Reader Question Hi,

Help! I have a car, a diesel, which recently had the valves and rings replaced. The problems were burning oil and poor starting during cold mornings due to poor compression.

One of the valves was loud after the job was complete, and I complained 3 times to the mechanic that something was wrong. “No, that’s normal in a diesel” he assured me each time.

After about 4,000 miles, I noticed the car having trouble starting again. After several more thousand, I noticed smoke on startup.

Just before I took the car back to the garage, my girlfriend borrowed it. She phoned me saying that the car wasn’t running. She said it started making a noise like the spark plug fell out. She said she drove it slowly for another 10 miles to the next town.

The car was towed back to the garage, and the motor was disassembled. Upon examination, the head and the piston both looked like swiss cheese. The cam had two lobes with large chunks missing.

My guess is that the valve(s) were never properly installed, and eventually fell out and onto the piston, and the rest happened from this.

The garage owner maintains that since the car worked for 8,000 miles, that proves his work was good! I say hogwash, what say you?

Regards,
Patrick

Howdy Patrick,

Thanks for your email…..ouch, I feel your pain! I can only ASSUME from what I read in your email that either the original complaint was misdiagnosed or there was faulty workmanship during the repair.

In either case….the shop/mechanic SHOULD accept responsibility…..but you and I both know that will never happen.

I am not a lawyer, but trying to get any monetary return from the mechanic…..is probably nill. Seldom do I see or hear of customers (from other shops…not mine) getting money or any real return on their repair expenses.

The courts take WAY to long to get anything done, and the mechanic/shop is probably aware of ways to stay out of the court process anyway.

Bigger issue is what to do now? A new diesel engine could cost more than the actual cash value of the vehicle is worth??

Buying a used engine out of a wrecked vehicle in a junk yard could be an option, but you will have to take your chances, although you can sometimes buy an extended warranty policy from the junk yard on the actual engine itself…maybe not on the labor though.

You could have your engine overhauled….but as you have already found out, finding a reliable mechanic who is competent in overhauling a diesel engine can be hard to find.

Last option….cut your losses now, and sell the vehicle “as is” to a shady tree mechanic and buy another vehicle. This is a hard option for people to accept…but trust me, I have seen MANY people in similar situations that would have SAVED money/time/frustration had they accepted this fact and cut their loss.

I don’t know what kind of vehicle this is or what the cash value of it is at this point…or which options are feasible for you now, so those decisions are out of my scope.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question I have a 2002 Neon with a broken timing belt that according the mechanic resulted in bent valves and maybe a broken piston.

Assuming that the mechanic is correct and that I probably need either a complete valve job or replace the engine, the cost will be $1200-$1,800.

I paid $3,500 for this car 7 months ago (it has 105,000 miles on it) and still owe the bank $2,500.

Should I junk the car or have it repaired?

Carl

Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch!

I have seen a few of these cars in my shop in the same situation. You will need to replace a few or all valve at a minimum…so a valve job is probably the very least amount of work it will take to get you on the road again.

Those figures for a valve job are in line with what I would charge you at my shop as well. You might find a shade tree mechanic to remove the cylinder head for you so you can take it to the machine shop yourself to save some money.

I sometimes make deals with customers, they supply all the parts and do all the running around (back and forth to the machine shop etc. etc.) and they pay me for the labor.

You might offer the mechanic $500 for the labor to remove and replace the cylinder head, replace the timing belt, tensioners and water pump, change oil and filter and replace spark plugs and any other incidental items they see.

The machine shop will probably charge you $150, the head gasket set, timing belts, tensioners and water pump and other knick knack parts you need will cost you $275 and the rest will be labor.

You COULD have more damage internally, but you won’t know that until you take the cylinder head off the vehicle, chances are you probably do not since the valves are weaker than the pistons.

SHOULD you put more money into this vehicle…man, I am not going to stick my neck out on that one. It kind of sounds like you don’t have a lot of choices at this point though.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question

I have a 1999 Saturn Sc2 Coupe. Ive had it for about a year and it has been running great but then I accidentally let it run low on oil and it started making a noise. I took it to get an oil change, they did everything, and the next week the engine started making a knocking noise.

I took it back to the oil shop and they said it sounded like an internal problem with my engine. It only makes the quick knocking sounds when I’m giving it gas. and more towards higher rpms.
What do you think?

Sam

Hey there Sam

When an engine runs low on oil or has an internal engine problem it can make a knocking noise. The noise can get louder when the engine RPM’s are higher. I would NOT
continue to drive this engine until you get a second opinion.

Make sure you visit a repair shop that is capable of doing internal engine rebuilding or replacing the engine altogether. This can be a BIG job,and you don’t want to get a shop that is not competent in this repair.

