What can you do to a mechanic that didnt fix it and you paid him

[oVer-Boostin]

first of all, Im in Arizona, my 97 gst was towed to this shop in Scottsdale to get a new rebuilt motor in because the one that was in it was blown. i got the car back about 3 weeks later, the car smokes, runs like garbage, Check engine light is ON, doesnt rev above 2000 rpm, and finally, overheated and MELTED my fans while i was on my way to work on the freeway at 9 in the morning. Anyways they are trying to blaming it ON ME for having an aftermarket intercooler an they said that the pipe coming out of my turbo going to the intercooler wich is close to the fans is what caused the fans to melt and crumple so bad. Now i had the car towed back to them and all they did was put in other used fans and said that i was all set and that the car could still overheat. I really dont think that this is the way the car is supposed to be after paying the shop $3,000 cash but they are trying to find a way to screw me over hence blaming it on me for having the aftermarket intercooler.

Now can someone tell me what can be done to mechanics like that? he says "well the car wasnt running before and we got it to run"......what are any legal actions I can take and will it benefit me at all? will I have the the police on my side or will they be on his? PLEASE HELP.

 

[wvturbo2]

He also said he worked at mitsubishi dealers for over 20 years.

Did he tell you what he did at the dealership ? He could have been a security guard or a janitor. I would talk to a lawyer and see what they think about your case and go from there before you spend anymore money. Maybe try to meet up with a local dsmer and see if they can help you or even give you an idea of what is wrong.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

I work in Mesa all day and thats where the car is now (i just got it back from the shop with new fans) only 4-5 miles away and when i got to work i popped the hood and noticed the new fan started to melt as well. Now im taking apart the injen intake and putting the stock one back on so I can recirc the BOV maybe that will help a bit. I am also looking for a heat shield if anyone has one for me let me know.

 

[srtkiller]

I'm pretty sure I still have a heat shield laying around. If you would like me to take a look at the car this weekend send me a pm later this weekend I dont mind helping out.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

Sounds good man ud be a life saver. DEFINATELY need that heat shield. I already sent you a pm so let me know man. Thanks.

 

[Glliw]

How's the car sound? Might be an extremely big leak at the turbo or manifold causing all that excess heat. If the exhaust is escaping enough preturbo, it could be causing the very low rpms your experiencing.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

hmm well it sounds like...im not sure how i can explane it? but there are a few weird sounds that the car makes... especially when i turn the A/C on.

 

[Glliw]

Does it sound like an airplane?

With the a/c on, is it grinding? A/C compressor might be going out.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

well, yes it sounds like an airplane but no grinding. Sometimes when im at the light all of a sudden it shakes like crazy then it goes away.

 

[Glliw]

airplane only with ac on or all the time?

 

[oVer-Boostin]

only with a/c on

 

[Glliw]

Hmm. Strange, the noise would be coming from your a/c compressor or fan then.

That doesn't help us determine why the fans melted though. Its gotta be a bad exhaust leak to cause that kind of heat. I mean, it couldn't been from your intercooler pipes, that's just a strupid suggestion unless your running it lean enough that the air catches fire .

 

[oVer-Boostin]

im also not sure why, i also have my check engine light on and the main o2 housing is not plugged into anything and i cannot find anything to plug it into.

 

[matt98eclipse]

What was the shops name so that for one I can never go there to get my car done and for two so i can put out a bad word out for themif u want ! I live in mesa, arizona and scottsdale is not that far from me. Man if i had spent 3000 on my motor to get rebuilt i know that i would want it to run like a champ! I would definetly take them to small claims court! good luck man.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

thanks matt, this is Sam i talked to you before and you told me about your eclipse. Im also from az2gnt.net. Name of the shop is First Class Auto in scottsdale.

 

[SoonToBeDSM06]

My AC fan melted from a O2 housing gasket leak. So it is possible that it can leak and melt the plastic on the fan. Does it sound like a machine gun when you take off from a light at low RPMs? My car sounds like that with exhaust leaks in the engine bay.

 

[toybreaker]

Hmm. Strange, the noise would be coming from your a/c compressor or fan then.

That doesn't help us determine why the fans melted though. Its gotta be a bad exhaust leak to cause that kind of heat. I mean, it couldn't been from your intercooler pipes, that's just a strupid suggestion unless your running it lean enough that the air catches fire .

I think it's safe to say that the noise you hear with the ac on is probably the a/c condensor fan hitting the housing. The a/c condensor fan operates when the a/c is turned on. Just open the hood, look and listen, then have someone actuate the a/c.

I would suggest you wear safety glasses

 

[93WhiteLaser]

really sounds like an exhaust leak... maybe between the manifold and the turbo inlet.

They might have not put a gasket there or not tighten your turbo bolts causing this leak there. Which can definitely melt the fans. If it's a big enough leak, it will have same effect as having your wastegate stuck open. Which in other words, no boost what so ever. Causing your car to feel slower than a 2.0nt because of the timing retard and low compression.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

well it pulls pretty hard, i just dont understand why it wont go above 2500 rpm in neutral and 1st gear,4000-5000 rpm in 2nd,3rd,4th,5th gear...when it gets to that point it sounds like a gunshot...like redlining the car at 4000-5000 rpm.

 

[Spoolin4Ever]

Sounds like you need to do some basic stuff; heatshield , Datalogger to pull the engine code...then adust your idle according to spec.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

i idle at 1000 rpm exactly.

 

[toybreaker]

Some more details from the original poster would be helpfull.

Please define what constituted this rebuild. Was it a hone and go, or something more substantial? (What parts were replaced? What machine work was done?)

What happened to the original motor?

Who did the intercooler piping? Was it installed in the engine compartment when they did the motor?

How much boost are you running?

How are you tuning it? Do you have a data logger?

How many miles are on the motor since it was rebuilt?

Did you return to the shop for an oil change/check over?

Some details will help people decide how to best give you advice.

As a tech, I can assure you $3,000 is hella cheap for an (actually) rebuilt motor, especially installed. You guys are getting a little carried away bashing this shop without knowing all the details...

As a dsm owner, I hate not getting my monies worth, but I also know what it costs to do it right. To be honest with you, I can barely build and hang a motor in my own car for less than 3 grand, working for free. By the time you're done buying an oil pump, bearings, pistons/rings, gasket set, water pump, t-stat, clutch, (etc...etc...) you're spending real money Add in quality machine work, and it adds up even faster

As someone who's been in the business since before forever, I can assure that there's (at least) three sides to the story.

I think it would be wise to reserve judgement untill all the facts are in.

 

[motomattxxx]

Are your cooling fans even coming on at all?

 

[redeclipse7782]

First of all if the car is running that poorly you shouldnt be driving it, because you are taking a risk of causing more damage. Secondly plug the o2 sensor in ASAP, it plugs into a connector near/below the thermostat housing (the peice that the upper radiator hose connects too) make sure you route the wire for the o2 so its not touching anything hot, and it wont get chewed up by the fan blades. Zip tie it out of the way. Thirdly the mechanic is probably not taking you seriously because you are only a 17 year old kid, have one of your parents or an adult go down there with you.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

What I don't understand is why hasn't the OP hasn't found/fixed the problem yet.
Lots of whining but no action. And lots of driving a broken car that will probably make things way worse.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

Im trying man i just wish I knew as much as you guys did about this. I found a boost leak and fixed that, now the car runs a lil bit better and the check engine light is off. I dont know why it turned off though because still the main O2 sensor is not plugged in because I cant find anything near by to plug it into and thats where i need help now. Thanks.

-Sam