The car has been having problems starting. Sometimes it will start fine, drive to our destination, be turned off, and then refuse to restart for hours. At other times, it wont start at all. It's been sitting in the driveway for a couple of weeks while he used my car, but since it decided to spring a radiator leak, I told him he really needed to get his car straightened out.
Queue us going to VIP, probably the only place you can get auto work done on a Sunday. We were greeted by a woman who seemed to be a cashier. She called one of the techs out, and that's when things started going down hill.
Boyfriend explained to him what the car was doing, and that he'd like to have the battery, starter, and a piston checked, as well as having it inspected for a sticker (yearly, here, to prove that your car isn't a danger).
Tech proceeds to agree to check the battery, says something about the starter being "a lot of work", ignores the other requests, and goes out to check the battery. Returns, tries to sell us a new battery - which the boyfriend agreed to buy and have installed ... for $90.
We again ask about the starter. Tech provides a story about his girlfriend's car having a dead battery. We mention having the starter checked, and explain that we're leaving the car there and will be back to pick it up. Tech tells us it will be 15 - 20 minutes.
We were gone for about a half hour. When we got back to the store, I ask about the starter ... tech says he didn't check it, and again explains to me that it would "be a lot of work".
... sorry, didn't realize you were at work to ya know, NOT WORK.
Interestingly, VIP checks starters for free. I guess he didn't want to do it because it was a free service, but who knows.
Thankfully the car made it home, but it seems to have sprung a gas leak - I know where we wont be having it fixed!