Random shutting off

i am getting so fed up with my mechanic. up until now i have trusted him to be honest and fix whatever is wrong. maybe it's just that he doesnt quite understand what is wrong with my car, but this is what happens...

when i am in neutral or when i have my foot completely pressed on the clutch my car shuts off. the steering locks and i have to turn the key as i would to turn the car on. while going corners, while coming to a stop, backing up, sitting at a light. always when i am in neutral or the clutch is pressed in. the amount this happens varies, but if i spend and hour and half in my car driving to and from school, work, or errands it happens 2-5 times.

the mechanic first said i needed a tune up, so he did that. when i got my car back and it was still doing it, he did SOMETHING else about a gas valve. im not sure, but if anyone can help, and knowing that information will help them i will search through my files and find the invoice. i plan on taking it to another recommened mechanic and if i can say to them what i am suspicious of, maybe the diagnostic hours wont be too expensive. thanks

I saw this study that said that half of cars taken to shops for repairs had nothing done to them at all. Even the most reputable shop in my area charged me twice as much for a part than I could get it for. Aparently if you ask for your old parts and some other stuff I forget, you are more likely to not get jacked. Also check that they are listed with the BBB and this other place, forget what it's called. Like Natioanal Assosication of Automechanics or something. Not trying to say they're all like this. But it can happen.

About your car, mine does it after I disconnect the neg battery cable. Try making sure that's secure as one easy thing to rule out. Someone else will help I'm sure.

blah now an old problem from about 8 months ago is back too!
my AC light starts to blink and the air isn't cold anymore. when i turn it off and then back on it goes back on tho. im getting pissed and i dont know what to do

hmmm, that's an odd problem....it could be the ignition switch giving out, then coming back allowing you to start it. my ignition switch has a problem also. i would be driving normally and everything would shut down on me...i'd have to reach up under the dash and mess with the wires in order for me to start it again...right now the wires are set perfectly and it hasn't done this in a while.....

i have a similar probelm, Happens very sporatic, happened about a month ago and yesterday. I stop at a light and my rpm starts to surge, flickering around 200 to 1k then my car shuts off. Happen to me about 3times yestersday in about 10min. Didnt happen at all today

About the shutting off i dougt this is it but when everything shuts down do your radio stations get reset and stuff if so then your battery cable might be coming loose check it. And about the AC thing it might be your AC compressor going bad not sure why it was blinking but i remember in a different car that was happening until we found out the AC compressor was messed up.

also maybe some bad vacume lines that are crimped or disconnected might do that.

jroc, mine is also very random. some days it will do it 3x in a 10minute period, and other days it won't happen at all.

Can the fluttering rpm be caused by a bad MAS or idle sensor? That may be causing some problems. Just my 2 cents

my car used to just shut off every once and awhile and i took it into the shop and they ran some tests and found out it was the computer. replaced the computer and it hasn't done it in 2 years.