Automotive Forums

So I recently took my car into Pep Boys with a check engine light.  The car was running absolutely fine, so the engine light was more than an annoyance than anything else.  They tell me I need to clean the EGR valve, which I do, and get an engine tuneup, which I also do.  I leave pep boys about $600 poorer, and then find that my car has trouble idling when in park or at a stoplight, a problem I did not have before they made the repair. It doesn't stall, but it sputters/struggles. Naturally, I bring the car back and they spend several hours trying to figure out the problem.  The mechanic that did the original work goes back over everything, and gets back to me saying they can't do anything about it, nor can they figure out the problem, but that it might be an intake manifold leak and I should take it to the dealership.  Needless to say I'm a little pissed since this seems to be a little bit too much of a cooincidence.  My question is, is there any way that my current problem and the work they recently did to my car are related?

Thank you for your help!  

yeah the egr valve, if its stuck open or not able to close all the way it will cause a rough idle.  

Your check eng light has likely come back on. Make them refund your $$$ since that's why you brought it in and they didn't fix it and actually made it worse. You should at least get a refund for the EGR repair. You may have actually needed the tune up if your spark plugs were worn.  

That's the ironic thing.  When the check engine light was on, there wasn't any noticeable problems with the way the car was driving.  I take the car in, the check engine light goes off, the car seems to be running great for a day or two, then this idling problem crops up slowly and gets progressively worse over the next week or so.

I'm really hoping that they will give me a refund since now I have to pay for the dealership to perform the exact same diagnostic work and likely the same repair all over again.  

that happen to me once when I had a fiat. told me I needed a valve job. since the car had been running fine and I only had 30,000 on it I politely told them that I would be back at 5 and the car had better be running right or I was going to rip their lips off and put them where the sun dont shine. I arrived at 5, and lo and behold ,it was running like a top. seems the mechanic had accidently knocked off a vacumn line somewhere when it was in there the first time. called the better  business b. on them anyway and never went back there again. my grand pappy always said the first time , shame on you, the second time shame on me.  dave