Shop screwed me - I feel like I got robbed.

cholericfc · 07-02-2009, 11:11 AM

I replaced the entire steering over the last week. I call up the shop on Sunday night and guy the guy says, "we can get your car done on Monday" Well, I show up Monday morning and the mechanic personally tells me that the guy made a mistake because they were booked solid. I tell him I can be flexible. Well, I had a box on the passenger seat with things in it, oil, oil filter, directions to the caster/camber plates - so he could read the settings. Well, I tell him to use everything in the box. HE DOES - except he DOESN"T use the JAM NUTS. (( I couldn't get the jam nuts off the old rack, so I took a saw and cut the inner tie rod in half, so the old tie rods/jamnuts were sitting in the box))

SO THE MECHANIC TELLS ME ITS MY FAULT. HE said, he set the toe-in and the last thing he looks for to tighten up is the jam nuts. he said the damage had already been done, and if I want to have the jam nuts put on, it'd cost extra.

I PAID $96.00 for a 4 wheel alignment too. I couldn't even get a 4-wheel alignment done on that car anyways. BOTTOM LINE; the only reason why i wanted them to do, is because their honest with their alignments - no pencil alignments!!

I THINK THATS BULL-SHAT THOUGH... THEY SHOULD REMBERSE ME MONEY$$$ OR PUT THE JAMNUTS ON AND RESET THE TOE ----- DON"T YOU THINK?????

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cholericfc · 07-02-2009, 11:13 AM

oh yeah, I used everything in box BUT the SAWED--jamnut/tierod--assembly.... how come he knew to use everything else???

Tony71502 · 07-02-2009, 12:01 PM

The new rack didn't come with the nuts? Thats beat.

Honestly, without specifically telling him to install the old jam nuts on the new tie rods, I can understand him not doing it. Even though it takes a real crackpot to assemble a steering system without such nuts.

If my car is ever out of my hands, like getting body work or somthing that I don't care to do and would rather pay someone to do for me, I basically write out a list of what needs done/precautions when handling the car. Then I tape it to the steering wheel.

Also, I try to talk to my mechanic before/when I drop the car off so he's on the same page as me.

You can never underestimate people.

FivePointOhh · 07-02-2009, 12:26 PM

if you want it done your way, do it yourself.

camaroeater · 07-02-2009, 02:14 PM

yea, he blames you b/c its his fault. If they had any pride at all, they would fix it. That sucks, i hope you get this staightened out. I got ripped off from a shop not long ago and thats when I knew I had to do the work myself to be satisfied.

Tony71502 · 07-02-2009, 02:18 PM

Not to mention you pay 1/3 the of the total price ( just parts instead of parts + labor) and you can usually get a higher quality outcome when you do it yourself. Unfortunately some things do require professionals.

86 5.0L · 07-02-2009, 02:19 PM

I just found a shop were the guy is really passionate about his work, and cheap too, MX FTW

a_penquin · 07-02-2009, 02:23 PM

I had that happen when I had a shop fit the xpipe on mine. I put in the headers and cat back then sent it to them to fit the xpipe. Told them what I wanted and they kinda did it, after the second trip and complaints. The guy forgot to mount a hanger to keep the weight off my headers after I cut the one off my old xpipe and rigged it to wok with the new one. At least when I came back to complain they took it right in and did a no cost to me fix, and a one year warranty against defects and loose hardware

PRO50SC · 07-02-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cholericfc

I replaced the entire steering over the last week. I call up the shop on Sunday night and guy the guy says, "we can get your car done on Monday" Well, I show up Monday morning and the mechanic personally tells me that the guy made a mistake because they were booked solid. I tell him I can be flexible. Well, I had a box on the passenger seat with things in it, oil, oil filter, directions to the caster/camber plates - so he could read the settings. Well, I tell him to use everything in the box. HE DOES - except he DOESN"T use the JAM NUTS. (( I couldn't get the jam nuts off the old rack, so I took a saw and cut the inner tie rod in half, so the old tie rods/jamnuts were sitting in the box))

SO THE MECHANIC TELLS ME ITS MY FAULT. HE said, he set the toe-in and the last thing he looks for to tighten up is the jam nuts. he said the damage had already been done, and if I want to have the jam nuts put on, it'd cost extra.

I PAID $96.00 for a 4 wheel alignment too. I couldn't even get a 4-wheel alignment done on that car anyways. BOTTOM LINE; the only reason why i wanted them to do, is because their honest with their alignments - no pencil alignments!!

I THINK THATS BULL-SHAT THOUGH... THEY SHOULD REMBERSE ME MONEY$$$ OR PUT THE JAMNUTS ON AND RESET THE TOE ----- DON"T YOU THINK?????

Why did you pay for an alignment that can't be done. That was ignorant on your part. As far as the jam nuts go, he could have simply removed the outer tie rods counting the turns, installed the jam nuts and reinstalled the tie rods w/o disturbing the finished alignment.

mjr46 · 07-02-2009, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cholericfc

I replaced the entire steering over the last week. I call up the shop on Sunday night and guy the guy says, "we can get your car done on Monday" Well, I show up Monday morning and the mechanic personally tells me that the guy made a mistake because they were booked solid. I tell him I can be flexible. Well, I had a box on the passenger seat with things in it, oil, oil filter, directions to the caster/camber plates - so he could read the settings. Well, I tell him to use everything in the box. HE DOES - except he DOESN"T use the JAM NUTS. (( I couldn't get the jam nuts off the old rack, so I took a saw and cut the inner tie rod in half, so the old tie rods/jamnuts were sitting in the box))

SO THE MECHANIC TELLS ME ITS MY FAULT. HE said, he set the toe-in and the last thing he looks for to tighten up is the jam nuts. he said the damage had already been done, and if I want to have the jam nuts put on, it'd cost extra.

I PAID $96.00 for a 4 wheel alignment too. I couldn't even get a 4-wheel alignment done on that car anyways. BOTTOM LINE; the only reason why i wanted them to do, is because their honest with their alignments - no pencil alignments!!

I THINK THATS BULL-SHAT THOUGH... THEY SHOULD REMBERSE ME MONEY$$$ OR PUT THE JAMNUTS ON AND RESET THE TOE ----- DON"T YOU THINK?????

No offense but I fail to believe your telling the whole story here, your only saying what you want to support your perspective, I 'm sure the shop has a perspective too, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle, BTSTDT......YOU HAVE A SOLID AXLE, in the rear so I'm sure you know only front wheel alignment can be done, and something that doesn't jive in your post is you state you had to cut the tie rods off to get the old jam nuts off?? so was that before you brought the car into them?? or after?? I would assume before cause i DON'T SEE HOW THEY COULD EVEN ATTEMPT an alignment with frozen jam nuts........So I assume you had a new rack for them with new outer tie rods and jam nuts to install???....if that's the case why wouldn't you have assembled it at home and handed it ready to go to them??? see what I mean??...your story has to many holes.........your not telling all.....so I won't ASSume anything.....also when the shop says "the damage is already done ....what damage....clear this story up and fill in the blanks, cause the way you paint the picture of the shop doesn't jive with anyone who'd do work as such that is competent........trust me I deal with such situations everyday of the week.