Mechanic diagnosis, does expensive repair, car still screwed - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Bill Bumface · 11-28-2012, 07:51 PM

I'm just curious what I likely have waiting for me.

I took my car into a shop with a very good reputation, they diagnosed the issue and did a repair that was several thousand dollars. I pick it up, and the car is exactly the same as before.

What's fair here? Obviously they did a bunch of work and bought some parts that weren't cheap, so they probably don't feel like saying "our bad, here's your thousands of dollars back" yet I just paid for a bunch of stuff I likely never needed.

What is fair?

Like I say, I haven't talked to them yet, and they might blow my mind away with how fair they are, but this seems like a pretty grey situation to me.

Dion · 11-28-2012, 08:29 PM

My question would be in regards to the repair, is why they didn't take the vehicle for a test drive to confirm they had fixed the problem? It should have been done before they presented you with the bill.

A former friend of mine owned an auto repair shop and his work was checked out before the customer got thier bill. If they were unsure of the exact problem the customer was called and told as such. You as a customer shouldn't have to keep paying when it's clear they didn't diagnose your vehicle properly. Any further costs should be absorbed by the shop.

If you can't get satisfaction I would file a report with the Better Business Bureau.

prarieboy · 11-28-2012, 08:37 PM

It's hard to say what you have waiting for you. The skeptic in me based on past dealings with mechanics is that they will say the work they performed was done correctly and some other factor is responsible. The truth is nearly impossible for you to determine.

It is quite possible however that they will acknowledge a short coming in the work they did and you could drive away a happy man. I hope so.

I have a similar problem that I will find out about tomorrow.

Took my car in about a month ago for a brake job and a steering problem. Both of those issues were resolved at a good price and I'm happy with the repair.
As I drove the car away the check engine light was on. I called first thing in the morning to let them know and they promptly made me an appointment and checked it out.
Turns out a vacuum line had sprung a leak and they need about $350 to solve the problem.
It was kind of suspicious to me that it popped up right when they were working on my car but whatever. What can I say.
I just picked up the car after the repair and the engine light is still on. I checked the codes and they are the same as before the repair.
I dropped it off tonight so I'm waiting to see what they say tomorrow. If they claim new codes are showing up it's pretty clear to me that they are not dealing with me in an honest manner. I'll take my buisness elsewhere.

Bill Bumface · 11-28-2012, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

My question would be in regards to the repair, is why they didn't take the vehicle for a test drive to confirm they had fixed the problem? It should have been done before they presented you with the bill.

The odd part is they did. How they didn't notice the problem was still there, I'm not sure. I know they have been extremely busy lately, but still....

wooohooo · 11-28-2012, 08:56 PM

They obviously have no idea what is wrong with the car. They should have told you at the start, or told you they would charge a diagnostic fee and some places I've dealt with will refund you that if they don't know what is wrong with the car.

You shouldn't need to spend thousands of dollars to have the car in the same situation. What's to stop them from doing some random repair that has nothing to do with the problem and billing you $500.

If it were me, I would tell them to rip out everything, refund you the money and maybe give them a few hundred dollars for their work and be done with it.

zamler · 11-28-2012, 08:58 PM

Did you get the old parts back?

Table 5 · 11-28-2012, 09:01 PM

Curious which shop you're dealing with?

Just like when you're dating a girl, it's when things go back do you really find out someone's true character by how they deal with things. Good luck and keep us posted.

Northendzone · 11-28-2012, 09:04 PM

I'd be wanting them to fix the car, or give me my money back. I would not be keen on giving them anything, if they can't fix it.

Since the shop,has a good rep, then the op should not be too concerned as they will likely take care of him.

Dion · 11-28-2012, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prarieboy

It's hard to say what you have waiting for you. The skeptic in me based on past dealings with mechanics is that they will say the work they performed was done correctly and some other factor is responsible. The truth is nearly impossible for you to determine.

A good mechanic and repair shop will stand by thier work. For them to say otherwise is a clear indication that they didn't do the proper tests, including a test drive to determine the work was properly done. Mechanics have a checklist they go through to make sure the work is done as requested.

That said, there are instances where many factors could be causing a problem. Sometimes the solution is not always cut and dry. A responsible repair shop would phone the customer after a diagnosis is done explaining to them there are mutiple solutions to the problem and we are not sure which one will repair the problem. It is then up to the customer to decide how to proceed.

Dion · 11-28-2012, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

The odd part is they did. How they didn't notice the problem was still there, I'm not sure. I know they have been extremely busy lately, but still....

Being busy is not excuse for poor workmanship. It's an indication to me that mechanic wasn't being truthful to his boss. Chances are he saw it and didn't say anything as it would make him look bad for not fixing the problem.

speede5 · 11-28-2012, 10:26 PM

What was the problem and what was their 'fix'?

burn_this_city · 11-28-2012, 11:23 PM

First rule of mechanics is to try the cheapest possible fix first, and work your way up. Just out of curiosity what are the symptoms of the issue?

