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mattmag

join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois

mattmag to SonataOwnr

to SonataOwnr

Re: Motor damaged by broken belt



Any luck getting those repair order copies? That would show us a lot of things, and help give some advice.

SonataOwnr
@mycingular.net

SonataOwnr

Anon

I'll get them together for you. Was at the mechanic all morning waiting for them to try and fix it.... still nit running right. Hesitating and reving.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka to mattmag

MVM

to mattmag
said by mattmag:

Any luck getting those repair order copies? That would show us a lot of things, and help give some advice.

I'd like to see that too. Sounds a little like a tall tale to me - on multiple levels.

SonataOwnr
@comcast.net

SonataOwnr

Anon

I've always been diligent about maintaining the car. The belts and fluids were regularly checked and changed.

A tall tale, really?? Why would anyone make up a nightmare like this? For what purpose? I really don't know cars and just thought I would ask somebody who knows. Can't believe you'd call a perfect stranger a liar!

So, today I took the car back because it was like hesitating and reving on the road. The mechanic called it misfiring. My sister said maybe it was the distributor cap. Anyway, when I took it back, the mechanic said that he found some water in the #4 cylinder that he said they must've gotten in there when they power washed the engine at the junkyard, so he cleaned that out and said all should be good. I drove away and didn't even make it to the corner before it started bucking again, so I went back and had him get in with me. He said it must be my transmission that was acting up. I was like, how could it be the transmission?? When we got back to the shop he offered to put the computer on the car and drive it to see what he can find. When he got back he replaced some sensor he said tells the car when to shift or something like that. Anyway, I drove away and the car worked fine for maybe 10 miles, then it started bucking again and has gotten worse and worse. I stopped at the cleaners, I stopped at the office, I stopped at a local restaurant to get something to eat, and then I headed towards my mom's... about 5 miles away. The car was reving above 3 just out of no where... that happened more and more the longer I drove it, and the hesitations were getting worse too. I also noticed it skipping just when it was in park... like the engine was having fits.

Is that really my transmission??? or is this just a lousy engine????

SonataOwner
@comcast.net

SonataOwner to Cho Baka

Anon

to Cho Baka
Don't worry Cho, Matt and Rody. I can pull all my receipts together for you to prove that I'm not just getting my jollies by making up tall tales to tell to total strangers.

Like I said, it started that the battery wasn't charging when the car was running. My nephew (yes, he's a mechanic) figured it was the alternator and offered to change mine out for me. He took mine out of the car, drove me, him and the alternator to Advanced Auto Parts, they put it on their machine to test it, and it tested fine. They ran the test 4 times... the alternator was working. So, we took it back and put it back in the car and brought the whole car to Advanced Auto for them to test the battery. It tested that the battery was working, taking and holding a charge, and large enough for the car. But it wasn't charging when the car was running. So they said for me to take it to my mechanic. My nephew said his last guess was that maybe it had a bad ground wire. So I bought a new one of those for him to replace. He changed the connection to the battery and the ground cable. The battery still wasn't charging when the car was running. So, that'll be the first receipts... miscellaneous parts from Advanced Auto from mid-September. The first time the car broke down was September 15th, so the receipt would be shortly after that.

So, then I towed it to my mechanic. He called and said, you need an alternator, that'll be $380. I tried to tell him about the alternator testing ok, but he interrupted me and said if I didn't agree with his diagnosis then the car should be fine, he just charged the battery, and I could come pick it up. The reason for this? He is an older guy, was my father's mechanic for years and is now my mom's mechanic, and he apparently isn't fond of having women question him. I didn't argue, I just picked it up and took it to my niece's mechanic. If it was the alternator I could've had my nephew do that job for half the money, but I knew it wasn't the problem... life's too short to argue, and besides all I wanted was a working car. I will find my receipt for his charging the battery... I paid him $10 bucks for that.

On to mechanic #3... the one who tested for the wiring problem. The invoice would be from late September and would've been for checking the wiring, and he also reattached some molding for me that had come off.

Then was the service that checked the functioning of the computer. When mechanic #3 told me I was going to have to take it to a dealership to have the computer tested, I called the local dealership to ask how much I was looking at. They said potentially up to $1,900! My brother-in-law, who likes rebuilding cars, said he had changed the computer in his car before and had a service that would check to see if the thing is working. It would test your computer for $150, if it needed reconditioning it would do that for $250. So, that's what I did... I sent it overnight for $20 bucks, they had it a week and said it tested fine. Another $20 to send it back and the $150 to test it.

So, now we would be into October, almost a month without my car running and no closer to a diagnosis.

The next was my friend who offered to take my car up to his mechanic to have it checked out. That was mechanic #4, the one who changed the belt, and the one I'm still fussing with. I have the original invoice and paperwork from the engine replacement, including the slip from the junkyard saying what kind of motor I got.

The next bill would be for the brake lines and the new water pump I got from Mechanic #4.

Next was Mechanic #5 - the guy who charged me I forget how much to bleed the brakes when they froze up, and then $600 to put the new timing belt in to see if I had any motor left after the died in the middle of the street, at night in the rain.

I have an invoice from the last motor replacement and a slip describing the new motor that was put into my car.

