Are we getting ripped off by a mechanic??

Question

A couple of weeks ago the water pump on my g/fs Audi T/T went out. She took it to a local mechanic who specializes in German autos. When he first assesed the problem he said it would cost no more than $800. 2 weeks later she still hasn't gotten her car back and when she called him he said it would now cost $1750 because the water pump had blown up and he had to fish the parts out of the engine. This sounds like a load of BS to me. Is she getting scammed and if so what are the steps we can take to counter it?

Answer 1

I have installed a water pump on one of those, it isn't exactly the easiest car to work on.
It wasn't the only thing I had to replace, but someone who knows what they are doing should be able to change one in 4 hours or less.
$800.00 sounds pretty high, but it is probably typical for a dealership. I would walk in (without letting them know I was coming) and ask to see the old water pump.

Answer 2

The only way I know of is to pull the car out of his shop, and take it to another. You will have to pay the current bill, and hope that the other shop can confirm negligence on his part, and will go to court with you to help you sue him for restitution. That's a real grey area, as the judge will be clueless about cars. At that point it can become a specialists word against a general mechanic's. So possibly an Audi dealer would be an option, but most dealers prefer not to get involved in this type matter. It maybe a good idea to talk to the guy currently working on the car and make him show you the damage and what he has had to do to correct it, though 1750 sounds extreme, you don't know the whole story yet.
If it seems like he's taking you for a ride from what you see and what he says, then persue legal action, and see what an attorney advises you. I have been an expert witness on several occasions, and the judge will be on your side, unless baffled with bs by the specialist....hope my rambling helps, and good luck!

Answer 3

Sounds like a scam to me. water pumps don't generally "blow up" and scatter parts into the engine. I don't know about Audi's specifically, but I have changed water pumps on numerous cars (domestics) and they really only cost about $100 bucks tops and the worst one I did took me about 2 hours to do. NOWHERE near $1750 worth of time and labor and parts, even at mechanic rates.

I would see about getting a second opinion, or call the dude on it and make him show you the blown-up parts and explain how a job doubled in price. I can't imagine a water pump replacement costing over $300 or so to do, even at a shop.

Something smells fishy.

Answer 4

Buyer beware - especially when getting a car repair! Always ask for a WRITTEN QUOTE! And it should include what is to be done, cost of parts, estimate of labour costs, and then you can argue if its more than 10% over the quoted price. Verbally, its you word against his. And was it an estimate or a guesstimate (which is could be this, so could cost that)?
And you can ask the repairer for the parts which he had to remove, which should make it possible to tell if there were bits missing which could have gone in the engine.
Could it have happened? Yes. But the two week delay in getting round to looking at it, and the more than doubling in price does warrant looking in to.
Has the repair already been done? If so, did he phone first to ask if the repair should be done (as it was more complicated than first thought), and included the increase in price? He should have done that as soon as he knew it was a possibility. However if he did, and the girlfriend said just fix it, then you haven't a legal leg to stand on.
If not you may be able to negeotiate something closer to the original quote. Or take it somewhere else.

Answer 5

After reading this a second time. I noticed you said "she" and this is a good clue she's getting shafted. I've worked on many cars for years, and the only part that could "shatter" would be the water pump impeller, and most of the pieces would be in the water jacket. I have never heard of such a case where they would be in small pieces.
I would go to the shop and demand to see the broken pump before agrreing to any repairs.

Answer 6

WOW, I have never heard of that but .. . . . . . it is possible, I guess I would want to see the old water pump and see if the thing really did self destruct and throw metal fragments thru the cooling system. I would be suspicious myself but I can see it happening, I dont know what he could do to fish out the parts though, the engine is full of tiny small passages. it would be better to flush it and thats a minor job, $50.00 or so.

Answer 7

He's handing you a line. Water pumps don't blow up. Usually when a water pump fails, it is due to a leak caused by wear, or by a crack. Look at some pictures of a water pump online. The water pump is driven either by the serpentine belt, or by the timing belt. There is nothing in a water pump that can "blow up."

Answer 8

It really depends...........Do you have any idea what it takes to change a water pump on ANY EUROPEAN car... try it yourself and you'll see why he charges the way he does............it probably BURIED deep in the engine somewhere, It's pretty damned labor intensive to replace and probably requires special tools (Which are probably an arm and A leg to buy)...........if the bearings failed internally it is possible to have parts scattered inside the engine.......not likely but still possible..........REMEMBER, HE'S RUNNING A BUSINESS NOT A CHARITY. If you really feel slighted or like your being ripped off........Contact your local B.A.R. or Bureau of automotive repair, they are the governing body when it comes to any automotive repairs.......in most cases the mere mention of the B.a.r. makes some shop owners cower in fear.......

Answer 9

i work in a shop myself...and one thing people need to learn to understand is that sometimes you run into problems on a car. BUT in your defense...a mechanic is not to proceed at all in additional costs and repairs until you authorize..IF you told the mechanic something along the lines of "just fix it"...then expect to have a higher bill because you gave him free range to have a field day on finding things wrong with your car. BUT to clear up a huge age old rumor...mechanics never intentionally break your car to try and get more money out of you. so stop accusing all mechanics of being thieves...because 9 times out of 10 we are here to help.

Answer 10

Have your Attorney General look into it. They are great at getting to the truth.