Should I pay?

So last Thursday, my SES light came on and the car felt like a diesel when idling. I thought is was the DISA as I am at 108k.

I take it out to my local mech Thursday night and he calls me Friday morning. He said it is the DISA and it would be $300 and the car would be done on Tuesday around lunch time.

I have someone drop me off today at lunch to get it and the were still working on the car when I got there. After waiting for 45 minutes, guy comes out and tells me that they ordered the wrong part because I don't have any numbers on the back

He asks me to come back tomorrow around lunch and it should only take 45 minutes or so. I ended up calling my local dealer and got the part for $230. Took about ten minutes to put in tonight.

My question, when I called the mech back this afternoon he said I owed him a $50 diagnostic fee, should I still pay? Part of me thinks I have had a solid relationship and he usually does good, timely work. The other part of me thinks this guy jerked me around for a few days and took quite a bit of time out of my day. A simple hey we fvcked up would have made this situation much better.

Am I being the typical BMW owner here?

dont pay if you get bad service, thats what i think

pay him the 50 and say thanks but no thanks next time ,bc he screwed you around. he should have known to get the right part..

Originally Posted by j_block

dont pay if you get bad service, thats what i think

true, but the shop did diagnose the problem... There is always a diagnostic fee... you should pay, at least it wasn't $255 like the dealer would have charged you.

Next time you should try to figure out the problem yourself, you were right about guessing it was the desa

Did the Disa fix your concearns?

Oh I didn't read the OP's post properly... Don't pay, crappy service...

Did you sign a "repair order" or a "work order" of any kind?

Question, WAS it the DISA? You could have diagnosed that yourself by unplugging one connector...

It was the Disa/Desa, whatever that thing is on the drivers side of the intake. I've had the SES light a few times but it's never run this rough. I have a big drive from Pittsburgh to Filthadelphia at the end of the week and wanted the car in best shape quickly. Thought this guy could do it.

I didn't sign anything, and he let me leave with the car today. I actually told him to check that valve when I left him a voicemail that I was dropping it off. His diagnostic fee was basically for pulling the codes.

I am leaning towards not paying but I don't want to have to find another indy. Is there a gentlemen-ly way of handling this? (I'm ok with with being a dick about it, I've wasted far too much time already)

talk to the manager and explain that the service was really bad and you wasted alot of time, if that doesnt help then talk to someone higher up

give him his peanuts and tell him you'll never come back again

Give the money but give him a two week post dated check

If he does good work, his prices are usually reasonable and you trust him, pay him the damn money.. it's only $50! If he's none of the above and you'd rather do the work yourself or take the risk of finding a "trustworthy" mech, then tell him to piss off. I also think you should man up and tell him face to face, he wasted your time instead of coming on a forum and b!tching about it.

Originally Posted by someguy_99

Give the money but give him a two week post dated check

^^^^^ this one is the best

The dude provided a service to you, pay the bill that you owe; man up my comrade! SMH

From my perspective, this Indy seems decent enough and if you like him, then not only should you pay the $50, but also bring him espresso and donuts!

Why? He got your car on Thursday and had an answer by Friday...okay, easy enough with scanner and stethoscope I guess, but he was right there for you and honest.

He was working to make you a happy customer, and also this...while the diagnostic might have taken a short time, he then called up his parts source, ordered part, (and parts guy could have been at fault), and then he went to order new disa and swap again. He'd spent an hour on your car...plus or minus...and you went rogue on him.

Not a horrible thing for either of you...but he got a little ticced off. Admittedly, four days without your car when he might have said to just unplug it (maybe he didn't know...or maybe that doesn't always work...IDK). Anyway, he had to have been pissed both ordering or getting the wrong part, and you are too, but a good Indy is hard to find and takes a little work to keep...but they're worth it!

Don't forget the donuts...srs (if you want to keep him!).

Uhhh dont pay and spend another 50 bucks and get a Peake code reader from bimmertools!

He was up front & said he got the wrong part. These things happen, and at least he charged you a reasonable amount for the dianostics. A shop gets busy... and you had to wait. I say pay him.. because if you're even thinking about it means you want to do the right thing.. even though he may have little recourse if you chose not to pay.

If you want to use this guy again, then pay him. If you don't, then I wouldn't bother. Altho the ethical thing to do would be to pay.

Pay, its only $50 and they didn't do anything wrong that cost you more money.