Long story short, we bought a used car. Soon after we realized the motor was knocking. With some investigation and a valve check done, it was obvious that a rod was knocking (getting loose). Usually this means the motor is very close to breaking down completely. You've heard of people 'throwing a rod'.
We did some checking around and found that one shop specialized in engine swaps. They said it should be no more than $1150 (signed estimate), but could be as low as $950. We went ahead and let the go to work.
One day before the work was scheduled to be done I got a call. Kevin, the 'manager', who wears a shirt with Vincente as the name; said he recommended a new water pump AND new radiator. I agreed with the water pump, but I asked what was wrong with the radiator. He could not give an exact problem, and just said, "We can't warranty that engine without doing a new radiator". So, know how shop guys can gouge for more money, I just didn't want to fight it and said, "Ok, since the warranty would be at stake, lets do a new radiator." That brought the total up to $1250. Then he said, "That'll be the last thing, and you can pick up the car tomorrow (Fri Sept 26) after 3pm.
I was thinking, 'Ok we got gouged but at least we'll have a fresh car. But when we got there, it didn't look like anything was changed, except the radiator. Then thinking that I had to pay to get the car off the lot (and hoping that maybe they just rebuilt the engine) I paid...
Within 3 blocks, I could easily tell that nothing had changed. The knocking was just as bad as before. I went right back to complain and they nervously, anxiously, and with anger told me they'd fix the problem by Monday. They dismissed my requests for details.
I'll see now how it goes. Today is Saturday Sept 27, we're going to pay them an unexpected visit and see what they've got to say. My hunch is that if they're smart they're changing or rebuilding the engine. If not we'll be strongly discussing the issue.
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