Shouldn't the machanic do something?

Question

My fiance bought his car from a mechanic that is a friend of the family. The car broke down about 1 year ago and the same mechanic charged us 2500 dollars to fix the car. Now the car is having the exact same problems (the same parts need to be replaced) Shouldn't the mechanic do something about it at no cost? I would have thought that he would not try ans screw us over because he is a friend of the family, but this is not the first time that we have had to take the car back to him to have the something fixed on it more than once. Are there any laws that say he needs to warranty his work? Please help I am at the end of my rope with this guy!

He claims he replaces the head gasket and the spark plug cables. There is oil leaking into the spark plug terminals. Most of what he charged us for was labor.

Answer 1

Most mechanics do warranty their work, but you don't mention what part is failing.

It may not be your mechanic's fault that the part is failing, but a problem with the part itself. Most parts are warrantied for a minimum of 90 days, if it fails during that time period, I would expect your friend to replace the part at only the cost of his labor. However if the part is failing because he is installing the part incorrectly, then I would expect him to replace and install the new part for free.

Now for $2500, what part of the engine is he replacing? At that price, I would be expecting some really serious or major part being replaced, if not the entire engine. He does sound like he's charging a lot, but again, you don't mention what he is replacing.

A head gasket is a very serious part to replace for an engine and is extremely labor intensive. A professional mechanic would have also checked the conditions of the heads too, which is doesn't sound like he did. If you're still having serious problems, it's likely that the heads are warped, and the engine will need to be torn down again. In all seriousness, for $2500, you could have gotten a properly rebuilt engine and possibly have had it installed at that price (or close to it).

Answer 2

Take the car to someone else and have it fixed. 2500 is a lot for a repair, it must have been serious. You never know this guys situation, maybe he is on drugs, maybe he has some large expenses that he needs money for. Since he is a "friend" of the family, you just think that he will give you a break. Try somewhere else and see what they have to say. After a year, I doubt if there is any more warranty left on the part or the labor. good luck.

Answer 3

He is required to tell you what kind of warranty you have and for how long.
Looks like you are out of warranty. We have a 1 year nation wide as do some other shops.

Answer 4

severe milage oil is a gimmick to sell you oil no longer something extra. while it is composed of oil common or man made is the only distinction that concerns. you need to of direction use the right weight of oil on your automobile yet each and all of the names and phone manufacturers i've got in no way considered any info that anybody is larger than the subsequent.

Answer 5

Cut your loses, go to an ASE certified mech., get an estimate in writing, and make sure they show you the old parts. I'm sorry that your "friend" of the family probably ripped you off. Good luck.

Answer 6

no laws that i know of but you need to argue with the guy enough to atleast get free labor. maybe there is something else wrong that is causing the recurring problem with your car. what is the problem?

Answer 7

it would be interesting to hear more details... what parts failed within a year etc... I try to avoid working on good friends and for sure family stuff unless they are in dire straits..