Faulty Mechanic work Talk to lawyer first? Pics Inside-

[cbehnken]

a normal shop is going to take off the driver wheel to replace the drive belts.

Just because it can be done (not that hard with most of the plastics missing, doesn't mean it is normally done that way. I've dropped the trans without unhooking the battery or the starter wiring and just hanging it out of the way, but most shops probably aren't going to do that.

[etecnifibre]

Originally Posted by Blackhearted

2. I don't think they'll do anything about a repair 2 years ago. You couldn't prove in court that they were responsible, that you didn't take the car to someone else or take the wheel off yourself.
3. The precedent for mechanics work is not usually in favor of the consumer, especially not for parts that do have a tendency to wear/out break. This happens on all cars, and if your shop did it on every car (whether or not it was intentional), they wouldn't be in business.

LauraD

This repair isn't two years old.. the brake pads/rotors are 2 years old but this is about two months old.

So basically what you're saying is that a shop fixes your car and two months later two of the five studs on your drivers side wheel break off and they were the last people to touch your car and there is a 95% chance that they took that exact wheel off to do the job but there's nothing you can do about it?[/quote]

Exactly. Have you driven the car in that time? Can you prove that they were the last ones to touch it?

That's really what it comes down to. I feel you have a legit gripe, but getting a lawyer and trying to sue is gonna be more of a headache than it's worth, and is probably gonna cost you more money than it's worth in the long run.

Also, there are plenty of guides here on doing simple tasks like the lug stud replacement. Learn to do these things yourself and you won't have the shop to deal with anymore.

[lawdogg]

A similar thing happened to me with my DD. I took it to a shop to get winter tires put on, and they noticed that one of my studs was totally stripped from the lug nut being overtorqued. So I got the mechanics statement, took pics, then brought the Jeep back to the dealer I had just gotten it from ~5 months prior. Long story short I had to ascend the ladder of command until I hit the vice president of the dealer, and he made the service manager give me the stud for free. A $2 part that the service writer, service manager, parts manager, sales manager, and whoever else REFUSED to give away.

Good luck man.

[linchpinjoe]

Walk up to the mechanic and jab the lug nut in one of his eyes.


Actually, just ask them to fix it, if not, don't go back there.

[Lord Warlock]

Not much case for a lawyer here, after two months, you can't claim it was the mechanics fault, well, you could claim but he can deny it. If he didn't tighten them down all the way you could have snapped them yourself. It isn't uncommon for our cars to break a lug stud. I had one strip out and wouldn't come off, had to have it removed at a shop. Wasn't that expensive.

Just fix it. getting mad at the mechanic isn't worth it if he can actually work on your 3S and get it to work, finding a 3S mechanic is hard enough. Definitely isn't worth paying a lawyer for.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Originally Posted by Lord Warlock

Not much case for a lawyer here, after two months, you can't claim it was the mechanics fault, well, you could claim but he can deny it. If he didn't tighten them down all the way you could have snapped them yourself. It isn't uncommon for our cars to break a lug stud. I had one strip out and wouldn't come off, had to have it removed at a shop. Wasn't that expensive.

Just fix it. getting mad at the mechanic isn't worth it if he can actually work on your 3S and get it to work, finding a 3S mechanic is hard enough. Definitely isn't worth paying a lawyer for.

I've seen people make claims after a year and end up winning in court. Mostly because a big corporation opts to settle rather than fight every little battle.

[brutten]

To small for a lawyer, it would be a small claims court issue and they would likey pay it instead of taking time to show up. However I would not waste my time except for maybe calling the service manager and polity stating the problem and asking for help with resolving the issue. A lot of shops will take care of a customer.

I really don't let shops work on my car anymore as they have done more damage to it then I ever have in 10 yrs.

[glimerman]

Originally Posted by Steve '93ES

I hate it when alternators leak. It's almost as bad as when the juice runs out of the wall sockets and gets stains all over the wall..

+1

[Lord Warlock]

Sure, you could make a claim, but i doubt you'd win. Usually you take things to court that involve disputes of 5000 or less for small claims, and this is a 100.00 fix that you can't prove they're responsible for. Big corporations settle sometimes ...if they think you have a case against them, but the rarely dole out cash just because someone says they'll make a claim. However, big corporations can also drag you through the courts for years just to piss you off and drain your bank accounts, they can afford it.

When i retained a lawyer, the retainer fee alone was 300.00, (and 20 years ago) so is it worth it to you to spend 300 to win 100? Plus time off work to attend court.

When I threatened a lawsuit for shoddy repairs at a Mitsu dealership, a 300.00 claim would have been laughed at, I won the argument to have them pay for 6000 in repairs or face a 25000.00 suit for all the work they'd performed in the previous year. AND I had a case, documentation to prove they were at fault, on their own receipts for work done. I wasn't out to go to court, my goal was to get the car fixed right. After they finished the work, they banned me from returning, not that i'd ever return anyway.

[jay173]

It is not hard to replace bolts and studs but they should pay for it.

Check on expertvillage.com for the do it yourself video.