Dealer screwed up my car after clutch job
12-12-07, 07:14 AM
#27
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Thanks guys.
I already told the service manager that the car was running fine except occasional hot start problem when I went there to pick up my car a week ago. And he said he would have some one take a look at it for free.
Now I just called him about an hour ago, and asked him what's the status of my car. He said that there's no compression in one of the rotors. Same thing he told me before. And he claimed that the car was like that when I brought it in. He didn't say that a week ago, even though he didn't explicitly admit that they did something wrong. And he wanted me to pay for the engine replacement. I said no, and told him that I would call him back.
Then I called student legal service (I am a graduate student research assisntant and can use the service for free) and made an appointment with a laywer. It's tomorrow afternoon, so I have to wait. I did not told the service manager about the lawyer, though.
I know, the service manager knows (I believe), and God knows that the car was fine before the cluch replacement, but I'm not sure how I can prove it. The odometer reading indicates that they drove it about 4 miles after I dropped it in. And they had not said anything about the engine being abnormal for about two weeks while replacing clutch. They should have noticed it right away and called me about it if the engine had run like that. I don't think they could have even driven 4 miles with that condition ( it hardly idles).
I still have to see my lawyer tomorrow, but am really worried.
Thanks again for your help.
I already told the service manager that the car was running fine except occasional hot start problem when I went there to pick up my car a week ago. And he said he would have some one take a look at it for free.
Now I just called him about an hour ago, and asked him what's the status of my car. He said that there's no compression in one of the rotors. Same thing he told me before. And he claimed that the car was like that when I brought it in. He didn't say that a week ago, even though he didn't explicitly admit that they did something wrong. And he wanted me to pay for the engine replacement. I said no, and told him that I would call him back.
Then I called student legal service (I am a graduate student research assisntant and can use the service for free) and made an appointment with a laywer. It's tomorrow afternoon, so I have to wait. I did not told the service manager about the lawyer, though.
I know, the service manager knows (I believe), and God knows that the car was fine before the cluch replacement, but I'm not sure how I can prove it. The odometer reading indicates that they drove it about 4 miles after I dropped it in. And they had not said anything about the engine being abnormal for about two weeks while replacing clutch. They should have noticed it right away and called me about it if the engine had run like that. I don't think they could have even driven 4 miles with that condition ( it hardly idles).
I still have to see my lawyer tomorrow, but am really worried.
Thanks again for your help.
The way you prove it is you tell them that the dealer called you to ask if you wanted them to look at a warm start issue. If the car was like that when you brought it in it stands to reason that they would have asked you if you wanted them to look at your blown motor!!!!!
They are trying to get out of taking the blame and are basically calling you an idiot by doing so.
You should explain to them very politely that you are a very fair person but it does not take a genius to figure out that they are at fault here. You then tell them that you will contact a Lawyer, Mazda USA and go to the media with your story. Basically you make their lives a pain in the *** until they admit they are at fault. I would even ask to speak with the owner of the dealership to inform them what kind of people he has working for him.
Also if your motor was blown it is obvious you would not be changing the damn clutch but rather putting that money towards a new motor.
Stand up for yourself and do not let them take advantage of you.
12-12-07, 07:32 AM
#28
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I could start it up when I went to dealer to pick it up. The car was not drivable at all. I stalled it a couple times to just move it about 20 feet. Idle was very rough, jumping any where between 500 to 1500 rpm. The whole car was shaking side to side. The boost(vacumn) was about 8-10 mmhg. After about 5 minutes or so, it eventually stalled. And then I could re-start it.
Did you ask him, if the car was already like that when you brought it how the hell did you get it there?
12-12-07, 08:36 AM
#29
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I think that is exactly what happend to my car. Some one took it out for a "test drive" and blew up the engine. But I still hope it wasn't the case. The boost was not particularly spiky before the clutch job. It goes up as high as 11 psi or a little more (but less than 12 psi), but I wonder if it's enough to blow up the engine.