I'll also see if I can get a print out from AAA to show you how many times the car has been towed since the first trip to Mechanic #2 in September. The next trip to Mechanic #3. The tow from my office to Mechanic #4 after the belt went. The tow back to Mechanic #4 when the brake line went. The tow to Mechanic #5 when the brakes froze, and the tow back to him the following day when the timing belt took out the motor.

I'll get all that junk scanned in for you ASAP.

Yea, I only wish I was making this crap up.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

rody_44

Premium Member

Sorry about the nightmare, bad news is water in the number 4 cylinder isnt going to be good at all. Like i said i would still cut my losses and move on. Thats a lot of people doing work on your car. Even if you could figure out who to sue for doing what you are not getting the majority of your money back. Just to many things went wrong. Shop new cars and you can probably get one with little or no money down. Life is way to short to worry about a vehicle. Especially at christmas time to boot.

SonataOwnr
@comcast.net

SonataOwnr

Anon

So its not the transmission?
SonataOwnr

SonataOwnr to rody_44

Anon

to rody_44
I don't agree with what you said about too many people working on the car. They took off the belt and put it back on and it broke within thirty minutes it broke and took out my engine. They admitted it was that belt that ruined the motor. So, they should replace what they broke. They then replaced it and refused to put a new timing belt on, which cost me motor #2. They didn't even charge me for replacing that one, again admitting that what they did caused the damage. Now, the motor they put in they admit had water in it. The motor has a 90 day warranty. If they didn't follow the proper procedure to install it, then that's on them. If the supplier didn't get the water out and should've, then it should be under warranty.

What about the lying. You know, there are laws that say you're not allowed to lie to your customers. Lying in itself is actionable for the damages done times 3. Remember, I told you I asked them to change the timing belt because its recommended that you replace the timing belt on that car at 60,000 and they were putting a motor in my car with 80,000 plus miles on it. The told me they couldn't because it would void the warranty. Then they told me story #2 and story #3. Yesterday, when I was there having them check out why the car was chugging, they gave me the ticket that was on the engine they put in my car, and it listed changing the timing belt as a necessary step. The paperwork from the engine supplier said to change it!

How about this latest story that the bucking is my transmission. Why didn't you say he was wrong! You just said water in the #4 cylinder is bad. So, it isn't my own transmission that's failing, it's another crappy engine job. So he's lying again!!

I only thing that's ever been wrong is whatever this one mechanic does! And I'm not just out my car, but I'm out over $2,000... mostly paid to him! Which was the only money I had to get a new car! You think, in your considered opinion Rody, that I should just shrug my shoulders and walk away??? Is that what you would do?

Thank goodness for the other honest tradesmen on here who have some integrity. Don't tell people it's anybody's guess and learn to live with it when a customer describes to you how they've been cheated Rody. Be honest enough to say, yes you got cheated... yes, they are responsible for the damage that they caused.

NS4683
join:2000-08-25
NJ

NS4683

Member

Rody's advice is right, though. I mean, how much money are you going to continue dumping into this car? You should have weighed the risks of continuing putting money into the car with all the issues you've had with your mechanics trying to "fix" it. It seems like you want to keep this car no matter how much it costs. Cut your losses and use this as a rather expensive learning experience.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

4 edits

rody_44 to SonataOwnr

Premium Member

to SonataOwnr
Look you might not agree with me and thats fine. Your the one that said the belt that broke was the power steering belt that caused all the problems. You never mentioned what motor you had so it was hard to determine exactly what your belt diagram is. But what i saw by looking up the car the power steering belt was the inner belt and the alternator was the outer belt. That to me means you are going to have to prove the person that replaced the alternator belt was responsible for the power steering belt breaking. Could be a hard sell especially considering you had your brotherinlaw working on the car. As far as walking away. Thats exactly what i would do. Look had you left it to one shop to fix. I wouldnt be suggesting that. But thats not the case. But no, i doubt its the transmission. You can go to court but every thing considered i doubt very much you recoup much at all. Bottom line is your power steering belt broke not your alternator belt. Im guessing the most you can win is the money it cost to replace the alternator belt. Just not worth it at this point. we really need to see the actual repair orders to determine if you have a case. Absent that my suggestion is cut your losses now. If the district justice is at all mechanically inclined you wont be getting anything. If number 4 cylinder had water in it its more than likely going to be toast.

mattmag

join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois

1 recommendation

mattmag to SonataOwnr

to SonataOwnr
said by SonataOwnr :

I don't agree with what you said about too many people working on the car. They took off the belt and put it back on and it broke within thirty minutes it broke and took out my engine. They admitted it was that belt that ruined the motor.

Whoa now.

What happened when your mechanic nephew removed the alternator to have it tested? According to your story, "Mechanic number 3" found that the belt was overly-tightened. That would mean your nephew over-tightened it, and apparently he also would have had to remove the power steering belt to get it off as you said had to be done?

Sounds like you're forgetting your story, or your nephew is likely responsible for the belt being too tight as well as potentially damaging the power steering belt.

In any case, you won't stand a chance in court since you and your family wrench messed with it before all the rest.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka to SonataOwner

MVM

to SonataOwner
Wow. My 18 year old beater is on the original engine and sucking up 110 miles per day.

Remind me not to upgrade to a Hyundai.