Bought a 94z with a t56 swap. Car was running like garbage would barely start. Took it to a mechanic 2 mondays ago. Dont hear from him in a week. I call and he says the PCM is bad and the car is only firing on 3 cylinders. He is ordering one and will call me when its done.

Calls me today. The PCM was fine. They plugged in the new one and nothing changed. They noticed the water pump was leaking on the opti. And that the fuel injectors are bad. Kid i bought it from put accel 26lb injectors in less then 1000 miles ago.

So he tells me he got a new opti for $165, waterpump for like $50, did plugs and wires, and luckily I have the stock injectors that the kid took out. He wants those to put in, not knowing if they are good or not.

He then tells me that his guy has been putting a lot of time into the car and that he cant possibly charge me for all the labor. He says that the car was very hard to diagnose.

I ask him how much this is all going to cost and he couldnt give me a answer. He just said that he knows its close to christmas and he will be as fair as possible..

Is this guy going to attempt to bend me over? If he comes back with some ridiculous amount, do I have any recourse? When I dropped it off a couple weeks ago, the only thing I asked him to do was the Spark Plugs, and find out what was wrong with it.

He took it upon himself to do wires, pull water pump, pull injectors, etc...etc... If I would have taken the car to GM they would have charged me $90 and told me exactly what was wrong with it. Im afraid this guy is going to try and charge me for his mechanics inability to i.d. what was wrong with it...


The positive note... He threw some spare injectors he had into it, and started it without a water pump. Said it sounded awesome.

 

You can't jump to any conclusions until this guy drops you a price for the work.

 

Just realized that he already put the new opti on as well.

 

Sounds like dude doesn't know WTF he is doing and just randomly throwing parts at it....don' t pay him **** unless he has diagnosed the issue(s)? and lets you know a estimate of what it will cost to fix BEFORE throws more parts at it. Get the estimate in writing or you could be screwed with some outrageous labor bill and still have a car that runs like ***. I would find a mechanic who is familiar with LT1's ...as in someone who works/worked at a GM dealership or owns a LT1 car themselves would be your best bet.

 

If you're from Newark, you should have just brought it to me. I help run a shop in West Chester PA - we know LT1s.

 

Sure sounds like he is an idiot. Carpet bombing every part you can think of isn't exactly diagnosing anything.

 

Get that thing outta there and take it to Joe.

-Dustin-

 

Take it away.

 

has no idea whats wrong with it.

I see many shade tree mechanics misdiag cars with "bad ECU's" because A + B didnt equal fixed, so they said bad ECU take it to the dealer. In 9 years working for Mitsubishi, I have only replaced 3 truely bad ECU's, 2 older mitsu's where the capacitors failed, and 1 evo's where the kid shorted it out trying to wire in an Emanagement. All the rest of the time it was something else that proper diagnostics found.

Take your car to someone who knows what they are dealing with. People hate the dealer, and hate paying the labor charges from the dealer or from reputable shops. But the knowledge is worth it.

 

I would like to know where he is buying a new waterpump for $50.00.

If it doesnt run right after the opti and a tune up (plugs and wires) I would take it out of there, pay him for the parts. And take it as a lesson learned.

Id then take it to Joe.

 

Older accel injectors where JUNK but a few years ago they got a new supplier.

If the kid you bought it from put 26lbs injectors on it without reprogramming that is BAD. If the pcm was reprogrammed for the 26lbs injectors and he puts stockers back in you need a pcm tuned for stock injectors.

stupidly modified cars are a HUGE headache and modified cars brought to general mechanics are at least as big a headache. You NEED someone like Joe to sort it out and educate you a little.

 

Wellll-----if you had a leaky water pump, it probably killed the opti so those needed fixing regardless---If the big injectors weren't compinsated for in the tune---ehhhhhhh
running like crap and would barely start-----why did you buy it?????sounds like a basket case and I'm sure almost anyone would spend lots of hours getting it right

 

Posting from phone so be easy on me. Joe if I knew about you I would have brought it to you. I will in the future. I'm somewhat new to the area and didn't know where to take it. The car has a good engine, good t56, ss hood and spoiler, plus what's in my sig. Has about 110k miles and I payed 1,150 for it. If it cost me a grand to fix its still a deal.

 

I wouldnt storm in and take it from him. Then he will definitly charge you out the ***. It sounds like hes getting somewhat close. Id let him change the injectors and then go from there. Maybe tell him you want to take it home until you save up some more money.

 

You won't have to pay a dime unless he quoted you a price for the repairs... unless you were stupid enough to sign the waiver.

 

this right here

 

Didnt sign a waiver. Dropped it off, gave him my name and phone number, told him to change the plugs and diagnose the really rough idle. Thats it.

 

Some states require a written estimate also, I know each state is different, but I think in FL if they go 10-15% over the estimate that is illegal. I could be wrong, but I think I've seen that somewhere.

 

This is WILDLY overstated by blind opti haters on the internet.
Any distributor gets water/coolant inside they will act up, also very likely they will be fine once they dry out. People just quickly jump to the "dead" conclusion because all they hear is it is bad.

 

This sounds like a communication problem. Sounds like you think the guy should be able to stick his thumb in the cigar lighter socket and predict the future. And furthermore he thinks you brought him a nightmare to end all times. Those are obviously exagerations to illustrate a point.

The point is, both of you guys need a clear understanding before the job gets to this point. First, as the car owner, when you drop the car off you should make your intentions clear. Which it sounds like you did. When the guy calls to tell you he's having trouble it's up to you to voice any objections or concerns you have at that time. If you think he may not be the best candidate for this task then ask him or the shop manager if somebody else there has a better understanding of this type of car. If the guy is honest he will agree he may be in over his head. The job can be stopped at that point for usually a minimal check out fee and you can proceed to another shop. He may recommend somebody. If you agree with his diagnostic path and suggestions and the results are less than what you hoped for don't be too mad at the guy.

As for the tech working on the car or the service writer. They need to make sure they have a clear understanding of what you really want. Often a customer will ask for something like a trans fluid change or a tune up. When really they are hoping some new fluid will fix their malfunctioning transmission or some new spark plugs will fix their engine problem. When really those items are maintenance, not repairs. They also need to make clear the shops policy on diagnostic charges and work approval. If the customer needs a call before any work is done the shop can do that. If it is not made clear the shop can get a few hundred $$$ into a job real easy before they find a definite answer on a tricky problem.

Communication, understanding, realistic expectations on both parts.