2001 VW Golf : When to ditch a mechanic?

[from_aeolus]

I took my car to one of those 1 hour Air Conditioner service places - it was blowing air, just not cold air. They told me it would take about an hour, including the time it takes to check for leaks in the system. An hour later, I drive by the place and see an employee arriving at the driver's door of that car where I had parked it. I called them for an update, he said 15-20 more minutes. At 2 hours, I show up again and they say they don't know what the issue is, but they think it is a bad compressor and it could take anywhere from 2-4+ hours more. I call again at 4 hours (6pm closing time), and they tell me they are still unsure of the problem and they want to keep it overnight. It is now the next day and they've been open for 2 hours - making it 6 hours total that they've had the car.

Maybe I should note that I did check the box that said call with estimates before they do any actual fixes, and I had asked them to call me with updates every time I talked to them. They have never called me, I have initiated every contact so far.

I usually take this car to a place that specializes in foreign cars, especially VW, but since I thought this would be a quick 1hr job, I took it to one of those in-and-out places. My question is, do these guys know what they're doing? How long do I wait for them to figure this out before I take it to my regular place instead? Do I owe them anything for the time they've spent working on it?

Thank you all so very much for being here, I just need some advice. Thank you!

[taktek111]

Usually shops has a fix rate for diagnostics,then there is the actual work charges if you approve the work needs to be done after,but A/C check/diagnoses should not take that long and you should not be charged for all the time they spent trying to find out what the problem is ......... good luck

[MagicRat]

For air conditioning work, most problems take a lot more than 1 hour to diagnose and repair. Any quick AC repair probably won't last long.

I think there's 2 problems here - you are not allowing enough time for a repair.......... and these folks are not honest enough to tell you they are simply too busy to look at it anytime soon.

So, despite your excessive expectations, they are not being honest. Take it to your regular guy.

[Zulma510]

despite your excessive expectations, they are not being honest. Take it to your regular guy.

[hidasiadi]

Hey guys. I think its probably time to call the service if u dont feel safe in your own car. There is a lot of ppl with knowledge on how to solve problems, but also a lot who dont have the time to learn em. If you are experiencing any trouble while driving, I think it is neccesarry to contact your service.

I was actually planning to buy a new car, but i couldnt really find a live topic, so i decided to use the one with the most views, hopefully somebody will tell me his!her opinion.

Im planning on buying a new car from Europe, a WV passat, 2,0 TDI.
http://bit.ly/16vCahK
This is actually a pretty good price for this one. It says it has been runing under 100 000 km, so I guess it's pretty fit also.

tell me what you think pls!
cheers