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Review 11/10/2009
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On May 13, 2009, my MINI wouldn't start after getting gas at this local Shell Gas Station. The mechanic did a 'test' and determined it was my dead battery. Rather than have my car towed to the dealership, I figured, 'anyone can replace a battery'. He quoted me $100 to replace the battery in 2 hours. I came back, and after paying him not $100 but $190, he hands me this piece of rubber saying it wouldn't fit in my car after he put in the new battery. That should have been my FIRST warning sign.
The battery he put in was some no-name, generic thing. 4 months later, after a summer of my car stalling and sometimes not starting immediately, I was in the desert and all the warming lights in my car came on. It had seemed rather sluggish and goofy. I called the dealership from my cell and they said I should very slowly make my way back home (cutting my trip a day short), that essentially my car was shutting itself down for safety reasons and is considered inoperable. My cruise control went out, which has never happened. I made an emergency appt for Monday. After keeping the car for a day MIMI dealership determined the installation of an unsuitable battery--both in size and voltage--for my car made the entire system react electronically as the battery was also physically moving my car engine around. They put in the proper battery, reset all the electronic sensors, etc. and charged me $499. All this was caused they said because my little car had the obvious WRONG battery in size and volts.
I went to the garage for a refund. He said, "That's the battery they sent me", meaning the auto supply store. I asked if they sent him a chocolate cake would he have put that in? That was the first trip there when he said to come back with my receipt. The next trip, with my receipt, the guy screamed at me in his broken English that he would see me in court and completely freaked out whereas the first time he was just dismissive. As of now, I am pursuing him in small claims court. His bad work cost me $500 in repairs. A battery should be the easiest thing in the world do fix, Cars 101. Duh.
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