I'm NEVER going back to Nok Auto

well good, i have problems with him dealing with the house.

wow, that's insane! i'm glad you're ok!

i actually went to NOK with my old car a few years back...2002 or 2003, maybe. they inspected, they changed something, and it was fine.

but then...

i got a call last summer, a voicemail, "hi this is NOK, we're wondering when you're going to come and pick up your car. give us a call as soon as you get this, thanks."

i had sold my car at least a year before that! i called and told them so, they were very confused for a moment and then said, "ok, thanks, nevermind" and that was that. CRAZY.

YIKES. that is a major oversight for a mechanic to make! almost as bad as a surgeon closing an incision without removing the scissors and sponges. Actually maybe worse, because if the wheel went spinning off, quite a few people could have been hurt.

man. glad to hear you caught it before something disastrous happened.
did you tell them about this blunder?

jml wrote: Haven't told them yet - been putting it off, actually. I've been busy and a little nervous about what to say.

Just be nice about it. I'd suggest approaching them as if you're just a concerned customer and you feel they should know they made this mistake, and not necessarily let on that you plan on never going there again. Maybe you'll get a refund or something, which they'd have no incentive to give you if they know they've already lost your return business. You can still not go back, and it doesn't have to get nasty. They should know this happened -- it's extremely dangerous.

i would want to put it off as well because i always go from being assertive to being aggressive. so i want to avoid conflict. but truly, they should know about it, even if they don't do anything proactive about making sure it doesn't happen again.

I've been trying to be better about this. today i found myself in the cheese aisle at whole foods on Houston. i saw a tub of farmers cheese (a very white cheese) that had a big blue splotch on it and some other weird discoloration. the dates were the same as the all the other ones on the shelf which was disconcerting. i mean, if the moldy cheese was a week old, i would be grossed out but it would make sense. why some of the 10/6 cheese was moldy and the others were not. .. well it was troubling.

anyway, i brought the moldy tub over to the counter and said "this was over on the shelf. im pretty sure it's not supposed to look like this." they apologized and took it from me (and hopefully threw it away.)

not the same thing as your tire being loose obviously!! but that's me trying to be assertive.

Bump!

Sorry for the long rant, but I have to share.

This morning I dropped my car off at NOK for an oil change around 11. At 2:55 I got a text message saying I need to call them about an estimate. In addition to the $35 oil change, they tell me I also need coolant fluid ($15), windshield wiper fluid ($4!) and a new air filter ($30 - more than double retail), and the total will be $83. I said I'd like to use the $19 coupon from their website. Not having the manual handy I accepted the recommendation for the coolant and air filter, fine, whatever. The receptionist says the new total will be $74, which I chalked up to a math error.

At 5:15, I'm wondering why they haven't called about my car, so I call up and after listening to the bizarre talk radio that they have while you're on hold, the lady finally says, "It's ready, you can come and get it." No apology, nothing.

I pick it up, and the invoice says that the oil change is actually $28 plus a $5 waste management fee (never mentioned on the phone), which is not part of the discount. Ok, fine, at this point they had my car for about 6 hours to do an oil change, so I've already decided I'm not going back.

I get in the car, which has about 50k miles on it, check the manual, and it says I need a new air filter every 30k miles and new coolant only after 120k miles. So I march back in and ask why they had me change all that. The receptionist passes me off to the mechanic, an amiable and earnest guy. He says he'll show me why they recommended I change the filter -- and he pulls out the filter that's in there to show me how dirty it is! (It was barely dirty.) Dumbfounded, I asked if they also put coolant in, and he said they didn't.

So once again, I confront the ladies up front who truly embody IDGAF. The receptionist tells me, "Well, you used a credit card, and I don't know how to refund that." Ha! Then the other lady pops her head out from her closet-office to show her before immediately darting back in to avoid me. She tells her to refund $44.50 for the coolant and filter; I point out that she didn't include sales tax, and she immediately recites the amount with tax as though she were hoping I wouldn't notice.

Not once did I get an apology, just pure hostility. I always suspected this place was a ripoff, but I guess I should be happy that I caught them red handed. My theory is the "manager" never actually passed on the work order and was hoping to pocket the money somehow. I've heard about this Rohan guy being nice and honest and all, but his management skills are evidently terrible. I've had some terrible oil change experiences but that is just a jaw-dropper.

never had anything but good experiences there. i would speak with rohan about your experience.

place is a bit over priced to be honest with had a light bulb change once. and it was double normally what my other place charges. I never let him service my car again.