Tired of mechanics and the run around...

I am venting ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.

Once we had the valves gapped and timing adjusted and the car was
overheating terribly when it came back. I had to readjust the timing
myself.

Another time I got it back after having the valves adjusted and the
rear wheels almost fell off on the highway. I checked the lug nuts and
they were hand tight. A day later my girlfriend calls me because the
front wheel is making a bad noise. I tell her to pull over immediately.
I drive out to get her. Turns out the front wheels were also hand
tight. WTF!

6 months later I have an electrical problem fixed and ask to have the
valves adjusted while it's there. When we bring the car in the
mechanic sees a sticker from the "other" local VW mechanic and starts
going on about how we must be taking the car to this "other" mechanic.
When my girlfriend says no, that her boyfriend (me) is the one who does
the oil changes and valve adjustments he starts going on about how it's
been such a long time since he's worked on the car... (yeah I wonder
why, the last visit they left all four wheels loose) but in reality
it's only been about 6-8 months.

Anyhow, the gf leaves the car and later in the day the mechanic reports
back to my girlfriend the engine is "tired" and needs to be rebuilt.
He proceeds to tell her that there is no way on god's green earth that
the engine is going to last another 6 months. This is her pride and
joy, fully restored beetle, so she gets upset and calls me.

Now this is confusing since the engine is only 5 years old.... I called
him up and asked why he said it was tired and his response was that
"it's just tired". Um... ok... so I pressed a little more and he told
me the heads were loose and that the studs were probably pulling and
that it needs a complete rebuild.

Hmmm... ok. Sounds reasonable i guess. I get the feeling something
wasn't right as he's telling me he will do a rebuild for $1300...so I
say well let me think about it and get back with you...

Later that night my girlfriend tries to drive the car home to find that
the headlights dont work. He fixed the ignition problem and messed up
the headlights. I drive out to her, look, and find the relay unplugged
and laying in the trunk space.

Ok, thinking about it today, I get a little ****ed off and decide to
have a look for myself. The gaskets are stuck to the valve covers and
head (you know, the "click" when you break them free) and have
obviously not been removed by the mechanic at any point. I look
further and see that the engine has 8mm studs (and thus probably case
savers), all torqued perfectly to 18 ft lbs.

At this point I am almost positive this mechanic is trying to screw me.
I can only assume he's mad about the sticker from his competitor or
maybe the fact that I have been doing the valves and oil changes on my
girlfriend's car.

Does anyone else have this problem with mechanics? This is just B.S.
Are there any mechanics left that you can trust?

Does it smell like burnt oregano in that shop? Why in the world do you
still keep going there?

Hope you find a better mechanic soon.

Anton

P.S. Trust, but verify.


71-transporter wrote:
> I am venting ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
> busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.
>
> Once we had the valves gapped and timing adjusted and the car was
> overheating terribly when it came back. I had to readjust the timing
> myself.
>
> Another time I got it back after having the valves adjusted and the
> rear wheels almost fell off on the highway. I checked the lug nuts and
> they were hand tight. A day later my girlfriend calls me because the
> front wheel is making a bad noise. I tell her to pull over immediately.
> I drive out to get her. Turns out the front wheels were also hand
> tight. WTF!
>
> 6 months later I have an electrical problem fixed and ask to have the
> valves adjusted while it's there. When we bring the car in the
> mechanic sees a sticker from the "other" local VW mechanic and starts
> going on about how we must be taking the car to this "other" mechanic.
> When my girlfriend says no, that her boyfriend (me) is the one who does
> the oil changes and valve adjustments he starts going on about how it's
> been such a long time since he's worked on the car... (yeah I wonder
> why, the last visit they left all four wheels loose) but in reality
> it's only been about 6-8 months.
>
> Anyhow, the gf leaves the car and later in the day the mechanic reports
> back to my girlfriend the engine is "tired" and needs to be rebuilt.
> He proceeds to tell her that there is no way on god's green earth that
> the engine is going to last another 6 months. This is her pride and
> joy, fully restored beetle, so she gets upset and calls me.
>
> Now this is confusing since the engine is only 5 years old.... I called
> him up and asked why he said it was tired and his response was that
> "it's just tired". Um... ok... so I pressed a little more and he told
> me the heads were loose and that the studs were probably pulling and
> that it needs a complete rebuild.
>
> Hmmm... ok. Sounds reasonable i guess. I get the feeling something
> wasn't right as he's telling me he will do a rebuild for $1300...so I
> say well let me think about it and get back with you...
>
> Later that night my girlfriend tries to drive the car home to find that
> the headlights dont work. He fixed the ignition problem and messed up
> the headlights. I drive out to her, look, and find the relay unplugged
> and laying in the trunk space.
>
> Ok, thinking about it today, I get a little ****ed off and decide to
> have a look for myself. The gaskets are stuck to the valve covers and
> head (you know, the "click" when you break them free) and have
> obviously not been removed by the mechanic at any point. I look
> further and see that the engine has 8mm studs (and thus probably case
> savers), all torqued perfectly to 18 ft lbs.
>
> At this point I am almost positive this mechanic is trying to screw me.
> I can only assume he's mad about the sticker from his competitor or
> maybe the fact that I have been doing the valves and oil changes on my
> girlfriend's car.
>
> Does anyone else have this problem with mechanics? This is just B.S.
> Are there any mechanics left that you can trust?

