Car Woes With Pep Boys

I took my car in on Tuesday morning to get a leaky radiator fixed.

4 days and:

a water pump,
4 new tires,
a front end alignment,
front brakes
leaky seals
A rusty timing chain
and $2,500 later....I still don't have my car back.

And I still have to stress over oil sludge because it turns out that Dodge put one of it's crappy 2002 2.7L engines in my 2003 Intrepid.

Update 11:30 A.M. 3/17/07: Still waiting on a part. From a dealership that is less than a mile away. No work yesterday, or any so far today. Now I'm starting to get pissed.

Update 7:15 P.M. 3/17/07: "The parts got here kinda late...it'll be done tomorrow". I went to this place because I got excellent service the last time I went. This time the service has sucked. I know my car has sat there with no work being done on it for at least two days, and probably three.

Update 6:00 P.M. 3/18/07: "Wrong part. The right part will be here in the morning, and we'll get on it first thing..." Un-Frackin'-believable.............

Update 5:30 P.M. 3/19/07: Surprise, surprise..no news yet. They are open until 9:00 PM, so I'll give them until 8:00 P.M. before I call and ask to talk to the manager.....

Update 8:00 P.M. 3/19/07: "When the guys from NAPA dropped off the thermostat the gasket wasn't in the box...it'll be first thing in the morning." 1) Why no phone call from them telling me they fracked up again? 2) Why the frack up? This is at least the third time they blamed the delay on either a wrong part or a misdelivered part. 3) NAPA Auto Parts (and who has heard of a parts supply store having to order parts from a different parts supply store?) is right down the damn street. Someone could have walked to get the right part. Given the crap I have had to put up with, the manager should have had someone get the right part, not wait for a delivery the next day. 4) Thermostat? This is the first time they've even mentioned the thermostat. How much more is this going to cost me?

I've changed the subject line on this post to reflect the company I've been dealing with. I've purposely not mentioned Pep Boys before, because up until now, I've never had a problem with them before. But thi is simply ridiculous. Not just the constant screw ups and delays, but the fact that they haven't even bothered to call me and tell me about any of this.

So, tomorrow is day #8, and at this rate I am definitely not holding my breath.

11:20 A.M. 3/20/07: No news yet...does this qualify as first thing in the morning? They (and NAPA) opened at 8:00 A.M.. It has officially been over a week at this point.

4:00 P.M. 3/20/07: I called them. Supposedly they are bleeding the system, and will test it to make sure it doesn't overheat. It will be ready tonight. Hopefully.

6:45 P.M. 3/20/07: Guess what? Another day, and another $400-$500. Now they have to replace the radiator. But they couldn't figure this out a week ago, even though I told them I had a problem with a leak, and overheating. This one trip to the repair shop is going to end up costing me as much, or more, than what I paid to buy each car I've owned until now. Unfracking believable. I can't believe how pissed I am right now.

12:30 P.M. 3/21/07: No word yet. I guess "first thing in the morning" didn't work out again.

1:15 P.M. 3/21/07: Well they just called to tell me the car is ready...here's hoping it's actually fixed.

4:30 P.M. 3/21/07: I have the car. They gave me a break on the bill..$2,500. I went and got my oil changed and my fuel injectors cleaned..another $100. Here's hoping they did everything right....