What will happen if I stop payment on a check for repairs on vechicle?

Question

I am a female and i know i am getting screwd. Pd $1800 to have a transmission rebuilt, a week later it wouldnt go into gear. They came and got it and have keep it for 9 weeks They said it was fixed and charged me another $600- for some other part to the transmission. When I went to pick it up there was a small puddle of transmission fluid on the ground, I showed them it. got home and it is still leaking, they said it wasnt leaking there. they are lying, I showed it to them, a mechenic crawled under it. Can I stop payment on the check I wrote today and take him to court? I want someone else to do it since they lied to me to my face. I dont trust them...Who and what do I need to do, they are comming to get the truck in the morning. I am litterly sick to my stomach over this. The worst part is now I am broke. I know I have rights. Will I get in trouble if I stop payment. He said the extra money was for a bell housing???

Its a 96 Dodge Ram 1500 4wh drive.I live in Oklahoma. The first warranty was for a year, Today he said 90 days.I have all my receipts, but they dont say warranty, the second receipt said hoses/inner body. They told me I needed a new transfer case or bell hosing what ever goes to the tranie.And they didnt do that the 1st time.so thats why I had to pay extra today. did I mention how long this truck has been in the shop? the first time about a week, the second time 9 weeks. Everytime I drove by there the truck was still in the same spot.said they were ordering part....I am so upset and dont know what to do, i just feel like bawling...I hate those kinds of mech***

Answer 1

First of all $1,800.00 to rebuild a transmission seems about right. A brand new one costs about $3,000 or so. For them to charge you another $600 for additional parts is riduculas. They should have fixed it the first time they had it. Its not your fault they didn't fix it right the first time. I would stop pay on everything you paid them and bring it somewhere else. Before you bring it somewhere else make sure you get PICTURES AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING that they did. This will help you in court.

Stop pay on all the checks that you wrote them. You don't have to tell them you did they will figure it out when they try to cash it. If they say something then tell them that they did not fix the problem but made it worse so you took it somewhere else. If they have a problem with that tell them you will see them in court.

Answer 2

I can't say for sure what the legalities are on stopping payment. I would talk to your bank, they will know if you can legally stop payment on the check. Did you sign an estimate when you took the car in the first time? In California, you can only go $100 over the estimate w/o customer approval. If you are elsewhere find out what the laws regarding estimates are. DO NOT LET THEM TAKE YOUR VEHICLE AGAIN! If you do stop payment and they have your car then they can put a lien on it and you can't get it until you pay all charges. Next, get estimates from at least 3 other shops on how much it would cost to rebuild your trans and to fix whatever the problem is now. You will need them if you do go to court. Take pictures of the oil puddles and anything else that you can. What kind of car is it? Hope we are helping you here.

Answer 3

Put a stop payment on the check, call the transmission shop telling them to cancel the tow truck and then explain to them that you wrote them a check from the wrong account and that you need a little time to transfer enough funds to make sure the check doesn't bounce. Also tell them that you need the car tomorrow because you switched insurance companies and they needed to come out and photograph your car and finalize the paperwork with you as well. You know, buy a little time ;)
Then if you can get the time off, do your legal homework to try and get them to eat the extra cost of having re-work done. It shouldn't be your problem. Cancelling the check will probably piss them off but they probably won't go for the lein. Its alot of red tape. You have to be agressive and remeber, the customer is always right. If you raise enough hell with them (even though it sucks to have to do that) you will get your way. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I definately would use another shop for the repairs though. It's a hassle but at least you can tell them the story and they will be compassionate towards your woes and get you back on the road in no time.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

sound like you when to a place not too highly recommended
take it some were there experts not shad tree tech.
sometime you can put an lot a in repair replacing gears beaning shafts clutches plates bell housing
if you did not have you gear box over hall ed i say little steep call around and see what other places are for same work read them off bill for replacement
remember shop is to make money they charge double plus parts
what you need to do is find a close friend that knows cars and have him teach you or do the work for you for a small fee less than dealership or rip off Artus
find out facts first then if overcharged contact BBB they will be more than happy to help you with fared
stopping payment will thought you right into court the business will cake you to court for that kind of money so have all you paper work ready and have Prof they over charged you be ready with different prices from different business that would of done the same work
GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

Absolutely! I definitely would because someone's shafting you! The reason for the leak is either faulty repair or they didn't replace the forward pump. Sounds like a back yard shop! You didn't mention what kind of car but that really doesn't matter. $1800 later it had better work right! Report them to authorities, better business bureau, and some state have a repair shop licensing requirement which you can also report them to! Not to alarm you, but if its a chevy 700R4 which is chevy's most popular transmission- it's junk to start with and the rebuild kit with friction clutches and everything is around $180-$250! Disc only are about $80 retail!

Answer 6

Do you, a family member, and/or friend have a credit card that you can use? Combining two or more cards can work, too. Then call your bank to stop payment (explain the situation to them) and call the "mechanic" saying you are paying by credit card instead of check. You or the cardholder will then be able to dispute any questionable charges by contacting the credit card company. You may still have legal recourse available, so check that out.

If it were my truck, I would not let them work on it any further and certainly not tow it anywhere. You can legally refuse to let them tow it. Can you or a friend be there in the morning?

Wish you the best.

Answer 7

they,ll get mad,,and can take you to court to get there money,,but it sounds like you got screwed as you said,,i own a repair shop,,and that's a hell of a lot of money to pay for a transmission rebuild,,and then turn around and pay 600 more,,i think because they seen you was a female,, that they did actually take advantage of you on this one,,i always treat all my customers the same,,no matter who they are,,male or female,,young or old,,that's a lot of money for any transmission,,no matter what kind of car it is,,i think if i was you id let them take me to court,,and in the mean time get some other prices of what someone else might have charged for the same job,,and maybe they can explain why they charged so much for it,,good luck,,i hope you get this settled.

Answer 8

There is no easy answer to your question. First the rules pertaining to a stopped check vary from state to state. Second most repair shops can and usually will get a mechanics lien on your vehicle untill repairs are paid for.
What I would reccomend is putting a hold on the check untill you have another shop diagnose the transmission. Then present the estimate to the first shop and tell then that you will have your attorney contact them about shoddy repairs. I hope this helps.
What kind of car do you have and what type of shop did you take it to?

Answer 9

i am a mechanic i own a shop and i will regret telling this to you but here it goes
if you put a stop payment on the check do it today or it may have all readt cleared if your succsfull call them and tell them you did it and tell them why\
bring it to another shop have it fixed rite thain send them the recept and the balance of what you owe them they wont dare sue you if you do it like that
or put hhe stop payment on it and do nothing you will end up in court small claims and he has to prove hes not ripping you off and thats hard
he may thretten to pick up your car tell him no if he touches it have him arested
he cannot put a lien on the car without a court judgement and even thain there hard to get and for $600 its not worth it
if the car was on his lot and you took it at night without paying he still cant do anything about it without sewing you he cannot reposes it without your permission
tell them not to pick it up unless they garrentee they wont charge you a dime and make sure you dont pay

get an extra key and pick it up after hours they cant do anything about it

Answer 10

You will have to pay the bank a fee for stopping payment. Do it anyway. Report the incident to the Better Business Bureau. Talk to a lawyer.