Car Trouble

Almost all of us have been screwed over one way or another by car appointments. Whether you were misquoted or taken advantage of, you’ve experienced the frustration of dealing with car companies and mechanics.

I really need “a guy”; it seems like everyone has their “guy” they go to when something is wrong with their car. As a young woman, I am constantly being taken advantage of when I take my car somewhere because they assume I am clueless and they are completely right about that.

When something isn’t working right in my Honda Civic, I never know where to bring it. Where do I go when something is wrong and I don’t know what it is?

My car has recently been lighting up like a Christmas tree so I did the first thing I could think of and brought it in for an oil change. I used to go to one place I won’t name but I heard so many terrible reviews, I stopped trusting them. So on a whim, I went to Prompto 10 Minute Oil Change on Forest Avenue.

Prompto 10 Minute Oil Change on Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine

I was due for an oil change, which I was right about. While I was there, the mechanic working on my car kindly asked if he could show me something. I got out of my car and he opened my hood, indicating that I had a ripped intake. I immediately panicked because what the heck does that mean?

He patiently told me what it meant and what could cause it, then gave me a piece of advice that ended up saving my ass. He said, “I can’t fix that here, we don’t do that, but the part is extremely cheap and very easy to put in and out on your own.”

I didn’t think much of it until this week when I brought my car to a dealership.

Prompto Saves My Life

My car was still acting funny but in ways that the mechanic had said my car shouldn’t act even with a ripped intake, so out of desperation, I brought it to a dealership. They looked it over and called me with the issues. They explained that my transmission fluid needed to be changed, which I allowed them to proceed with, but they also said I had a ripped intake.

The quote to fix the intake? $300.

I said, NOPE, don’t touch it! Remembering what I had learned at Prompto, I ordered the part to be picked up curbside at AutoZone, reached out to a savvy friend, and got the part fixed for $17.

I had no idea what a ripped intake was or how much that should cost. If the guy at Prompto hadn’t told me about it, I would have just assumed it was a $300 fix and I would have let the dealership charge me that amount.

Thank GOD I had had that one simple, quick conversation with Prompto because they saved me hundreds of dollars!!!

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

The Ultimate Guide to Maine Specialty License Plates

More From 94.9 WHOM