Any way, what is the symptom of a blown rotary engine. They said one of the rotor has no compression at all.
I could start it up when I went to dealer to pick it up. The car was not drivable at all. I stalled it a couple times to just move it about 20 feet. Idle was very rough, jumping any where between 500 to 1500 rpm. The whole car was shaking side to side. The boost(vacumn) was about 8-10 mmhg. After about 5 minutes or so, it eventually stalled. And then I could re-start it.
I don't remember seeing excessive smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe even though the exhaust sound was very rough with some popping every second or two.
Is this something I should expect when one rotor is completely busted?
Thanks.
Any way, what is the symptom of a blown rotary engine. They said one of the rotor has no compression at all.
I could start it up when I went to dealer to pick it up. The car was not drivable at all. I stalled it a couple times to just move it about 20 feet. Idle was very rough, jumping any where between 500 to 1500 rpm. The whole car was shaking side to side. The boost(vacumn) was about 8-10 mmhg. After about 5 minutes or so, it eventually stalled. And then I could re-start it.
I don't remember seeing excessive smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe even though the exhaust sound was very rough with some popping every second or two.
Is this something I should expect when one rotor is completely busted?
Thanks.
when my motor went it sounded just as you described. back rotor had 0 compression.
and it took maybe 4 to 5 miles and it wouldn't even move.
and like stated before tell them if it were blown before how did you make it there?
12-12-07, 08:37 AM
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I didn't ask the service manager the question, but it is one of the things that I will tell my lawyer today along with the fact that they drove it about 4 miles while the car was in the dealer. It would have been almost impossible to drive it 4 miles with only one rotor, plus they would have imformed me right away if it had been the case. The service manager didn't even brought it up when he called me to pick it up. Instead he suggested an engine diagnosis, and I said "no". Then he said, "Well, you know how it ran when you brought it, right?" And the way he said it was a little fishy.
Any way, Mazda USA and media are good idea.
I'll definetely try them after I consult my lawyer today.
Thanks.
Any way, Mazda USA and media are good idea.
I'll definetely try them after I consult my lawyer today.
Thanks.
12-12-07, 08:45 AM
#31
Racecar - Formula 2000
Gaebing,
Just reading your thread makes me angry. It's just amazing how some shady service departments will lie to cover their a*ses. They've occasionally done it to me, and that's the reason I do all of the work that I am capable of on my own cars, even those under warrantee.
Good luck. I hope they don't get away with this!
Just reading your thread makes me angry. It's just amazing how some shady service departments will lie to cover their a*ses. They've occasionally done it to me, and that's the reason I do all of the work that I am capable of on my own cars, even those under warrantee.Good luck. I hope they don't get away with this!
12-12-07, 09:07 AM
#33
Rotary Enthusiast
I didn't ask the service manager the question, but it is one of the things that I will tell my lawyer today along with the fact that they drove it about 4 miles while the car was in the dealer. It would have been almost impossible to drive it 4 miles with only one rotor, plus they would have imformed me right away if it had been the case. The service manager didn't even brought it up when he called me to pick it up. Instead he suggested an engine diagnosis, and I said "no". Then he said, "Well, you know how it ran when you brought it, right?" And the way he said it was a little fishy.
Any way, Mazda USA and media are good idea.
I'll definetely try them after I consult my lawyer today.
Thanks.
Any way, Mazda USA and media are good idea.
I'll definetely try them after I consult my lawyer today.
Thanks.
yeah...common man, they told you they would diagnose it.....for free??hrm you shouldnt take a business man to be so nice. i wonder why he told you he would do it for free......
