The Chariots of DOOM

[cranefly]

Not certain I wrote about it, but LCF went through this with her last car.  Got a registration renewal notice, which required a smog check.  She decided it prudent to change the oil first.  Went to Jiffy Lube for oil and tune-up.  Later that day the Check Engine light came on.  She had it checked at some gas station that does repairs.  The mechanic found that Jiffy Lube hadn't reconnected a hose under the hood.  He reconnected it, but the light stayed on.  She went back to Jiffy Lube, but they refused to believe they'd made a mistake and insisted it was due to a loose gas cap.  The guy tweaked the cap and said, "There, that'll take care of it."  Bull-pucky.  It wasn't loose to begin with.  Back to the gas station guy, who said you've got to drive it until it resets.  LCF drove it all over the place, a couple hundred miles, I think.  No dice.  And she was way late on registration by then.  Finally took it to a Toyota dealer and paid a hefty price for him to nudge it through the arcane driving conditions required to reset it.

This happens to so few people that it never gets remedied.  But when it does happen, you're left pretty much helpless.