71-transporter kirjoitti:


> At this point I am almost positive this mechanic is trying to screw me.
> I can only assume he's mad about the sticker from his competitor or
> maybe the fact that I have been doing the valves and oil changes on my
> girlfriend's car.
>
> Does anyone else have this problem with mechanics? This is just B.S.
> Are there any mechanics left that you can trust?
>

LOL,

this is pretty much where the industry has come to.. trust no-one.

I do just about all maintenance myself, and if I have to have a shop do
something for me, I automatically assume that they did something wrong
and double check their work if I can. A pleasant surprise is much nicer
than an unpleasant one.

Jan

My Baja bug was shuttering bad on take off and the local shop told me
the clutch was bad. It was the middle of the monsoon season here in the
Pacific Northwet and I didn't feel like digging into it in the rain so I
let the shop handle it. Not only did a new clutch not fix it but the
next time I adjusted the valves, I found that my Gene Berg swivel foot
valve adjusters had been replaced with beat up stock adjusters. A month
later the clutch release bearing came loose from the actuator fork and I
had to pull the engine in the rain to fix it and I found the bad rear
transmission mounts that were the problem in the first place (could have
been replaced without dropping the engine. I got double screwed on this
one...

I wish I could have proved they stoled my swivel foot valve adjusters so
I could have ripped them a new one in court.

Now a days I only take my car out for tire changes and front end
alignments. The rest I do myself.

Tony

71-transporter wrote:
> I am venting ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
> busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.
>
> Once we had the valves gapped and timing adjusted and the car was
> overheating terribly when it came back. I had to readjust the timing
> myself.
>
> Another time I got it back after having the valves adjusted and the
> rear wheels almost fell off on the highway. I checked the lug nuts and
> they were hand tight. A day later my girlfriend calls me because the
> front wheel is making a bad noise. I tell her to pull over immediately.
> I drive out to get her. Turns out the front wheels were also hand
> tight. WTF!
>
> 6 months later I have an electrical problem fixed and ask to have the
> valves adjusted while it's there. When we bring the car in the
> mechanic sees a sticker from the "other" local VW mechanic and starts
> going on about how we must be taking the car to this "other" mechanic.
> When my girlfriend says no, that her boyfriend (me) is the one who does
> the oil changes and valve adjustments he starts going on about how it's
> been such a long time since he's worked on the car... (yeah I wonder
> why, the last visit they left all four wheels loose) but in reality
> it's only been about 6-8 months.
>
> Anyhow, the gf leaves the car and later in the day the mechanic reports
> back to my girlfriend the engine is "tired" and needs to be rebuilt.
> He proceeds to tell her that there is no way on god's green earth that
> the engine is going to last another 6 months. This is her pride and
> joy, fully restored beetle, so she gets upset and calls me.
>
> Now this is confusing since the engine is only 5 years old.... I called
> him up and asked why he said it was tired and his response was that
> "it's just tired". Um... ok... so I pressed a little more and he told
> me the heads were loose and that the studs were probably pulling and
> that it needs a complete rebuild.
>
> Hmmm... ok. Sounds reasonable i guess. I get the feeling something
> wasn't right as he's telling me he will do a rebuild for $1300...so I
> say well let me think about it and get back with you...
>
> Later that night my girlfriend tries to drive the car home to find that
> the headlights dont work. He fixed the ignition problem and messed up
> the headlights. I drive out to her, look, and find the relay unplugged
> and laying in the trunk space.
>
> Ok, thinking about it today, I get a little ****ed off and decide to
> have a look for myself. The gaskets are stuck to the valve covers and
> head (you know, the "click" when you break them free) and have
> obviously not been removed by the mechanic at any point. I look
> further and see that the engine has 8mm studs (and thus probably case
> savers), all torqued perfectly to 18 ft lbs.
>
> At this point I am almost positive this mechanic is trying to screw me.
> I can only assume he's mad about the sticker from his competitor or
> maybe the fact that I have been doing the valves and oil changes on my
> girlfriend's car.
>
> Does anyone else have this problem with mechanics? This is just B.S.
> Are there any mechanics left that you can trust?
>

Tony,

How do you replace rear transmission mounts w/o pulling the engine
out??

