Re: Sounds like a plan... but "letting them fix it" is a whole lot different...

It sounds like you are dealing with anindependent garage, not a dealership. I'll make a couple of suggestions, based on what you have said and not said.

First, owning a group of auto parts stores, I've been in everything from shops with dirt floors and old oil barrels that burn drained engine oil for heat to first calss fully air conditioned modern dealerships. Seen it all.

One thing that I saw that really impressed me, and I pass on whenever the subject comes up I learned for a guy who repairs northern European cars only. He has the car owner fill out the workorder. They write what the problem is, in their own words. They also fill in as much, or as little of the other stuff as they want. He highlights the proper blocks, but he doesn't fight them if they don't fill them in. It's their loss if they don't, is how he looks at it.

So, you get a copy of the workorder / bill. You should take it upon yourself to make sure the mialge shows on all copies. Particulary if this is the third time. "Fool me once....."

Second, if you don't have it, make sure you get a towing / road service clause on your insurance, or buy on on it's own. You can buy them from places like AAA for less than the price of a tow. Now that will only get you one tow per instance, but at least you won't have to pay for that out of pocket.

And it's not just women that get the run around. You notice they usually stand behind that wide counter when they refuse to do anything.

BTW, I'm with you. I'd push it out by hand before that shop would get another penny of my money.