The problem is not the car its you!, why take your vehicle to a mechanic who is out to purchase a new boat or new home in your case! I would tow your vehicle out of the shop and ask for your money back when they take you to court which they will show the court the never ending problem and find others with the same never ending billing. I would not spend another dollar on the car put a for Sale Sign on the car and sell it to higher bidder. purchase a different brand more reliable. and a
better shop which offered one time repairs.
I donât know if the OP can legally âtow [the] vehicle out of the shopâ without paying for the unsuccessful repairs, however he can take his money, buy a different (older) car, and have a different shop perform whatever maintenance/repairs are needed to make it reliable. At this point, the shop has a mechanicâs lien for the value of the work done against the Prius, which exists automatically. Of course, it would require separate judicial action (i.e. a civil suit) to compel the OP to pay these charges, and the fact that the repairs were not successful would reduce the likelihood of a successful collection lawsuit.
And while my advice may have come across as harsh, the bottom line is that wasting $55/day to drive a rental car to work is beyond absurd. The only time it makes sense to pay rental car prices is when you are travelling, and have no choice because you could not bring your own vehicle, or if you are considering buying a specific new car, and want to test-drive one for more than just an hour or so. At all other times, renting a car is money down the drain.
Not going to get into it but the mechanic has an âinterestâ in the car but not a lien until it is legally filed against the title. A lien means the title cannot be transferred until the lien is paid and is indicated on the title. Whether or not a car can be held hostage until the bill is paid is another issue and depends on the local police. Filing a $4000 lien on a car worth $4500 in good running condition though would not be the smartest tool in the box to use.
I agree with this.
2 or 3 summers ago, for vacation my in-laws decided to drive from PA to Utah to go camping along the way and see the sites. Their primary vehicle at the time (which had survived many vacations despite being loaded to the gills) was a 2005 Ford Focus hatchback with probably 225-250k miles at that point (along with numerous roadside alternator changes, at least 2 or 3 that I can remember!). They opted to rent a vehicle (I believe it ended up being a Nissan Murano) with unlimited miles for the trip and had a great time not worrying about the car needing unnecessary repairs along the way or putting a ton of miles on their own vehicle. The price for the entire week wasnât unreasonable either (far less than $55 a day, I feel like they paid somewhere between $100-150 for the entire week).
I checked the Dollar Rent A Car rates for a standard SUV (Hyundai Santa Fe or similar); $395 per week, approx. $488 total. A sub-compact car is $223 per week. A Toyota Corolla is $250 per week. These are âpay nowâ prices, the regular rate is $100 more.
Sure now they are, that wasnât the case:
I think given time once the rental car agencies refill their fleets, the prices will come back down again.
Car was in the shop, 50 mile commute one way. I rented a car. Car broke down 150 miles from home with wife driving and needed a new engine. I rented a car to go get her and to drive to work while the engine was being installed. Some folks have such a narrow focus or live in an apartment 6 blocks from work and take the trolley everywhere.
+1
Blanket statements about people supposedly not âneedingâ to rent a car are very self-focused. At this point in my life, I only own one vehicle at a time, and even though my dealership provides free loaner cars, if I was in a situation where I needed to have my car repaired somewhere else, my homeâs location would make it necessary for me to rent a car.
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At the risk of getting the dreaded thread hijack meme:
I reserved an econo-box online. The Rental agency provided a Mustang.
Another time: two week road trip. My truck would have been fine, but no lockable storage other than the cab. Rented a sedan.
An advantage to renting for a road trip, if it breaks the agency takes care of it.
Yup!
I love those free upgrades.
The car rental agency upgraded my sister to a Charger, because they did not want young people driving it!
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Come to think of it I rented a 3 seat van once to drive 450 miles one way to transfer my dad to a new nursing home. Needed a particular model to accommodate a wheel chair and couple passengers. I think it cost $700 in all but a necessary expense. He wanted to come home.
OK, going to weigh in and introduce some logic against my better judgement because nobodyâs paying for my advice and as they say, âItâs worth what you pay for itââŠ
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A car is a machine to get you from Point A to Point B. Itâs not an investment, a status symbol or personal validation and if it is, you need to find some new friends.
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Buy what best fits your needs. Do you really âneedâ a 7 passenger Range Rover if 99% of your usage is a 20 mile commute from home to the office parking lot?
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Consider long term costs. In my younger days I picked up a great deal on a used Maserati only to discover that insurance, maintenance and speeding tickets were eating me alive.
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Consider your abilities. My kids have absolutely no interest in DIY maintenance/repairs but thankfully they do understand the importance and have the available cash to pay an expert. Ten years on, their cars run like new with more miles ahead and they get a smile thinking about all the money thetâre saving on car payments while the planning for their next new car.
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To paraphase Charles Dickens, âA dollar in, 90 cents out and all is peacel but a dollar in and a dollar ten out all is gloomâ.
That expensive seat warmer package may make your butt feel good for a few hours but will it really help you sleep better after that initial $3,000 up charge?
Bottom line is that I love cars, I enjoy working on cars and I have a very patient spouse who undertands that Simple Green is my preferred fragrance but insists that her car starts first time,. everytime. For her the only choice is new car, full warranty and yes, seat warmer.
For me, anything British, that leaks everything.
Coming on fifty years she has her âseat warmerâ and I have my old MG and grease marks all over the house and weâve avoided the cost of Divorce Attorneys. .
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I come from a hard nocks world, you are too kind to the crocked pot repair shop, I would ask fora test drive give the a credit card which you can reverse the charge, take the vehicle to a preset location and have it towed to another shop prearranged in advance. Reverse the charge and let them use that mechanic lien, to collect in court the have all your evident lined up ready for a successful out come.
I would go to pick & pull the have cars low costs running for less, rental at 55 is not that expensive. You can sell the pick & pull car and get your money back!
The idea of teaching them or anyone a lesson sounds dump to start with, you are looking for a win here.
The OPâs car is a Toyota. What brand is more reliable?
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Bizarrely, some people seem to think that it is an appropriate grocery-getter.
For a few years, the joke on my street was âWhat color is Tonyâs loaner car from the Rover dealer this week?â.
My neighbor is obviously a slow learner, but a few months after the Roverâs warranty expired, he finally decided to trade it in on another car.
His next carâa VW Jettaâhas spent a little less time in the shop that his Rover did, so he seems to think that it is a remarkably reliable vehicle.
I would contact the comparable brands out there and ask the head of the dealership do you stand behind your brand or do you have your mechanic waist 4k on repairs that do not solve the problem?