Car Repairs

There has got to be a better way to run a car service department. I just don't know what to make of what happened to me. Except maybe that I was scammed. But I don't have any hard evidence and I am not convinced that I was scammed, but I definately left with that feeling.

$1600! The Rav's probably only worth about $5K anyways. I'm probably overestimating its value.

I had to get my water pump replaced and repair a whole bunch of leaky seals. I needed tightening on a strut (fact), two new tires (fact), a new battery (fact), and an oil change (fact). I guess I needed a new water pump, it was making some funny noises. But the car still makes funny noises, just not as many. And they did a bunch of other stuff that I didn't and still don't understand.

And all this added up to $1600. Is that an accurate price for the amount of work they performed? I have no idea. Did they overcharge me for parts? Probably. Did they overcharge me for labor? Probably. Did they tack on some unnecesary maintenance because they knew that once the price was over $1K I probably wouldn't gripe about $50 here and there? Oh, for sure.

And so I feel totally taken advantage of. Which is why I am saying there's got to be a better way to do this.