Never trust a mechanic!
08-13-07, 02:32 AM
#1
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Never trust a mechanic!
Here is a perfect example of why you just can't trust any old "Import Auto Mechanic" to work on a rotary!
While I was at the race in Lansing, an older gentleman tracked me down to ask about a replacement engine for his '89 vert. He had stored his car for the winter, then when spring came it just wouldn't start. He had it towed to a garage that specializes in imports, and they told him the engine had no compression and would have to be replaced. They quoted him $5,000.00 for it.
Well, right away I'm thinking that no engine blows up while in storage... After the race, Perfect_Circle and I went and took a look at it. It was sitting in the parking lot of the garage. The first idea was that it was just flooded, so we went through the usual procedures but no go. Performed a ghetto compression check, and got great puffs on both rotors so we gave him the good news that his engine was fine.
After about 20 minutes we're at the point of verifying that the fuel pump is running, and PC noticed that the tank sounded suspiciously empty. After we added a gallon of gas, she fired right up. The engine sounded great, even after not having run in about 18 months.
Needless to say, this guy was very happy to have met Perfect_Circle and I...
I wish I could be there when he confronts the "mechanics" over his blown engine! 
While I was at the race in Lansing, an older gentleman tracked me down to ask about a replacement engine for his '89 vert. He had stored his car for the winter, then when spring came it just wouldn't start. He had it towed to a garage that specializes in imports, and they told him the engine had no compression and would have to be replaced. They quoted him $5,000.00 for it.
Well, right away I'm thinking that no engine blows up while in storage... After the race, Perfect_Circle and I went and took a look at it. It was sitting in the parking lot of the garage. The first idea was that it was just flooded, so we went through the usual procedures but no go. Performed a ghetto compression check, and got great puffs on both rotors so we gave him the good news that his engine was fine.
After about 20 minutes we're at the point of verifying that the fuel pump is running, and PC noticed that the tank sounded suspiciously empty. After we added a gallon of gas, she fired right up. The engine sounded great, even after not having run in about 18 months.
Needless to say, this guy was very happy to have met Perfect_Circle and I...
I wish I could be there when he confronts the "mechanics" over his blown engine!
08-13-07, 08:52 AM
#7
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We figure that when he took it out of storage after winter, he flooded it. The garage probably drained the tank to put in fresh gas, but either forgot that step or they were just messing with him.
But any way you look at it, they should never have diagnosed it as a bad engine. They said it had zero compression, yeah right...
But any way you look at it, they should never have diagnosed it as a bad engine. They said it had zero compression, yeah right...
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08-13-07, 02:00 PM
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08-13-07, 03:08 PM
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08-14-07, 05:29 PM
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Yep, feels good to help out friends from being raped by "those" mechanics. My last tally was a kid at work cracked his radiator by doing a little of roading in his new cobalt. The stealership wanted ~$1700 to fix all of what they said was wrong. I told him I'd go take a look at it and verified the only thing that was wrong was a cracked rad'. ~$140 for a new rad' off ebay and he learned some useful skills (he replaced the rad' with the understanding that *IF* he needed help I'd go over to help him). So ya, I feel good that I saved him $1560 and kept it away from the stealer.
It's good to know honest people that actually know a useful trade.
It's good to know honest people that actually know a useful trade.
08-14-07, 05:43 PM
#15
^^ i agree 100%. i try to help out my friends as much as i can. i do ALL the maintenance on all my cars and my girlfriends car.
what i hate is when my friends dont trust my judgement and then they go to the stealership and they tell them the same thing i said, plus a few things...obviosuly. so they get screwed cause they thought i was stupid. owned.
what i hate is when my friends dont trust my judgement and then they go to the stealership and they tell them the same thing i said, plus a few things...obviosuly. so they get screwed cause they thought i was stupid. owned.
08-14-07, 06:28 PM
#16
love the braaaap
This kinda reminds me of something a member from 2 years ago wrote. He took his car to a mechanic, for kicks I guess, and the mechanic, knowing it was a rotary, actually asked where the cylinder head was!! I laughed my *** off to that one.
But either way, the dealerships are horrible for replacing what doesn't need to be replaced. Not all are, but the majority are bad for it. Private practices are to be watched as well, unless you really know the mechanic your dealing with.
