OK, wise-ass, so you need some space to vent. Here it is. Direct lettersto the editor to sccnews@primedia.com and we'll do our best to comeup with a snide response. Or completely ignore you. But hey, at least you've got a voice.
Letter of the MonthI need your help pretty bad. Here's the deal. I'm the second owner of a 2003 Subaru WRX and I used to love it to death. The turbo spool, the launches, the looks, everything. It was my baby and I put every dime I could spare into it. That is, until about seven months ago. The weak five-speed took a dump on me. It might have been a gear, or something like that.
I had it towed to a local shop where the headaches really began. They took the tranny out and we started to talk about my options. Stupid me figured: "Hey, if the car is down, might as well get everything done in one shot." I settled on installing a front-mount intercooler, fuel pump, pink injectors, Injen cold-air intake and a Blitz boost controller in addition to the trans work. Week after week I called. Every time I visited, my car looked the same. Torn apart, dirty and with what looked like socks stuffed into various parts. The three-week estimate turned into a six-month headache with nothing to be seen for all my cash. Then suddenly, out of the blue, they tell me the car is done, come and get it.
The car barely runs, both front fenders are dented, the hood hits the intake, I got three different kinds of leaks and some of the clamps on the FMIC were loose. Plus, my Prova oil cap and STI shift knob were mysteriously switched out for stock WRX pieces. Good thing I don't like keeping stuff I buy, huh? The best shop in town then proceeds to deny stealing anything and tells me they "don't tune ECUs", so I'm SOL on the sputtering. It still cost me $2000 in labor to pull the car out of hell, and I can barely drive it. I am so pissed right now. Can I sue or do anything? This has really soured everything for me, I'm almost about to give up on my car now.Gary DenisonSeattle, WA
There are things you can do, but are they really worth your time? You could take them to court or report them to the BBB, of course, but in the end it probably won't do much of anything at all. Most crap shops' reputations catch up with them quickly enough and they won't be around to feel any hurt. Fly-by-night operations at their finest.
We recommend always checking around with other owners and finding out about any history a shop may have. Then go in and meet with the shop manager, and be prepared to walk out if anything feels fishy or high-pressure. We at SCC recently ran into a healthy dose of headaches with a local shop's definition of custom service on our Project 350Z. Be sure to look for a future project update to see what happened during our twin-turbo build-up, and thanks to all our loyal readers on my350z.com for watching our backs. -JL
Free StuffBecause he got royally screwed, Gary wins a pair of 30GB Microsoft Zune portable digital media players. Beyond MP3, video and image playback capabilities, the Zune features:* Wireless file sharing between Zunes* Bright three-inch display* Built-in FM tuner
We're giving away a pair (yes, as in two) of Zune players, so Gary and a friendcan take advantage of the Zune's wireless sharing and zap each other with MP3s. In the event that Gary doesn't have any friends, well, a free Zune can probably help out with that too. To follow in Gary's footsteps, send us your feedback to sccnews@primedia.com, or to Sport Compact Car - Inbox, 2400 E. Katella Ave. - 11th Floor, Anaheim, CA, 92806.