Clueless Chain Repair

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We have a local chain called VIP auto/O'Reilly that sells parts and performs auto repair.

My mother in law left my home yesterday and on her way had a glaring battery light on dash. She goes into VIP auto with repair shop at 4pm who states you should get that fixed soon but can keep driving........

Well she ends up on a 65 MPH 4 lane highway with lights flickering all over dash and finally car slowed to only 30MPH so she travels the breakdown lane but keeps driving towards a repair shop. She calls me and I say you are going to stall any moment and pull over safely.

She gets towed and ends up at their own shop. Early this AM I go to mailbox and find the culprit a belt likely alternator broken in my driveway. The shop was honest and did just repair that.

My wife is irate they sent her mum driving away and this is our second experience with those idiots(VIP auto chain) who forgot to tighten all wheels lug nuts on wife's SUV last year purchasing tires.
 
Sounds like Canadian Tire.
lol.gif


Didn't the car overheat without the serpentine belt?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Sounds like Canadian Tire.
lol.gif


Didn't the car overheat without the serpentine belt?


Maybe a cam driven water pump and electric fans?

Was it just the belt? Or belt and alternator? Did the guys not even open the hood and possibly see a shredded belt? Also, what kind of bitogging son in law lets a family member's serpentine belt get that worn?
smile.gif
 
She could've gone to Big-O-Tire. They'd of fixed the belt right off and she might have had new tires, shocks, struts, battery, and an oil change to boot. That's what they tried to do my friend's daughter once when she was towed there for a dead battery while driving.
 
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Sounds like Canadian Tire.
lol.gif


Didn't the car overheat without the serpentine belt?


Maybe a cam driven water pump and electric fans?

Was it just the belt? Or belt and alternator? Did the guys not even open the hood and possibly see a shredded belt? Also, what kind of bitogging son in law lets a family member's serpentine belt get that worn?
smile.gif



I have a father in law who does not believe in fixing cars until so bad and blames my mother in law's driving if something fails. I don't get involved. She broke down and it was the belt only because as stated I found it broken like a cut across not shredded in my driveway today.
 
It is a retail chain with a business plan that is to sell lots and lots of parts. Pretending to be experts in the art of repairing autos is the come on to sell the parts. Pretty simple.
 
I'd lean towards fraudulent, not clueless, but my wife was almost the victim of a shop who told her she needs a timing belt change at 100k on an engine that doesn't have one. Luckily she asked me first.
 
I will say that when I worked at Sears Auto, 05-07, we had no access to AllData or Mitchell OnDemand whatsoever. We had old brake spec books to go off of and then whatever was on the Hunter alignment rack. Any repair beyond that we literally had to wing it or go home, no internet access, and try to look it up online on our own time.
 
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