should I take my money back if a mechanic's work failed 2 days later?

Question

A mechanic told me if I pay him $700 to buy and install a compressor clutch for my Mercedes Benz SLK 230, the air conditioner will work again. I agreed. 2 days later, the air conditioner broke again and almost melted the belt. I took the car back to the mechanic, and he said I'd have to replace the compressor for $1200. He said I couldn't return the clutch he bought because the compressor burned it up. Should I have to pay him the original $700? He misdiagnosed the problem and made me buy a clutch that would subsequently burn up. He is the certified mechanic and should know better.

In response to FreedomLover's answer: I didn't chose to buy only only a new clutch (and not the the whole compressor) to save money. That was the mechanic's choice. He told me the clutch replacement woud permanently solve the problem. He didn't realize the entire compressor needed to be replaced, hence the misdiagnosis.

Answer 1

well that's a tuff one to answer...the mechanic makes a call to what he or she believes will correct the problem...and maybe at that time there was no indication that the compressor was working properly....at that time it could have been....you said that it was OK for 2 days...if you drove the car quite abit during those 2 days...if the car was driven very little in those 2 days (less than 25 miles) then you have a legitimate complaint.....i would suggest that he eats the labor and just charges for the part with a limited markup......or take it to someone else and have it repaired and take the original guy to small claims court and plead your case and let a impartial judge make the call...

Answer 2

Your assumption that he misdiagnosed the problem is incorrect. The clutch assembly is the front part of the Compressor. Your AC did not work...the clutch was bad. YOU wanted to save some money and only bought a new Clutch assembly. This saved some money and got your AC working again. THEN 2 days later, your AC COMPRESSOR failed...which is a different part...when IT failed it destroyed your clutch. WHY should your Mechanic be responsible for another part breaking? The New Compressor for 1200 should come with a new clutch installed. It would be nice if your mechanic felt sorry for you and did not mark up the new compressor to help you out...but he is not responsible for this problem.

The Real problem is that you drive a Benz... Terribly unreliable and Horrifically expensive to repair....Fix the car, then sell the POS and buy American. Good luck!

Answer 3

I have been a mechanic for years. The best way to deal with mechanics is to just say "How much for a preventive to fix the car "
Then when you get the preventive, you decide if it's worth spending the money.

You are NOT the mechanic and you should NOT be involved in the fixing process. If he talks compressor, you say "sorry I am not mechanically minded, I just want my car fixed, can I get a Preventive please?" .

If you go ahead with the work, make sure you get a receipt for your money.
If the car breaks down within an unreasonable time you can decide to take it to another mechanic and then go to court with both bills. This is what the trading Standards Authorities tell you to do in the UK I am not sure where you are and if the law is the same. Hope it helps.
PS: there is nothing wrong with Mercs, they are very reliable cars.

Answer 4

All mechanincs do make mistakes but usally a mechanic and/or his shop will assume some responsibility and offer to pay some of the new bill, but don't expect them to eat the full $1200 . Be nice and see if a compomise can be worked out.

That's why most mechanics I find sometimes over estimate for.. People scream over the price but a good mechanic will always try to let the customer know what can happen and how much

Answer 5

He should have known the compressor needed changing when he had the compressor off the car.I would definately get your money there has to be a warranty on the installed parts.