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need advice-prefer mechanic but all welcome.
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melita1216
New User
Apr 4, 2014, 10:03 PM
Post #1 of 4
(1573 views)
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need advice-prefer mechanic but all welcome.
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need advice from a mechanic so im trying my luck here..Recently had my timing belt and head gasket replaced. I went to these guys because i
had just put alot into my car prior to this and they allowed me to make a payment plan.
a business that comes to your location. (bad idea) The guys said it would take 3-4
days and looked my car over. The next day they asked if i wanted them to do the
work. I said yes and they said they needed the parts money up front. Gave them the
money and they sent it off to the machine shop. a week or two later they started to
work on my car (after scheduling and rescheduling with me) they said the machine
shop damaged the part and had to order a new one. more time went by and then they
recieved the wrong part and ordered a new one. more time went by. schedule and
reschedule. at this point i considered going to someone else esp bc they wanted to
charge me more money for all this but my engine was out of the car at this point.
eventually, maybe 5 weeks later they finished. i test drove it and it was shaking
pretty bad at idle. i asked them to look it over and they said it absolutely had nothing to
do with them. i thought maybe the timing was off bc it didnt shake before they worked
on it. they said for $100 they could diagnosis for me. now skeptical bc ive never been
charged for something like that after paying for work done before, i told them that was
a bit high, they lowered it to 45. told me my car was shaking bc of water in the gas
tank, need new spark plugs/wires and another oil change (they just did one but i guess
i need another?) and said they recieved the knock sensor code and showed me it. now
my spark plugs are all new. wires are not cut or burnt. ive never had a knock sensor
code before and the fact that they said that was the ONLY code i kinda had a feeling i
should take it to someone else for a second opinion. not to mention the water in my
gas tank bit. plus i had my codes checked directly before all this and it didnt show up.
but its there, on the scanner, maybe im wrong? i want to be certain its not the timing
belt. these guys were a little iffy after dealing with them so long i had a feeling..took it
to my regular shop. NOW..timing belt is off by 2 teeth. timing belt cover was missing
two bolts or screws/not installed correctly and it was warped bc of that and rubbing
against the belt itself. the knock sensor was UNPLUGGED..reason for code and the
battery was not hooked up properly. shop said it was unlikely but it could have fallen
over. i told these guys all of this, they said they were upset i took it to another shop,
and said they would correct it but that i need new spark plugs and another oil change. i
told them i didnt want all of that. just the correction (id like to go somewhere else-if i
dont just do it myself) they insist i need it and they want to do it (not for free of course.
but i just dont really trust them) they said they will redo the belt but they want money
directly afterwards....now id like to take it back to the shop before i give them anymore
money. total bill is about 900 and they have recieved 500 previously. i just dont want to
pay them off or give them anymore money until i know for sure the job is done because
i dont feel as if they will fix it if they have what they want. (id like to take it back to the shop after they correct the problem to make sure its finally done-before giving anymore money)any advice? i dont need to deduct the money i spent to have it looked at by a different mechanic..and it doesnt matter if i have to spend more money to have someone else do my timing belt instead..(not that i have a lot of money) but its just the principal of it.. my gut tells me to not let them near my car and go somewhere else but i dont want to pay them the full amount if i do that..i feel like i shouldnt have to. but i want to give them another chance to correct their mistake but they say they stand by their work and that the other mechanic is lying..but yet have agreed to fix it at the same time. but how can they fix a problem they do not even see. honestly i just want them to correct this and take it to my regular mechanic and get the Ok and then pay these guys. thats all i want. i just want my car fixed. i suppose i will have to have them correct it but what if its damaged or yet again, timing off, this next round? im just so frustrated.
have to keep editing this--- trying to get as much info as possible in here.. also- when they came up with that diagnosis after asking them specifically to double check the timing, they insisted on ordering all the parts before my OK of it. insisted i needed all that work done and it would solve the shaking prob. i told them no, i need to think on it first. (bc i didnt believe any of it..i may not be a mechanic but i know enough about my car and have done enough research over the years to have a little sense..)just feel like they were trying to tack on more money or mask the real problem..had i done all that work, then what? my car would still be shaking and what would be next? maybe they were just merely doing guess work. i dont know. but its def been a bad experience
(This post was edited by melita1216 on Apr 4, 2014, 10:14 PM)
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Apr 4, 2014, 10:30 PM
Post #2 of 4
(1560 views)
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Re: need advice-prefer mechanic but all welcome.
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Don't let them touch that car. People who will come to your house and let customers do payments are most often people who cannot get jobs in a real shop. If they put a head gasket into this and didn't change out the spark plugs when they did it they are idiots. I could see them getting the timing belt a couple teeth off, and it would give you the issues you are talking about. You had another shop look at it, pay them to get this right and don't let craigslist hacks do work for you anymore.
Don't bother paying these idiots another dime. I highly doubt they have anything remotely resembling a business license or pay taxes on what they are making, and also do not remit sales tax for their services to the state. If they try to hustle you into paying them, tell them to feel free to file a claim in small claims court, and in the meantime you will be contacting the appropriate agencies about their operating a business without a license, insurance or payment of the proper taxes.
A good shop doesn't come to your house. A good shop isn't the cheapest one out there, and a good shop doesn't let you make payments. I think you're better off getting some cash together and paying a good shop to do the job right the first time. The works of this Cletus that did your work may come back to haunt you if he was this sloppy. Remember in the future that the cheapest repair is very rarely the least expensive one. A guy who will do a job for 50 bucks can d enough damage that it will cost you $1000 for a pro to set right. I get a lot of calls like this. People come in with something someone else worked on and at a glance I can tell the work was done very poorly. By the time I redo what they did it costs the customer more than it would've to have me do the original work in he first place, and by then they don't have the money. It can be hard to come up with the money to pay for good work and quality parts. I'm not rich either. But when you shop for the cheapest people you get the cheapest quality. Unfortunately you are paying for that mistake now.Please do not repeat it.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Apr 5, 2014, 3:45 AM
Post #3 of 4
(1552 views)
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Re: need advice-prefer mechanic but all welcome.
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I couldn't agree more.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Apr 5, 2014, 7:27 AM
Post #4 of 4
(1550 views)
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Re: need advice-prefer mechanic but all welcome.
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Those are not real mechanics, but con artists. I definitely agree with Nick too.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
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