Vs engine broken after oil leak fixed

[Rotumah68]

I recently put my car in to get an oil leak fixed. I was told it was coming from the manifold intake so a said fix it. From there it escalated to.... You need a new manifold because you one is so corroded it is crumbling... And your rocket covers are leaking too. So I said fix it and they put a 2nd hand manifold in coz that is all I could afford at the time. I was then told we have done the work but now there is a knocking noise in your motor??? I ask them why it's there a knocking noise that wasn't there before you worked on it! They said it was not because of anything they did, but now you have a cracked flex plate! I told them to fix it then! They rang and said there is nothing wrong with your flex plate but we changed the plugs, leads and oil switch! $1623 later, I picked it up because they wanted more money to find out what the knocking noise was!!!!! The car got 10 km down the road and broke down! So I made them arrange a tow. Now, Apparently, the balance shaft is stuffed and it will cost $3500 to fix that or I can get a new engine for $3830??????? What the! This is more than the car is worth. I have been a long term customer with this company and they will not accept responsibility for stuffing up a good, old car! I have been taking this car to them for servicing and any work need for the past 9 years. Looks like they just lost a long term customer. They don't listen because I am a woman.... Apparently, working on cars with my partner for the past 30 years means nothing! I know every noise out of the ordinary on that car. What to do now since I don't trust them anymore?????? Is it really the balance shaft? They got is wrong before when they said it was the flex plate!

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I can sympathise with you. I can also see their side of it. A noise, unless it's really obvious, can be hard to pin point. From experience, a lot of mechanics can tell what is causing a noise because they have encountered it before. For some it is a process of elimination.

Unfortunately, when pulling an engine apart to rectify one problem, many more are found. Especially on a car that is getting up there in age.

If you and your partner are handy with a spanner, I would say pull it apart yourselves and fix it. Or, pick up another cheap VS for less than $1000 and swap engines.

[Rotumah68]

Yeah, thanks for that. I am aware it is an old car... and things do go wrong... but was totally surprised when this happened because it was a simple oil leak. My partner and I are full time workers (inc Saturday) so didn't want to be working on a car all weekend. We are both kicking ourselves now because we could have actually done this work ourselves!!!

[Dr HaxZaw]

if its running an ecotec you should be able to get a second hand engine for under $1000... thats what id be doing anyway

[bogan_vk]

about $400 for a good used ecotec i know of 3 good runners that people have bought over to me, along with their cars for me to drop it in for them, and none of those people paid more than that.

[304runner]

Fark talk about being touched up!... I sold a VR Calais engine on ebay with about 180,000ks on it for a massive $2.65c So look around, these engines are a dime a dozen.

Honestly, if that mechanic was good at looking after you he would have given you the option of a 2nd hand engine or a reco. Go elsewhere and get quotes on just an engine swap and buy the engine yourself....

Like the boys above said, you should get an engine supplied and fitted for under a 1000 bucks..

Sorry to hear you that this has happened to you...

[Rotumah68]

Yeah, tell me about it! They said $3830 price was for a recon motor with 2 year warranty. I rang a place the RAC recommended and they will do a supplied and fitted one for $900. Only has 1 month warranty though! Since $$$ are tight, I think this is the option we will have to go for.

[304runner]

Yeah If you lived in NSW id fit the engine for you for nothing....

I cant stand seeing people taken for a ride, even worse when they pay to get something fixed and then pay extra for unexpected work still only to end with a car worse off then it was before the mechanic placed a tool on it....

[Rotumah68]

Thanks everyone for your comments/feedback. Much aprreciated. I'm just really annoyed because I sold this car to my niece thinking nothing would ever go wrong....because we have probably spent about $5K-$10 fixing all the little things that do go wrong. I feel a little responsible! Basically, this was my very first new car when I bought it 9 years ago. I have upgraded now to a VE V6 sedan, not the SIDI though, my partner has the VE SIDI ute (Poison Ivy)....so we still love our Holdens just not the service that we have been getting from HOLDEN service centre. I feel ripped off by the people I trusted with my car!

[Morton]

Unfortunately the strangest things go wrong at the strangest times.

A simple oil leak on my old VQ Statesman turned into a complete fiasco - fortunately I was doing all the work myself.

1) sprayed degreaser around leaking area
2) test drove car
3) oil pump split in half without warning
4) when removing oil pump, drive gear sleeve snapped off inside block due to extended fracture
5) everybody from amateurs professionals could simply NOT get any purchase to pull it out
6) pulled engine OUT OF CAR and removed front of motor to get enough leverage to bash it out, it was that well stuck
7) total process took two weeks to resolve... for an oil leak.

If I was a mechanic and that was a customer's car, I would have looked like a dead set clown. Nobody would have believed that it went THAT wrong without any fault on my part.

But it does happen sadly >_>

[Rotumah68]

Fair call Morton, I understand shit happens, but they are not accepting any responsibility at all. That is what I am pissed at. I know every sound the car made.... And I am 100% sure that the knocking noise was not there until they changed the crumbling, corroded manifold and rocket cover gaskets. I was told if I wanted to prove their work caused the breakdown, it would cost me to get an independent engine assessor to strip the motor and determine the fault. By that time they probably would have removed anything from the motor as they have had it since last week.

[Calaber]

From the work you describe, it's difficult to connect the engine's failure to the parts they replaced. Yes, they would have taken the top off the motor to replace the manifold and gaskets but wouldn't have needed to go any further into the motor, particularly the balance shaft, to do any further work. Likewise with the flex plate - they DO crack with age and your car has plenty of age and distance on it.

I suspect this is one of those times when a number of things had worn out and it was just a matter of time before each one carked it. It just seems damned unfortunate that it was immediately after you had some repairs carried out but I really don't think the mechanic can be held responsible for any of the items which failed after he worked on the car.

[Morton]

And independant assessor wouldn't determine the workshop at fault either. I know how most of these pan out, we hear about them all the time at work - and it's so rare to have a finding in favour of the customer, even when the mechanic WAS at fault.

Grab a second hand Ecotec for $300 and get some mates to drop it in over a weekend

[Rotumah68]

I feel like a bit of an idiot! After reading all your responses and seeking technical advice from RAC/Consumer protection etc we have come to the conclusion that my niece/partner really neglected the car I loaned to them, before I actually sold it to them. All I know is that when it was in my hands.. I used to check the oil and water every day, the water bottle & transmisson at least once a week as well as the tyre pressure....because it was a 17 year old car! This changed dramtically when I handed it over to them in April. I borrowed the car back from them for one day in June (3 months after I loaned it to them) and I immediately checked the oil and water....well..... I had to buy 5 litres and put almost 3 litres in the car and left the bottle with them! Which means essentially, the car must have been running on about one litre for some time....... high chance that the balance shaft warped because of this! About a month later they advise me it is leaking oil...only at night when the car goes cold. This is when I booked the car in for the manifold & rocket covers....the rest is history...... ;-D thanks for all your advice and comments and I don't blame the Holden team now for the young ones neglecting the car.... the young one still think they did nothing...its not their fault....appparently! oh well, ya get that! Kids certainly doent think like we used to ay!