Tuesday, February 12, 2019

2.12.19 Bee-otches of the Day: Tuffy and Christian Brothers Automotive



Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Names: Tuffy Tire and Auto Service, Christian Brothers Automotive
Ages: 49, 37
Occupation: auto repair shops
Last Seen: Tuffy: near 28th and Eastern in Grand Rapids, Christian Brothers: next to Meijer on 28th and Kalamazoo in Grand Rapids
Bee-otched For: being total ripoffs
 
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Like 99.infinity9% of most Michiganders, I can't wait til winter is over.

Of course, the kids are enjoying their snow days, but for us that have to drive to work daily, it sucks being an adult.

One victim to this ass nasty weather in this state has been my car. I only bought it in September and so far, I've had to replace a lot because of the weather: battery, ball bearings, brake line, a tie rod... I ask myself why I didn't buy new this time around.

Or even better, why I went to chain shops instead of a dependable mom and pop shop for repairs.

A few weeks ago, right in front of my workplace, the brakes went out. I had to push the brake pedal all the way down to make it stop. So, after work,  I took it in to Tuffy on 28th Street near Eastern. It was 0 degrees and the roads were pure black ice. Since it was the nearest repair shop to work, it was a must, no matter the price.

And it was the price that I paid. $557 for a new brake line. I told my dad about what happened and he agreed: they are a ripoff.

Then, the ABS and traction system lights came on. I decided to give Thomsons Automotive on 28th Street near Kalamazoo a try since I heard good things about them. They did notice a few other things wrong with my car, like a tie rod issue. I told them about the brake line and they told me that they put the thing on with a zipline. They also told me that they definitely ripped me off and that they would have only charged me about $300 for my car.

Well, a few days later, the shit hit the fan again. When I went out to the car to start it last Friday morning, the driver's side door was frozen shut. I ended up getting some water to try to unfreeze it to no avail. I did get the passenger's side unopened, thankfully. Later on that day, I was finally able to get my driver's side door opened at the parking lot at the 28th and Kalamazoo Meijer. The bad news? I couldn't close it. I tried closing it as hard as I could, but nothin' doin'.

Then, I realized that there was another auto repair shop, Christian Brothers right next door. I went there, holding my driver's side door for dear life. Christian Brothers - believe it or not - is a so-called Christ-centered auto repair shop. Their waiting room looks like a doctor's office with no TV, a bunch of boring magazines and a stack of bibles on a table. I told one of the people at the counter about my door not closing and a few minutes later a black man came out and checked the door. He told me that they would have to tear the door apart to see what's wrong. But, since it was Friday afternoon and they were crazy busy, I took my keys and drove off, holding the door for dear life again.

Well, I got to Thomson's, knowing that since I didn't have an appointment I probably would be stuck with an open door forever. Well, I got there and one of the mechanics took my car into one of the bays, sprayed some oil into the lock, opened and closed the door several times and VIOLA! Problem solved. He didn't charge me a penny and I was happy.

You know, if you go to Thomsons' website, they boast about their 4.8 rating. I totally agree that they're one of the VERY FEW places in town that are reliable in terms of taking care of your automobile. Chain shops tend to hire high school kids who cut corners and they overcharge. What's even more pathetic is that "Christian" Brothers should have fixed my door there plain and simple instead of having some asshole tell me that getting my door fixed would cost me an arm and a leg and they couldn't do it today. Honestly, I don't think they care about my - or anyone else's - safety. But, they are a "Christian" business and one thing I've learned about life is that businesses that claim to be Christian tend to be scam artists. Sorry, but I'd rather go to a repair shop that reeks of stale coffee and only has one Snickers bar in the vending machine over a shop that doesn't care two shits about my safety. Christian Brothers and Tuffy will never see a dime from my pocket again.

What would Jesus do? Go to Thomsons.


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