I would call and leave a message at the shop and say...Do not start working on my car, I will call you when you open. Then call and see if they can match the price.
This is a good question. Most states like to have businesses in these situations, car repair, plumbers, contractors, etc, provide the price of any evaluation, ie a plumber says is $75 to come by your house and give you an estimate, or auto shop says $90 to put your car on the rack and run a test to find the problem. Or they say no charge for an evaluation.
After that the cost of work is provided and the customer must approve. A job over a given price may require a written estimate and the customer to sign a work order, but this would not be needed for $500.
So if they start the work, then you are will have to pay the 500.
Go there in person before they open.
Talk to someone immediately.
My guess is the estimate was ballparked at 500.
Since a t-stat is a 1/2 hour on many. and diag, pressure testing,
temp monitoring for evaluation. is your 1st diagnostic hour,
You would just have shop supplies, the part, and some coolant to add up the bill, it's well under and they wont need anything further.
If they road test it, and the temp starts clinbing when pulling a hill, well now they can continue base engine diagnosis for further needs.
If your water pump starts peeing on the guys foot while he's warming it up again, then add that...etc.
They will explain.
Your rights include a written estimate for any and all repairs that exceed the first predetermined amount.
You have the right to request a return of your old parts.
You also have the right to stop repairs at any time and discuss your understanding of the agreement.
In fact, they welcome this because you go behind their back and ask people to guess what is wrong with your car without them seeing it, or telling them what led up to this, or even the make, model, year, and engine size.
I would be willing to bet $100. there's a lot more to this story than you're saying or just plain don't know. Depending on the year, make, model, and mileage, a thermostat should not cost $500. So, I'm certain the shop has a lot more planned for the repair than just that. If you phoned another shop and simply got a quote for a T-stat it's going to be lower simply because they don't know the whole story.
If you really don't trust the 1st shop then phone them and tell them that you don't have the money right now and hope they didn't start, otherwise you have to pay, you gave the green light.
It's probably too late. Even if they haven't physically started work on your car, you gave them the OK. There's nothing in it for them to say, "We'll let you take it somewhere else, and not get paid". 500 is outrageous for just a thermostat repair. There must be more to it. Either way, once they tell you what the problem is, what you need to have done, and how much it will cost, THAT'S the time to say, "That's too much", or at least, "Let me think about it". If you agree and change your mind later, it's too late.
You obviously have no clue what's going on and need to speak with the owner or mechanic so they can explain what they intend to do. $500 is way too much for just a thermostat unless it's an AUDI where you need to remove the timing belt to get to the thermostat. German engineering at it's finest!
Takes a couple of minutes to replace a thermostat on most cars. And the stat is under 10 bucks. What do you think?
$500 for a thermostat......you have met bandits. Report them to your state's Attorney Generals office for vehcle service complaints. Also report them to the BBB. Go to their waiting room and warn others, sometimes this gets immediate resolution. Don't be afraid of being a pain in the ***.
You should be well under $500 for a thermostat replacement.
500 bucks to replace a thermostat? Holy cow! Did you sign a work order? If so then your on the hook if they did any work.
You found a better deal AFTER you misinterpreted what was wrong. There is no such thing as a thermostat repair. Replace, yes repair, no.
I recently went in and talked to a family owned mechanic shop. It was late in the day about 400 pm and the grabbed my car and took it in the shop area. I got a phone call at about 6 saying that the car will need a thermostat repair. My question is since I already agreed for him to fix the problem for 500 dollars is it too late for me to cancel. I did find a better deal. I will call first thing in the morning before work gets going on it, but what if they already put parts in. If they already put parts in the car am I obligated to buy and until I do they can hold my car.
Ty
If the work is done, you have to pay the bill.
