When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I didn't interpret this response this way at all. Its up to the individual to cave to the pressure or not.
I've made up my mind I will never be rich and I don't care. I've learned how to do a lot with little so if I can sleep at night and be content I don't care if others make a lot more. I can do things they cannot and I'll rub it in their faces all I can. I've done this before, then they snap back with well I make a lot more than you, so HA! My response is, well if money is that important to you, why do you fix cars? Shouldn't you be a doctor or lawyer or are you too stupid to do that as well??? That gets them going....
LOL. what punch in their face line..
OP, Sorry about your mis-fortune. This is disturbingly a true fact! This shady, inferior work ethics is way - to common NO. matter what lever the shop OR dealer Is at. Most of them are to stupid to even inspect. Had a inpecter tell me he passed my car even tho the E-brake does not work??? Drove with it on?? Had to show the 40+ year old how to release the E-brake. My SSEi. The moron say's i purchased the wrong rear rotors?? Told me they are a 1/4 off??
Tells me he will pass anyway. They torqued my lugs at 300lbs
Broke a 1/2 adapter & my digital meter. While making them a vid.
I was pulling the 3800lbs car back and forth. When it gave it snapped very loud. Tells me NO Way. The guns are not rated that high.
I tell him depends what line pressure you have. Also tried to argue my digital meter would not be accurate in reverse.. told him sorry. Irrelevant. This does not apply. Also told me they did not pull this specific wheel.. and on vid?? They forgot they had me look at the 1 year old bearing on this specific side.. opps BUSTED. LIES?? LIES. I sure hope you get your car in proper running condition!!. Hopefully file a small claim!!
Last edited by THE 383 admiral; 03-07-2016 at 08:28 PM.
I've made up my mind I will never be rich and I don't care. :
Yikes !!! Even though it has nothing to do with the original post; I just have to say it ---> Don't chop yourself off at the knees with that kind of thinking just yet....
I'm a mechanic by hobby, but knowledgeable enough to have had jobs as a mechanic when I was in between jobs. I absolutely HATE paying someone to work on my vehicles, but sometimes I might be in a time crunch from working my non mechanical job or I might happen to have a little extra cash, but I usually end up 95% of the time having to redo the persons work. Learning is never free, no matter which side of the coin your on.
I'm wondering if anyone can concur with me on this (even though I've seen it go the other way) but I think the condition of the shop says a lot. If the shop is a complete wreck (the actual shop/garage area, not the customer lounge area) then the mechanics work or your experience is probably going to reflect that.
Ovrebo1 is correct about shop conditions and it should have been a warning sign to me. The shop was a real "cave shop" and even the customer area was in poor shape. I over looked the conditions because the place was recommended to me. Live and learn.
Follow-up
I’ve had a remanufactured long block installed and I want to share a couple of pictures with everyone.
I’ve only put about 100 miles on it since it was installed. It feels good. I haven’t driven it hard and I’ll follow the break in recommendations of varying speeds and revs. I’ll change oil around 500 miles and hopefully have an engine that will last longer than I will. It has a 100,000 mile warranty. I’ll never drive it that many miles.
Here’s a current picture of the Vette.
It isn’t new but it has a new engine, and a clutch assembly with less than 1,000 miles on it. The interior is in good shape and everything else is as well. It will be in the family for a while.
On the other hand, I had an actual FAA mechanic splice the heater hose on my wife's truck with a piece of straight tubing and hose clamps which then blew apart on the freeway.
Just because the FAA gives them a license doesn't mean they should be turning a wrench. We have a pretty good A&P now, but I still check everything they do before we fly. I've had more than one in-flight emergency because of a crappy mechanic.
Needless to say, I do all the work on my bike and cars myself, and most of the work on the plane.
your story should be WARNING . I pulled my automatic tranny to have rebuilt, front seal was leaking. What I know about auto trannys can fit in a birds brain. Told them that I also wanted a new higher RPM converter to put back in the car. went to pick it up and they had just painted the old converter AND left it on the cardboard they put it on to paint... overspray was everywhere. I feel for you man, best of luck in the land of tomorrow.
your story should be WARNING . I pulled my automatic tranny to have rebuilt, front seal was leaking. What I know about auto trannys can fit in a birds brain. Told them that I also wanted a new higher RPM converter to put back in the car. went to pick it up and they had just painted the old converter AND left it on the cardboard they put it on to paint... overspray was everywhere. I feel for you man, best of luck in the land of tomorrow.
