I'm having a problem with an auto mechanic and I'd just like to know what kind of rights do I have. Here's what happened: My truck started over-heating and I thought it was my water pump. So I called 4 mobile auto mechanics in the area to get estimates.
When I got to A-1 Super Pro, they were the only one who suggested that it might not be my water pump. So I decided to go with them even though they didn't give me the lowest bid. But they said they wouldn't be able to come to my house because all they're mobile mechanics were busy, so I took it to their shop behind the Strip.
It turned out my engine was just clogged and just needed to be flushed. $207.00 to flush the engine. The same price they quoted me to install a new water pump. When I picked my truck up a couple hours later, they told me that I had a blown head gasket because I had oil in my water and water in my oil and that it wouldn't last more than 2 days.
So I drove it home to figure out what to do. Every time I stopped, steam started pouring from under my hood. When I got home I checked under the hood and found they left the cap off the flush adapter on the hose. So I got a new cap and put it on and I added anti-freeze.
But it just keep getting lower every time I filled it, so I checked the oil and over a half gallon of anti - freeze that I just added was now in my engine. So I called them back and told them I needed it fixed because I need my truck for work.
They told me $600.00. I said that I didn't have that much and they said that they would let me put $200.00 down and make payments. I told them that I had no credit and they said that was okay. So I had them tow it back, which I was charged $50.00 for.
They told me it would take two days. I then asked them if they had to expose the timing chain to change the head gasket and they said "yes" so I asked if he could put in new guides because mine were wearing out.
He said "no problem and he would only charge me for the new part" After they start taking it apart they call me back and say " guess what, you don't need a head gasket, my timing chain wore through the cover and caused the leak inside the engine but I need not worry because its going to be the same price plus an extra hundred for the new cover plate." The next day he calls and says that my trucks ready but its now leaking oil and he won't be able to fix it until the next day because its going to take an hour and a half.
So now its 4 days later and my trucks ready but now he wants $300.00 down instead of the $200.00 we agreed upon. I brought him $200.00 and told him thats all I got. The total came to $959.00. He failed to mention the $173.00 they charge for contract prepreation.
But I was okay with that since they're trusting me after I told them that I have no credit. They made me sign a contract saying that I own this vehicle free and clear and that I have the title right after I told him that I'm still making payments and I'm not even the registered owner.
It's really not even my truck. Anyway, they gave me the keys and and proceeded to drive it home. About 2 miles from my house, it started making this whistling noise every time I came to a stop. It kept getting louder and louder the rest of the way home.
I get the truck home and open the hood up. This is where it gets good. Right away I notice a wire hanging off my alt not attached to anything. There was oil all over the front of my engine and within about 2 minutes a 1/2 cup on the ground.
I went to pull my dip stick out and I could barely get it out only to find out it wasn't even attached to the engine like it was before. Then I looked down to try and figure out where the oil was coming from and found a bolt that was 1/4 from being tight.
So I called him back and told him all this and he told me to bring it back to the shop. I told him no way that you need to send your mobile mechanic out here and fix it because I'm not driving it like that. He said his mechanics were busy today and that he would call me the next day (today, Sat) and send someone out to fix it.
Well, I sat by the phone all day and he never called once. I told him I had to have it fixed by 11:00pm because I needed it to do my route. He said that would be no problem. But he never called and nobody showed up to fix it.
I'm not even sure I want them to fix it. I'm affraid they're going to sabatoge it so something else will break. They also told me if I'm a day late on my payment, which is $100 every 2 weeks, that they could pick my truck up. Can they do that when its not even my truck? And can I have someone else fix what they messed up and take it what I owe them? Please help me, I'm so tired of getting ripped-off by these mechanics around here.
One guy did finally show up on Monday only to tell me that besides the loose bolt, I have one that's missing. That's why my dipstick for the oil wasn't attached. He also said that all the oil was coming from behind the cover to my timing chain that they just installed and he wanted me to bring it back to their shop so they can take it all apart again and start all over.
I told him I needed my truck to work, so he said to drive it tonight and let him know how much oil, if any, that still leaked. So I drove it to work and before I got there it started making a very loud whinning noise and it wouldn't idle at all.
So I took it back home and put a piece of card board under the engine and the oil was just flowing out of it, no longer just dripping. So now I'm going to lose my job because I have to use it for delivering the newspaper everyday.
0 comments