pantdino

I can't access my previous post re the AC compressor clutch not engaging on my 2004 LX because the Statistics icon goes to a Chevy ad.


But I diagnosed the problem as being a bad clutch coil and told the AC place that was the problem.


When I dropped the car off I was told it would be $234 to diagnose the problem and I assumed that would not be charged if I had the work done there.


Wrong. The clutch was the problem but of course they replaced the whole compressor and a bent hard line for an ADDITIONAL $1300. ( $117 hourly labor rate)


Is it usual to have to pay such a high diagnosis fee when the problem is known?


I doubt they will want to give me any money back, but I'm inclined to post on Yelp warning others to not get burned that way.




Jim

mikey1

diagnosis is normally free at any reputable shop as long as you get the work done right there and then at the same time,

if you do not get the work done right there and then, then there will be (and should be) a diagnosis fee, and the amount will vary from shop to shop,

i would never bring a car to a shop and try to tell them what the problem is, always let them diagnose the issue, that way everything is on them, even if you THINK you know what the problem is, play dumb

if you diagnose the problem yourself, and it turns out to not be the problem, they can come back at you and say "we did what you asked us to do" even though it may not have solved your issue

ezone

Adblock Plus FTW



Here's your thread

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/182-7th-generation-civic/361003-c-clutch-wont-engage.html



You agreed to the price, and you should never assume anything that is not in writing.


(And some people want to bash the dealerships.... LMAO!)

You gave your OK to their written estimate. You OK'd the work.

I'd totally expect an aftermarket compressor to leak the freon out or just flat crap out within 2 years.

Yes and no.
Again, you agreed to it.
Did you ask?
Have you contacted the B.A.R. yet? If the price is unfair or the shop did not present you with a written estimate that you approved, or did any work that you did not approve, you may have a case.



Strongly disagree.

Do you work for free? I sure don't....And I'm expected to give accurate diagnosis, no guesswork.
That can take time, and time is money.

The shops that actually give free diag are charging exactly what it's worth.....and that can cost the consumer dearly.

"Free" is normally rolled into the price for the repair. You pay.



We have a few customers that actually do it this way, and we do as they ask most of the time, with that caveat stated on their paperwork.

Sometimes it works out well, other times it doesn't.

pantdino

But in this case I was right.


The backstory is that I took the car there before and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Only after I TOLD them what was wrong could they fix it.


Then they want to charge me for 2 hrs of diagnosis in addition to the well-padded labor bill?

pantdino

I'm asking because I realize it is not clear cut.


If the consensus is that everything they did was fine, I won't worry about it.


My point is that there is no way in hell anyone spent 2 hrs determining the compressor coil was bad.


The compressor was replaced not because it was confirmed to be bad but because they "couldn't warranty their work unless it was" so I was sort of stuck.

Stock 99

Did you not have any option to take the car somewhere else? If someone told me they couldn't figure out what was wrong then I wouldn't want them to 'try' and fix anything. When they told me they couldn't warrenty their work without installing $1200 worth of parts I didn't need....me I would have breathed fire on them before they had a chance to do that.

ezone

I think this would be a valid argument for a refund of the diag fee, if not more.


You are in California, right?

Ask the California B.A.R. about this.
Is the shop registered with the B.A.R.?


Here...Have a read at this

https://www.bar.ca.gov/Consumer/Auto_Repair_Guide.html
It didn't.
IMO the term "hours" when referring to labor fees is misleading to anyone that is not in the industry.
"Two hours" has little to do with clock time as average people would normally think....
The term "two hours" is all about how the labor charges are figured.


i.e.: How much time is "2 minutes" in football?
It has little to do with the clock on the wall.


So anyway, that "two hours" is probably their minimum fee. What was posted for all to see?


You could have removed the car from their facility. (I think that after they couldn't figure it out the first time.....that should have told you something.)

The shop can word their warranty any way they wish....But if you are in Cali then it's gotta pass B.A.R. standards AFAIK.

pantdino

Since the compressor was just replaced without ever seeing if it was defective or not I can't claim I didn't need the parts-- probably didn't need a new compressor (just the clutch) but I can't know for sure. Of course they wanted to replace the whole thing because there's more profit in it, which I understand. I'm OK with the new compressor.


I took it back because they said they hired a new guy who was better and I took it there because they are the best around. They made a new hose for my Pantera AC when it was leaking, something your ordinary mechanic can't do.

pantdino

That's all I'm considering.


The overall picture is this: their employees could not make a diagnosis in 2.5 days of trying, or so they say.


Then I give them the diagnosis and they are suddenly able to make it?


Seems like I shouldn't have to pay a diagnosis fee.

ezone

Does this explain your handle? Got pics?

I've only driven one, and didn't get to do more then putt around.

pantdino

That 100kb size limit is pretty restricting -- hope you can see it OK


The confusion here was that while sending power down the center red wire to the clutch coil did nothing on my examination, the guy at the place claimed everything was fine with the compressor and they were just trying to see why it wouldn't come on.


So I figured I must have goofed up. That's why I took it back there, thinking they knew more than I did. Thanks to you sharing your knowledge with me, that was not the case.


In retrospect we should have either done it ourselves or taken it to the dealer.

ezone

Sweeeeet! Thanks for sharing.

I use an outside image hosting site and hotlink to the images in the post.
Bottom line: Does it at least work now and cool good?

pantdino

It's actually my son's car, he picked it up yesterday, and it's been quite cool here since he did.


So I can't say. But since the $500 I paid for a new compressor bought me a 2 yr warranty, I'm not too worried about it.


Thanks for all your help.


Jim

pantdino

Unless things have changed "book time" was about how long it took me as an amateur to do a job when I had never done one before. So very generous.

pantdino

Just an update-- the owner / manager of the shop refuses to refund my $234 diagnosis fee.


He talked about the time they spent on the car the first time and didn't charge us because they didn't accomplish anything (exaggerated it as being 1 week when really it was 2.5 days).


He said the clutch was working intermittently the first time, which I don't believe because I sent power to it multiple times w/o response.


Anyway, at $117 per hour most people are probably better off just taking their car to the dealer.


Lesson learned.

Reverb2005

I always take my car to Honda, not because I think other shops can't do the work, but because Honda has credibility (fine, not tons, but a hell of a lot more than your average joe shop) and there is always someone up higher in the chain you can go to, talk to, ie, complain to, lol. AND I've never even had to do this, Honda has done it right, every time (and I've never paid them a diagnosis fee, since I always do the work there).

Probably worth more than the $234, so you got a good deal!