TUFFY AUTO SVC CTR

After I went to start the car for work, and nothing happened, I took my wife's car and asked her to call Tuffy to get the car in for a repair.  They were able to get it right in.  It was the starter motor.  They replaced it that day with a rebuilt unit.  When I called from work to get the price, they said $1356.59.  I said, "What?"  They said it needed a complete tune-up, fuel Injection service and the oil pan gasket replaced.  I then said, "Let's skip that". (I had the fuel injection service done the last time they had the car and had to take it back as it ran terrible when I picked it up.  They left off a vacuum hose.)   

I then asked how much just the starter repair was. The price was $521.39, including $358.47 for a rebuilt starter, one hour labor at $96.97, and shop supplies of $36.44.  (Must have taken a whole lot of clean rags!) 

Just for fun, I called NAPA to see how much a rebuilt starter was for my car, and they said it was in the $195.00 range.  I then asked how much a new one was, and they said it was just a couple of dollars more, and if you buy a new one, you don't need to return the core. Tuffy charged me $358.47 and as far as I know, all I got was the rebuilt one.

Next, I set up an appointment with Lovitinsky Harapat auto repair, and had them look at the tune up issue.  They called me at work and told me they didn't understand why I had dropped off the car, as it was running great and did not need a tune up. And, a Pennzoil High Mileage oil change with the anti-leak in it has eliminated the oil pan issue for now. 

To sum this up, I would give Tuffy a good rating for getting me right in, and for doing a good job on the starter.  But I caution anyone that uses this vendor to be aware before you go in as to what is actually needed, and don't allow any extra services to be performed before getting a second opinion.