lucky im to poor to follow through. My poor 96 accord has had the ABS light on for a year, and the check engine light came on in feb. So in feb i couldnt find anyone who was willing to scan the car for under $70 (couse im a girl) so i took it to my local lube and shoot and had then change my trany fliud and oil a check everything else. They charged me and said they did it and with special honda yada yada yada.
it starts making a noise which i detiermined (thanks to here!) to be the ABS pump.
Fast forward to june, i finally find someone to check my poor car, (a national brand service place) and he looks it over and scans. I told him i think its the abs pump so look at it for me. he comes in and tells me that its my transmission, that the noise is my torque converter and the whole thing will have to be ripped out. its $3500. I cry. i panic. i tell him im poor and i dont een qualify to borrow so i leave and dry dock my car. cry more. Ride my bike 32 MILES a day to get to and from work.
So i finally have a real mechanic look att he car and he tells me the noise is my abs pump, and not a big deal right now since i know how to brake with out ABS (my first car was a 75 ford currior, and he worked on it). he also tells me the torque converter failed once but doesnt show signs of needing to be replaced, but instead MY FLUID WAS NEVER CHANGED. EVER. IN THE 5 YEARS I OWNED THE CAR. and who knows before that. Im MAD. Who do i report both these guys to? Do i burn they’re buisnesses down? Do i sick PETA on them? Do i sue? Im REALLY mad.
but thats what i get for being a college girl.
Quick-lube places, regardless of brand name, are notorious for not changing fluids they say they changed, or using the wrong fluid, or draining something and not refilling it, etc. This happens with astonishing regularity, and it happens to a variety of their customers, not just young women.
It’s not “what you get for being a college girl,” it’s what you get for taking your vehicle to one of these places. Promise never to do it again.
Now that you have a real mechanic you can avoid the chain shops and the “national brand service places.” It wasn’t AAMCO (All Automatics Must Come Out), was it?
I hope your new mechanic changed the transmission fluid (with the correct Honda fluid) and you’re driving again. Rather than waste your time and money trying to sue someone, I suggest you bake a dozen cookies as a “thank you” for the new mechanic who saved you thousands of dollars.
Then read and, with the help of your mechanic, follow the maintenance schedule that came with the car.
Happy motoring!
Well, you found out the hard way about what we consistently warn people about, namely–avoiding both Quick Lube joints AND “national brand” service places. A competent independent mechanic is likely to do much better work, with less chicanery–and with fewer screw-ups–and to charge less than any of the places that you have been frequenting.
As to what you should do, I don’t really think that PETA would be interested in your plight unless these service places are also slaughtering animals in their storeroom. Most likely the best place to lodge a complaint is with the local Office of Consumer Affairs (run by either the municipal, or county, or state government–depending upon where you live). Don’t bother with the Better “for” Business Bureau unless you want to waste your time.
My other suggestion is to stay in college.
it was aamco, recomended by smeone who appearently has no taste. my mechanic doesnt usually work on honda’s, so im still in the market for a honda mechanic. and yes, my mechanic used honda trans fluid and changed it and I donthave to get up at 4 to be at work on time!
Well, keep looking until you find an independent mechanic who works on Hondas, but, whatever you do stay away from the chain shops.
Maybe they have a tank of “sea kittens” in their waiting room. PETA would be there in a heartbeat to picket them. 
Or perhaps in this case PETA stands for Protesters of Erroneous Transmission Advice??
PETA= People Eating Tasty Animals
Your post had me until I read your last line: “but thats what i get for being a college girl.” Let me guess – you’re an English major?
I’m assuming your entire post is a joke. If not, then the failure of our educational system is far more serious than the failure of the US auto industry.
You ride your bike 32 miles a day to work? Yea, right! That’s 2.5+ hours, if you are a strong rider.
Keep up the good work!
Twotone
If you really are a college girl, please learn how to write, spell, and capitalize properly.
This isn’t what you get for being a college girl. This is what you get for not being educated in automotive matters. Please take it upon yourself to learn more about how to properly maintain your vehicle and find yourself a trustworthy mechanic. Don’t buy into the old sexist attitude that women should not learn about these things. Ignorance is costly whether you are a man or a woman, and the more you know about the contents of your owner’s manual and the basics of how cars work, the less likely it will be that you are taken advantage of.
