I came into River Oaks Automotive for a state inspection bc it is very close to where I live. They told me I failed the inspection bc my brake lights would not come on. He told me the issue was probably related to the gearshift being stuck as well. He told me they would have a mechanic look at it and he ""doubted"" it would be a simple fix. One quick search on Google told me the problem was the stoplight switch under the pedal. ""John"" gave me a call to tell me that indeed the problem was the stoplight switch. He told me the cost of the inspection was 39.99 and the cost to replace the stoplight switch was 150 before tax. The part can be found on the internet for less than 10 dollars and 23 dollars retail. I went up there to tell John that I would take my car somewhere else bc that estimate was totally ridiculous. He then told me there was a 50 dollar checkout fee. He told me about how the mechanic had to go so deep into the vehicle to reach the problem. Thank goodness I did my research, because I countered right away that the part was under the pedal and there was nothing he had to take apart to reach it. Lo and behold, he grudgingly waived the fee.
Update: The owner of the shop called me to apologize and make amends. He was friendly and conciliatory. Obviously the owner of this business cares about customer service.
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