Friar Motor Car - Westside Service Center, Eddie Francasso This company did repair work to my vehicle that may not have been needed, while sabotaging it, so they (he - Eddie Fracasso) could removed any skin that happened to be left on my posterior. Grove City Ohio

I was taken by the old bait and skin tactic.

The first time I took my wife's car there to get a brake line replaced. I was told that both lined needed to be repaired and the cost would be $200.  I told him that I was figuring more like $100, that $200 was just more than I could afford so, I turned to leave. But, as I was leaving I was told, "wait, we can work with you. - maybe we can just replace the one line for $100 and it will be ok". Well, I agreed to it and left.

When I went back to get the car I was told that both lines had to be replaced, but I wasn't going to be charged any extra. He (Eddie Fracasso) said he didn't mind helping someone if they were going to be a repeat customer. I should have seen right through that - listened closer.

Now, two weeks later the battery keeps going dead on my van. I took it to Auto Zone and was told that the battery was definately bad, but it could possibly be that the altenator could have made it bad. So, I bought a new battery in hopes it would solve the problem. 

No such luck. It would run fine for a few days then the battery light would come on. The battery would stay charged - just the battery light would come on. It ran like that for about two weeks. Finally the battery started going dead again. Once it died and would not start without a jump - just as my daughter was pulling into our driveway, at 5:30am.

Well, afford it or not, it Had to be fixed. I called "Eddie" at Friar Motor Car and asked him if he could check it out and make sure it was the altenator before he changed it. He assured me he would do anything that did not need to be done. I took it to him and he quoted me a price of $200. (magic number ?)

I called Auto Zone and asked for the price of an altenator and was told $140 for one with a 1 year warranty and $160 for one with a lifetime warranty. So, I asked Eddie if the altenator (provided that was the cause of the problem) he was going to use had a 1 year or a lifetime warranty. He said it would be a re-manufactured one. A lifetime warranty would be $25 extra. I said, ok, do it. Then he calls me and says I also need a new belt which will cost another $33. This is well over the first quoted price, but, I have no choice.

I get a call saying everything is done and ready to be picked up. I get there thinking the price to be $276.06 (total including tax), but the bill said $284.68.  Thinking my math to be ok, only took $280 with me. I explain this to him. He seems to be a bit upset but re-figures and give me a bill for $275. I pay thinking everything to be done and back to normal.

But, I get in the van start it up and it is running Terrible !  The motor is jerking, but, I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt, and let it set and run a while - thinking maybe the battery needed to be re-charged. After about 8 - 10 minutes it got no better, so I go back in and ask what could be the matter. He (Eddie) tells me there must be something else wrong. I try to explain to him that I only have a certain amount of cash and he just took it all. He gets an attitude telling me that he can't just rebuild my motor for free. I remind him that he was supposed to make sure that the problem was indeed the altenator and not a short in the wiring somewhere. He becomes more upset because I am questioning his judgement; tells me to drive it for a while and let the battery charge up. I drive for a few miles and bring it back home and let it set in the driveway and run for around 30 minutes. Still, no better, so, I take it back to the garage and am told I will have to leave it overnight again so it can be further looked into. I had already explained that I had a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and remind him of this again. He (Eddie) becomes even more upset, and says "Well, I don't know what you expect me to do".  Now, I start to become up set and tell him, "What I expect you to do is to do what you say you will do. - To just tell me the truth. First you tell me $200 then add $25, the add $33, then come up with another $8.?? for something". 

Then, he tells me to lower my voice. Me ? lower my voice, after he has just been raising his voice at me for the last 20 minutes, looking at me over his glasses and talking to me like I am some sort of a free-loader; trying to get something for free. 

I offer to teach him some manners, and am ordered out of the store. I leave but not without telling him that I will make sure that everyone needing car repairs will know that he is a dishonest thief. He then says that I'd better go before he "takes me down".

So, I decide to try and get some help from "Six-On-Your-Side"

I didn't mean to write a book, it just turned out that way.