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The circus show that has gone on with my car for 2 months

4K views 36 replies 13 participants last post by  WyattEarp 
#1 · (Edited)
so back at the time I got the cat replaced back in August, I had other issues start happening to the car.

car was idling really bad still, it was missing 100 times a minute. replaced spark plugs, didnt fix problem, tested coil packs, they weren't bad, #2 fuel injector was bad, replaced it, didn't solve issue.

did a compression test, got

Cyl 1 - 130
Cyl 2 - 0
Cyl 3 - 60
Cyl 4 - 90

did a wet compression test, same results. so knew it was in the head.

mechanic friend of mine (at the time) started taking it apart to get the head off to a machine shop. She coudn't get the crank pulley bolt off, didn't have the right tools. She even broke an extension with a breaker bar trying to get it off.

So, after wasting money renting an 8 hp gas compressor, a 3/4" air gun and a 1/2" air gun, she still couldn't budge the damn crank pulley bolt.

So I rented a tow dolly and towed it to a shop. They finally got it off, and I towed the car back to my friend's house on the 27th.

Getting the car on the dolly she rips my front bumper completely off my car and then trashed my rear bumper and the lower portion of my trunk decklid, and broke my taillight lenses by using her car to push it up the driveway. I didn't want her to do this, but she did it anyway. I was so angry.

On the 28th, I had to go back up to Ft. Collins for work, so I told my friend that was working on it to text me when she had the head off the car. She said no problem.

Well Sept 30th, comes and goes and I haven't heard a word, so I'm like wtf. Text her and ask for a status update and she said the head was off, and she took it to a machine shop. So I ask her what shop, so I can call over there and talk about whats wrong with it, what parts are being put in, etc. She says she doesn't know. WTF?!?!?! How do you not know what shop you took it to? You got in your car and you drove there. You know what ****ing shop it is, I'm not stupid. Then I was like you were supposed to text me when you had it off and let me know. Oh yeah, I forgot sorry, lol.

Sorry but I am NOT laughing! I'm like you need to communicate this stuff with me and she's like ok, I'll do a better job.

So the 2nd of October comes, she text me again and says the shop called, valves are burnt, and valve guides are bad. It's $620 part/labor/tax to fix the head. I asked her for the number of the shop and she says I don't have it, but gave me the name of the machine shop finally, and I'm like they just called you and you don't have the number? ANd I'm like no, you know the number. Tired of being lied to and not taken seriously.

I'm like this is MY car, I have a right to know who is working on it, what's being done to it, I have a right to know what parts are being used, and I have the right to talk to the shop. I'm really losing my patience at this point.

Then this dumb ***** tells me to fix my car myself, and that she isn't doing another thing and not putting it back together. I was beyond pissed, and I was more than right to be upset with her. Never cussed at her, or called her names, was just like you need to be relaying the info I ask for, and she just screwed me over right in the middle of the repairs. Left me with no way to fix it, and it was stuck a mutual friends house.

This stupid bag of douche took all my bolts and parts, and just threw them in a garbage bag. Conveniently she also lost one of my timing chain tensioner guides and my exhaust header bolts. I was so effing pissed but glad I had only paid her $175 to this point. $100 in cash (big mistake) and $75 check.

Thanks to a different friend, I got a referral to another female mechanic who went over there trying to get the car done and running. But she couldn't get it all done because her job and school kept interrupting the progress, and she was like if we can get it towed to her house, she could get it done.

So Oct 12, I went over there with a truck and dolly and loaded up my car, my bumper, and my bicycle and bike rack and towed it all up to Loveland to my new mechanics house.

New mechanic was almost done with it, when the stupid neighbors started complaining about the car being worked on, which is apparently against HOA rules, and some cop left a warning notice on my car in the street, move it within 72 hours, or it will be towed.

So she couldn't finish the job. But she gave me $150 of the $300 I had given her back, so I was really appreciative of her honesty.

I found an ASE certified mechanic on craigslist, 26 years experience, said he could finish it for $250, which was the rest of the money I was gonna pay the mechanic that was just working on it.

Got it towed over there last night, and he called today and said it will be done Monday before noon.

So I am FINALLY going to get my car back tomorrow...and it's been 8 frickin' weeks this crap has been going on and I haven't had my car. :banghead:


So the head has 8 new valves, the other 8 were fine, new valve guides, and everything was checked for warps and cracks, and the decking was checked.

new water pump
new thermostat and housing
new spark plugs
radiator/cooling system flush
oil drained, with new oil and filter
had to replace the missing timing chain tensioner guide.


I am having a sinus surgery on Tuesday, so will be out of work for 10 days, but once I get back to work and get a paycheck coming again, then I have to buy 2 new bumpers (front and rear), have them painted and installed, along with my front bumper lip.

Then I got get the driver 1/4 panel re-painted because it's faded and peeling, and then have the rear deck lid fixed and repainted.

then i gotta get the big dent out of the roof (someone threw a rock through my rear window last november), probably repaint it too.

and at some point, get the door moldings removed and tab slots filled in and repaint the doors.

so before the end of the year the car is gonna be looking pretty snazzy finally.

never again will I let a friend do "sidework" on my car.

