I HATE MECHANICS!!!! HELP!!!

[ThisIsMatt]

Well, he might as well try the headlights, though, rather than getting a mechanic's diagnoses which have a history of being shady ("well, actually your whole electrical subsystem needs to be replaced, that will be $1000, please"), or going in and looking like an idiot if it really is just the headlights. And yes, mechanics DO have a history of being shady...why else would there need to be a law saying they can't charge you for work they didn't do and they can't do work on your car that's not needed?

 

[NotoriousMAK]

Who establishes basic knowledge???...Is there a standard I didn't know about?!?! HOLY CRAP BATMAN!! Where can I get this universal standard of basic knowledge?!?!


Me: Its been a week since I last shat!
MD: Ok. Heres some laxative.


Your example.

Me: Its been a week since I've been able to produce stool at a regular rate of 700g in a 22 hour cycle
MD: Ok. Heres some laxative.

Sorry. But I think its mad funny... LOL!

 

[WUTANGYANG]

The diagnostic work I am speaking of is this. You perceive your headlights to be dimmer than before, you decide the problem is the bulbs, it cant be anything but the bulb, you found the cause of the problem. You diagnosed the problem and concluded that the bulbs were the item at fault. You diagnosed the problem with limited knowledge of what was causing it. I never claimed to be an expert on anything.

Just to let u know.... you might want to re-read the initial post. I could of sworn I mentioned bringing the car to TWO Honda dealership, and they diagnosed the problem and said that the headlights need to be changed due to this whole incident. I did have the alternator changed as well as the battery by the dealership less than a month ago and a few other things (due to a recall for higher quality emmissions). So sluggo..... anything else you want to point out that I did wrong? Obviously, I'm a one brain celled idiot who can't do anything right, right?. Since you're soooo knowledgeable, would you be my new mechanic?

As for the rest of you who replied with constructive suggestions and comments, thanks.

 

[Sluggo]

<< Well, he might as well try the headlights, though, rather than getting a mechanic's diagnoses which have a history of being shady ("well, actually your whole electrical subsystem needs to be replaced, that will be $1000, please"), or going in and looking like an idiot if it really is just the headlights. And yes, mechanics DO have a history of being shady...why else would there need to be a law saying they can't charge you for work they didn't do and they can't do work on your car that's not needed? >>



Thats the whole point, headlight bulbs dont go dim, they work or they dont. No electrical bulb slowly loses it illumination qualities ( that humans can see.) Does anyone notice the bulbs in their house slowly getting dimmer with passing time?

 

[Sluggo]

<< The diagnostic work I am speaking of is this. You perceive your headlights to be dimmer than before, you decide the problem is the bulbs, it cant be anything but the bulb, you found the cause of the problem. You diagnosed the problem and concluded that the bulbs were the item at fault. You diagnosed the problem with limited knowledge of what was causing it. I never claimed to be an expert on anything.

Just to let u know.... you might want to re-read the initial post. I could of sworn I mentioned bringing the car to TWO Honda dealership, and they diagnosed the problem and said that the headlights need to be changed due to this whole incident. I did have the alternator changed as well as the battery by the dealership less than a month ago and a few other things (due to a recall for higher quality emmissions). So sluggo..... anything else you want to point out that I did wrong? Obviously, I'm a one brain celled idiot who can't do anything right, right?. Since you're soooo knowledgeable, would you be my new mechanic?

As for the rest of you who replied with constructive suggestions and comments, thanks. >>



Yes you did mention that you visited 2 Honda dealerships, after YOU intially diagnosed the problem being with the bulbs. And got it worked on by the bad guys.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

<<

<< Well, he might as well try the headlights, though, rather than getting a mechanic's diagnoses which have a history of being shady ("well, actually your whole electrical subsystem needs to be replaced, that will be $1000, please"), or going in and looking like an idiot if it really is just the headlights. And yes, mechanics DO have a history of being shady...why else would there need to be a law saying they can't charge you for work they didn't do and they can't do work on your car that's not needed? >>



Thats the whole point, headlight bulbs dont go dim, they work or they dont. No electrical bulb slowly loses it illumination qualities ( that humans can see.) Does anyone notice the bulbs in their house slowly getting dimmer with passing time? >>

Maybe his high beam filaments died, who knows...all I was getting at originally is that doesn't matter at this point. Maybe it is something else electrical, but it doesn't really matter now as his lights are fubar anyways, and he should probably iron out that problem before introducing new variables into the problem and then having this mechanic say it's not his fault, it's X's fault...

