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Woman gets $700 refund after FOX 26 steps in to help auto repair dispute

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Published  April 17, 2023 5:01pm CDT
Sullivan's Smart Sense
FOX 26 Houston

Houston woman gets $700 refund after FOX 26 steps in to settle auto repair dispute

A woman says her car was undrivable immediately after having the brakes repaired. When she tried telling the mechanic, they refused to cover the cost. That's when FOX 26 stepped in to help her find answers.

HOUSTON - Have you ever had an expensive car repair that didn't really fix the problem? What do you do? There are steps you can take to end resolve a repair shop stalemate.

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Cora Castle relies on her Kia Soul for her job as a delivery driver and her bakery business. She says she paid an auto repair shop $670 dollars to fix the brakes. 

"They replaced both back brakes and both back rotors," she explained.

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However, Castle says as soon as she drove the car away, 

"I couldn’t even accelerate it," she said. "The brake kept coming on even though I wasn’t pushing the brake. I couldn’t even get over 20 miles an hour."

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Castle says she immediately took the car back and the shop performed more work, but it didn't fix the problem.

She then got a second opinion from a Kia dealership, which wrote that rotor screws were missing, the rotors didn't sit correctly on the hub, and that it would now cost $1,800 to fix.

Castle says when the first mechanic refused to cover the cost, she turned to FOX 26. When our call and emails to the repair shop went unanswered for three weeks, we went over.

After talking with the shop manager, we immediately received a call from the corporate office.

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However, after looking into it, the repair shop says they still stand by their work, and Castle says they gave her a $700 refund.  

If you're in a dispute over an auto repair, FOX 26 Legal Analyst Chris Tritico recommends getting a second opinion in writing, preferably from a dealership for the car's manufacturer.

"Everyone is going to rely on the dealer to be the independent person to say this person was the one that was at fault," he said. "When you go to a different mechanic who is just another independent person, now you have the battle of the independents."

Car still not fixed after taking it to mechanic? Here’s what steps you can take

Have you ever had an expensive car repair that didn’t really get fixed properly and the mechanic won’t make it right? FOX 26 Consumer Reporter Heather Sullivan shares some "smart sense" on what to do and how you can try to avoid it.

Here are tips to handle repair disputes from the Texas Attorney General:

  • Get a written authorization and estimate before the mechanic begins work.
  • You may have to pay for a repair in dispute, as a mechanic has the right to hold your car until being paid.
  • You can refute the charge afterward with the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, your credit card, or in small claims court.

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Consumer Reports offers these tips for finding reputable mechanics:

  • Ask people you know for recommendations.
  • Look for certification by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, or ASE.
  • Check the shop out with the Better Business Bureau.
  • Try them out for a small service first, like an oil change.
  • Ask if they offer warranties on their work.

Consumer Reports offers a repair cost estimator so that you'll know what a repair should cost.

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