89X7

I have an 89 RX7 convertible non-turbo, auto transmission. I've had it for about 3 years and it's always had idle and hot start problems and it won't downshift into first gear unless I come to a complete stop. I've worked on cars before but never a rotary and didn't feel comfortable doing too much other than normal maint. I did try the tps adjustment with a little luck but never really fixed the idle issues. So I've just lived with it, but lately it's been getting worse.

Monday of this week a guy opened an auto shop across from my work. He called us about buying something and talked to me about the car. He sounded like he knew a lot about them and really liked them so I asked him about the problems and he said "bring it over, I can take care of those issues no problem".

Talked to him for a while and left the car. He also said he would change the oil, I had the stuff to do it already. 10mins later I notice him leaving in the car. Ok, hopefully a short test drive. I still wish he would have asked. He called a couple hours later and I went over. He said that it needed a rebuild kit for something to do with the air/fuel or intake, don't remember. $200 would take care of it and what he had already done. He had change the oil and "made some adjustments" so it would run much better and start without me having to push the accelerator all the way down. I took it home that night and was going to give it to him the next day. It seemed to be better but I didn't really drive it too far.

Gave it to him the next day and got a call a little later and went over. He said that in order to fix the downshift problem a "module" needed to be replaced and his buddy had a new one for $90 he could get right away. $150 total to install. I said ok, do it. I actually wrote the check for $200 just cause he seemed like he was really going to do a good job, he didn't notice the extra $. He couldn't get it done and had to keep it overnight. I went over at about noon and he had steam cleaned the engine (i didn't ask for it) cleaned out the interior (i didn't ask for it) and spent a lot of time on the paint with waxes and stuff. It really did look good but I hadn't asked for any of it and didn't really want him to do it but it was too late. I am planning on repainting this winter anyway. He needed about an hour to finish up so I had to come back again. I noticed that the odometer had some miles on it since I gave it to him, about 25 that he put on it. He had also put on a set of plugs that I gave him. That looked like the only thing that had been done, no other parts laying around. I got a little suspicious but didn't say anything.

He came over with the car and wanted to take me for a test ride. He wanted to drive and I let him know that I didn't really like that but he said he needed to show me how much better it drove. Anyways, I didn't notice a difference. I needed to drive it some. We got back and he was going on about some wiring issues he found and fixed (no proof) claimed a mouse nest was in there somewhere but didn't show me anything. Then he said he wanted some extra money, wtf? I told him that I had given him some extra in the check the day before and he said no way, it was only for $150 because that's what the bank gave him. I insisted and finally convinced him that he needed to check with his bank. I asked for the old parts back and he didn't have the rebuild kit (says it was in the trash) or the "module" because he had to give it back as a core. I was skeptical but took the car. He also said that the car would need to "relearn" the way I drive and that it would act funny for a while until it did.

I drove it across town and it was worse than ever. Idled rough, still wouldn't downshift into first unless stopped and still had the hot start issue. When I got home and put it in park the idle was going up and down between 500 and 1000 rpm's and wouldn't settle down. That was Wednesday evening and I haven't driven it since. I have been trying to find where this "module" is and see if it is actually new. He also said he was going to replace a belt that was bad but they all look like the old ones. Maybe he forgot that.

I really don't want to talk to him until I get some expert opinions and find if he actually replaced what he said he did. I just looked around the intake area and none of the nuts look like they have had a wrench on them. The car has 72,000 on it and has never had any work done other than routine.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help.

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

Number one rule w/ mechanics/paint shops or anything similar: get an itemized quote/receipt. All that shady "just give me X amount" crap will lead to all sorts of problems. If they don't have an hourly rate to figure prices, go somewhere else.

What was this "rebuild kit" supposed to be for? That typically refers to a kit to rebuild the entire engine, which is obviously not what he did. Hot start problems are cause by leaky injectors & rich start maps. Sonic cleaning the injectors can help with it, but unfortunately the ECU is preset to inject excess fuel when hot. Aftermarket programmable ECUs (like my Rtek) can get around the problem completely.

And a bouncing idle is typically a mis-adjusted or bad TPS. Sometimes a small vacuum leak can cause it too. But as far as anything automatic related, or what the "module" might be, I don't know. Auto control unit? The automatic transmissions are also notorious for their problems, and are frequently swapped with manuals.

89X7

You are correct, I should have known better but he did sound awful convincing. The rebuild kit was for something to do with the intake or maybe an air chamber? does that sound right? I know I'm going to have to confront him, just want to be a little more educated before I do. The trans module thing and him telling me that the car needs to "learn" how I drive has me really suspicious.

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I can't think of any "rebuild" kit for the intake system. Even a full set of intake gaskets is going to be under $50, so where the $200 went to is a mystery.

Core charges are not abnormal. Most rebuildable parts are sold with a core charge, which is supposed to encourage you to bring the bad part back so it can be rebuilt and put back into circulation.

There are some odd parts of this story. Why did he not provide a receipt and itemized list of parts? Where did the $50 go?

