Agree that swapping an engine with US labor rates might be expensive. The same scam I previously referred to in this thread, took place 10 years ago in Nigeria, where mechanics make about 50 cents per hour and there are few car regulations.
In North America in the sixties with rear drive cars, a quick swap might have paid off for the perpetrators.
Docnick, I disagree with you on the mechanics lien issue. I currently work at a shop where the mechanics arenât paid until the customer pays for the repair.
Many times people tell us to replace the transmission or engine. They have been given a estimate before the job is started. They call twice a day to see if the car is ready.
After the job is completed, we never see the person again.We have over 35 abandoned vehicles at work. Some jobs were under $35. Some were $2500.
The mechanics did the job, but were never paid.
Yes, after a few years at this shop, I am looking for another shop that pays the mechanics and files the liens .
We can get around the lien bit the same way car rental companies do. You take a credit card imprint or swipe, and when the owner agrees to the repair, you do it, and the credit card company kicks in; itâs their problem then if the owner does not pay.
I have had a number of things done to my house lately, and ususally there is a $1000 down payment at sigining of the contract (a legal document) and the balance when the job is done. In the case of a new front door for $3500, the contractor never completely finished the job, and I withheld the remaining $2500 for 1 1/2 years.
I agree that you need something to REPLACE the mechanics lien.
If you visit a typical airport with aircraft overhaul facilities; you may see a large numer of planes that never seem to leave. They were grounded by the CAB or FAA, or just conked out, and the ownerâs could not come up with the money to get the thing repaired.
Double-checked the manual and itâs actually 105,000 miles or 105 months (8+ years) whichever comes first!
Hi! I live in NYC (yet, love the Red Socks) and recently took my car to a local, fully approved, joint for inspection. Waiting for my car, I overheard a mechanic make a full-voiced comment to another customer. He told the guy that, to pass, he could pay $600 in repairs + the 37 bucks to pass -or- for $130, theyâd give it the âspecialâ inspection (going on to explain that theyâd swap the faulty car with one that could pass- I thought I was on a Ralph Nader hosted âCandid Cameraâ).
Is this such a common practice that blurting it out in a room full of patrons is acceptable?
Is there any point in reporting it? If so, where would my report have the most impact?
Thanks JrWebLackey - Happy Holidays!
Once, my aunt went to the local Grease Monkey and they did the oil change in less than 5 minutes. This led her husband to believe that they faked it. We checked the dipstick (in the engine, not the shop) and it seemed like new oil (to me, I couldnât really tell). To this day I donât know what they did.
I had a mechanic tell me i had to have a receipt to get my lifetime guaranteed Warn hubs replaced. I paid for new Warn hubs and later asked for my receipt at which time he told me i didnt need a receipt. I never did get a receipt from him or learn the truth
My wife took my car in for an annual state inspection. Having checked the major parts to be inspected I knew there shouldnât be any surprises. I told my wife not to get any work done. No surprise, she came home with a rejection sticker for a burnt-out tail light. Checked both tail lights, working fine. The next day, I drove it back without doing any work to it. They told me the tail light works, but now the license plate light was out. Quoted me $12 to replace it. Took a fresh rejection sticker and my business to another shop where it passed without incident.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. My fianceeâs car had some serious issues, and the OBDII read P1404 for an EGR valve. I put a new one on, and it did nothing for the car, so I put the old one back on. We took it to my mechanic when we couldnât figure it out. Needed a new catalytic converter, and a few wires had shorted. They fixed it and the car ran great. They said that if that EGR code came back up, we might have to take it to a dealership to widen the parameters, b/c nothing was wrong with the EGR. After we got married, I needed to register the car, and needed the service engine light off for the inspection. The same code came up, and I asked the shop to look at it once more. They run diagnostics for up to about 2 hours for free, and if they canât figure it out, theyâll tell you that or recommend a specialist to you. They recommended a GM dealership and a mechanic by name.
The GM dealership was $102 labor/hr, and I decided to do it, b/c I wanted to get to the root of the issue. They assured me the EGR was the issue, and when I told them the history of it, they said theyâd throw one on and check to make sure. They said they did, and it really fixed it. The part was $347, gasket $28! and labor was 2 hours or $204. So $579 plus $102 for the diagnostics I had them do! I told them not to do it, then picked up the car. 2 hours labor for an EGR, and anyone that can use a socket wrench can swap an EGR in under 10 mins!!
I looked online in forums and found lots of GM owners with EGR code issues that were tough to get rid of. I used the tricks I found in forums, and 6 months later, the code still hasnât come up.
Best one is the old flat rate repair tech quoting 5 hours to do a 2 hour job. So common in dealerships. More information on how to avoid Dealer Service Tricks.