Brad Sowers, principal at Jim Butler Chevrolet, denies overcharging. He says the video doesn’t show most of the time his mechanics spent on the car.

The video picked up an Internet following. In its first few days, it gathered 4,500 views. That sparked consternation at Jim Butler Chevrolet.

“It took on a life of its own. It started going crazy,” Sowers said.

Worried about his firm’s reputation, Sowers filed a defamation suit, demanding that Cooney delete the video.

Jim Butler Chevrolet, which employs 105 people, has an A-plus rating from the Better Business Bureau, which recorded 11 complaints over three years.

The video has picked up an additional 8,700 views since the judge allowed it back on the Internet on March 4.

Cooney, 42, says he’s a camera expert certified in surveillance equipment. He says he handles “hundreds” of cameras at his work in “security and investigations” for an employer he declined to name.

He also posts cameras at his Fenton home and in his cars. “We have them in all our vehicles, and they record 24 hours a day for the protection of our family and our vehicles,” he said.