 

[Sluggo]

<< Who establishes basic knowledge???...Is there a standard I didn't know about?!?! HOLY CRAP BATMAN!! Where can I get this universal standard of basic knowledge?!?!


Me: Its been a week since I last shat!
MD: Ok. Heres some laxative.


Your example.

Me: Its been a week since I've been able to produce stool at a regular rate of 700g in a 22 hour cycle
MD: Ok. Heres some laxative.

Sorry. But I think its mad funny... LOL! >>



Well think of it this way, if you cant figure out when it is prudent to visit a professional in the area you are having issues with, you lack the basic knowledge.

 

[NotoriousMAK]

"Well think of it this way, if you cant figure out when it is prudent to visit a professional in the area you are having issues with, you lack the basic knowledge."

Its that lack of basic knowledge that I go to a professional!

 

[WUTANGYANG]

Yes you did mention that you visited 2 Honda dealerships, after YOU intially diagnosed the problem being with the bulbs. And got it worked on by the bad guys.

Yes.... and if the electrical system was good after this..... wouldn't it mean that it was good before it? :Q But again, what do they know? Maybe I should get my whole electrical system replaced!!!!! While at it.... maybe my tires too..... u never know..... static electricity could cause my whole electrical system to short circuit again!!!! Anything else you want me to replace sluggo?

 

[Ns1]

why does it matter? anyway you put it the shop still screwed him

 

[Sluggo]

<< Maybe his high beam filaments died, who knows...all I was getting at originally is that doesn't matter at this point. Maybe it is something else electrical, but it doesn't really matter now as his lights are fubar anyways, and he should probably iron out that problem before introducing new variables into the problem and then having this mechanic say it's not his fault, it's X's fault...
>>



OK, thats where we get to working knowledge of your car. If the high beams are out the low beams still work fine, the high beams are not on any sort of rheostat to vary their lighting output. You are correct that the the whole point is moot now.

All I was trying to say is, if you really dont know what the problem is, take it to someone who does, or can figure it out for you. It seems like a crapload of money to pay the Honda guy to trouble shoot your car, but it gets worse when you attempt to do it yourself with limited knowledge.

Really what I was trying to say is, everyone should learn about their car ( and yeah, even their own bodies....gasp) and how it all works. It can save you a bundle in the long run if you now what all is happening with your car.

 

[NotoriousMAK]

"why does it matter? anyway you put it the shop still screwed him"

Yep. Right up the stovepipe

 

[Sluggo]

<< Yes you did mention that you visited 2 Honda dealerships, after YOU intially diagnosed the problem being with the bulbs. And got it worked on by the bad guys.

Yes.... and if the electrical system was good after this..... wouldn't it mean that it was good before it? :Q But again, what do they know? Maybe I should get my whole electrical system replaced!!!!! While at it.... maybe my tires too..... u never know..... static electricity could cause my whole electrical system to short circuit again!!!! Anything else you want me to replace sluggo? >>



You insinuate in this quote

<< Then maybe you should take a good look at the lights right now.... if they're not dim. I don't know what is. >>

that the headlights are still not as bright as you think they should be. Does this mean that the headlights are still dim after changing the bulbs?

I do think tires would be a good idea, maybe you could take it to the same guys who did the job on your headlights.

 

[WUTANGYANG]

basic knowledge = who needs it!!!! We've got sluggo here!!!! He knows everything!!!!

Thanks for all your help!!!! (except sluggo)

 

[NotoriousMAK]

"Really what I was trying to say is, everyone should learn about their car ( and yeah, even their own bodies....gasp) and how it all works. It can save you a bundle in the long run if you now what all is happening with your car."

You'll have an MD by the time you know "how it all works"

 

[Sluggo]

<< basic knowledge = who needs it!!!! We've got sluggo here!!!! He knows everything!!!!

Thanks for all your help!!!! (except sluggo) >>




You said that less than a month ago, Honda changed your alternator and battery. Flash forward a few weeks, your headlights start to dim a little, you diagnose your problem to be headlight bulbs. Now, since I know everything, I will toss out a little theory here. Maybe your new alternator or battery has problems, or maybe there is a connection that has come loose, that is causing your electrical system to be stressed under load (like at night with the headlights on) and causing a voltage drop, which in turn shows up at the highest drawing and most visible component, the headlights.

