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.

 

[xioca]

Alright, so facing your car (with the hood open). Find the spot where you add coolant, it's just left of the engine head. Look below that for the place to plug your o2 sensor in. I'll throw up a picture if I have time.

In the mean time you don't want to drive it with that unhooked.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Its ok I don't mean to be hard on you but you can track this issue down with the wonderful resource of www.dsmtuners.com really fast.
Now that we know a little more about your situation, your idle and driveablility problems should improve a bit with your o2 sensor plugged in.

But there is still probably more at work here. Take the exhaust leak idea seriously.
Can you show us a picture or 3 of what is going on in your engine bay? If possible, make sure you have good lighting and quality shots of the entire engine bay, your exhaust mani/turbo and o2 housing, and whats going on with your AC fan.

EDIT: I posted in your other thread about the 02 sensor location.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

sounds good, ill have pics up in a few minutes

 

[Eclipse98_RS]

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.

All the facts are in. The shop redid his engine and his car didnt run correctly. There is no other side to the story from this place! They should have made sure the car was running before they gave it back to him. Why would anyone be on the side of this place? This kid is 17 and payed 3 grand to fix his car (probably all he had) and his car doesnt even run.
Sounds like the quality this kid got was horsecrap. Also it is this place's job to quote a price based on how much the parts cost + labor. If they dont then they are retarded and need to learn 2nd grade math again.
Sorry dude I got ripped off on my car too and im still putting in money to fix it. I had a HUGE leak in the exhaust mani and it melted my oil filter, and scorched my turbo. Let me know if you get it fixed

 

[oVer-Boostin]

Thats true, this is what i get from the damn owner of the shop "You have never seen the car run" "this is the best we can do at least now it is running" see, the car is running, but its running like SHIT... i keep finding shit unplugged

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Update vehicle profile when you have the chance.

 

[xioca]

I'd figure out where this dude lives... but thats just me.

You talk to anyone to try and take legal action against him?

 

[oVer-Boostin]

will update vehicle profile in a minute, thanks.

xioca, not I havnt taken any legal actions yet, reason why is because I havnt talked to the owner since friday because hes been out and he will be back in the shop tomorrow, so I will talk to him one last time tomorrow and warn him, if I dont get a good answer from him, then ill take legal actions.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

will update vehicle profile in a minute, thanks.

xioca, not I havnt taken any legal actions yet, reason why is because I havnt talked to the owner since friday because hes been out and he will be back in the shop tomorrow, so I will talk to him one last time tomorrow and warn him, if I dont get a good answer from him, then ill take legal actions.

Don't be too hostile about it, but explain to him that you feel there were things he overlooked during the process and you would appreciate it if he would take the time to make sure things were done properly.
Bring yoru mom or dad with you and point out that your 02 sensor wasn't plugged in at all and he left you with the car that way. The 02 sensor tells your car how much fuel to use..its pretty important.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

yea, honostly, at this point, i just wanna get this problem solved.

 

[oVer-Boostin]

well my dad is disagreeing with taking legal actions because if I do end up taking him to court, he could easily say "He wanted an engine put it, I put in a good, freshly rebuilt engine, you can have the engine checked out anywhere you want, theres nothing wrong with it"

 

[toybreaker]

All the facts are in. The shop redid his engine and his car didnt run correctly. There is no other side to the story from this place! They should have made sure the car was running before they gave it back to him. Why would anyone be on the side of this place? This kid is 17 and payed 3 grand to fix his car (probably all he had) and his car doesnt even run.
Sounds like the quality this kid got was horsecrap. Also it is this place's job to quote a price based on how much the parts cost + labor. If they dont then they are retarded and need to learn 2nd grade math again.
Sorry dude I got ripped off on my car too and im still putting in money to fix it. I had a HUGE leak in the exhaust mani and it melted my oil filter, and scorched my turbo. Let me know if you get it fixed

^^I understand your frustration, and I know how a bad experience can lead to feeling this way.

The subject of this thread is about a dissatisfied customer.

The details are NOT in.

Please refer to my earlier post for a good list of questions that should be answered before we get too carried away with critisizing the shop too harshly.

If this was a basket of parts when it came in, or had serious issues like a leaned out hole in a piston/melted exhaust valve kind of a deal I can see a second side to this story.

Please post a copy of the invoice. I would suggest you cover your name, and the business name, but, please post this information.

Without this information, it's all speculation.

And, some pictures would also help everyone to form a much better opinion of what's what.

We are here to help, but we need to know the facts.

 

[Eclipse98_RS]

I suppose there are more details coming in from the posts. This just brought back way to many memories. It sounds like the guy from the shop is a bastard. Maybe have one of the guys from the forum from around your area go with you to help explain things to the guy.
If he still refuses take him to court and bring good evidence. Ive been to small claims court before and if you have good evidence it, most times, is open and shut on your behalf. Maybe we have some DSM Wiseman that could help this guy out if he does end up going to court?

 

[link16]

I agree ten fold, have the problem fixed, but get an invoice as to what they saw needed fixed and what the other place fixed. Have the mechanic working on your car from the new shop explain in writing how well the engine was installed, how gaskets were set ect ect... Sue the other guy for expenses and court fees.

 

[1gcrazy]

sounds good, ill have pics up in a few minutes

???

I think your dad is wrong. No offense. You need to take legal action. Now, you may have ####ed up cus you're still driving it...
If, once you got it, you didn't drive it you could tell the judge this is the way I got it back...THEN you would have a solid case but honestly this THREAD is even shaky....

Call a lawyer and see if they're willing to take your case...

 

[1gcrazy]

Damn double posts...

 

[1gcrazy]

I agree ten fold, have the problem fixed, but get an invoice as to what they saw needed fixed and what the other place fixed. Have the mechanic working on your car from the new shop explain in writing how well the engine was installed, how gaskets were set ect ect... Sue the other guy for expenses and court fees.

Agreed. Perfect idea...
Hope you dont need ANOTHER new engine...lets all jump on the "####-me-go-round"

 

[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.

Please, answer some of these questions, and post a copy of your invoice.

We really have no idea what you paid your money for, so how can we give you advice?

To some people, replacing the valve cover gasket constitutes a "rebuild"

Some pictures would also help to clear up some of the vagueness of the situation.