By ERICKA KNOBBLOCK  

In a service to you, we at the Orange & Blue decided to do some investigatory journalism to find out if automotive mechanics really do make up problems and prices. I planned on taking my 1991 Honda Civic to five different mechanics within two to three days and then comparing the reports.

The first place I went was Tires Plus Total Car Care, 2605 SW 34th St. I waited two hours before I received an estimate for $1,741. According to them I needed two tires, CV axels, an alternator, a rear-wheel cylinder, a fuel filter and maintenance package, struts, two belts, wiper blades and one light bulb. I paid $21.19 for the test.

The next day, I went to Terry's Automotive and QWIK Lube, 7500 West Newberry Road. The mechanic worked on my car for 10 minutes before calling me to look at my radiator.

There was a three-inch crack on the top. Coolant had splashed on the inside of my car’s hood, engine and the part of the windshield that was exposed. Steam was spewing from the crack and the paint around it was gone. This was the only thing the mechanic reported being wrong. He gave me a Terry's Automotive business card with "radiator $216.08, coolant $8.00, labor $110.00, $334.58 + tax," written on the back. No service charge was included.

Immediately after that, I took my car to Firestone on Archer Road and waited for three hours. They told me I shouldn't be driving my car with that sort of crack in the radiator. I paid $21.19 for this service.

I called Tires Plus and asked if they had checked my radiator as part of their test. They said that they had examined it for external cracks and hadn't noticed any.

My radiator had cracked in less than 24 hours. I took my car back to Tires Plus and received a professional opinion that the crack wouldn't result from driving alone. I contacted a lawyer and I'm pursuing legal action against Terry's Automotive and QWIK Lube.

Update: Ericka Knobblock pursued legal action against Terry’s Automotive & QWIK Lube with UF's Student Legal Services. Because there was no hard proof that the damage had taken place while the car was at Terry’s, she was advised that she would have trouble winning a small-claims judgment against the shop. The crack has been temporarily fixed, and the car is running OK.