 

[WUTANGYANG]

I do think tires would be a good idea, maybe you could take it to the same guys who did the job on your headlights.

sluggo, what time does your shop open?

 

[WUTANGYANG]

Oh thanks for the suggestion sluggo. After pissing me off by unnesscarily crapping on my thread asking for help you finally pull through! Thanks!

 

[Nutdotnet]

Hey dude, I think you have all the advice you need.

If it was me I would go back to the shop that messed up your lenses, state your case in a very fair and calm manner. If they refuse to help you out kindly let them know that you will be seeing them in court. Should be a a very easy case to win. Remember to be sure to talk to the highest person of the company you can.

Regardless if you are a car idiot or not it doesn't really matter at this point. Even if it wasn't just your bulbs that was causing the dimming that does not diminish the fact that this shop ruined your headlights. You went in to get the lightsbulbs replaced, simple as that. Now if they had done it right and you were still having dimming issues then you could at least rule out the lightbulbs being the problem and look elsewhere.

Anyways, keep us updated on how everything goes.......

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Just out of curiosity, did you buy those fake high intensity bulbs/white bulbs? And yes, you did get screwed. Changing a halogen bulb is a 5 minute job and usually just requires the pulling back of a rubber boot and unhooking of a wire clip. You can try small claims court, alot of places will settle as soon as they get the paperwork that tells them they have a court date.

 

[brandonl]

Specialist mean nothing. That just basically means he knows nothing about other cars. My dad is a mechanic and works on most domestic and import cars. He will not work on cars such as BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars. Too hard to fix and too much cost-wise. On my Jeep, it took him 5 min to siwtch out 1 lense and then maybe 3 or 4 minutes to get them pointed straight. From the little I know of Civics, I doubt it could be much harder.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Ok, first and foremost, you don't change bulbs by removing the lens. You say you saw them remove the lens, and 3 other shops, including dealerships, say you don' do it that way.

Fine. Go back to the shop that screwed them up, and talk to the manager, politely. He may not realize that his mechanic removed the lens. Explain to him that 3 other shops say that was the wrong way to do it, and as a result, you need both housings replaced now. This is simply a mistake by an inexperienced or incompetent person. Nothing more.
Your next step would be to the state atty. general. In our state, they WILL go to bat for you. Hopefully yours is the same.

Good luck. Remember, don't get loud, just firmly state the facts. Yelling and screaming automatically shuts you out.

 

[Murphyrulez]

Hey, I have a 97 Accord, and if they are anything like the Civic, changing the bulb is a pain. Last winter I put in new halogen bulbs in the Accord and my Passport, and BOTH of them were very hard to turn the bulb assembly and pull out the back. I can see how, if you didn't know that they pulled out the back, you would try an alternate way. Of course, being an AUTO MECHANIC, working on a car that is only 5 years old, the guy should have had the brains to know that.

But you should definitely call the owner of the shop and tell him what his people did.

Oh and next time you can't figure something out with your car, post a quick question here and we will tell you!! The knowledge on ATOT is greater than any mechanic shop....

 

[Bulk Beef]

Some of you guys are being awfully hard on WUTANG. He's not comfortable with mechanical work, he did the right thing by taking the car to somebody who is. It's not his fault that the mechanic was no more knowledgable than he was. Sluggo- your analogy sucks. Basic fix-it knowledge is not a pre-requsite for ownership (car or PC), but it most definitely is if you're going to pass yourself off as a "specialist". WUTANG's diagnosis may have been wrong, but that is totally irrelevant. He took it into a shop for a straightforward job, the mechanic was totally incompetent, and they f'd his car up as a result. End of story.

WUTANG was smart enough to realize that he was not competent to do the job. The mechanic was not.

You do have recourse here. If they don't stand behind the bonehead's screw-up, you may wind up in court, but they really don't have a leg to stand on.

 

[WUTANGYANG]

Thanks you guys for all your help and suggestions. I will go down to the shop Monday morning and a REAL good talk with them. I will keep u guys updated.

Another question, does anyone have any experience with BBB? I was also told that I should probably file a complain with BBB. Just wondering how good they are dealing with things like this.