My car broke down on the way home. I paid a mechanic $1,000 for a new clutch on my 98 pontiac grand am. 200 miles after I left his shop the heater stopped, check engine light came on, and temp gauge shot skyward. I stopped the car and opened the hood, smoke came pouring out, and sitting there next to my coolant tank is the cap. Right beside the open hole. According to the Pontiac dealer I rolled the car too leaving the cap off caused the head of the engine to warp and my car is shooting exaust out the radiator and coolant out the exaust pipe. As well the dealer said 98 grand am's only have one coolant cap not two like most cars.
2006-12-23 00:41:49 · 10 answers · asked by dracaena 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
My car broke down on the way home. I paid a mechanic $1,000 for a new clutch on my 98 pontiac grand am. 200 miles after I left his shop the heater stopped, check engine light came on, and temp gauge shot skyward. I stopped the car and opened the hood, smoke came pouring out, and sitting there next to my coolant tank is the cap. Right beside the open hole. According to the Pontiac dealer I rolled the car too leaving the cap off caused the head of the engine to warp and my car is shooting exaust out the radiator and coolant out the exaust pipe. As well the dealer said 98 grand am's only have one coolant cap not two like most cars.
Note to Add: I live in Orlando FL, and was traveling to Charolette NC it broke down in SC. and 40 miles from arriving in Charolette.
Note to Add: My car has 1 cap and creates a preasure vacum in the tank which is why coolant did not go shooting out at a boil.
Note to add: The car was stopped within 2 min of heater problems, at 10PM at night, on h/w
2006-12-23 01:04:58 · update #1
The recipt shows a charge for 17.00 for Antifreeze. Proving he took the cap off.
2006-12-24 02:00:01 · update #2
The first mechanic paid 47 dollars to pontiac GM mechanic after diagnosis and towed the car back to his shop now.
2006-12-24 02:01:05 · update #3
Note to add: The gauge might have been broken since it did act odd. The gauge hit the top within 10 second from normal then did a complete reverse and fell below zero. (in the next 10 seconds)
2006-12-24 02:06:00 · update #4
You can sue the first mechanic, and you can use the second mechanic's diagnosis of what happened to your car as evidence in court. Clearly, going to court is a pain in the butt - if you could find a way to work it out with the mechanic that would be great. For example, having him pay for the second repairs. You cannot force the second mechanic to wait for payment from the first though. You will have to pay the second and get reimbursement from the first. A lawyer may be able to get you money for damages suffered incidentally to the damage to the car - for example if you missed work or missed an appointment. You mentioned you traveled 200 miles (impressive without a radiator cap) and you may be in a different jurisdiction. You will likely need to file in the jurisdiction where the first mechanic is. A lawyer in that jurisdiction will be able to represent you there without your having to be present. If you go to court though you will have to show up. Sometimes a letter from a lawyer is sufficient. In closing, the first mechanic is liable for any damages you suffered due to their negligence. Unfortunately, without his cooperation, the courts are your only remedy. Good luck!
2006-12-23 00:48:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
My opinion is the temp gage went up, the check engine light came on and you didn't stop right away. I'm willing to bet you were negligent in not stopping right away and finding out what was wrong. Temp gages just dont "jump" up from normal temp to overheating in 1-2 seconds, and if your radiator cap was off you should have smelled steam and odors as the coolant escaped.
Cars have one radiator cap, and an overflow tank cap.. You say the coolant cap was off? Or the radiator (pressure) cap? I don't believe the second "mechanic" even exists. Besides, replacing a clutch has little to do with coolant. Maybe your water pump, fan belt, thermostat or something else failed, and that wouldn't have anything to do with your clutch repair.
Too bad, leave the mechanic alone and get it fixed.
2006-12-23 00:57:31 · answer #2 · answered by Mr Smart 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
let me get this straight you got a clutch put in and he left the coolant cap off. Not sure how to change a clutch on a front wheel drive car never done that before but I cant believe you would need to do anything to the radiator first of all. If I am wrong then sorry. Also the gage should not just all of a sudden shoot up with no prior warning of overheating.
2006-12-23 09:39:47 · answer #3 · answered by rwings8215 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The first answer is correct. You need to take it to court if you are telling the truth. You will need to get the written opinion of an experienced, licensed mechanic or have one testify for you in court. The mechanic who put the clutch in is probably going to say that you drove the car too far after you had warning (which is what I and some others in here probably think happened) but depending on state law and the discretion of the judge, the mechanic may still be liable because he was negligent.
A couple of things you need to touch on with the mechanic who is on your side is why he would take the cap off in the first place when you don't usually need to when replacing a clutch and also, how you made it 200 miles with the cap off. Not calling you a liar because only you know for sure what really happened, but that's probably what the other side is going to throw at you. He will also probably say you took the cap off. In cases like this, the best prepared side usually wins. Court is a chess match.
2006-12-23 01:58:17 · answer #4 · answered by Carman 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
You sure are hoping for a miricle. If the radiator cap was not on the car you would never have gotten that far. 200 miles is a long way to go without a cap. No something else is at play there. You probably are the one that left it off.
2006-12-23 01:02:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You car has TWO (2) COOLANT CAPS ONE (1) is on the radiator or on a fitting connected to the radiator by hoses or a fitting.It's usually round or hex shaped and is a shiny metal color with writing stamped into it saying "do not open hot" then there is ONE (1) on the overflow bottle which is usually mounted to the fenderwell and it has a "BLACK PLASTIC CAP" that usually says "CHECK COOLANT HERE" stamped into it.It depends which cap was off if it was the overflow bottle cap then the mechanic goofed but leaving that cap off WILL NOT CAUSE ENGINE DAMAGE AT ALL. But if the mechanic left the "SHINY METAL CAP" off then he's liable for the damage.But it may take a lawyer and a lawsuit to get satisfaction.Having written documentation of everything that happened will help in the case it has to involve a court.
2006-12-23 01:00:40 · answer #6 · answered by hjbergel 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Did you see collant coming out your exhaust?? You can run your car with the radiator cap off and it will be fine, but before you shut off the car you have to put the cap back on, if you dont the collont comes to an instant boil and shoots out the radiator like a volcano. I would fill the radiator and try staring your car up, it might be okay. I've had overheating problems with BMW's (Garbage cars) and they never warped. If it is ruined then you can sue the garage and get a new engine. Good luck!
2006-12-23 00:51:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Small claims court but I do not think you have a chance since you can not prove 'He' is the one that left it off. Anyway the car would have gotten hot within 20 - 40 miles not some 200 miles later. I think you better figure out who else had access to your car radiator.
2006-12-23 02:42:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
absolutely no way that it lasted 200 miles before it overheated. if the coolant cap was left off, it would have been real obvious by the time you got home, assuming you live a fair distance from the repair shop.i ain't buying your story, and any halfway intelligent technician won't but it either. you say in your story it broke down on the way home, then you say it happened 200 miles later. which is it? your story has more holes in it than my old socks.
2006-12-23 00:52:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
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2016-10-05 22:36:37 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