If this guy that is working on it now (cleaning up the mess of the first idiot) does a good job, then I'm gonna bring it back to him and have him do

new alternator and serpentine belt
shocks/struts/springs (yes I'm gonna lower it!)
new fuel pump/filter
cv boots
and some time next year have him put in the new forged ERL shortblock.
there's some other stuff, but right now idk what it is, got it written down in my notebook.


im gonna put on new injectors and coil on plugs next chance I get cause I can do that myself.
take it to get a 4 wheel alignment
put a new battery in it.



so ya, i learned a lesson, next time just take it to a shop and let them hassle with it. Don't trust friends. ever.

this has been a giant cluster **** and I'm glad it's about over. shoulda taken it to a shop to begin with and I'd have paid a lot less and been done by now! :mad:
 
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#2 ·
and amazingly...I still dont have my effing car!!!

thursday was the last communication i had with the guy. he thought it would be done by friday.

here it is Saturday night havent heard a thing. texted earlier. called and left message. 7 hours later...nothing.

you have to be kidding me?!?!?!?! how the **** can this keep happening?!?!?!?!
 
#9 ·
Sounds like OP wants a "how much will this exactly cost" quote when the car has a host of unknowns and no one will give that, especially over the phone. What I'm missing, is - were you using the jokers as a courtesy? It almost sounded that way by saying don't let friends do side work, but then you used a shade tree CL mechanic and not a real shop. You have better recourse with a real shop as well. If any of these 3 'mechanics' did something half assed that causes worse damage, you're big time SOL.
 
#11 ·
i agree 100% by time they spend time researching the issues on what is missing and what needs to be done plus buying the parts to fix the heads and the labor, I'm almost willing to bet that you could have found a k24a2 for a better price and enjoy it a heck of a lot more than getting your current stuff rebuilt.
 
#15 ·
well its a fresh breath of air to get a phone call with an update on status and prices on parts and not have to leave a million voicemails.

$1200 parts and labor to get my car back up and running.

thats a start. a lot of money but I can rest easy knowing its being done right and that my best interests are being looked after by a professional car place.

then I have to buy a front and rear bumper and have those put on.

car is getting completely repainted next spring. all dents fixed and everything smoothed out.




the first was supposed to be a friend.

the second girl was actually kickass but her HOA interfered and she couldnt finish it. she new her mechanic stuff as she was a mechanic in the Navy.

nice to know women are just "broads" to you. my guess is you are single and not by choice either. leave your sexist chauvinistic bs out of it. it has no place here.

and plenty of reasons. no tools. no place to work on it. no time to work on it. I drive a commercial trucking dedicated route and work 14 hour days mon-fri and every other saturday. on top of that my work is 65 miles from my apartment.
 
#16 ·
Well considering one woman pretty much screwed you over, and by no fault of the other one you had to end up shelling out 1200 to a random find on CL.

It says alot.

Why not bring it to a reputable shop instead of dragging it around on a dolly and having damages to your car?

I'd rather have it done right the first time than waiting 8 weeks to finally get it squared away.

And no I'm not sexist and single by my own choice. Don't be so quick to judge.

It's only the internet.
 
#18 ·
i didnt shell out anything to the dude on craigslist. he didnt finish the job, didnt get paid. the shop is the one getting the $1200.

in the beginning i was trying to help a friend who had lost her job. but she wasnt a true friend and i found out the hard way.
 
#20 ·
it's your fault you cheapa***. Next time take it to someone more competent.

Don't come here trying to get sympathy from the community when your cheap ass didn't want to fork out the money initially to get the job done right.

You have a shi* attitude, and customers like you that come to me, get sent right back out the door. You are lucky someone was willing to take the car after it went from one hand to the next.

go cry a river somewhere else.
 
#22 ·
eat a bag of ****s ******.

i didnt ask her to screw me over. all i asked is where cylinder head was being worked on at and the phone number.

stupid ***** got an attitude with me. seems she forgot who was paying her to do the work and when you work on someone elses stuff you have to be accountable.

i have right to know what work is being done, by whom and what parts are being used.
 
#27 ·
the only person that screwed anyone over here is the op himself.

It's like me taking my ill son or daughter to an unlicensed doctor and expecting to get amazing results and than crying to the medical board about that not happening.

There are professionals for a reason, with a little research and rational decision making, a positive solution can be attained on the first try.
 
#28 ·
This is true. I understand (slightly) where OP is coming from. I wanted the best deal on these trunk decklips and it cost me. Luckily I had the foresight to see it wasn't going to work out and cut ties. This new guy is spot on, more expensive, but will get the work done.

Hey, this is a good thread for people to learn what not to do. Newton is quoted for saying "I didn't fail, I just found 4xx ways it didn't work"
 
#31 ·
hell its been 14 weeks now. we are on week 15. almost 4 months since I last drove my car.

i got a call yesterday from the shop telling me the last moron had my timing chain on backwards and the cam degree timing was off.

christ that could have blown my engine.

i am really glad I pulled the plug on that clown and took it to a shop.

in addition to that, I had brand new jug of oil, coolant and oil filter and a haynes manual in my car and they are all gone.

and this clown expected me to pay him $200 for his time and work.

i had already given him $125 up front to start. thankfully i paid with a check so I have proof of payment.

he wanted to me bring the rest by Friday night after work. But after i found out my fluids, filter and manual were missing I didnt. I got a text saying he shouldnt have given me back my car. definitely pulled the plug at the right time.

instead i deducted the cost of all the missing stuff from the $75 (difference between the $200 he said I owed him and the $125 I had already paid) itemized it out in a letter and sent him a check in the mail for $15. which was the difference.
 
#32 ·
shop called. they got her up and running. had to replace serpentine belt, crankshaft positioning sensor and exhaust camshaft sensor, but she runs great, idles perfect and no cels or codes. picking her up on Monday. total bill was $1390.91. ouch. but at least its fixed.
 
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