Heres the situation....my '97 Altima broke down so I called my mechanic friend who always works on my car. He took off my distributor and told me to get a new one...but he was going out of town. So I towed the veh to the dealer, all prepared to pay them to put on a distributor...but the dealer told me that the distributor wasnt the problem....I need a new fuel pump. So the cost to me is $1000 parts & labor for the distributor and another $800+ for the fuel pump. And my "mechanic friend"(who is certified and works in a garage) refuses to acknowledge any responsibility. And yes even though we are friends I still had to pay him for working on my car. So Im suing him for the cost & labor of the distributor. Am I wrong??
2007-08-20 12:15:51 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
To answer some of your questions....
He did take the distributor off and took it apart. I took the part to the dealer to get a price on a replacement and they told me there were pieces missing. I told him that and asked him where the other pieces were he told me to just buy another one....but he was going out of town and didnt know when he'd be able to work on my car again. Thats why I went to the dealer. To get it over and done with. So the dealer couldnt do anything with the distributor because part of it was missing. The $1000 is for parts and labor...the new distributor was like $500, the tow was $100+, and then labor = $1000. The dealer says that even w/the distributor in the car wont start because the fuel pump needs to be replaced.
2007-08-21 01:29:53 · update #1
Let me get this straight you had to pay him for not fixing the original problem with the car??
did car run prior to his fixing it? if not then why did it run after?
is it possible the car had 2 problems not 1?
Was the old distributor checked out to see if it was bad or simply misdiagnoised by him?
we need a lot more info to determine who is in the right here
Walt
Given the additional info Yes you are definately in the right, he either way made a big mistake or ripped you off...
Go to small claims for parts & labor on the distributor, towing to the dealer and the correct dealers dianosis...
but you can't make him pay for the fuel pump or the labor to replace it.
Walt
2007-08-20 12:31:40 · answer #1 · answered by Ronk W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why should he acknowledge responsibility? He had no control over what you did once it left his care.
You made the mistake of going to the dealership and saying you wanted a distributor replaced. Lesson learned: NEVER go to another garage and ask them to replace a part to fix a problem. Ask them to diagnose the problem and fix it.
There are 3 reasons a car won't run: No spark, no fuel, no compression. That's it. It sounds like your mechanic "friend" did you a huge favor and was able to diagnose you had a problem with your spark. He diagnosed it to your distributor and that's as far as it went. He probably did not check for any fuel problems. What a terrible "friend" to do you such a nice favor.
I'm assuming, unless you have evidence otherwise (and don't take the dealer's word as evidence) that you needed a distributor. And maybe something else.
But $1000 for a distributor? And $800 for a fuel pump? Did the Emperor of Japan hand deliver them to the dealership or something? We are talking US Dollars...correct? I would start by calling another Nissan Dealer in your area and getting an estimate on those parts. Call with the year, make, model, and engine size. The VIN Number might help too. I think you got taken for a price ride somewhere. Call some independent garages and ask their cost, but realize it's usually cheaper than the dealership because the dealership has the marketing advantage.
I say buy your friend a beer and thank him. Even if he did make a mistake, he tried to help as best he could. And you have no real reason to suspect he messed up any more than the dealer did by saying the distributor wasn't the problem. You're just assuming he was wrong because he wasn't the one that ended up fixing it. That's not fair to him.
Matt
2007-08-20 13:07:17 · answer #2 · answered by mattfromasia 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a little unclear as to what exactly happened. Did your friend take the old distributor with him or not? If he did and you had to buy a new one get the old one back from him and have it tested. If it is working he gave you the wrong advice and you spent some unnecessary money. If he is the sort of mechanic that take wild guesses as to what is wrong with a car he is not a real mechanic. To diagnose a faulty distributor while the fuel pump is faulty is unforgivable and you don't want him to work on your car again. A lot of expensive parts are changed unnecessary because people don't test the parts.
I live by the motto do what you do do well, I would not like a friend or a mechanic like that.
2007-08-20 14:06:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
In your mechanic's professional opinion and based on the information you provided, he believed you needed a new distributor. Sometimes repairing a car is trial and error - since more than one problem can cause the same symptoms. You diagnose the problem and then repair it. Sometimes it takes more than one repair.
How do you know the dealer is not the one who ripped you off? Maybe you only needed a distributor and they decided to sock you with a fuel pump too. Once the car was towed to the dealership, did the dealership mechanic diagnose the problem? He should have looked the car over and made a recommendation on what was needed to repair the car. Did the dealership mechanic think the distributor needed to be replaced? Did you even ask him?
You know, second opinions are not reserved for medical problems only.
2007-08-20 12:30:55 · answer #4 · answered by Boots 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the distributor wasn't bad why did it cost so much to replace it? Why not just put the old one back on? Less than an hour to reinstall and retime the engine so shouldn't cost $1000. The $800 for a fuel pump is what's a real ripoff. Guess that's what you get for buying foreign cars. Parts are way too high.
2007-08-20 12:34:06 · answer #5 · answered by mustanger 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I believe you shouldn't drag a friend in court unless he comitted some serious crime...The dignified thing to do here is to let him know he disappointed you and hear his side of the story. If you think he did it on purpose, to trick you, you should stop being his friend. But he might have made an honest mistake, and I don't know about you, but a friend is worth more than $1000 to me... Either way, you should learn your lesson not to mix friends with bussiness or you'll risk embarassing and unpleasant situations like this one, but really, suing a person you considered a friend days ago seems way off base...
2007-08-20 12:28:48 · answer #6 · answered by Ioa 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well depends on how you feel. But for me. My mechanic is wrong once out of 100 problems. But he right the other 99 times and still gives me decent rates on his work, So if your friend helped you out alot before, do you want to loose a friend and possibly a good mechanic b/c of a small error. Think about it, if they were bad, they would of needed replacing anyways, sooner or later
2007-08-20 12:26:13 · answer #7 · answered by baby1396 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How do you know the distributor wasnt bad if it wasnt there you said he took it out you didnt say he put it back in. .?And how do you know the dealer did not rip you off? Your mechanic is nowhere at fault.
2007-08-20 12:25:54 · answer #8 · answered by Crazy cat lady >^ ^< 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
possibly-as a girl who was born and raised working on cars- I have found that many men refuse to believe I have a clue and just about every dealer will try to dupe me--perhaps they are the ones you should be upset with
2007-08-20 12:27:57 · answer #9 · answered by suan b 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
No if he did that then he should take it i mean he might not talk to u or he might but anyways if he did that then he deserves it!!!!!!!
2007-08-20 12:24:31 · answer #10 · answered by $ ROCK ON $ 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