12-12-07, 09:17 AM
#34
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Shops, in general, tend to be shady. Just last week I was replacing a BLOWN wheel bearing on the SVTF...I got it all apart to the point where the bearing just had to be pressed from the hub, and the new bearing pressed in. I called 3 places...the first just laughed and told me they wouldn't do it (guess it wasn't a big enough job for them), and another quoted me $60...to press ONE bearing out of a hub and press ONE bearing back into the same hub. The third shop, however, was great - it was a local parts store that had a machine shop in the back. Ended up costing me $17, but I could totally see someone less knowlegable thinking $60 was a fair price for that work....or, heaven forbid, they actually had the shop do all the work. I can only imagine what that would have cost. I ended up spending about $150 on a new spindle, new wheel bearing kit, the bearing removal/install, and random tools I needed to finish the job (things I needed but didn't have). I could imagine seeing a bill for at least twice that if I would have taken it to a shop....plus they'd probably tell me my hub was bad, or I needed new blinker fluid or some crazy ****.
Basically...never trust anyone with your car that you wouldn't trust with your life.
Basically...never trust anyone with your car that you wouldn't trust with your life.
12-12-07, 10:19 AM
#35
gaebing,
You have have 2 pieces of evidence that are gold.
1. The service write up lists what the car came in for. I'm just going to take a shot in the dark here but I doubt blown engine is listed anywhere.
2. This is the most important: It was driven for 4 miles. Why would anyone go on a 4 mile test drive with a blown engine? Logic would suggest that the tech would have left the the dealership and come right back because there a huge ******* problem.
Like I said a blown engine is a huge problem and if your car indeed in that condition when you brought it in it should have been cought by several people: you driving it to the dealership, or the service rep who received your car in, or the tech who drove the car to the service station, or the tech who drove your ******* car for 3.99 miles before he duduced there was a problem. See what I'm trying to get at?
I hope your car is still there... If it is do not take it anywhere. It's time for you to start flexing muscle. Call mazda corp and ask to speak to whoever the dealer answers to. Have a corporate mazda rep come down and view for himself.
Be calm be cool but tell everyone you are already speaking to a lawyer (as you should be) and you will sue, and name specific people on the lawsuit. That is: the tech, service manager, the owner of the dealership. And that you will seek punitive damages (to be honest im not sure if this applies but it's always good to scare people) from the dealership because in fact they are aware of their mistake but choose to proceed on going forward.
oh yeah don't be surprised if your turbos are shot as well...
Call back the shop
You have have 2 pieces of evidence that are gold.
1. The service write up lists what the car came in for. I'm just going to take a shot in the dark here but I doubt blown engine is listed anywhere.
2. This is the most important: It was driven for 4 miles. Why would anyone go on a 4 mile test drive with a blown engine? Logic would suggest that the tech would have left the the dealership and come right back because there a huge ******* problem.
Like I said a blown engine is a huge problem and if your car indeed in that condition when you brought it in it should have been cought by several people: you driving it to the dealership, or the service rep who received your car in, or the tech who drove the car to the service station, or the tech who drove your ******* car for 3.99 miles before he duduced there was a problem. See what I'm trying to get at?
I hope your car is still there... If it is do not take it anywhere. It's time for you to start flexing muscle. Call mazda corp and ask to speak to whoever the dealer answers to. Have a corporate mazda rep come down and view for himself.
Be calm be cool but tell everyone you are already speaking to a lawyer (as you should be) and you will sue, and name specific people on the lawsuit. That is: the tech, service manager, the owner of the dealership. And that you will seek punitive damages (to be honest im not sure if this applies but it's always good to scare people) from the dealership because in fact they are aware of their mistake but choose to proceed on going forward.
oh yeah don't be surprised if your turbos are shot as well...
Call back the shop
12-12-07, 11:56 AM
#36
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reading about stories like this pisses me off greatly, if it was my FD then id find out who the guy was that test drove it then get some nice cold payback.
anyway, you do have some things going for you that will stir things up on their end so they can correct their pathetic ways
1) your engine wasnt blown when you brought it in, how would it have made it to the shop in the first place??? your engine can't just pop while its turned off lol, what they are sayin is like "yeaaah we turned on your car and it just blew". its ridiculous!