Blessings,

Austin C. Davis

Reader Follow Up

Thanks for your opinion. so i was driving to a shop and it made a really loud knock and so i pulled over, got it towed to the shop and they said the worst. new engine, $2800, and everything.

So I talked to some friends and one of my buddies has rebuilt an engine before. with the right tools and a manual for the engine and everything, do you think it is advisable to rebuild it ourselves or pay someone else a bunch to do it?

The shop I took it to said it was the whole cylinder that needs replacing which means the whole engine block right? if its just the piston its a lot easier to replace?
Sam

Hello again Sam

If this was me, I would call around to a few junk yards in your area and see if you can find a low mileage vehicle that was wrecked, but the engine is still in good shape. You might be able to buy one for $500-750 used.

Trying to rebuild only ONE cylinder/piston is not the recommended way to overhaul an engine, especially one that ran out of oil or had some other internal problem.

You might replace that one piston, reinstall the engine and still have the same problem. Time and money wise, it will be smarter to install a used engine.

You can even buy an extended warranty from the junk yard with will cover the engine itself, but usually not the labor, but you and your friends can do this job in a weekend.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Question

This is off my receipt (crank sensor, water pump, spark plugs, timing belt tensioner,timing belt tensioner adjust, timing belt, v/c gasket set, head gasket set, timing belt idler, ignition wires) – $600 was for labor – 7 hours of work

Here is my story. Was driving on a parkway and the oil light and engine light came on and my car stalled. Had it towed to my mechanic and he told me that oil leaked from the valve cover gasket and that it burned through the timing belt. 2 head gaskets were bent.

He charged me 2400 dollars with tax for the following: This is off my receipt (crank sensor, water pump, spark plugs, timing belt tensioner,timing belt tensioner adjust, timing belt, v/c gasket set, head gasket set, timing belt idler,ignition wires) – $600 was for labor – 7 hours of work The day I got it back from mechanic I drove 2 hours and broke down again.

The oil light came on and the oil pressure gauge dropped. I immediately got off the next exit and the car stalled at the traffic light. I then had it towed all the way back to mechanic. This was a week and half ago.

The mechanic didn’t call me so I finally called him few days ago and he told me that my oil pump went and my engine is dead. What are your opinions on this whole scenario? isn’t he liable since I just left his shop? Why do you think he hasn’t called me? Is he avoiding me.

I am planning on going down in person tomorrow when I can get a ride there but would like to get your take. Shouldn’t he have checked the oil pump when doing engine work? How is it that it breaks 2 hours after leaving his shop?

Sincerely
Craig

Howdy Craig,

These types of situations are super sticky! Yes, he SHOULD take responsibility for his misdiagnoses, but getting most mechanics to fess up to their mistakes is like pulling teeth.

It sounds like you had a lack of oil pressure problem all along, and your mechanic did not do the proper tests the first time. This could have been a lack of communication problem, and he either did not understand or hear you say the oil light came on as you were driving.

So, what to do now? I am not sure if you want to put more money into this vehicle or not, you did not tell me how old or how many miles are on the clock.

I think at this point, unless the mechanic is going to do most of the work…..if not perform all the labor at no charge, I would have the vehicle towed to another mechanic for a second opinion. Your mechanic fouled up the first diagnosis, chances are high for a foul up again.

Hopefully the engine is in good shape and the oil pump only needs to be replaced.

You can talk to a lawyer about this and see what your chance of getting some of your money back, but rarely does this happen. Now is a great time to find a reliable and honest mechanic that you can build a relationship with. If this would have happened at my shop (we are not totally infallible) I would refund your money and perform the engine replacement at a discount.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up

Thanks for the response. I had that info in there but I copied and pasted wrong. The car is a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT with 130,000 miles on it. The mechanic is saying that my oil pump went and the engine is seized so I need a new engine. He is currently looking for one. I don’t trust him.

I would like to get a refund and just get my car out of there. I just put in a new tranny last year (2400 dollars) and now I just spent 2400 dollars and the car doesn’t run. The car is only worth 5-6k.

I was quoted a reman engine would be around 4000 with labor. Not sure what I’m going to do yet. I think I could take him to small claims court but like you said how can you prove anything.
Craig

Hey there Craig

I would call a few junk yards to see if you can find a used engine, YOU buy it from them and have your mechanic install it for FREE………which he should do!!! You can sometimes buy an additional extended warranty from the junk yard.

You could probably find a motor for about 500-700 used, and pay some shade tree mechanic $500 to install it.

OR just cut your losses and sell for scrap, take the money and put it down on a new car. You spend more money on THIS car and next month the transmission craters or some other large expense……it just seems to snow ball at this stage in the game.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader Question: I have a 2000 Dodge Ram Van 2500. My friend recommended a mobile mechanic to come out and check some things over, before we go on a long trip. The guy told me on top of other seemingly valid things that I need to replace my radiator.

