A Louisiana woman dropped off her car at an auto body shop for bodywork, only to return and discover that employees were taking parts from her vehicle to use on another car.
The video shared online was filmed by the woman as she confronted one of the workers at the shop. “I’m listening,” she repeatedly told the employee as she waited for him to explain what had happened. At first, he refused to be filmed and asked her to put her phone down. He then began stuttering while claiming that no one had touched the car. However, several parts from the woman’s vehicle had already been removed and were sitting outside of it.
The employee then tried to change the subject, asking, “Explain to me what you mean with touched it? Like damaged it?” The woman responded by asking what had been wrong with her engine when she brought the car in. According to her, the shop had also removed the motor. “I drove it,” she said before raising her voice and beginning to curse in frustration.
“Is that a motor, sir?” the woman repeatedly asked while pointing toward her car, which had its hood open with several parts removed and placed outside the vehicle. “Can I explain?” the employee repeatedly responded as she continued confronting him. “Only thing we did…” he began to say before the woman interrupted him, insisting that they had taken her engine out.
The employee then held two of the woman’s fuel injectors in his hand and admitted that the shop had “borrowed” them. “Borrowed?” the woman exclaimed in disbelief after hearing his explanation. She then loudly asked, “Did I send my car here for you to borrow parts?” as she questioned why components had been removed from her vehicle.
The employee claimed that the shop was going to replace the parts it had taken. The woman responded that she was not asking whether they planned to replace them. “Did I send my car here for you to borrow parts?” she asked again. “No, you didn’t, ma’am,” the employee replied. He then said the shop intended to replace the parts at no cost. The video ended with the woman asking, “Was that your job, sir, to borrow parts off my [expletive] car?”
The post circulating with the video identifies the business as Kia of Lake Charles, though the location shown in the footage has not been independently verified. The same shop has also been accused online of previously allowing an employee to use a customer’s vehicle for personal use, but that allegation has not been independently confirmed. It remains unclear what happened after the confrontation or whether law enforcement became involved.
Viewers Side With Louisiana Woman Over Car Shop Incident
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers sided with the Louisiana woman. They believed that she had every right to be outraged over what happened to her car. “VALID crashout,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “Nahh. I’d had to go off as well. Probably borrowed parts to see if that’s what would fix another vehicle and then they’d put it back after confirming the ‘part’ was the problem on the other vehicle. Completely wrong and glad they got caught. If vehicle was new, go after them for depreciating value.”
More viewers sided with the Louisiana woman and criticized the shop over its handling of her vehicle. “This is straight-up theft. She left it for body work only and they pulled the motor and started borrowing injectors like it’s their personal parts bin. The ‘we put them back for free’ excuse doesn’t erase the fact that they never asked and never had permission,” one person wrote. Another commenter called for the business to face consequences, saying, “Get them all arrested and shut down that garage.”
The video sparked a conversation about the trust customers place in repair shops when leaving their vehicles for service and the expectation that work will be limited to what was authorized. It also led to broader discussion about the importance of transparency and accountability in the auto repair industry. Many argued that shops accused of unauthorized work or improper practices should be investigated and held responsible.