2) you can easily blow an RX-7 in about 4 miles, just turn it on then go off drivin the snot out of it without warm-up. maybe even go do some peel-outs on a low gear (like first heh).
if you dont have surge tank in the back they couldve made a badass left turn thus making your engine run lean for a bit as well.
3) they also most likely boosted the **** out of it on the way back at which point they just turned the car off with no warm-down period as well. underhood temps are at their highest when its sitting there, so yeah you get the idea. you will also probably need a new turbo like another poster has said.
i wish you the best of luck against BS like this and hope justice serves you well. hopefully your lawyer has some good news for you in regards to this matter so keep your head up and stay positive.
edit: about the surge tank thing i hear the fuel goes off to the right with weight shifts and surge tank prevents that by keeping your engine well fed!
anyway, you do have some things going for you that will stir things up on their end so they can correct their pathetic ways
1) your engine wasnt blown when you brought it in, how would it have made it to the shop in the first place??? your engine can't just pop while its turned off lol, what they are sayin is like "yeaaah we turned on your car and it just blew". its ridiculous!
2) you can easily blow an RX-7 in about 4 miles, just turn it on then go off drivin the snot out of it without warm-up. maybe even go do some peel-outs on a low gear (like first heh).
if you dont have surge tank in the back they couldve made a badass left turn thus making your engine run lean for a bit as well.
3) they also most likely boosted the **** out of it on the way back at which point they just turned the car off with no warm-down period as well. underhood temps are at their highest when its sitting there, so yeah you get the idea. you will also probably need a new turbo like another poster has said.
i wish you the best of luck against BS like this and hope justice serves you well. hopefully your lawyer has some good news for you in regards to this matter so keep your head up and stay positive.
edit: about the surge tank thing i hear the fuel goes off to the right with weight shifts and surge tank prevents that by keeping your engine well fed!
12-12-07, 03:19 PM
#38
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montego, you're reading my mind. That's exactly what I'm thinking. If the engine had been blown before I took it to the dealer, they would have informed/caught me right away.
I just talked to my lawyer this afternoon. He said that even my wife can be a witness to prove that the car was running fine before I took it to the dealer. That makes me feel much better.
But, he said he need a second opinion, such as what has happened to the engine and how it could have happened, from another reputable repair shop,in order to sue the dealer. So I called several palces to see if they could do such things, but couldn't find anyone willing to do that yet.
Does anyone know rx-7 speciallist in Ann Arbor, MI area?
Thanks, everyone.
I just talked to my lawyer this afternoon. He said that even my wife can be a witness to prove that the car was running fine before I took it to the dealer. That makes me feel much better.
But, he said he need a second opinion, such as what has happened to the engine and how it could have happened, from another reputable repair shop,in order to sue the dealer. So I called several palces to see if they could do such things, but couldn't find anyone willing to do that yet.
Does anyone know rx-7 speciallist in Ann Arbor, MI area?
Thanks, everyone.
Last edited by gaebing; 12-12-07 at 03:28 PM.
12-12-07, 04:10 PM
#40
Shops, in general, tend to be shady. Just last week I was replacing a BLOWN wheel bearing on the SVTF...I got it all apart to the point where the bearing just had to be pressed from the hub, and the new bearing pressed in. I called 3 places...the first just laughed and told me they wouldn't do it (guess it wasn't a big enough job for them), and another quoted me $60...to press ONE bearing out of a hub and press ONE bearing back into the same hub. The third shop, however, was great - it was a local parts store that had a machine shop in the back. Ended up costing me $17, but I could totally see someone less knowlegable thinking $60 was a fair price for that work....or, heaven forbid, they actually had the shop do all the work. I can only imagine what that would have cost. I ended up spending about $150 on a new spindle, new wheel bearing kit, the bearing removal/install, and random tools I needed to finish the job (things I needed but didn't have). I could imagine seeing a bill for at least twice that if I would have taken it to a shop....plus they'd probably tell me my hub was bad, or I needed new blinker fluid or some crazy ****.