There are no cracks or leaks and the van does not overheat. He stuck his finger in the radiator and got some white residue on it. His explanation was that I had calcium build-up and I needed to replace the whole thing.

Another friend told me that if the antifreeze does not look brown and sludgy there is no reason to replace it. He said I should just go get it flushed and refilled. What do you think?

Heather

Hi Heather,

I think I would get another opinion from a mechanic before I took this out of town trip. From what you tell me, you probably do not have a serious issue with the radiator and flushing and refilling with coolant might be all you really need.

If you have not been experiencing an overheating problem and the coolant that is currently in the radiator is not a dark rusty color you are probably okay with just doing a flush.

Although he is correct is thinking that a large amount of calcium deposits with in the radiator can pose a serious restriction in the cooling system and cause overheating and possibly internal engine damage.

If you can still see a fair amount of this calcium build up after the flush, you might want to consider a new radiator just as a precautionary measure against future overheating and engine damage possibilities.

The thing you need to remember is the amount of calcium deposits you can physically see at the top of the radiator there is usually twice the amount or more of that deposit at the bottom of the radiator where the dirt and debris settle and accumulate.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: Can you tell me how to remove the door lock striker on my 1990 Ford F-150 truck? The plastic on the striker is gone. Can the plastic be replaced without buying a striker?

Thanks.

Carol

Hey Carol,

That is really a body shop question, but if I recall either you can just unscrew the striker via the Phillips head slot in the striker itself OR you can just buy and replace the plastic part that goes over the striker.

We had a few of the plastic pieces in our body shop, but I cannot remember if we got them from Ford or from an aftermarket supplier. Ford might sell it separately.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: I have to replace a heater core on a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am with a 3.8 v6. How many hours should I be charged for labor?

Thank You,

Steven

Hey Steven,

The installation of the heater core itself should be about 4-hour’s labor.

They might also add on additional time for these charges if the work was also performed:

- Initial pressure test or inspection time
- Replace the heater hoses
- Replace the thermostat
- Flush and re-fill the cooling system

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: Austin,

I was recently visiting a friend and while he was driving his car 1990 Mercury Sable up a steep hill and complaining about it dogging, I shifted his car into low gear. After I had left, his linkage broke and he wants me to pay for it.

Now before this happened he was asking me about his shift lever because it flopped around on the column, so I believe the issue was preexisting. I stated that shifting into low gear is not an issue and that I have done it hundreds of time in all my cars. Even the car rental company told us to use the low gear while traveling up and down the mountains.

What is your professional opinion?

Doug

Hey Douglas,

My gut feeling is there was a problem before you drove this vehicle. I personally do not think the fact that you selected a lower gear had anything to do with this.

What I think happened was, the shifter was worn/weak/damaged prior to your using the vehicle and when you moved the shifter lever into the low range gears like you did you might have placed the shifter in a position it has not been in before and caused the shifter to break. I bet the shifter would have eventually broken when your friend was behind the wheel it is just a matter of time.

Replacing the shifter handle is probably not that big of deal or expense depending on what actually broke and what has to be removed.

I think you can buy the shifter separately new or you might be able to find one used in a junk yard.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: How much should it cost to have water pump replaced at a Mercedes dealership in Chandler, Arizona?

Thanks!

Hey there,

I would need more info, like year, model, and engine size. I really do not work on Mercedes much in my shop. I would call two dealerships and two independent shops in your area and compare.

Make sure you compare apples to apples though. Are they replacing with a Mercedes NEW pump, or an after market rebuilt pump? Does it include flushing your cooling system and new coolant? What is the part and labor warranty?

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question I drive a 1997 Buick Century with electric windows. I read you article about the dome light and hitting the passenger side door, the one with the problem. Neither the dome light dimmed when I tried the switch or hitting it worked. What should I do next? Is the rear door motor the same as the front passenger’s motor. If it is, perhaps I can switch them. Looks like quite a job! I simply do not know.

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,

If the dome light did not dim, I would test the switch. If the window will not operate from the master switch on the driver door AND the rear door where the window is…it is probably going to be a bad motor. Chances are there are not two bad switches.

I am not for sure, but I would suspect the window motors are different. You can sometimes buy rebuilt motors from your local auto parts store instead of a brand new one.

Yes, replacing the motor is NOT easy. You can buy the part yourself and pay your mechanic to install it for you to save some money.

If the window is down, and you really just want to get it back up again you can take the door panel apart and pull the glass up then place a block of wood under it to keep it in place. Also, you should unplug the motor in the door just as a precaution.

Blessings,
Austin Davis