Mechanic left a bolt loose on my rear - can I drive about 5 miles with it half-full?
09-23-2007, 09:47 PM
#1
Mechanic left a bolt loose on my rear - can I drive about 5 miles with it half-full? I got the fluid in the rear changed yesterday. Apparently the guy must have missed one bolt when putting it back together because one was loose and I found a good half of my fluid all over the driveway today 
Would it be a problem to drive it carefully the 5 miles back to the shop to get it taken care of? I got the bolt tightened down so it won't keep leaking hopefully but I don't know how much fluid I lost. Or what are the alternatives?
Would it be a problem to drive it carefully the 5 miles back to the shop to get it taken care of? I got the bolt tightened down so it won't keep leaking hopefully but I don't know how much fluid I lost. Or what are the alternatives? 
09-23-2007, 10:07 PM
#3
Yeah I thought if I could drive it down there you bet he'd pay to do it right. But my guess is that isn't a good idea to do so. Calling him tomorrow morning.
Really irks me. The owner of the shop is a great guy but this new employee he has I'm not sure about right now. My first time dealing with him and not off to a good start.
Really irks me. The owner of the shop is a great guy but this new employee he has I'm not sure about right now. My first time dealing with him and not off to a good start.
09-23-2007, 10:11 PM
#4
I'd be concerned about even using that guy again to fix it. Changing the rear end is almost as basic as an oil change. I wouldn't drive it around much if at all since you don't know how much fluid is left in the rear. Make them come tow it to the shop and fix it.
Rear ends are expensive to fix. Keep that in mind before driving it.
Rear ends are expensive to fix. Keep that in mind before driving it.
09-24-2007, 01:27 PM
#7
The guy came over to the house and apologized, crawled under the car, tightened down the bolts, then refilled the differential.
Drove the car to the shop to get the LCA bushings and tie rods taken care of and found it is still leaking
Apparently the gasket isn't seated right or something. So OK while it is at the shop I'm probably going to have the mechanic I know and trust to redo the rear and then ask for a refund from this other guy. I have no doubt that if the owner of that little shop had done the fluid change it would have been fine but this new guy he hired I'm not so sure about.
Drove the car to the shop to get the LCA bushings and tie rods taken care of and found it is still leaking
Apparently the gasket isn't seated right or something. So OK while it is at the shop I'm probably going to have the mechanic I know and trust to redo the rear and then ask for a refund from this other guy. I have no doubt that if the owner of that little shop had done the fluid change it would have been fine but this new guy he hired I'm not so sure about. 