And no, the car does not "relearn" anything! These ECUs are very old and unsophisticated. There is no learning process.

The bouncing idle is likely due to a vacuum leak he created, and/or a misadjusted TPS (which he also probably caused).

I can't help with the transmission issue but as mentioned, the hot start problems are very common and usually easily solved.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

2 words

small
claims


that is all.

and he will be packed up and gone by the end of the month. sounds like one of those shops that just details your car but doesn't really do anything else besides the super easy ****.

he's not a "mechanic" he's a car washer.

but be sure to let someone know when you're giving them an unexpected tip. i'm sure a few people have done that to me and felt unappreciated if i didn't notice. sometimes i simply don't count the money out of disrespect.

89X7

Yea, I ended up finding out that he scams everyone he deals with. I watched over a period of several months (since he was right across the street) while he pissed off customer after customer. I sent out an anonymous letter to all of the surrounding businesses warning them. I told everyone I knew about him and finally started meeting people that got ripped off too. The stories were incredible, he would steal stuff out of cars and claim they were broken into and then sell the stuff to another customer, he even went as far as to try and sell someone's car that they brought in to him to repair. He made the mistake of showing it to the guy's nephew, he played along with him and came back a little later to take it for a test drive to a parking lot where the car owner was waiting. They confronted him and he took off running. The police were called on him more times than I can count. I watched a lady and her son beat the hell out of him. I laughed at him from across the street and cheered them on. Was it wrong, yes but it felt good. I watched him get arrested 3 times over a 6 month period. Each time, they let him go. He was a master at beating the system and getting away with stuff. I visited the prosecutor's office, the police, the better business bureau and several other places. Nobody could do anything. We finally got the landlord at his building convinced to evict him. He tried to move into another building close by, when we found out, we contacted that person and showed her his arrest record and she refused to let him in. He then moved into a building that had been for sale for a couple years, without permission. It was owned by a bank and I don't think they really cared or could get him out because of squatter's rights. He finally violated his probation and they arrested him for that and he spent 6 months in jail. He's been out since July but I don't know what he's been up to. If he's back in the auto business he probably won't last long. I could try to sue but I wouldn't get anything anyway. Just knowing I helped get him kicked out of his building and prevented him from moving into the other one is enough for me. He looked like he was going to cry when they came to the building and made him give the key back. A group of 10 of us were standing outside laughing at him. I could go on for hours about this guy, I've only scratched the surface of what I saw and heard about him. Here's his info if you are curious: https://secure.elkhartcountysheriff....inmateid=31019

Bearzah

iTrader: (6)

Check out the arrest record...


Age Charged Offenses Booking Date Release Date
50 VIOLATION OF PROBATION (MISDEMEANORS) 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 CONTEMPT 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 CONTEMPT 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 CONTEMPT 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 CONTEMPT 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 Summons Only 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
50 FAILURE TO PAY FINE 01/11/2011 07/13/2011
49 HOLD FOR OTHER JURISDICTION 10/15/2010 10/19/2010
49 THEFT (D FEL) 03/13/2010 03/13/2010
48 VIOLATION OF PROBATION (MISDEMEANORS) 10/02/2009 10/21/2009
48 THEFT (D FEL) 10/02/2009 10/21/2009
47 FRAUD---VOP 07/30/2008 01/05/2009
47 VIOLATION OF PROBATION (MISDEMEANORS) 07/30/2008 01/05/2009
46 THEFT (D FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK FRAUD (D FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 FORGERY (C FEL)- VOP 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 THEFT (D FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CONVERSION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 EXPLOITATION OF DEPENDANT 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 FORGERY (C FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK FRAUD (D FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 THEFT (D FEL) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK DECEPTION (A MISD) 04/20/2007 04/19/2008
46 CHECK FRAUD 12/29/2006 12/29/2006
43 ESCAPE 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
43 THEFT / THEFT // RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
43 FORGERY 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
43 THEFT / THEFT // RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
43 FORGERY 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
43 CHECK DECEPTION 04/08/2004 09/07/2004
42 CHECK DECEPTION 11/25/2002 01/25/2003
42 CHECK DECEPTION 11/25/2002 01/25/2003
42 CONTEMPT OF COURT 11/25/2002 01/25/2003
42 CONTEMPT OF COURT 11/25/2002 01/25/2003
42 CHECK DECEPTION/FTA 11/25/2002 01/25/2003
41 CHECK DECEPTION 10/03/2002 10/09/2002
41 CONTEMPT OF COURT 10/03/2002 10/09/2002
41 CONTEMPT OF COURT 09/01/2002 09/03/2002
40 CHECK FRAUD 10/29/2001 11/03/2001
40 FALSE INFORMING 02/26/2001 03/29/2001
40 OTHER OFFENSE NOT LISTED 02/26/2001 03/29/2001
40 CONTEMPT OF COURT 02/01/2001 02/05/2001

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

this smells like bullshit.

as per the title of the thread you asked for opinions and then told a story that spanned several years.

i feel violated having been trolled..

kalinakona

iTrader: (5)

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

This thread is pretty old. 11-27-09.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

i see, why do people dig up old ****?

