State of Michigan.
I brought my car to a mechanic who I did not know because I was out of town. They were to replace a blown engine head gasket on a 2000 4Runner. After several weeks, I retained my vehicle only to have the engine light come on within two miles of the repair shop. I brought it to another mechanic who told me that they had not fixed it correctly. Without getting into too many details, the mechanic had improperly reinstalled the timing belt, installed the wrong type of spark plugs, and did not do an oil change which is required when changing the head gasket. Half of the cylinders (V6) were misfiring, which was never an issue prior to this. The air conditioning did not work anymore. Some bolts were not replaced in the engine, and others had been stripped. Also, I found what I've been told was an used axle gear wrapped in oily rags in my backseat. The other mechanic speculated that they had been using my vehicle to run parts.
The original receipt is not itemized, which it must be by MI law from my understanding. It does however say that an oil change had been performed.
The second mechanic fixed the timing belt and the spark plugs, but said that there were still a lot of problems. I wanted my regular mechanic, whom I trust, to do the rest of the work needed. This third mechanic's report mentions, among other things, that the timing was off on every cylinder, the crank pulley was reinstalled incorrectly, every fuel injector seal is leaking, and the wires to the air conditioning and part of the power steering system had been cut.
I now have a car that runs, with the engine light on 90% of the time, sounds like a mix between a diesel truck and a Harley (ie: it's LOUD) and I do not feel confident driving it any substantial distance.
The first place charged $2000 for the head gasket, and an additional $140 for the radiator (which I don't think really needed to be replaced). $1000 was paid up front in the form of a money order, as the place did not accept credit cards or personal checks. A second money order for $1000 was paid when I picked it up, BUT I had the bank cancel the check when I found the car was not fixed. The $140 was paid in cash. When I called them the next day to notify that the second check had been canceled, they were not surprised and didn't argue.
Around $220 was charged by the second place to fix some of the damage that the first place has caused. The third mechanic charged around $750, although he said to return the engine to it's original condition would be an additional $1-2000.
What are my rights? Options? I have the forms to report them with the secretary of state, but I want to know what I can do about recouping the money I paid, and see if there is a way that I can have them pay for the damages that they caused.
I understand that they performed a service, but they seriously messed up my car. I can find no evidence that they are even licensed to perform that kind of work. The only reason it ended up there is because the tow truck driver worked there.
Thanks for all of your help, everyone! It's truly appreciated.
I brought my car to a mechanic who I did not know because I was out of town. They were to replace a blown engine head gasket on a 2000 4Runner. After several weeks, I retained my vehicle only to have the engine light come on within two miles of the repair shop. I brought it to another mechanic who told me that they had not fixed it correctly. Without getting into too many details, the mechanic had improperly reinstalled the timing belt, installed the wrong type of spark plugs, and did not do an oil change which is required when changing the head gasket. Half of the cylinders (V6) were misfiring, which was never an issue prior to this. The air conditioning did not work anymore. Some bolts were not replaced in the engine, and others had been stripped. Also, I found what I've been told was an used axle gear wrapped in oily rags in my backseat. The other mechanic speculated that they had been using my vehicle to run parts.
The original receipt is not itemized, which it must be by MI law from my understanding. It does however say that an oil change had been performed.
The second mechanic fixed the timing belt and the spark plugs, but said that there were still a lot of problems. I wanted my regular mechanic, whom I trust, to do the rest of the work needed. This third mechanic's report mentions, among other things, that the timing was off on every cylinder, the crank pulley was reinstalled incorrectly, every fuel injector seal is leaking, and the wires to the air conditioning and part of the power steering system had been cut.
I now have a car that runs, with the engine light on 90% of the time, sounds like a mix between a diesel truck and a Harley (ie: it's LOUD) and I do not feel confident driving it any substantial distance.
The first place charged $2000 for the head gasket, and an additional $140 for the radiator (which I don't think really needed to be replaced). $1000 was paid up front in the form of a money order, as the place did not accept credit cards or personal checks. A second money order for $1000 was paid when I picked it up, BUT I had the bank cancel the check when I found the car was not fixed. The $140 was paid in cash. When I called them the next day to notify that the second check had been canceled, they were not surprised and didn't argue.
Around $220 was charged by the second place to fix some of the damage that the first place has caused. The third mechanic charged around $750, although he said to return the engine to it's original condition would be an additional $1-2000.
What are my rights? Options? I have the forms to report them with the secretary of state, but I want to know what I can do about recouping the money I paid, and see if there is a way that I can have them pay for the damages that they caused.
I understand that they performed a service, but they seriously messed up my car. I can find no evidence that they are even licensed to perform that kind of work. The only reason it ended up there is because the tow truck driver worked there.
Thanks for all of your help, everyone! It's truly appreciated.
