@RodKnox, I’m not saying that the dealers I worked for did not carry insurance. On the contrary, they did carry large policies. Those policies would not pay for mechanic screw-ups. The cost was usually covered when necessary by the shop just eating it if it wasn’t a chronic problem, the shop paying for parts and the mechanic providing free labor, or coercing the mechanic into fixing it with a promise to make it good and then firing the mechanic.
That is terrible! The guy has to feel extremely bad. Everyone has covered this pretty well already. You could start a fund and have people donate money. I would donate, but don’t have much… You know what to do next time. Saving a couple of hundred isn’t always worth it… Which I am sure you have already heard time after time… I feel for you! Hopefully you guys can talk and come to a agreement. Everybody that works on cars and trucks isn’t looking to screw people over. This guy has to feel extremely bad. Only other thing I could add is maybe you should have towed it straight to him. That would have helped your cause I think.
Putting a lien on the guy’s house is rather extreme
I’d talk to the poor guy first. I’m sure he probably feels bad about the whole situation
Perhaps he can meet you partway, so to speak
I’ll add something else . . . many mechanics truly appreciate it if they’re given first crack at fixing their own mistakes
If it makes anyone feel any better, I took a $2000 hit on a transmission once too, trying to save $200. Sometimes you just grit your teeth, take the hit, and start over and get the job done right.
My oldest son over the years has had friends bring their vehicles over because of mechanical problems. I would help them out. I would SHOW them how to do the repair. Or if I did the repair I’d make sure they were there helping and let them know I wasn’t going to be liable. Never had any issues over the years…but there was potential for something to happen. Most of the jobs were things like brakes or tune-ups…but every once in a while something more major (timing belt…and even a engine exchange or remove heads and send to machine shop and then reinstall).
Cam bolt or crank pulley bolt? Unless there were a couple of covers that weren’t reinstalled, how did a cam bolt get out of the head/timing cover/oilpan? Crank pulley bolt falling out onto the flat bed i can understand. Cam bolt not so much. Either way it’s going to a long difficult process to get any relief, unless the “mechanic” himself agrees that he is at fault. I wish you luck.
Interesting video of the setup:
Left unanswered is how that bolt got out.
That is a good question how did the cam bolt fall out onto ground? Unless somehow covers came off or busted the bolt would still be in there wouldn’t it…
Yep, something fishy about the diagnosis of a dropped cam bolt. The $8500 for a replacement engine is downright stinky. After they “put it back together,” did it run? It wouldn’t if a piston was jammed. Seek another opinion.
What I’d do is drive over to his shop-garage-house, tell the mechanic who did the job exactly what happened, and ask him to fix the problem. I’d offer to re-pay him for the parts cost, provided he’d supply all the labor.
Why wouldn’t I ask him to be responsible for the whole thing? B/c I didn’t before the job was started ask him for a guarantee. If I had done that, he might have said “no”. Then I’d got the job done elsewhere. Or he might have said “ok, but there’s a fee increase then”. Then I could decide myself if I wanted the job done there or not.
B/c this step was skipped in the transaction, the best course of action is just to have him fix what’s broken, you pay the parts cost, and he supply the labor. Provided you trust him to have the skills to do the work, to me that’s the best compromise.
You may have various legal recourses, but given the amounts involved, and the questionable nature of the requirements to fulfill the contract, I doubt any of the legal remedies will be worth it $$-wise, especially if you place much value on your time.
‘What I’d do is drive over to his shop-garage-house…’
@GeorgeSanJose, the car is not drivable. The engine is shot. I do agree to see if he is willing to replace it. The other problem sourcing a replacement. Do you go used or reman? Used engines are a crap shoot, but BMW remans aint cheap.