Basically...never trust anyone with your car that you wouldn't trust with your life.
Basically...never trust anyone with your car that you wouldn't trust with your life.
Second, it probably WASN'T a big enough job to the 1st shop you called. They assume some risk pressing bearings in and out on a high dollar suspension piece. They probably figured you'd have exactly the attitude you had with the second shop..."give him a price that's worth taking the risk and he'll just think we're trying to cheat him". So they just refused. The second shop probably quoted you a price they figured was high enough to make it worth the risk. The third shop will probably do things that cheap until a mistake is made (and with human error, it happens occasionally) and they get burnt with a $400 bill for a $17 job.
12-12-07, 04:58 PM
#41
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i work at a mazda dealership, but im not a mechanic...
i do know however that our techs dont tend to bag the sht out of the cars thats why i do trust our shop... but if i didnt know any better... i wouldnt!!! and even tho i dont know much about FD's yet (mechanical work-wise) because i just got mine recently, i will learn to do most if not all the work on it myself... first of all there's a feeling of appreciation after u are done with the project, and second you save a sht load of money when u do the work yourself...
i do know however that our techs dont tend to bag the sht out of the cars thats why i do trust our shop... but if i didnt know any better... i wouldnt!!! and even tho i dont know much about FD's yet (mechanical work-wise) because i just got mine recently, i will learn to do most if not all the work on it myself... first of all there's a feeling of appreciation after u are done with the project, and second you save a sht load of money when u do the work yourself...
12-12-07, 07:03 PM
#43
And to the poster who's brother blew an engine while test driving some SUV and then let his boss charge the customer $4k for a new engine - that is utter bullshit. You should have walked your brother over to that customer and told them the truth of what really happened.. right in front of the shop owner. Thats called INTEGRITY and I guarantee you, the shop owner would have fired your brother, but if I were him, I wouldn't want to work for some rip-off cheap sob like that anyway. That shop DESERVED to pay for that lady's new engine based on your brothers mistake AND not because she wasn't mechanically inclined. Imagine if it were a Doctor trying to pull some bullshit like this on you and your brother, but because you don't know jack about Medicine you should just "pay" whatever is asked... and trust me, there's plenty of Doctors out there doing shady **** to get paid by the insurance company's, I know, I used to be an ER-tech and I saw all kinds of ****, Doctor's are shady motherbuckers!
12-13-07, 03:11 AM
#44
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Now we're talking... open a can O'whoopA$$ on that boy! And to the poster who's brother blew an engine while test driving some SUV and then let his boss charge the customer $4k for a new engine - that is utter bullshit. You should have walked your brother over to that customer and told them the truth of what really happened.. right in front of the shop owner. Thats called INTEGRITY and I guarantee you, the shop owner would have fired your brother, but if I were him, I wouldn't want to work for some rip-off cheap sob like that anyway. That shop DESERVED to pay for that lady's new engine based on your brothers mistake AND not because she wasn't mechanically inclined. Imagine if it were a Doctor trying to pull some bullshit like this on you and your brother, but because you don't know jack about Medicine you should just "pay" whatever is asked... and trust me, there's plenty of Doctors out there doing shady **** to get paid by the insurance company's, I know, I used to be an ER-tech and I saw all kinds of ****, Doctor's are shady motherbuckers!
