Answers to your car questions

QUESTION

Hi Dennis,

If you choose not to comment on this situation I understand, as it deals with a local business. I am trying to find out if I overpaid for repair work that I have had done recently. I realize that it is my responsibility to gather information before making a purchase so that I can make an informed decision. To be honest, in this case, I did not do that. I recently took my daughter-in-law’s vehicle into a local muffler shop to have a broken exhaust system bracket replaced. While the car was on the hoist, the technician showed me the underside of the vehicle and explained the condition of the exhaust system. It was the original system that was showing a lot of rust and seemed to be near the end of its life. He suggested replacing a section that included the resonator and muffler. He said that they have these units already made up as they replace a lot of them. He said it was made with stainless steel and carried a lifetime warranty and it would only take twenty minutes to do the job. He quoted the cost of $469 plus tax. I thought that it was a little high at the time but I assumed that was because of the fact that it was a stainless steel system. I phoned my daughter-in-law at work and she left it up to me about getting the job done. The car was on the hoist; the system was very rusty; the job would be done right away and there was a lifetime warranty, so I told him to go ahead. They did everything that they said they would for the price and gave me a written guarantee.

My concerns are as follows: I assumed the “high” price was due to the fact that the system was stainless steel, which I know is more expensive than regular steel. All the other costs on the attached invoice seem to be reasonable. Is there a way for me to determine if the new system is actually stainless? Is there a muffler/resonator system available made of much less expensive steel? I admit that I should have asked that question at the time but I didn’t and no alternative was offered. Maybe there isn’t one? If there were, I would have considered it, as the vehicle is seven years old.

If you can provide me with any information, I would keep it confidential. If you prefer not to however, I understand your position. If what they said to me is true, then that’s that. If not, I don’t think it is worthwhile to go after them for an adjustment. I will chalk it up as a lesson learned and to be remembered. Keep up the great work in your column. I read it every week. It’s good to see that you resolve valid problems and expose people trying to pull one over on you. Thanks for reading this. Bill from Hamilton

ANSWER

There is certainly such a thing as stainless steel mufflers and from the price that you paid, it would indicate to me that they did put such a muffler on your daughter in-law’s vehicle. The factory muffler is worth over five hundred dollars and it is also a stainless steel muffler. An after market non stainless steel muffler for your vehicle is worth between sixty to seventy dollars. I have somewhat of a concern about the muffler removed from your daughter’s car. If it is a factory installed muffler it is also a stainless steel muffler and under normal driving conditions, it should not have been rusted out. There are however factors in the usage of the vehicle that could cause an exhaust system to rust faster than usual and that could be associated with the type of driving that the vehicle is being used for. Short daily trips with a vehicle are very hard on the exhaust system. I spoke to the service manager at the muffler shop, which is a quality service shop and he assured me that the muffler is a stainless steel muffler and according to him, you will never have to pay for an exhaust muffler on that vehicle again. It might have been wise to check on the alternative muffler system but you most likely would have been facing the same muffler replacement in a couple of years. You made the correct choice for your daughter in-law’s vehicle.

READER’S COMMENT

Hello Mr. O’Sullivan,

I have been reading your column for years and always find interest in the advice that you give as well as when you expose the folks trying to blame others for their problems, both customers and repair shops. It is the latter that I would like to talk about. I wanted to point out that, in an industry where there seems to be complaints about almost all the places to have your car repaired, many of which are written about in your articles, there are some excellent ones out there. My repair shop of choice is one such garage. I have been dealing with Locke St. Tire and Automotive in Hamilton for over twenty years and don’t have a bad thing to say. All of the staff go out of their way to get the job done in a timely manner and to your satisfaction. They get to the bottom of the problem as quickly and economically as they can. Now, I realize that this is probably not the kind of letter that can be printed in the paper but I wanted to pass it along to you for the times when someone may ask for advice on where to take their car. I would also like to reassure you that I am in no way affiliated with Locke St. Tire but rather, just a very satisfied customer pointing out that there are some garages/mechanics out there doing an outstanding job of dealing with their customers. Thank You, Bob Takast from Hamiton

MY COMMENT

With the amount of nasty emails that I get about garages, many of which are unfounded, I will from time to time print a good story about a garage that has made one of their customers feel like a VIP. I generally do not recommend repair garages unless there is a particular car problem and I know the people who can best do the repair. It has been my experience, over thirty some years of doing this column, that all garages want to see their customers satisfied with the work performed. Where many garages will get into trouble is when they will take on a job that they are not equipped to handle nor do they have the expertise or equipment to properly diagnose the problem, which leads to parts being installed and the problem still exists. There is certainly a need for any customer to question the garage about their knowledge and most technicians will be glad to state their qualifications to you. I cannot endorse this particular garage nor do I know the folks that are running it but this story is to just tell you that they did make one of their customers very happy over the years.

QUESTION

Hello Dennis,

I read your responses every week and I find them informative and relevant. Now it’s time for me to ask you for some feedback. I have always loved PT Cruisers because their styling reminds me of the early 40s panel trucks. I am now considering purchasing a later model PT Cruiser as a second vehicle. I was wondering how much longer would parts and service be available for these cars, since the last year of production was 2010. Thank you! Allan from Binbrook.

ANSWER

The manufacturers generally keep parts of their vehicles up to seven to ten years but on some foreign high-end vehicles, that time varies with different manufacturers. The after market industry however, has parts for vehicles that are thirty years and older. I do not think that in ten years or more from now, there would be any problem getting parts for a PT Cruiser.

PS: To my readers: If possible, it would be appreciated if your emails would indicate the town, city or village that you live in. Please be advised that not all emails can be answered. Send your questions (be sure to include your address) by email to:: dennis.osullivan@cogeco.ca