But either way, the dealerships are horrible for replacing what doesn't need to be replaced. Not all are, but the majority are bad for it. Private practices are to be watched as well, unless you really know the mechanic your dealing with.
08-14-07, 08:48 PM
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Dealerships really arent as bad as you guys want to make them out to be... First of all if a major company like mazda or chevy or toyota found out that one of thier dealerships was stealing from a customer they would pull the franchise from the owner. I work for toyota myself and worked for chrysler in the past, there is no selling a customer something they dont need. The high prices you find at dealerships are a result of paying a higher labor rate and factory parts. I would not be suprised at all to hear that a toyota radiator would cost 1700 to replace. What you need to understand is the radiator was not 1700, they were probally charged an intial diagnosis fee which at most dealerships in my area is 85 dollars or 1 hour labor. The diag fee would have cover a cooloant pressure test and general inspection of the vehicle and all systems that could have been affecterd by a coolant leak. A new radiator on a new car can easily reach 7-800 dollars. Depending on the vehicle labor to install the radiator could be as low as 1.5 hours of labor or up to 5 hours on hard to get to radiators. Also you would be paying for factory coolant, toyota's super long life 100k mile coolant which comes in all new toyotas costs 15 dollars a gallon and most cars require at least 2 gallons. Im not trying to say that bad things dont happen at dealerships but its not as bad as the do it yourselfers out there think. If you go to a dealership you are paying most of all for the factory training the mechanics have recived. If a situation occured at the dealership i work at similar to kentesu friend's the technician that tried to gouge him for 5k would have been fired.
08-15-07, 09:32 AM
#20
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This was not a dealership that he was dealing with, but an "import auto specialist" repair shop.
Hopefully I built up a little good karma with this, because it sounds like I'm going to need a new motor myself. Mine gave her two weeks notice the night before all of this happened.
Well, I'll just have to have a little faith and hope that the things I need will fall into my lap. lol. But yeah, it was extremely cool to be able to help him out, and I think Perfect_Circle and I both were feeling a little God-like for a bit after that.
Hopefully I built up a little good karma with this, because it sounds like I'm going to need a new motor myself. Mine gave her two weeks notice the night before all of this happened.
Well, I'll just have to have a little faith and hope that the things I need will fall into my lap. lol. But yeah, it was extremely cool to be able to help him out, and I think Perfect_Circle and I both were feeling a little God-like for a bit after that.
08-15-07, 11:34 AM
#22
Rotor or no motor
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We got a mechanic here which is worst than all the guys u might see or know
he doesnt use new seals when he rebuilts the engine but he uses the old ones + silicon instead.
uses leftovers from other engines that look okish such as apex seals corner seals etc etc
his engines dont last more than a few miles and he charges an arm and a leg
a had a friend going there for clutch replacement and he left the half gearbox with no screws on .. not just loose ... NO BOLTS on the one side...
another guy went there, it was a brand new rx7 fd at the time.
at the service they accidentally put the ast cap to the breather and the breather cap to the ast. the car was losing water and overheating ....he did 4 rebuilts and he didnt even figure it out. another guy found it.
and finally a friend went there...
the intercooler hose was cracked due to over tightening. this guy is like..the turbos are wasted now..lets hope the rotors are ok
Trust a mechanic?
HELLLLLL NOOOOOOO
when u go outside his shop he has a sign "Rotary engine Specialist"
yeah right LOL
he doesnt use new seals when he rebuilts the engine but he uses the old ones + silicon instead.
uses leftovers from other engines that look okish such as apex seals corner seals etc etc
his engines dont last more than a few miles and he charges an arm and a leg
a had a friend going there for clutch replacement and he left the half gearbox with no screws on .. not just loose ... NO BOLTS on the one side...
another guy went there, it was a brand new rx7 fd at the time.
at the service they accidentally put the ast cap to the breather and the breather cap to the ast. the car was losing water and overheating ....he did 4 rebuilts and he didnt even figure it out. another guy found it.
and finally a friend went there...
the intercooler hose was cracked due to over tightening. this guy is like..the turbos are wasted now..lets hope the rotors are ok
Trust a mechanic?
HELLLLLL NOOOOOOO
when u go outside his shop he has a sign "Rotary engine Specialist"
yeah right LOL
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