And to the poster who's brother blew an engine while test driving some SUV and then let his boss charge the customer $4k for a new engine - that is utter bullshit. You should have walked your brother over to that customer and told them the truth of what really happened.. right in front of the shop owner. Thats called INTEGRITY and I guarantee you, the shop owner would have fired your brother, but if I were him, I wouldn't want to work for some rip-off cheap sob like that anyway. That shop DESERVED to pay for that lady's new engine based on your brothers mistake AND not because she wasn't mechanically inclined. Imagine if it were a Doctor trying to pull some bullshit like this on you and your brother, but because you don't know jack about Medicine you should just "pay" whatever is asked... and trust me, there's plenty of Doctors out there doing shady **** to get paid by the insurance company's, I know, I used to be an ER-tech and I saw all kinds of ****, Doctor's are shady motherbuckers!
12-13-07, 03:19 AM
#45
Hi,
I need some help. I brought my RX7 to the dealer for clutch job a couple of weeks ago. About a week later, they told me that they somehow broke some parts while replacing the clutch, and they would order another clutch for free. I said ok.
Then they said the car is ready for pick up last Friday. They also asked me if I wanted to do some diagnosis for hot starting problem. I said no because it wasn't that bad. But on a second thought I said yes. And they charged $95 for that.
Today I went there to pick up my car, and the manager said the engine needs to be replaced because there is no compression from one of the rotors. I thought he was joking. But when they brought my car back, it didn't even idle. It felt like one rotor was not firing at all like the manager said. He said he would have a technician take a look at it for free.
But I'm getting a bad feeling about it.
What should I do if they refuse to fix it?
What could have possibly gone wrong?
Does anyone have similar experience with the dealer?
I'd really appreciate your help.
Thank you.
I need some help. I brought my RX7 to the dealer for clutch job a couple of weeks ago. About a week later, they told me that they somehow broke some parts while replacing the clutch, and they would order another clutch for free. I said ok.
Then they said the car is ready for pick up last Friday. They also asked me if I wanted to do some diagnosis for hot starting problem. I said no because it wasn't that bad. But on a second thought I said yes. And they charged $95 for that.
Today I went there to pick up my car, and the manager said the engine needs to be replaced because there is no compression from one of the rotors. I thought he was joking. But when they brought my car back, it didn't even idle. It felt like one rotor was not firing at all like the manager said. He said he would have a technician take a look at it for free.
But I'm getting a bad feeling about it.
What should I do if they refuse to fix it?
What could have possibly gone wrong?
Does anyone have similar experience with the dealer?
I'd really appreciate your help.
Thank you.
OP, if you live where I think you live, then I know the EXACT dealership you are talking about. The owner is a family friend and my brother got his CX-7 there. (My 8 was bought out in Monroe). PM me the name of the dealership and I'll make some calls. IIRC, there is a rotary shop in Monroe that would probably take care of this for you (backing up the fault claim). I don't think the owner would like to hear about this. This is totally unacceptable.
"You need Sam Bernstein!" LOL for the MI folks! Let me know anything I can do to help with your situation.
Shawn
Last edited by Archie; 12-13-07 at 03:40 AM.
12-14-07, 04:59 AM
#46
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Thank you, Archie's8. I PMed you.
I already talked to my lawyer yesterday, but have not taken any action yet.
So if you can call him and make some arrangement, it'll be very nice.
But, in case it doesn't work out, can you give me the phone number of the rotary shop in Monroe?
Thank you very much.
I already talked to my lawyer yesterday, but have not taken any action yet.
So if you can call him and make some arrangement, it'll be very nice.
But, in case it doesn't work out, can you give me the phone number of the rotary shop in Monroe?
Thank you very much.
12-14-07, 07:22 AM
#48
What's your point ?
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first i work at the madza dealer in cali ok i know whats happen allready. first let me know is your car all hooked up? is it turbo? what they did is put the cltuch in. and then test drove the **** out of it probaly mamybe some burn outs! i seen it happen but never messing up a motor but when they test drive fast car the beat them down. look at the tires. ses if they have wear. but that what happened its most likly there falut.
Ugghh... yeah! Whoops! Sorry guys, I forgot you relocated. I was trying to throw some business your way. OP, these guys do great work. Give them a call and see if they can help you out.