I went with a mobile mechanic to fix the AWD on my 2004 Chevy Suburban. He said the front differential was bad. He dragged his feet on ordering the replacement part, so I went through LKQ to get a used one. I gave the mechanic the replacement part from LKQ. He took the car apart, removed the old carrier assembly (differential), and then told me the replacement assembly didn't match. Just looking at them both lying on the ground, it was obvious that he could have seen they didn't match before he pulled the bad one. Now the Suburban's been up on blocks for a week and LKQ just sent the wrong part to replace the wrong part again. We need the vehicle for our business next weekend, so I told the mechanic he just needed to put the old part back on; that way we can use the vehicle until we finally find the correct replacement part. He said he'd have to charge me for that. Seems to me he screwed up by taking the car apart before he'd verified that the part matched. Should he be charging me for putting a vehicle back together that he (allegedly) never should have taken apart in the first place?
This is why you should never inject yourself into repairs which you're paying someone else to perform. When you provide the part you become a "partner" in the repair and you assume liability if it's the wrong part.
Always let the mechanic source the part and perform the repair by himself. Then if there's an issue he has 100% of the blame.
You bought the part and you say, "Just looking at them both lying on the ground, it was obvious that he could have seen they didn't match before he pulled the bad one." By that logic and since you bought the part, so should have you.
Is it possible he wasn't "dragging his feet"? Maybe he was having a hard time finding the correct part? (it sure seems like you are having that problem too).
Anyway, hindsight is 20/20 and you have to pay the man for his work
You authorized the work, it's on you. What does the written work order say? You do have one, don't you?
Well, with costumer supplied parts (a thing every mechanic hates) - it's on you.
Even if the part wouldn't be supplied by you, having to un-do work mid-repair usually is charged.
Should have he tried to see if it won't fit before taking the car apart? yeah,
It's always a good idea to verify everything - checking is good practice, but not many go by it.
In the current situation, with the part being supplied by you, him charging you for extra work seems reasonable.
ASSUMING, the rate he's charging you is fair - a few hungered bucks ($250 - $500 MAX) is reasonable.
you expect him to work on your vehicle for free .... because you gave him the wrong part ...
Maybe you should have just done it yourself.
Man I love dealing with customers like you.
He took the car apart, removed the old carrier assembly (differential), and then told me the replacement assembly didn't match. Just looking at them both lying on the ground, it was obvious that he could have seen they didn't match before he pulled the bad one.
Judging Differentials and their sizes aren't always as easy as looking at the housing it's in.
Differentials have different ratios for teeth and diameters. Sometimes the ring gear will be bigger or smaller, and have the same gear ratio. For example, in 1999, Ford made a 3:55:1 rear end in 8.8 inch and 9.75 inch diameters for the F-150. They're the same gear ratios, but the 8.8" would not fit in a 9.75" housing. The gear teeth on the pinion and ring gears aren't the same size, so they won't mesh. Can you judge the size of a differential by "eyeballing" it, with everything else surrounding it? You certainly can't measure the diameter of it with a tape measure -the axle is in the way.
Axle codes are usually provided in the driver's door jamb, where the recommended tire pressures are. It's also on a metal tag that's attached to the cover itself. You should've matched the axle code between vehicles before doing anything. I pull parts from LKQ myself, so I know what's being pulled. It also gives me the opportunity to inspect parts before I go through the effort of actually pulling them out.
You should have to pay him, you didn't give him the right parts to do the job.
If you want to figure out what axle is in your truck, you might try looking for the front differential cover gasket. If by chance you don't have a tag or axle numbers, typically the axles have different sized gasket covers for smaller and larger diameter ring gears.
This will only tell you the diameter of the ring gear. If there are multiple gearing ratios on the same diameter ring gear, then you will need to put the differential back together, mark the drive shaft and spin the wheel until the mark returns to its original spot. Count the rotations the tire made. That's your final drive ratio.
IMHO, there is an unwritten understanding (or even written) that if the customer provides the part, the customer takes full responsibility for the part, right or wrong, good or bad.
When the mechanic sources the part, they take responsibility for the labor and any part failures within a specified time period. That’s why they charge more for labor and parts.
