COMPLAINT: Mary Lynn Bechtel, Eden Prairie, Minn.

I made an appointment at Hopkins Honda for a recall notice I received regarding our 2006 Honda Civic. I mentioned that they had not turned off the indicator light the last time they had changed my oil, and asked if they could turn it off. The service technician claimed there were 85 reasons why an indicator light might be on and that it wasn't so simple. He said there was probably something wrong with my engine, and that there was almost certainly a problem with a sensor.

I authorized him to do a diagnostic. Later, he told me that their computer diagnostic tool is powered by the car battery, but that my car battery was so low it had erased the diagnosis altogether. He claimed the low car battery had blown the sensor and he warned me that I desperately needed a new battery. I was billed $327.60 for services when I had gone in for a free recall notice. When I took the car in to my mechanic, he did a diagnostic and told me that there was nothing wrong with my battery.

Given that there was no problem with my battery, it is likely that there was no problem with the sensor. Nor could the computerized diagnosis have been accurate. At this point, I do not know if the sensor was even replaced. It now appears that the only problem with my vehicle was that Hopkins forgot to turn off the indicator light the last time they changed the oil. I feel like I have been taken for a ride.

DESIRED RESOLUTION: I would like a refund for the unnecessary work that may or may not have been completed based on the faulty diagnostic, as well as a refund for the faulty diagnostic.

STATUS: Penalty Box