anton

Anthony W wrote:
> My Baja bug was shuttering bad on take off and the local shop told me
> the clutch was bad. It was the middle of the monsoon season here in the
> Pacific Northwet and I didn't feel like digging into it in the rain so I
> let the shop handle it. Not only did a new clutch not fix it but the
> next time I adjusted the valves, I found that my Gene Berg swivel foot
> valve adjusters had been replaced with beat up stock adjusters. A month
> later the clutch release bearing came loose from the actuator fork and I
> had to pull the engine in the rain to fix it and I found the bad rear
> transmission mounts that were the problem in the first place (could have
> been replaced without dropping the engine. I got double screwed on this
> one...
>
> I wish I could have proved they stoled my swivel foot valve adjusters so
> I could have ripped them a new one in court.
>
> Now a days I only take my car out for tire changes and front end
> alignments. The rest I do myself.
>
> Tony
>
> 71-transporter wrote:
> > I am venting ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
> > busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.
> >
> > Once we had the valves gapped and timing adjusted and the car was
> > overheating terribly when it came back. I had to readjust the timing
> > myself.
> >
> > Another time I got it back after having the valves adjusted and the
> > rear wheels almost fell off on the highway. I checked the lug nuts and
> > they were hand tight. A day later my girlfriend calls me because the
> > front wheel is making a bad noise. I tell her to pull over immediately.
> > I drive out to get her. Turns out the front wheels were also hand
> > tight. WTF!
> >
> > 6 months later I have an electrical problem fixed and ask to have the
> > valves adjusted while it's there. When we bring the car in the
> > mechanic sees a sticker from the "other" local VW mechanic and starts
> > going on about how we must be taking the car to this "other" mechanic.
> > When my girlfriend says no, that her boyfriend (me) is the one who does
> > the oil changes and valve adjustments he starts going on about how it's
> > been such a long time since he's worked on the car... (yeah I wonder
> > why, the last visit they left all four wheels loose) but in reality
> > it's only been about 6-8 months.
> >
> > Anyhow, the gf leaves the car and later in the day the mechanic reports
> > back to my girlfriend the engine is "tired" and needs to be rebuilt.
> > He proceeds to tell her that there is no way on god's green earth that
> > the engine is going to last another 6 months. This is her pride and
> > joy, fully restored beetle, so she gets upset and calls me.
> >
> > Now this is confusing since the engine is only 5 years old.... I called
> > him up and asked why he said it was tired and his response was that
> > "it's just tired". Um... ok... so I pressed a little more and he told
> > me the heads were loose and that the studs were probably pulling and
> > that it needs a complete rebuild.
> >
> > Hmmm... ok. Sounds reasonable i guess. I get the feeling something
> > wasn't right as he's telling me he will do a rebuild for $1300...so I
> > say well let me think about it and get back with you...
> >
> > Later that night my girlfriend tries to drive the car home to find that
> > the headlights dont work. He fixed the ignition problem and messed up
> > the headlights. I drive out to her, look, and find the relay unplugged
> > and laying in the trunk space.
> >
> > Ok, thinking about it today, I get a little ****ed off and decide to
> > have a look for myself. The gaskets are stuck to the valve covers and
> > head (you know, the "click" when you break them free) and have
> > obviously not been removed by the mechanic at any point. I look
> > further and see that the engine has 8mm studs (and thus probably case
> > savers), all torqued perfectly to 18 ft lbs.
> >
> > At this point I am almost positive this mechanic is trying to screw me.
> > I can only assume he's mad about the sticker from his competitor or
> > maybe the fact that I have been doing the valves and oil changes on my
> > girlfriend's car.
> >
> > Does anyone else have this problem with mechanics? This is just B.S.
> > Are there any mechanics left that you can trust?
> >

> I wish I could have proved they stoled my swivel foot valve adjusters so
> I could have ripped them a new one in court.

Man that sucks! I am really hesitant to say anything to the mechanic
or go back... if he wanted to he could over torque a stud and call it
pulled. Just no way to win except do the work myself.

71-transporter wrote:
> ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
> busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The root-cause of your difficulties can be found in the two errors of
logic in your opening sentence.

-Bob Hoover

just don't go back, unless the car is still in the shop. hm i guess
it's the same kind of deal of sending food back in the restaurant.
Nobody wants to eat spit and what not.

In my opinion if you even get a bad vibe from the shop don't think
twise and never bring business again. I had 2 snaffus like this. One
was where shop over tightened a drail plug and striped threads on oil
pan. Poor thing was leaking out a good couple of quarts during night
:-O second, minor overtightened and striped threads on guard plate. oh
yeah and they charged me for the extra work of removing the guard
plate. Simple oil change, how hard can it be, right? Freaking Jiffy
Lube.


71-transporter wrote:
> > I wish I could have proved they stoled my swivel foot valve adjusters so
> > I could have ripped them a new one in court.
>
> Man that sucks! I am really hesitant to say anything to the mechanic
> or go back... if he wanted to he could over torque a stud and call it
> pulled. Just no way to win except do the work myself.

On 13 Nov 2006 17:29:41 -0800, wrote:

here in omaha neb. the only place to go for trusted work is bozarths
garage on the north side...john

wrote:
> 71-transporter wrote:
> > ... I do most of my own work but occasionally if I am too
> > busy I bring it in for a professional look over and/or major work.
> >----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The root-cause of your difficulties can be found in the two errors of
> logic in your opening sentence.
>
> -Bob Hoover

Which two errors in logic?