Hello all!

I've recently brought my newly-acquired R50 into a new-to-me mechanic, whose reputation is stellar, according to Yelp and Google reviews. And my initial impression of them has been positive. Basically, I asked him to "make it drive like it's brand new again" (or as close to that as possible, of course), and so he recommended replacing a bunch of parts based on the symptoms I told him my car was was having. He replaced a bunch of things in the drivetrain (clutch, slave cylinder, right axle, RF hub, both ball joints), he gave it a tune up and replaced a few other non-drivetrain things (accessory belt tensioner, a power steering line, fixed my power outlet by the cup holders).


So, long story short: the shop misdiagnosed what was wrong with my car, because they replaced a bunch of parts, and the only thing that got better was the clutch. All of the symptoms that I pointed out to him and his colleagues haven't been fixed, even though he said "if we replace part X, then the Y sound will be eliminated). And, to add insult to injury, I think my cooling system has air in it now, because I hear liquid sloshing behind the dash whenever I rev the engine, and the fan goes on after I turn the car off. Finally, my toggle switches right above my cup holders are all physically messed up (touch one switch and they all move AND the dividers between the switches can fall out now) and my automatic HVAC isn't working right anymore, unless I press on the toggle switch assembly from the bottom to hold it in place.


So here's my question, what would the best way to go about getting this situation rectified, considering that after spending over $2500, the only thing that's fixed is my clutch and the rest of the car is working worse? I really don't want to spend more money on his guessing game to make my car better. He wants me to bring it back in tomorrow morning so he can check it out, but we haven't talked about details.


One of my friends said that he should take the labor that he charged me and apply it to whatever really needed replacing.

What do you guys think? Any opinions or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Chris

 

i think you should take it back and let him look at it before you start demanding he gives you work for free.

the button issue sounds like a simple case of things not being put back into place properly when they fixed your power outlet. that they should just fix, no questions asked. as for the fan turning on, that's pretty normal behavior for a car. the sloshing noise could be anything. not sure why you went directly to air in the system, as that usually results in the car over heating.

as for the rest of it, it's really hard to say one way or the other if what he replaced was really warranted or even if that's what he should have tried first as you don't say what the symptoms were that you went in with, or what is still wrong that you're not happy with.

best advice i could give is go to him tomorrow and let him look and see what he says. he may well be willing to work with you on a price for fixing whatever is left. i'm sorry to say though that often times when attempting to fix a car you need to replace things to basically rule them out. if you show up there tomorrow very angry and attacking him, while basically accusing him of scamming you (which it sounds like you're doing) he's not very likely to either a) work with you to figure out the issues or b) work on your car at all. be calm and hear him out.

 

I think you need to relax and wait to talk to him in the morning. Then in the morning when you do talk to him remain calm. Blowing up at him will not solve anything. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

First thing to do is write a list of the things that are not correct, per your way of thinking of how they should be.

Second, be friendly with him as if you we're speaking to him as a friend and ask if he could explain some things to you per your list.

Third, work with him as you did leave the door open as too what he should fix by saying, " make it drive like it's brand new again "

Fourth, never take your car to be repaired anywhere without giving the Mechanic a list of the items you want replaced or checked to see if they need replacement. At least then he can contact you to say this or that are worn out and you will know the cost of the replacement up front.

 

Thanks, great advice all around!

I wasn't expecting anything done for free in the future. And I am not angry or accusing him of scamming me... I am sure that it was just a mistake. I've paid up already and have been completely cordial with the guy. I was just trying to find out if there is some kind of protocol that normally happens when a misdiagnosis occurs.

And just to be clear, I did tell him about every symptom that I wanted repaired ahead of time-- and then I followed up with a "make it drive like its new again"... I merely didn't mention exactly what I requested of him in this thread, because my question was more about what to do when things don't get repaired.

As of now, we've met up and he drove around with me noting and acknowledging the problems. I'm hoping he figures it all out.

 

A quick update as of Friday evening:

My mechanic called me back after he and his group verified my claims of this and that not being fixed-- and he offered to repair the next potential culprits for free! He said that the way that I was working with him on the situation (just being factual and leaving emotion out of it) and that I spent a pretty penny already worked in my favor. He says he would love to keep my business now and for the future. Needless to say, I am very happy to hear that!

So hopefully the car will be done today and hopefully all is fixed!

 

sounds like you found yourself a keeper! glad it's all working out

 

Glad it all worked out and you found a reputable mechanic.

 

Good for you and hopefully it comes back to you without any more issues.

 

happy for you. congrats