Mazda Repair: engine light/ alternator, car owners, safe side

Question
Yesterday, I had a new alternator placed on my 2000 MPV and when I picked it up from the out of town mechanic the gauges on the dashboard weren't working ( He pointed this out).  He played with the fuses a bit, but said he did not know what the problem was.  Also, prior to my leaving, he said that the front end of the exhaust needed replacing.  When I spoke with my husband he confirmed that he heard a noise indicating a problem and was not surprised.  When I came home, my husband was able to plug in the fuse and get the dash gauges to work.  First the battery light was on, we turned off the ignition and restarted the car and the light went out, but now the check engine light is on.  Could the front exhaust problem be related to the check engine light?   I felt that the car did not drive very well going home.  I could definitely hear the exhaust problem and felt less accelerlation power.  Do you have ideas on what I need to have checked?  My husband thinks the guy was trying to cheat me and get me to pay more money for additional work, I think maybe he worsened the exhaust problem and didn't want me to know about the check engine light.  Maria.

Answer
Tell the husband to calm himself on this. There is no point getting worked up on a speculation of events. Take it to a dealership and have a diagnostic done. The exhaust leak would cause a check engine light and a loss of drivability.

The guy may or may not be a snake so why not play it on the safe side and find another shop. Cut your losses; do not try to make anything out of this as it is very possible that this is all coincidental. The point that is being stressed here is that without another appraisal of the situation from another shop before and after your work was done you have no way of knowing what his intentions were.

Go to the car talk website "www.cartalk.com" and enter your zip code into the mechanic finder function. All the mechanics in the mechanic finder system come on recommendation by fellow car owners and are usually very good chaps.

Regards,

John