🚀 go-pugleaf

I would tend to avoid Tuneup Masters.  I called them in December for prices,
was quoted two prices - one for 3 mo. warranty and one for 6 mo. warranty.
Exact same tuneup procedure in both cases - longer warrantly was 10-15 bucks
more.  My brother brought in the car for me.  He knew nothing about the
different warranties/prices, and they automatically charged him the higher
price - didn't even ask which he wanted!  My brother knows little about cars,
so I told him to not have them replace any parts that cost extra.  They tried
to sell him an air filter, fuel filter, distributer cap, and a few other
services, stressing that they really needed to be done (we were leaving for
Colorado that evening), but he stood fast.  So, on the road to Colorado I got
WORSE gas mileage (highway driving) than I had gotten prior to the tuneup
(city driving).  En route, I replaced the air filter (really didn't need it,
but I was desparate for mileage - a $4 item), the fuel filter (there is no
way to visually tell if that needs replacing - a $10 item), and the distributor
cap and rotor (to Tuneup Master's credit, the cap was looking pretty rough).
My mileage did not change.  I also noticed some backfiring on decellerations
now.  I read the warranty and it was exceptionally limited.  Another beef was
the ONLY parts they replaced were the spark plugs ($6).  So I paid nearly $70
to have the carb screws turned a bit and the timing adjusted.  I vowed to take
my car back upon return to Austin.  I never did, mostly due to laziness and
losing the receipt (and not feeling like hassling with them for something I
could do myself).  I also ended up attributing the backfiring to a hole in
my exhaust.  A few months ago, I replaced the entire exhaust system, but the
backfiring persisted.  I had no time to tune my car, so I figured (okay, here
is where I advertise that I am a complete idiot!) I'd return my car to
Tuneip Masters, pay for another tuneup, but also tell them what a terrible job
they did previously, figuring they could rectify it.  I watched them do it.
They told me I needed a new air filter, which I didn't, so I refused.  Then
they told me the fuel filter needed replacement.  I asked how they could tell,
was the flow decreased.  They finally said it wasn't, but they always "suggest"
replacing it because most people don't get tuneups very frequently.  Naturally,
they charge about 3 times the going rate for all parts.  What a scam!  They
also tried to get me to replace the O2 sensor and a couple of other things
on the same premise - that replacing parts can't hurt (except the wallet).
They never did stop the backfiring - the "mechanic" said it was the <some part
I never heard of and can't remember>.  I asked him to point out the part so I
could replace it myself, and he couldn't find it.  My gas mileage did, however,
improve to the figure it should be.
	My general impression of Tuneup Masters is that they scare customers
into buying goods and services that aren't needed and if they can't do
somthing (such as eliminate the backfiring), they attribute it to something
else - possibly an imaginary part.  The average customer knows little enough
about cars that when someone posing as a mechanic (ie. a car expert) tells
them something should be done, the customer will have it done.  I rebuilt a
couple of early 1970's cars, so at least I am familiar with enough of modern
parts to recognize false information.
	Sorry about the tirade - but the only reason I got into working on
cars was because I couldn't afford to have mechanics take me to the cleaners
the way they were.  It is an issue on which I feel very strongly and I think
Tuneup Masters is one of the worst offenders...












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	Ralph Graham		                graham@cs.utexas.edu
     . . . life is merely a wretched cesspool of twisted emotions . . . 
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