Hallo,
Recently had the rear brakes overhauled. Brake cylinders, Brake drums, Brake shoes, Hardware kit, new seals and one of the brake lines on one wheel needed attention.
Hundreds of dollars later and loss of transportation for several days. I asked them to return/show the parts that they apparently replaced?! The only parts they came up with was the two brake drums. The car is still making a noise in the left rear wheel. Which is why I had this work done. I purchased the drums and the shoes and hardware kit myself. The one New brake cylinder I gave them was found to be defective they claimed. Well the bleeder nipple was stripped and there was a crack through one of the holes that bolts the brake cylinder in place.
I can rummage through the dumpster's they if I'd like... but they said they threw the parts away. Say what?
Did they replace the shoes? if not where are the new ones. If they did where are the old ones? Never shown a wheel cylinder or the older parts of the hardware kit. I plan to pull the drums and take pictures of what may or may not be in there. It's sad when you have to take photos of the parts you supply in order to protect yourself from dishonest businesses.
Thank YOU!
Raphael
Yeah unfortunately there's a lot of crooks out there my advice is live and learn just never deal with them again and warn other people about them
Thanks Scotty!
I hope I'm wrong about the shoes. 5 hours labor..how is that possible for such a simple repair. I asked another trust worthy place and he said 3 hours tops. He's worked on and sold VW's his entire life.
As long as I'm physically able to do my own repairs I'll be fixing things myself even though I'm not a master mechanic. I won't do engine or transmission rebuilds though.Like Scotty said, there's a lot of crooks out there.
Good for you!!!
Sounds really shady.
The parts belong to you. They're not theirs to throw away. I think there's even a law about that.
As one close friend noted:
If you go to small claims court and fight it yourself they don't even have to show up you could win but no way of collecting the money you are awarded. You can put a mark on there credit and Lean on the business but still gets you no money. If you go the lawyer route that can get very costly. Either way a lot of stress. These people are not good business people and they unfortunately don't care.
your friend is right. These legal fights are pursued on principle, not on financial regain.
Do you happen to know of any other ways to persuade these fools?
Why would they get to the point of replacing the drums and not replace the shoes? They told me at one point all they needed was the drums. A friend and I drove over 2 hours to get the drums back to them so they could complete the job. The mechanic leaves at 3PM but said someone there could finish. I had the drums to them 3 hrs faster then they might? of been able to get them. The car sat on the lift all weekend. Makes no sense..they had the shoes right there. Had to special order them!
Won't go into anymore details. These kinds of places and mechanics give the GOOD mechanics and shops a bad reputation. Customers begin to feel like everyones a crook and liar...
When I have been in a position to want to see the old parts, I make arrangements in advance with the shop. If they refuse, I find another shop. Most legitimate shops I have been to have a box on the work order that says "save old parts" or something to that effect.
Thats all good, but I didn't notify them. Here was the reply when I asked about the parts.
"you are more than welcome to look in the junk metal dumpster or our regular dumspster but we do not have the used parts that we took off your car, we threw them away."
They made this offer cause they more than likely dumped the parts elsewhere to cover up their failure to finish the job and over charging me nearly 2 hours labor. THEY knew the parts were not there or they would NOT have offered. Pathetic!!!
The recycler they use comes every two weeks and had NOT been there to date.
Your best defense against this kind of thing is to tell them ahead of time you want your old parts back. Most places won't warranty or guarantee the parts you provide will fix the problem, but a reputable shop will tell you all of this ahead of time. Check online for reviews and go to places based on word of mouth. There's a mom and pop place around 5 miles from me that is more than willing to put parts on for you for their hourly rate, but they only guarantee they put the parts in correctly, not that it fixes the problem if you self-diagnose. They have to diagnose the problem themselves before they guarantee it's fixed. My girlfriend's family has been going there for 20 years. When her dad or I diagnose a problem and don't feel like messing with the work, we take cars and the new parts down to them. Ask around and see who your friends and family go to, or, better yet, learn to fix things yourself! This is a great place to learn how to work on cars on your own.
Personally, I would have done the work you had done, myself. Drums only require a couple tools you probably have lying around the garage. The springs are irritating, but they take some practice. Wheel cylinders are fairly simple as well, the bleeding process can be intimidating. Finishing things like this yourself for the first time is a great feeling.
Thank you Justin!
We are getting snow here today and the carport where the other car is located is staying put.
There's really no legitmate excuse for this kind of attitude. They should of stuck to selling tires and even then the place had major issues with customers. Never have I run into such nonsense. The good mechanics in this rural area are very expensive and booked about 2 months out. The truth will come out when those brake drums are pulled. If the new shoes are not there or the the new hardware and brake cyclinders. It could turn into a legal matter. The stress has been over the top dealing with these folks. Pitiful...
I get back on here when I find out the facts and have pictures.
Have a great safe and wonderful weekend.
Raphael
