobile mechanics, I must therefore
be stupid. You all know I'm not a violent person, but I really wanted to punch that
guy's smug face!
I can't wait to find out what the Manager tries to charge me for this. At least I have my experienced-mechanic brother to sort things out and stand up for me ... more than many women have in their mechanical lives ... and for that I'm very grateful.
