Car has been in the shop for over two months and I still can't drive it..

[corich]

Nebraska
My car has been in the shop for over two months. I took it in with a blown turbo charger originally (passenger side). I drove it off his lot and the lights came on so I returned it. He couldn't figure out why but said it was ok to drive. I trusted his word and took it back and drove down the street and the same noises started again and loss of power. I took it back and he said the other turbo charger blew(driver side). I had a second opinion and they told me it was the original turbo(passenger side). I called the first mechanic back and he wanted to "make it right" so I took it back to him. He got another turbo but said that he was right and the other turbo(driver side) had blown as well. I asked him to put in a new one (not used) this time and he installed a used one(driver side). I again paid him and drove off. After driving the same thing happened, bad noises and loss of power. I took it back and he said it wasn't the turbo's but something else. I took it to the mechanic that gave me the second opinion and he said that the passenger side turbo was a bad one and if I drive it that it will blow again. I talked to the original mechanic and he told me he wouldn't give me all my money back, just a small percentage that he thought was fair. I said also that he installed a used turbo for the other side when I asked for a new one and he tried to tell me he was "under the impression there was no money for a new one" and I said I already told him I had the money and asked him to install a new turbo. Now I have spent almost $4000.00 and still can't drive my car. Can I take my mechanic to court and get all my money back?

 

[swalsh411]

You're certainly not entitled to all your money back so you can forget about that.

What error on the part of the mechanic do you feel entitled you to any refund? It sounds like your car just has a lot of problems.

Also, I might add, if this is a Mercedes or BMW biturbo this is not a car you want just any mechanic to be working on. If you're trying to save some money by going to the guy who gives you the lowest estimate you are making a mistake. These are expensive to fix and you should have known that when you bought the car.

 

[corich]

Well entitlement comes from the mechanic hanging a defective part on the vehicle. A part that he has replaced twice now and if driven will break again. I am responsible then for paying for the parts and labor to hang a bad part on my car?

Also, there is the issue of asking to replace the other turbo charger with a new part that has a warranty and the mechanic hanging a used part that I didn't want without a warranty.

What error on the part of the mechanic do you feel entitled you to any refund? It sounds like your car just has a lot of problems.

And no, this is not a mercedes or bmw (VOLVO). I understood when I purchased this car that it is a european and therefore can be expensive to fix. I have no issue with the amount of money to fix the car but with being given a bad part and having to pay for it. When I dropped off my car to the mechanic he stated that a blown turbo charger is a very uncommon thing. Also speaking with a local volvo dealer they confirmed this as well saying that they rarely to never have had to replace a turbo charger on this model. And again, with the second mechanic who works on european vehicles confirmed that this is a rare issue in this car and has never had to replace a turbo charger in this car. This car does not have many issues with it by any means.

I was on the interstate when the turbo blew on a Sunday in mid March and dropped off the vehicle to this mechanic by referral since I was in a pinch and didn't know where to turn since I've never had a single issue with the vehicle and didn't have a mechanic that had worked on it before.

I had repeatedly asked this mechanic what the cause of the problem was if this was so uncommon and if there was a clogging issue in the oil pan or in the oil lines starving the turbo of oil. He told me that is was just the luck of the draw and that the turbo was the only problem. When the second one went out I asked again about why this was happening and he just said it was one of those things. Had he taken the correct steps to look into the cause of the problem and not just fixing what was broken them the second turbo may not have blown costing even more money.

Either way the issue lies with the fact that he hung a defective part in the car leaving it inoperable. I don't trust this mechanic now as everytime I drop it off to him and drive off his lot there are engine lights on and it breaks again and he claims it is something other than what he claims to have just fixed. Also I never wanted the second turbo to be a used part but a new one. I asked him to install a new part and I was given and charged for a used one leaving me in potentially the same position of it breaking down without a warranty.

 

[swalsh411]

No, you shouldn't have to pay again for the replacement of a part that immediately failed. How do you intend to prove you told the mechanic you wanted a new part? Depending on the age and miles of your vehicle a used or refurbished turbo may have been entirely reasonable. When you accepted the vehicle after the first repair, did the invoice state it was new or used? If it stated used, why did you accept the vehicle?

I'm not saying this doesn't sound like a shady mechanic but if you ever plan on taking this to Court these are questions you need to be prepared to answer.

 

[corich]

Fair enough. I appreciate proposing the questions I need to ask myself if I take this to court. The first repair I did ask for a used part as I am getting married in two months and this repair would be taking all the money I had to finish paying off the wedding. So there is no shock that he installed a used part that is a bad part. The only proof I have of asking for the new part on the driver side turbo is that I didn't want to go through this ordeal again with a used part so I asked the mechanic to install a new one this time so I could have the warranty and peace of mind. I didn't think that was unreasonable to ask especially when I told him I was willing to come up with the extra money to pay for the new part.

When I picked up my car for the second repair for what I thought was going to be a new turbo charger it was 9pm and I didn't look at the invoice until the next day when I had the time to look over the invoice to see what it was he did and charged me for. I understand that all the money back is unreasonable but I would think it unreasonable to not get a majority of my money back and not a small percentage. His claim is that the vendor he got these parts from doesn't do refunds, they only trade broken part for another part so he isn't willing to refund me money that he can't get back from his vendor. I had no choice in who he procured his parts from or their refund policy on defective parts. I am willing to loose out on some money as I understand he "did work" on my vehicle but I shouldn't be paying his expenses to pay his technicians to hang a bad part twice and a part I didn't want in my vehicle. If there was a restocking fee from his vendor I could accept not getting that money back but it really isn't my fault who he chose to get these bad parts from and their return policy. I can keep bring my car back to him to continue to "make it right" and allow him to send for another used part from his vendor and wait another week for it to come in but after two months and a car I can't drive I am unwilling to go back to him.