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Picking up car from a shop in "worse" condition


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Okay guys, this is meant in an objective way not to place blame on either party. Mainly to discuss ways to go about things. I am on the outside looking in on a particular situation.

 

I trailered a co-workers car to a highly reputable shop in the central Ohio area a couple weeks ago as he lifted the head on his Mitsu. from an overboost situation. Car ran, smoked bad and dumped coolant, but didn't seem overly "hurt".

 

The car gets the necessary machine work on the head, head studs, and GSC S-3 cams. He goes to pick the car up and it will barely start, and supposedly runs horrible ( go figure as the car wasn't tuned - per customer request). Well said customer decided to drive it from the Columbus area back to the Dayton area in this condition, not questioning anything from the shop. The car finally gets back to the area courtesy of a rollback.

 

He then finds out that 2 cylinders are a swimming pool with fuel. So he removes the standing fuel to rule out ignition problems, only to find the cylinders filled up again. I told him he needs to have his injectors checked to see if they are leaking or even stuck open. He decides to do a compression test to find out the 2 cylinders that had the fuel problems have 0 compression, and the other 2 are reading 150, and 165.

 

Now that you have the story would the shop or the customer be on the hook for any repairs to correct the problem?

I would say since he decided to drive the car in a state that could potentially cause damage he, at that point accepted responsibility for any possible damage that could result by driving the car any distance, and by not pushing for more answers from the shop. I also think that shop did exactly what they were asked to do, and that there is a possibility that the car may have had a larger issue that didn't fully show until after the basic problems were corrected - which is just speculation based off of some information my co-worker had said when he lifted the head (45psi and the car still stayed fairly fat regarding AFR.

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Sounds like your friend needs to find a new motor for his car. Even if it was that way before he took it in. He didn't want it re-tuned for the cams, and the shop could revert it blowing rings back to him for doing that. He drove it that way knowing (hopefully) that the car wasn't adjusted properly on the tuning side. He could try and fight it but I really don't see it going anywhere. Kudo's to the shop if they decide to help out a little bit, but I don't see it going anywhere.

Just my .02.

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So he asked to have the car fixed, car does not run right when he picks it up, drives it home anyway?

 

Seems like there are some parts to this story missing.

 

He asked the shop to install head studs, new gaskets, check the head and make sure it is good to go, big cams, and valvesprings, he has a different tuner he was working with (remote tuning), with the only guidance from his tuner was dont get into boost.

 

When he started the car the other day to ask what I thought, it initially sounded like a big cam EVO that was not tuned for the cams, I am not familiar with EVO mods and how they affect the drivability of the cars.

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He should have not tried to drive it home. Besides, who takes a car into a shop and tells the shop to only do half the job? I don't see where the shop would be responsible as they did what they were asked to do (though a compression test probably should have been done by the shop before it left since it was not running right).
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He asked the shop to install head studs, new gaskets, check the head and make sure it is good to go, big cams, and valvesprings, he has a different tuner he was working with (remote tuning), with the only guidance from his tuner was dont get into boost.

 

When he started the car the other day to ask what I thought, it initially sounded like a big cam EVO that was not tuned for the cams, I am not familiar with EVO mods and how they affect the drivability of the cars.

 

If that were my car it would not have left the shop. They did work, it did not run correctly, he should not have took it home (let alone drove it) until it was correct.

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So he asked to have the car fixed, car does not run right when he picks it up, drives it home anyway?

 

Seems like there are some parts to this story missing.

 

I'm with wags on this. Is your friend mentally handicapped? Is his favorite food potatoes? Something doesn't add up right.

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Classic case where the customer has no idea what hes doing, makes specific statements and mandates to a shop, the shop complies, and the customer doesn't understand the repercussions of his own ignorant moves. Now he will blame the shop (foolishly) for something that is not their fault.

 

I agree there are parts missing here... like where he ran it up to 180 mph on the way home and grenaded 2 cylinders.

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I think there is an obvious break down in communication between the shop and customer. I hate having to be the dickhead technician but I often feel the need to harp on service advisors and customers about pentential issues with their cars. After doing that type of work I would be very clear and document what was going on. Sounds like a lazy tech and shop, because with the car in that condition clear and precise details need to be presented. If the tech simply hung parts and shipped the car then he is worthless. If they did what I described, then yes clear neglect by the cars owner.
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Classic case where the customer has no idea what hes doing, makes specific statements and mandates to a shop, the shop complies, and the customer doesn't understand the repercussions of his own ignorant moves. Now he will blame the shop (foolishly) for something that is not their fault.

 

I agree there are parts missing here... like where he ran it up to 180 mph on the way home and grenaded 2 cylinders.

 

He installed a FP Black turbo and tubular manifold himself (I watched refusing to touch the car myself other than to start a couple of hte manifold nuts bc he couldn't get to it somehow, which he then tightened himself).

 

He was doing some pulls to send to his tuner to lean it out and fine tune it before cams and a vaccum hose became disconnected from the turbo, 45psi and lifted the head, the next day on the way to work the temp spikes and he shuts the car off, changed the t-stat and went to the gym same song and dance.

 

Then finds coolant leaking everywhere and the car is puffing some white smoke.

 

then a couple weeks later loads it up to take it to the shop for the work mentioned above.

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He installed a FP Black turbo and tubular manifold himself (I watched refusing to touch the car myself other than to start a couple of hte manifold nuts bc he couldn't get to it somehow, which he then tightened himself).

 

He was doing some pulls to send to his tuner to lean it out and fine tune it before cams and a vaccum hose became disconnected from the turbo, 45psi and lifted the head, the next day on the way to work the temp spikes and he shuts the car off, changed the t-stat and went to the gym same song and dance.

 

Then finds coolant leaking everywhere and the car is puffing some white smoke.

 

then a couple weeks later loads it up to take it to the shop for the work mentioned above.

 

And people wonder why shops shy away from them. I'd rather turn down work then take on something like this. If he had said "look I fucked up, please fix this" that would be one thing, but from the sounds of this story I would've sent hime down the road.

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