Hi
I really need some advice.
I drive a Hyundai 1995 model, last year Nov the water pump broke or something and the vehicle over heated without me noticing, this resulted that the car blew a gasket. I took it to a mechanic and he told me the head had to be overhauled, and the radiator needed to be replaced. So R4,811.00 furher I could drive again for about two weeks. Then while driving everything just went dead in the car and when I pulled over the car wouldn’t even start. I took it back to the same mechanic thinking he would fix it under gaurentee from before. I was wrong, he said that a bolt or something striped and caused the cambelt to jump, this was apparently nothing to do with the previous job and therefore he was not guilty. He said that he would only charge me for the bolt to be molded back and not for everything, luckily no valves was bended in the head. For this he charged me about R600.
I didn’t believe him when said that normal wear and tear could have caused the bolt to strip but didn’t want to put up a fight so I just paid it to get the car back. Then I got the car, took it home, and on my way to work the following day, not even 30 km since I got the car, the whole car just kind of jumped while I was driving and everything went dead again. Again I couldn’t restart the car. I phoned the mech to come and get the car while a friend took me to work. This time there were big troubles, the cambelt was torn, there was only about 5mm left of it, the camshaft came out of the head and broke, valves was bend. The reason this time for all this according to the mechanic was that a pully from the cambelt was seized. Again the mech said he didn’t work there and it wasn’t his mistake. I told him there is no way I can give him more money as the previous times exhausted my funds, he said he would help me out and not charge labour, and I only have to pay for the parts he had to buy. Now two weeks later he tells me he wants R2500 before I can get my car back.
Kindly advice what I must do, is this guy truely helping me or trying to take me for a ride?
Your mechanic is incompetent and dishonest, and since You don’t identify yourself by country, i have no idea what R2500 is.
Hi, thanks for your reply.
I am in South Africa and the current rate is USD to RAND is 7.56. Thus R2500 would be $330.69.
I feel the same as you but can you maybe tell me why he is incompetent, I don’t know much about cars.