acklac7 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Alright so the old man has a shop that he's been taking his cars to for like 15 years. When he moved back from Florida he found the owner (whom he new really well) had more or less sold the shop, or at least a share of it. He managed to talk to the old owner and still felt comfortable bringing his car there. So anyway about he's had a rattling coming from the rear suspension for a while now. I thought it was the swaybar links, and so did "his mechanic". Well he got the car back and the clunk was still there, maybe a little better but still rattling like crazy. I took a look at it and found the control arm bushing was shot. He took it back and told them the noise was still there (without telling them I took a look at it). They replaced the control arm bushing for free and the suspension was dead silent. Lately he's been having intermittent starting issues. Got it to act up a few times while I was with him and you can hear the starter spinning but it's not turning the flywheel. I told him the flywheel was either chipped or the starter was going bad. Finally it seemed to have died for good and he got it towed in to his mechanic. They called him back a few days later saying they pulled/tested the starter and it looked fine and it was actually the battery that was bad/causing the problem. Upon hearing this I immediately called :bs: While im no expert I am pretty good with cars and about a year away from getting my Automotive Technology Associates degree & ASE certs. If the batter was bad/weak the starter would have labored when trying to turn the flywheel and at least attempted to crank the engine. It doesn't. It just spins like a son of a bitch and thats it. Then a few minutes later it will crank the flywheel/start the car no problem. I ran the scenario by one of my instructors and he said the same thing, not the battery probably the one-way clutch in the starter or the flywheel is chipped. So I took him to pick it up today and on a hunch tell him to meet me just down the street afterwards (if he can even get it started in the first place). He gets it started, and meets me down the street. I shut the engine off, then try and start the car: same shit. Starter spins but doesn't engage the flywheel. After several tries it engages the flywheel but the engine wont fire, after several more labored attempts the engine finally turns over and he immediately takes it back to the shop. I told him before hand that they had lied to him, the battery was never bad, they just couldn't find the problem and decided to say it was the battery so they could make a quick buck. So what to do in this situation? I told him I would go back and argue with the guy and attempt to get the bill refunded in full but that I absolutely will not trust this guy to work on the car after I more or less chew him out / expose him for fraud. My father on the other hand wants to take it back and let them work on it again, in hopes that they will find the problem and fix it for free (like they did last time). He ended up taking it back to them and they set the stage for it being some other problem (fuel pump etc). So what would you guys do? I mean would you trust someone to work on your car after they had repeatedly fucked up / lied to you and you got in there face/called them out on it? I told him the best thing to do is either be civil and let them fix the problem (at there expense) or confront them on there fraudulent/incompetent practices and demand a refund, then take his car elsewhere. Maybe im wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustlestiltskin Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 You got trolled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 You should start working on the car and not have your Dad take it to a shop to pay stuff that you can fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verse Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I wouldn't take my car to anyone and just fix it myself. It's your dad, why make him pay labor when you could just fix it yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 So a shop didnt diagnose a intermittent problem with a "starting" issue. And a "sound" in the rear end of the car and now they are crooks? They took care of the "sound" issue at no charge. Maybe I am missing something. Oh and something else to think about. What happens after you get your ASE and you cant get a car to duplicate a problem. Then customer comes back after problem gets worse and tells you that you ripped him off and you need to fix his problem free of charge. Which could be up to and including many hours of labor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 +1 on fixing it yourself. your wanting to do this for a living and you won't even work on your dads stuff? put a starter in the stupid thing and get on with life. if it was a flex plate tooth chipped how would it start after trying it a few times? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 overreact much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 http://www.jcprsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/omg_RE_Leaving_Sharenator-s450x446-67300-580.jpg FINE HIM, BURN HIS HOUSE DOWN WITH HIS FAMILY IN IT!! Or just move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky31186 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 overreact much? x2 Fix his car yourself... They dont seem like crooks to me.. Take it to another shop for a 2nd opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I'm gonna have to send people to you when you start working in this trade, I guess you'll be fucking perfect as a tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I'm gonna have to send people to you when you start working in this trade, I guess you'll be fucking perfect as a tech. You rub your brake pads on the concrete floor before installing them right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 You rub your brake pads on the concrete floor before installing them right? I only have acess to asphalt and gravel at work so I go for the gravel and the performance dimpled friction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinisterSS Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 So a shop didnt diagnose a intermittent problem with a "starting" issue. And a "sound" in the rear end of the car and now they are crooks? They took care of the "sound" issue at no charge. Maybe I am missing something. Oh and something else to think about. What happens after you get your ASE and you cant get a car to duplicate a problem. Then customer comes back after problem gets worse and tells you that you ripped him off and you need to fix his problem free of charge. Which could be up to and including many hours of labor. quoted for truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 