DuffMan · 11-29-2012, 09:16 AM

that's the reason mechanics are so expensive. If you have a $5 seal go in your water pump, they'll replace the water pump for $600. If they're not sure how to fix your problem, they'll replace parts that don't need replacing, hoping one of them fixes the issue.

You should go bitch to the manager. You should at worst have to split the bill 50/50

Rudee · 11-29-2012, 09:49 AM

Mechanics are the some of the biggest crooks around. Several years ago I took a vehicle into a shop for their advertized $99 tune up, which included oil, lube, filters, tire rotation, and spark plugs. When I come to pick up my vehicle, I get a bill for $150. The lady at the counter pointed out that I was charged extra labor because the mechanic who worked on my vehicle felt my spark plugs didn't need replacing, and simply needed cleaning. They actually pulled out my spark plugs and cleaned each individual plug and put them back in, instead of replacing them with new plugs as per the special. The extra time to clean each plug was the reason for the extra labor cost. I was stunned. I told the lady at the counter there was no way I was paying for the extra labor for cleaning existing spark plugs when they could of just replaced the plugs at a cheaper cost, because new plugs was advertized as being part of the $99 tune up. They eventually removed the extra charges. But this is the kind of crap mechanical shops pull every single day.

Bill Bumface · 11-29-2012, 10:01 AM

I'm not going to spill the shop name yet, because if they end up stepping up for this I don't want to drag their name through the mud in the meantime when I have no clue what the outcome will be.

The symptoms were a lumpy, pulsing idle that was somewhat intermittent. Always there a bit, but sometimes much worse. I also have a nasty vibration when the engine is around 1500rpm-2000rpm.

The fix was to put in a new flywheel. The mechanic sat in the car and immediately said "Yup, your flywheel is junk". This was no surprise to me, as it's a common issue for my car. He'd just done one a couple days before, and seemed quite confident that was it.

If it's something stupid like a bloody motor mount I just see this turning into a big mess. I wouldn't think you'd do a whole flywheel/clutch job for $2500 unless you were sure.

Bean · 11-29-2012, 10:15 AM

hulkrogan, this isn't you is it?

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpos...ostcount=44717

I've had both great luck and bad luck with mechanics. My experiences tend to be worse with dealerships but I think you have to give them a fair shake to see what comes out of it. Especially if they are at least willing to have a second look at it. (What a waste of your time though)

Bill Bumface · 11-29-2012, 10:22 AM

^haha, luckily no. We have a nice rusty lemon of a 2003 BMW as well, but the guy we take that car to has been nothing short of amazing so far.

Regular_John · 11-29-2012, 10:43 AM

Having a good friend who's a mechanic is worth double their weight in gold & beer, even if they don't do the work on your car just being able to have them diagnose the problem & give you a rough idea of cost/parts and which shops you can trust is such a life saver.

Not really relevant to OP's situation, but honestly if you've got a mechanic within your social circle take the time to by that man a beer.

Locke · 11-29-2012, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I'm not going to spill the shop name yet, because if they end up stepping up for this I don't want to drag their name through the mud in the meantime when I have no clue what the outcome will be.

The symptoms were a lumpy, pulsing idle that was somewhat intermittent. Always there a bit, but sometimes much worse. I also have a nasty vibration when the engine is around 1500rpm-2000rpm.

The fix was to put in a new flywheel. The mechanic sat in the car and immediately said "Yup, your flywheel is junk". This was no surprise to me, as it's a common issue for my car. He'd just done one a couple days before, and seemed quite confident that was it.

If it's something stupid like a bloody motor mount I just see this turning into a big mess. I wouldn't think you'd do a whole flywheel/clutch job for $2500 unless you were sure.

I'm no mechanic but that doesnt sound right to me. There are a million things that could cause a 'lumpy/pulsing' idle, most of them are fuel/air/ignition/sensor related.

Flywheel? I'm guessing this is a manual vehicle, but still.

BlackArcher101 · 11-29-2012, 11:14 AM

Typical mechanics these days it seems. In this day and age there is a ton of diagnostic tools available to help narrow down a problem, but they must not be using them. If I hear "I think" from a mechanic, I go elsewhere next time, especially if they want to charge a min 1 hour for diagnostic time.

The old method of "replace parts and hope it fixes it" diagnostic method is still alive and well. Would it hurt to learn how to use the tools available to you? I also ask for any part they remove from the car to be given back to me so I can actually see if it was a problem or not. If unable due to size or other reason, any good mechanic will not have a problem showing you the problem piece and what happened to it.

In this case, if the flywheel was damaged, it should be visual. I'd ask if they still have it. If the mechanic noticed the flywheel was still ok after cracking it open, he should have stopped there and given you the option of just putting it back together or replace with a new once since he's gotten to that point (at a discount).

An imtermittent lumpy pulsing idle screams electical/sensor to me. Mechanical problems like a flywheel wouldn't really be intermittent. It's not like a broken gear tooth will sometimes work or and sometimes not, it's always broken. A shop with a decent diagnostic computer reading the signals for the engine would probably make short work of the problem. Of course this depends on the car you have.