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Auto Repair Shop Called Out for Charging Unsuspecting Client $914 for 2-Minute Repair

With a global recession underway, things are getting tough, and everyone's looking out for themselves. But there's a limit to getting that hard-earned buck, and that's when professionalism turns into dishonesty. Getting ripped off feels terrible, but it pains the soul when you find out about it. Indeed, what you don't know won't hurt you.
Auto Shop Called out for unfair pricing 7 photos
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Samcrac
Auto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricingAuto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricingAuto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricingAuto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricingAuto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricingAuto Repair Shop called out for unfair pricing
There are car dealers looking to make a killing selling new units for unbelievable prices over MRSP. I did a story about that last month. But there's a worse group of people messing the good name of auto shops who take advantage of unsuspecting clients to charge steep prices for laughable repairs.

Sam of Samcrac's YouTube channel recently saved his stepmom from getting ripped off $914 for a 2-minute fix.

Let's be sincere. The service market doesn't have a fixed charge amount. That's why a haircut in downtown New York won't cost the same as a sleepy town in Kent County, Texas (backed by reasons, of course). But a 5-minute fix is a 5-minute fix and requires a 5-minute charge.

Sam has had a successful career buying lemon cars and fixing them for profit. Sharing his experiences on YouTube has earned him a good following of 1.2 million subs. As you'd expect, his friends and family often consult him about car-related issues. In this particular incident, it saved them a hefty penny.

Sam's stepmom received an invoice for over $900 for a fuel pump and installation service at a local auto shop. Sam's concern was the car ran fine and wasn't experiencing any leaks in the fuel system. It also had a check engine light and wouldn't take gas, even on an empty tank.

Some of the top symptoms that point to a faulty fuel pump often include a combination of; a hard start, whining noise from the tank, unexplainable loss of power, sputtering, stalling at high temperatures, and low gas mileage.

"My stepmom called and asked if she should have her Crown Victoria's fuel pump replaced at the shop. I told her to hold onto this quote, and we could diagnose it to see if it was necessary." Sam revealed this in a previous video upload on the channel.

The check engine error code was a P0193, which often means the vehicle's PCM has detected the fuel pressure isn't within a recommended range.

"The P0193 is for a fuel pressure rail sensor which is a $30 part that can be swapped in literally two minutes on the top of your engine bay. It has nothing to do with the fuel pump located inside the fuel tank," Sam explained.

If she'd taken the car to the auto shop, she'd have paid more for the fix since the problem would have persisted with a fuel pump replacement. To show just how simple the fix was, Sam repaired the car with his stepmom.

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About the author: Humphrey Bwayo
Humphrey Bwayo profile photo

Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life.
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