nice backfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOZZER Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 First how old is the car, what year, make, and how many miles? All cars have issues sooner or later. The shop doesn't sound shady. Get some years under your belt in the industry before you pass judgement. Degrees and ASE certs states you had training in a lab enviroment and can pass a test. Not digging on you, but if you are so skilled fix your dad's car instead of taking it to a shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffro Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 My dads truck had issues after buying a new battery last week. Turned out the thing didnt have enough cold cranking amps. Mark the starter somehow to see if they even touch it when you take it back in. then if nothing has changed, then well you know theyre lieing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted September 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Ok first off I almost always work on family member's vehicles (at no charge). Evaporator cores, CV joints, Climate Control modules etc. I fucked up my back last year and then recently fucked it up again working on my car, so im trying to take it easy (3rd times a charm). Also the old man has always seemed to like having a Mechanic and gets some sentimental effect by going over there or something? And I really can't blame them for missing the control arm bushings. I mean shit happens, I know that. But like what pisses me off is the battery was not bad, I mean this problem has been going on for about 3 months now and he's had 0 issues with the battery. I would have no problem if they would have simply said "we can't reproduce the problem...sorry". Instead they claimed to have fixed the problem by installing a new battery. I mean you can't reproduce a no-start issue so instead you sell a battery and say you fixed the problem. Am I the only one who thinks that's suspect/shady? Sorry for the rant but the old man has been through alot in the past few years and it's sorta hard for me to see people apparently try and take advantage of him after all the shit he's been through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Troubleshooting electrical problems can be a bitch. The battery could have definitely been bad and it could be caused by the starter going bad. The solenoid could be going out and causing the battery to drain, when they tested the battery the first time it could of tested bad and when they changed it with a fresh one it had enough juice to kick the starter over enough a few times to make it seem like the problem went away. After a few starts the battery could have been weakened enough to cause the problem to come back. The shop only half troubleshot the problem in my opinion. The problem is the starter which killed the first battery, and will kill the new battery eventually. At least that is my opinion of the problem because I have seen that situation a few thousand times. I say solenoid because that is the part most likely to go out and will also cause the condition of the gear spinning but not engaging the flywheel to spin the motor. Depends on the type of starter being used really but from the sounds of it the whole unit needs replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 I would say not all shops are shady, but I would say that some are, about 7 or 8 years ago my moms old explorer was overheating, dad put it in a shop, shop says it needs a new motor because of metal shavings in the coolant and wanted 8 grand to replace the engine, now as far as I know there is only one moving part in the cooling system, long story short, dad told them to replace the waterpump and thermostat and the thing ran perfect for another 20000 miles until the timing chain went bad, point is there are some shops that possibly aren't as truthful or knowledgable as they should be, however I believe there are some out there that aren't out to rob you either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted September 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 (edited) I'm gonna have to send people to you when you start working in this trade, I guess you'll be fucking perfect as a tech. Actually want to be a Service Advisor, and part of me was wondering how a seasoned tech would react if I tried to tell him how to do his job. Now I know...:thumbup: :gabe: Edited September 29, 2011 by AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Actually want to be a Service Advisor, and part of me was wondering how a seasoned tech would react if I tried to tell him how to do his job. Now I know...:thumbup: i really hope that is a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Actually want to be a Service Advisor, and part of me was wondering how a seasoned tech would react if I tried to tell him how to do his job. Now I know...:thumbup: Well you won't make it as a tech if you hurt your back every time you work on something. i really hope that is a joke. No shit, I know techs who would gladly hit a service advisor for shit like this. I'm actually pretty easy going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractor Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 I agree with you, "bad battery" is something many shops will tell women and then replace the starter on a repeat visit for the same issue. If they can't fix a simple starter problem like your describing on the first try I wouldn't feel they are very knowledgeable or something is up. Either way I wouldn't go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted September 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 i really hope that is a joke. Yea I worded it wrong. However I did frame my post to draw comments from tech's, not necc. to troll but rather to see what there viewpoint's were. What I meant to say / should have said was I wonder how a seasoned tech would react if I tried to tell him what I thought was wrong with a vehicle he had been having issues with. To be honest even as a manager I would have trouble telling a professional how to do his job... Before I made this post I ran the whole scenario through my head as if I was the service advisor/customer/technician. As a Tech I would probably have issues with a S.A. trying to definitively tell me what is wrong with a car, mainly because that's not really his job.....right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted September 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Well you won't make it as a tech if you hurt your back every time you work on something. Not every time, but im 6'6 and seem to be constantly working on stuff, and when im not working on something im fishing so yea, takes it's toll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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