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

What surprises me more is that 89X7 (11 posts and all) came back to reply.

boostaddictB89

dude is a SCAMARTISTTT. i work for a dealership and got super bent over and railed at a bodyshop across the street when i paid him like 5 g to repaint my old nissan and the next summer was all orange peeled and he didnt wana fix it . its the nature of their buisness i suppose . good shops that do good work and are fairly priced are either few and far between or out of buisness.

wizzurp

iTrader: (6)

If this is true op
*borat voice* High five!!!!!

brcb7tuner

My advice on the whole situation and to everyone else is to learn learn how to work on your car with the internet and manuals the way they are anything that needs to be done to your car can be found with pictures and step by step instructions . I dont know anyone within 100 miles that I would let touch my rx7 90% of mechanics dont know anything about a rotary and are going to do a half-*** job or mess it up even more. The only thing I cant do and will let a mechanic do to my car is mount and balance tires and the last few times they screwed that up! So, unless you live close to a well known and reputable rotary shop I would learn everything I could about the rx7 so you can work on it yourself and dont have to go through some of the horror stories that I have read about when people take there rx7 to a mechanic that doesent know anything about a rx7.

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

any competent mechanic can figure out how to do just about anything on a car, including a rotary powered one. unfortunately the shops that will hack together a rotary powered car will do the same to a piston powered car.

unless they are tearing into the engine itself, they are all just nuts and bolts on the outside and the cars repaired like any other on the road.

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

^ True story. A lot of people hear "rotary" and freak out thinking it must be so different to work on. Unless you're rebuilding the engine, virtually everything in the engine bay is the same.

RexSouthCentral

You're experience didn't sound very expensive. There's value in everything if you learn from it.

I agree that you need a set of tools and a quality shop manual. Your time would have better spent personally researching the mechanical problem than researching arrest records for someone you already don't trust.

Good luck!

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

just about anything you need to know can be found on the net now. many ideas and fixes came from ideas other people had and diagnostics taken from issues other people worked out.

i'm by no means a great mechanic, i just spend a fair amount of time reading and learning. without the resources we have now i would probably be 5 years behind bashing my head against the wall on much smaller issues. the only limit being comprehension and hands on experience, not everyone has 8-10 hours a day wrenching on cars to understand right off what something is referring to.

reo

iTrader: (4)

old saying in the west--" trust your mechanic but do your research" have a 50 year old daughter who dosen't get shafted in the shop. this site is the best place to become educated but it is not super easy, have been reading the new posts for a couple of months now and still have a lot of questions, but at least i am at the point where i understand most of the answers..... thanks to all who share their knowledge!!

89X7

Thanks. I run my own business and didn't have the time to work on it. It still ran, just needed tweaked. I didn't know the guy at all, he had just moved into the building the week before and I trusted him. He was super friendly and assured me he was an expert on the RX7. I took a chance and got burned but I was not the only one. I'm not looking to get money out of the guy now, he is getting what he deserved.

I didn't drag up this old post. Someone else did. I got an email from the forum system telling me someone had posted in it so I responded.

89X7

The forum sent me an email so I responded to the guy's question.

89X7

Not bullshit. I asked for opinions because I didn't know much about the car and the guy was telling me stuff that wasn't true. I started to suspect he was a liar and a thief shortly after I got the car back from him. It didn't run any better and he couldn't produce any of the old parts that he replaced. He also still had my new oil and filter on his shelf that he was supposed to use to change the oil. Same thing for the plugs. He keeps your stuff and tells you he replaced it. He made the mistake of assuming I didn't know much about cars and I caught him. He was VERY convincing, I fell for it so it's my fault for not researching him. I'm telling the story for entertainment value mainly because it's not your typical I got ripped off story. He lied to and scammed pretty much everyone that came into his shop. I met at least 50 people that got ripped off by him and those were just people that I saw in the parking lot yelling and screaming at him. There was something happening over there almost every day, I kind of miss the action but I don't miss him.

I got rid of the car shortly after my incident with him so I had no reason to come back to this board. The only reason I came back is because I got an email from the forum system telling me that someone had posted on the thread.

SDET3301

This is why I will never trust mechanics... You really have to be there watching them to know whats really happening.

whoknows

This thread is depressing. Ive been scammed myself but nothing as bad as along these lines. Actually knowing a mechanic is a great thing. I try not to take any of my stuff to a mechanic because for the most part I enjoy doing it myself. But if it comes down to where i need something done and just dont have the right tools for the job, I take it to my buddy, esp if it needs to be jacked up really high, i just have him put it on one of his lifts. My buddy ive known forever, mainly a mopar man, and we have hung out dirtbiking, or streetbikeing forever. This friend fabricates all his own stuff. From his classic mopars to the ratrod and rat truck he built. Its awesome to see some of his stuff. Which i guess would say doing your homework on any particuliar mechanic is a good idea before dropping your ride off to them.