SUBMITTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
POSTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This type of situation is usually typical when a customer wholeheartedly drops their vehicle off , expecting or assuming that their vehicle is in capable hands.
This could not be further from the truth , and to avoid this a customer needs to know certain things (or notice them) during any work that repair shops do.
I personally have nothing against Walmart , but they do offer these "garage" services at a department store , on the basis where a customer can have "pit-stop" type repairs done while they shop , or so it seems. This , I thought , when I first saw that happening , was a recipe for disaster.
On a personal note , every single time I have ever dropped off my vehicle at any garage , to do "any" type of repair , it is either done wrong , or I spend twice as much time fixing the messup as it would to have done it right. Which is exactly what happened to you.
Thankfully , I am extremely mechanically inclined and have only had this type of problem a few times , since I eyeball what is going on and wait for my vehicle like it was my child at a hospital. It is the only way you can be sure what is happening while your vehicle is under repair.
At the very least , I keep in communication with the service manager , I even let him know that I am stepping out to eat or something , and that , I will be back.
So , he knows not to think otherwise. On the other hand , if you simply walked into the Walmart store area , without blinking an eye or looking back , this - to them is Cart Blanche approval to proceed without any caution whatsoever. No matter what vehicle you have there.
What is mind boggling is the fact that we are paying upwards of $70/hr for labour on these repairs , but don't think twice as to the cost or the methods or practices used to perform the work. The point is , don't walk away , you will get better service.
In your case , I think the person/s who worked on your car may have jacked it up somewhere on the front end , other than the frame , which can cause alot of damage. To the contrary , you can get away with that on the rear , as there are no steering components there on most cars or trucks.
As far as the lug nuts go , it is probably that the wrong "lug-nuts" were used to resecure your wheels back on when they were rotated , or front and rear were different types and thread types. It is possible these days. That is how your wheel studs were stripped.
Any good mechanic will never use a speed gun to start lug-nut threads back onto any stud. They must be hand started to check for consistency and compatibility between the stud threads , and the nut threads. It is a good idea to be careful about mechanics who seems to have way too many lug-nuts or studs laying around the bay area loose , as this could allow this type of "mismatch" to happen.
If you see that the bay is a mess of nuts and studs (tire centers) , stay and watch for sure.
Also , if the bay area has "used" lug-nuts or studs laying around , it is reasonable to assume both bad housekeeping habits and that they may belong to other cars or trucks they have recently serviced , but don't care to think about them being left behind as a result of what they call "mistakes".
Any decent garage would have acknowledged their mistake and replaced your wheel studs and lug-nuts immediately to avoid any issue. Especially a garage attached to a Walmart Store who may have even had the studs and lug-nuts in stock at the time.
To make a long story short , always give the garage a looking over as much as you can , and never allow a garage to work on your car without speaking to someone who seems to be in charge. Make them aware that you will be there waiting , instead of shopping while they work.
Hint : if you get an oil and filter change anywhere , check the dipstick before you leave the area , and make sure the filter is new before entering a highway with your car or truck. Many people have not done this and blown an engine in the process as a result of a busy garage forgetting to replace the oil drain plug , thereby also forgetting to refill the oil , while a new filter is in place.
For sure , it is an "old trick" to have a customer pay their bill , before they actually get to see if the work is done right by actually driving the vehicle.
Personally , I would have refused to drive the vehicle until Walmart resolved the problem on their own , at their cost. But then again , I wouldn't have trusted them completely in the first place , as they really show you what they are worth when they have "screwed" something up. $100 is wayyyyy tooooo much for them.
Something else important to note is that "Dealerships" pride themselves on their vehicles , which really includes their level of service dramatically. Therefore , "all" other garages are 2nd rate , and should be treated as such by being wary of their abilities.
Unless of course , Kyle Petty is on hand at the time....