Complaint Review: Meineke Car Care Center - Farmington Missouri

March 2007 Finding a Shop You Can Trust Source: Automotive Service Association How do you find a shop you can trust to service your vehicle one that will make you feel confident about your choice and provide quality repairs at a fair price? Here are some tips: Start with the most obvious. Is the facility neat and clean? Are employees genuinely concerned with your questions and are their answers direct, to the point and reasonable? Look at the credentials of the business and the employees who will service your vehicle. Most shops will post educational certifications or accomplishments and professional business affiliations in their waiting areas. Some affiliations to look for include trade association membership, such as the Automotive Service Association (ASA), and membership in the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Look for certification or education offered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) and the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). Ask about the equipment used to diagnose and perform the service. Is it up-to-date and are the technicians educated in the proper equipment use? Make sure a written estimate is provided prior to letting the business begin the repair. A good rule of thumb is to request approval on any changes to the original estimate that exceed 10 percent. Ask about the shop's warranty. Most automotive service facilities will warranty their parts and labor either in writing or in shop posted announcements. Ask family, friends and neighbors for their recommendations. Word-of-mouth referrals are the shop's best form of advertising. Don't go to Meineke!

Nobody is questioning that they caused the problems that you stated, just wanting to know what happened about your check engine light. You said that you think they did that, and if they actually did then you do have a case against them, whether or not they want to cooperate with you. They obviously did do something wrong, and if they then tried to cover that up by disabling your check engine light instead of actually repairing the problem, as Mike said- it is another level of rip off, which I am sure your state would love to know about, assuming they regulate auto repair. You said you took it to another mechanic to have it repaired. Did the mechanic note down on your invoice all the problems with the missing parts, sloppy work, and not completed repairs? Could you get him to give you a written report now? With all of that information you have a very good case against Meineke even if they didn't disable the light, so don't bother with them, and file a complaint with the state. So yes, we are especially interested in the possibility that they would not only cause damage and problems, but turn around and try to hide them instead of repairing it right.

The reason we were focusing on the possibilty they disabled the check engine light is because that steps the situation up into another level of rip-off. Beyond the shoddy workmanship and unwillingness or inability to make it right, they were then also engaging in deceptive and illegal practices.

For a cooling system flush? And why would you KEEP going back that many times?

I find it amazing that people focused on the "check engine light" problem. Meineke did at one point have the entire dashboard apart with the explanation they "were looking for a short". Sure. But the main problems were caused by voltage spikes from the loose battery cable. Several sensors were damaged including the computer which had to be replaced. There is no way to prove the loose cable caused these damages, other than the fact that none of these problems existed before THEY worked on the car! After at first admitting they did leave the cable loose, Meineke now denies ever having admitted it! I have a lost cause for reimbursement and I know that. My intent was only to warn others. This will be my last comment on this disaster, and if anyone feels Meineke has been unjustly maligned, please take your car to them for repairs. Be my guest.

The poster said: I suspected the bulb had been removed to extinguish the "check engine" light. I doubt it is true, but either way he should check, especially if he is making an accusation like that. He never said if they actually did or didn't so I was wondering. I am sure it does happen occasionally, but more likely the owner of the vehicle either removes the bulb or disables the light in some other manner. My husband took his truck a few years back to get a smog, the technician accused him of removing the bulb which infact had just burned out after um 15 years.

The poster said: I suspected the bulb had been removed to extinguish the "check engine" light. I doubt it is true, but either way he should check, especially if he is making an accusation like that. He never said if they actually did or didn't so I was wondering. I am sure it does happen occasionally, but more likely the owner of the vehicle either removes the bulb or disables the light in some other manner. My husband took his truck a few years back to get a smog, the technician accused him of removing the bulb which infact had just burned out after um 15 years.

The poster said: I suspected the bulb had been removed to extinguish the "check engine" light. I doubt it is true, but either way he should check, especially if he is making an accusation like that. He never said if they actually did or didn't so I was wondering. I am sure it does happen occasionally, but more likely the owner of the vehicle either removes the bulb or disables the light in some other manner. My husband took his truck a few years back to get a smog, the technician accused him of removing the bulb which infact had just burned out after um 15 years.

The poster said: I suspected the bulb had been removed to extinguish the "check engine" light. I doubt it is true, but either way he should check, especially if he is making an accusation like that. He never said if they actually did or didn't so I was wondering. I am sure it does happen occasionally, but more likely the owner of the vehicle either removes the bulb or disables the light in some other manner. My husband took his truck a few years back to get a smog, the technician accused him of removing the bulb which infact had just burned out after um 15 years.

If it was too hard to remove the bulb, the more astute "mechanic" could just go to the ECM and cut the wire that leads to the bulb there. It's still a lot cheaper and simpler than making a proper repair to the engine. As Jennifer pointed out, all cars with a check engine light also have a "bulb test" function. It is activated by simply turning the key "ON" to the normal run position (but do not start the engine). If it is working properly, the check engine light will light up. On some cars it will go out after a few seconds or on others it'll stay lit until the engine is started. This is an essential test to do during the test drive of any used car. Also there are lights for the air bags and ABS system if the car is equipped with those systems. You check for disconnected or missing bulbs the same way as the check engine light -- turn key on, but do not start engine.

Removing that bulb for the check engine light would be nearly impossible, and no mechanic would go through that time and trouble for something so insignificant. On that Honda, the entire dash face and gauge clusters would have to be removed. This is several hours work. The only answer in getting paid is small claims court and testimony from the other shop and repair receipts. Good luck.

from the check engine light? You didn't say after the repairs made if the mechanic found the bulb to be missing. If you start the car the light should come on for a few seconds. If they did remove the bulb that Im sure is illegal and you should report them, actually either way you should file a report with your state don't even bother with Meineke.