So I brought my car in to a new mechanic I’ve never been to before because my check engine light came on. They told me the EVAP system needed to be replaced. I left it there overnight and they call me to pick it up the next day. When I started driving down the road I realized I couldn’t stop the car. The engine started sputtering and I couldn’t hit the break. I was on a busy highway in a city and had to try to pull the car over as best as I could and switch the gear to park. When I tried to turn the car on the RPM kept increasing to the point that it was maxed out.
I called the mechanics to pick my car up. They were able to get the car moving back to the shop. They told me that there’s a sensor that’s broken or something and it’s a completely separate issue. They said that the only thing they could do was “throw parts at it” to see what sticks cause the sensor isn’t accurate or something? I don’t know, it was all gibberish to me. It’s a strange coincidence and my husband was unhappy and thinks we’ve been fleeced. I admit that it’s really weird. Does any of this make sense and could this really just be a coincidence? It was a super scary experience.
I would not use a mechanic who would openly say “throw parts” without even looking at it. That’s hack work.
Go somewhere else. Throwing a part is reserved for educated guesses where diag can get expensive beyond a point and it’s a common issue, or diy where access to scanners, wiring schematics, and oscilloscopes may be out of reach.
Have your hubby check the vacuum lines. They may not be connected fully or could be routed wrong. "Replacing the vacuum system sounds like some “parts throwing” has already happened and possibly didn’t even fix your issue. I would the check the hoses at the purge solenoid first.