Care to share Your Most Horrible Vehicle Repair Nightmare?

[JAG1]

Thought I would ask for some horror stories here to help put in perspective the importance working on your own vehicle. 

 

Care to share? 

[Mopar1973Man]

Too many to even start... Being I've done this for so many years. I started turning wrenches at 15 years old back in 1985...

[leety]

Don't get me started lol

 

I had a 26' 1978 GMC Royall RV.  Calliper was jamming up and the brakes were overheating and fading going down the mountain.  Had it towed to a guy in the inland empire who only works on these machines.  A specialty shop.  He did a full brake job, supposedly.  about six months later when we drove it down the mountain the brakes completely failed and we had to crash the coach into a rock cut out to stop it.  I was not driving it that day.  The coach was totaled.  Sad day for that cool RV, we're just lucky no one was hurt and nothing else was damaged beyond the coach.

[Dieselfuture]

Same here, too many... I did a lot of random jobs for people that been screwed one way or another, wasn't hard to keep getting work as they told their friends about me. That's how it started for me, my first vehicle I got ripped off by a trusted friends mechanic and I didn't know any better until I overheard him one day bragging how he made so much on me. I went to the Sears and got my first tool kit, never went back to any shop since then, for alignment few times and tire mount maybe, that's it. Even then they manage to screw up and I had to go back to realign or rebalance. I think most of us on this forum have similar experiences that's why we all here.

[JAG1]

You got that right Dieselfuture...... when I hear of a recommended stock to buy I go to the tool section in the store and buy something to get rid of that buying mood. I even like it sitting there all new and shiney just for that day when it comes., Had to buy a second stand of tool boxes to keep it organized 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by JAG1

[That Guy]

Friend inherited his grandfathers truck, an 01 k1500. Trans goes out, shop replaces and they cut the harness and did a terrible job rebuilding. Engine now runs terrible, trans never worked right, (I think the nicked some of the seals on reassm or left parts out, or both) it slipped reverse horrible, would only go into gear if manually shifting 1-2-D-OD. Got screwed 6 ways from Sunday. $3000 down the drain. 

[Mopar1973Man]

Well I can roll back time. Back to my 1972 Dodge Power Wagon (4WD). My previous truck I did all the things a pup would do. Oversized tires and lift kits. Managed to tear up the wheel joints over 4 sets of wheel stubs damaged. Wore out 3 steering boxes 2 I've rebuilt myself. Suspension failures tie rods and ball joint issues stemming from lift and over size tires. I turned around and trade both my 1972 Dodge Power Wagon and Mom's 1976 Dodge Power Wagon in for trade in. I gave Mom the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 to drive at that time and then took over the 2002 Dodge for all the work load. Ol' blue was so hard to get parts for I ran it till I couldn't get parts any longer. Axle parts for that partial truck was a strange half year axle that was rare with front drum brakes. 

 

Sorry for the poor quality photo but that the only one I've got. This was after pulling all my oversized tires and lift kit out and sold them.

 

Then Mom's 1976 Dodge Power Wagon (727 Auto, 4WD)

Edited December 28, 2020 by Mopar1973Man

[JAG1]

20 hours ago, leety said:

Don't get me started lol

 

I had a 26' 1978 GMC Royall RV.  Calliper was jamming up and the brakes were overheating and fading going down the mountain.  Had it towed to a guy in the inland empire who only works on these machines.  A specialty shop.  He did a full brake job, supposedly.  about six months later when we drove it down the mountain the brakes completely failed and we had to crash the coach into a rock cut out to stop it.  I was not driving it that day.  The coach was totaled.  Sad day for that cool RV, we're just lucky no one was hurt and nothing else was damaged beyond the coach.

Really sorry you lost that RV and that everyone was Okay. Some of those Chevy/ GMC motorhomes were the sweetest rigs around. My neighbor has one that looks like new. It's beautiful. I have to force myself to keep my eyes on the turn when going by.

[IBMobile]

I've work on cars for 50 years now and I could wright a book on the incompetence, shenanigans, and outright thievery in the automotive repair sector.  Here are just three.

 

Around 1997 a customer's daughter, on a Sunday, overheated her car and since it was close to the dealer she had it towed there.   Monday morning the dealer called her and gave her an estimate of $3k to RnR the cylinder head, machine work and parts and it could go up if the head is bad.  She then called me and I gave her an estimate of $2K.  She called the dealer right back and told them not to do any work on it.  The service advisor  said it was to late and the cylinder head had ben remove and sent to the machine shop for repair.  T he customer relented and said OK.  The service adviser then ran out to the shop and told the mechanic who had checked the car out to " quick, get the head off the engine.  The lady is thinking about taking the car out of here".  How do I know this?  The mechanic told me; I've known him for 30 years.

 

Around 1986 The parts department asked if I would go to another auto repair shop "show them how to install part".   I go there and after showing the owner/mechanic of the place hoe it's done we get to talking.  He shows me a BMW He just fixed.   He tells me it had and oil leak in this one place but he's going to tell the customer that the leak was some where else so he can charge more money.  He then goes on to tell me how "you have to grab the customer by the ba--s and  squeeze" to get more money.   He then offered me a job there.  I politely said no thank you and left.

 

Just the other day I get a call from a long time customer saying she had new tires put on and while there they did a free brake inspection. They tell her the Lexus needs rear brake pads and rotors.  I pull a rear tire off and check.  Sure enough, the brake pads were at 2mm left but the rotors were still plenty thick.  I cleaned and lubed the brackets and calipers, installed new hardware and pads, called it good.  They were ready to make money on unneeded parts and labor.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Ok I can toss another I've seen. 

 

Working with one of the shops I was hired at and customer requested for a 2 inch leveling kit installed on his Ford. I was there and helped install the leveling kit but now the track bar wouldn't reach so the mechanic used a big come-a-long to pull the axle over in place to fit the old track bar. Serious thrust angle screw up and should of had a adjustable track bar. 

 

Something I'm backing out of now. Russ my landlord for my second shop is know for hitting salvage yards for replacement parts. I've seen way too many used transmissions that lasted a short time. Get the donor transmission out and drop the pan in the fluid could be black or contaminated. I even told Russ no more of salvage parts because I don't want to stand behind a gamble. Being one truck that he owns I shoved 4 transmission in and finally Russ blew the engine on that Chevy truck.