Murrieta Volkswagen Over charged for simple fuse and battery replacement, by more than $1000! Murrieta California

I was charged $1,269.70 by Murrieta Volkswagen on 7/20/07 for service to a fuse box located on top of my battery. Trusting the dealer would do the right thing, I did not question the charges. The car continued to have electrical problems for several months (i.e. failing to start, losing all power while driving) and I returned to dealership to be charged $284.38 on 2/7/2008 for a new battery. This was lowered from what the dealer originally wanted to charge me almost $400. I was charged $180 to simply replace a car battery. When I insisted this was an overcharge, I was told they would not release my car unless I paid the bill!

Afterwards, I decided to take the car to a friend, an expert in automobiles. He inspected the car and traced the original problem to a $4.00 fuse, which he purchased from AutoZone and was able to install in under 10 minutes. He believes that being charged $804.12 for labor to replace a fuse is an outrageous over pricing of services. I did even need a new battery, even though I was charged $118 for a a normally $40 battery.

Joseph
Murrieta, California
U.S.A.