Aamco may have been lying about your transmission fluid being old. They and the quick lube type businesses can’t be trusted.
PETA is too busy worrying about the President swatting flies and fish being imprisoned in tanks to worry about anything that really matters.
Old School, Shame On You For Making Light Of PETA.
Don’t you know that there’s room for all of God’s creatures? Right next to the mashed potatoes! Go Beef!
CSA
but thats what i get for being a college girl.
No, that’s what you get for not going to a Honda dealership or certified mechanic at a reputable independent FIRST. You can always refuse the fix if the price is too high…but you at least have the info.
BTW…you would not believe the number of “college students” who type improperly and refuse to take the time to correct their own English grammar or use spell check.
On average only half the people that start the process of geting a 4 year degree finish the process.
Many of the people that start college have no business doing so and we all bear the expense of grants given to people that don’t complete the program.
Stafford loan defaults are another problem in the college funding process.
I have seen many Masters Thesis students who were forced to hire an editor in order to complete their theses and graduate. Many people who are functionally illiterate manage to graduate from college.
I conclude you have read these type of papers? I quoted someones diseratation (I know I probably spelled it wrong)for a paper I was writing. The paper did not have grammer or structure problems but the person used a dozen words when 2 would have been enough. These papers come from a different world than mine. The topic was the history of “white guilt” or the unfair advantage that some say “white people” enjoy.
Hey, my son commutes 34 miles each way on his bike. He also races bicycles as a member of a team on the west coast. There are a lot of young physical fitness buffs that are in great shape, believe it or not.
I see nothing in the post that indicates that it’s any less than an honest cry for help. That’s what we’re here for.
Have you any suggestions pertaining to the young lady’s car problem? If not, at least show some common respect.
Gentlemen, I interpet the post as a desperate plea for help, having been written during a period of intense anger. I’m not sure I write much better even when I’m calm. I respectfully recommend that we try to address the problem and excuse the manifestations of the anger. We should let her professors deal with the poor writing skills. Some of the posts are ungentlemanly with no attempt to address the concerns.
Unfortunately, it’d be almost impossible to prove that the never changed your fluids, and the only recourse you’d have is a small claims court…which is unlikely to be productive. In most civil courts the burden is on the plaintiff, and the only criteria is a better argument than the defendant. He’ll be sending a lawyer. You have no hard evidence. The only chance you’ll have is if the judge or his wife was screwed by the same shop.
Consider this a cost of an education. You’ve learned to be sure you’re getting what you’ve paid for, you’ve learned to do some homework before relying on a shop, and you’ve learned that the world has dishonest people…and sometimes it just isn’t fair.
Just be glad you’ve found a shop you trust now. While I don’t understand the torques converter statement, I have no doubt that it’s morphed in its tranmsission from him to us.
Learn to accept what you cannot change.
Yes, I read them and review them for formatting. I try not to give style notes and only grammar and formatting corrections. If I find more than one basic grammar error within the first five pages, I kick it back to the student and suggest he or she hire an editor. I see a lot of verbose writers in the psychology department, who do the same thing you mention. It isn’t that these papers come from a different world than yours. I have the same problem. The problem is that they are usually judged based on the content they cover, not on how easy they are to read. The authors are never forced to write something that is meant to be understood. I hate having to read them. Even the best of them make for really boring reading.
Agree, side comments if you feel you must, in the Tom and Ray manner, but I’ll still take questions on face value and answer accordingly.
Besides, we participate in this forum for one of two reasons; we have too much time on our hands, or it’s just plain informative, fun and entertaining to share thoughts with those of similar interests. It’s up to those who post to live with the submissions they make and not for us to evaluate, except in jest and good humor.
Wasn’t too much for me to add to the OP,I felt she just wanted to talk about aspects of life. Am I suppose to start judging peoples work or motivitations? I can’t do that without stronger verification of events, and the post was lacking strong evidence and had to much subjective and poor,poor me type info.
People are free to skip right over any post they see with my name attached to it,is not like you are forced to read what I write.
Oldschool, you are an invaluable contributor to the forum and someone who has my respect. I just felt that this poor young lady was crying out for help with her car problem and was instead getting beaten up for her english.