It is my hope that sharing my experience - just as you have shared yours - can be of help to others. It is really hard to find a place you can have confidence in but forums like this do help.
Many of you may have the knowhow and facilities to handle renovation projects that go beyond the basics. However, my guess is that there are many others like me that love and want to care for our Vette but don’t have the knowledge, facilities, or equipment to tackle renovation projects that go beyond basic care.
In late April of 2014 I took my 1994 LT1 coupe to a local independent shop recommended to me as reliable, experienced in restoration work, and Corvette knowledgeable. I wasn’t interested in a full restoration but my Vette was in need of some “refreshing”. Nothing (or so I thought) really major but tasks that were beyond my capabilities. I provided a list of what I wanted to be done and an approximate budget was set.
My list included things like flushing and replacement of all fluids, replacement of broken vacuum lines and wires, replacement of the driver’s side actuator, a tune up, and an overall check of the entire car for wear and possible need of items in need of repair or replacement.
I told the shop owner, that I’d like to have the car back in a few weeks but I wasn’t in a hurry. I wanted quality work and parts. If more time was required for quality it would be worth the extra time to have the work done correctly. I made that statement with the thought of the difference of a week or two didn’t matter because I’d be getting quality work rather than a rushed finish.
I soon began to learn of the mistakes I made. Several weeks went by and there was always some reason the car wasn’t finished. Reasons for delays included difficulty in finding parts, breakage when disassembling, and even closing the shop down for vacation.
Just when I thought I would be taking delivery of my refreshed Vette, I was told the clutch should be replaced. I hadn’t noticed any sign of slippage, but thought I might as well have it replaced as part of the project. Unfortunately, that led to more delays. Things like broken bolts, shipment of an unmatched pressure plate and clutch, a broken clutch fork part that he could not find a replacement for (I found a supplier of the part and gave him the ordering information). Delays continued because he said he had alignment problems and had to uninstall and reinstall the clutch and pressure plate assembly several times. Eventually, he called and told me the clutch had been installed but he discovered a problem with the engine. He said the rear main bearing was worn to the point that the crank moved. That movement caused the problem he had with getting the clutch installed.
He suggested that I should replace the engine. I declined.
I took delivery of my Vette In late August 2014. He had it from late April until almost the end of August. After paying him an amount over what the anticipated budget was set at, I went to get into the Vette only to find the door panel falling off and my light gray seats grease stained. When I went back in to ask about the condition of the door panel and seats, the mechanic that supposedly did some or most of the work said the door panels were falling off when I brought the car in and the seats were already stained. The mechanic was aggressive and the owner just shrugged.
When driving home from the shop, the car seemed to run rough and I had to down shift from 6th to 5th or 4th at slow speed much sooner than I recalled needing to do previously. I brought the car home and in days that followed cleaned the seats and repaired the door panels – yes both sides had been damaged.
It is now March 2016. I’ve only put about 750 miles on the car since August 2014. Unfortunately, I’ve found that much of what I paid for wasn’t done or was done incorrectly. Worse, I’m now having a new engine installed. I had to have the Vette towed to a local Chevrolet dealer who checked the car out and found five cylinders were misfiring and the compression was low. Spark plug wires were improperly installed and arcing. I was told the engine apparently had been run hard and had lots of wear. The odometer has 86,500 miles on it and while there have been times I’ve ran it up a little, those times have been few.
When I bought the Vette in 2002 it had a little over 64,000 miles on it. That adds up to a little over 22,000 miles in my twelve years of ownership. I don’t know much of the Vette’s history prior to my purchasing it. When I took the Vette to that shop in April 2014 the engine showed no signs of wear. There were no knocks to be heard and the oil pressure was very good.
I can’t say that the place I took it to in April 2014 is responsible for the engine failure but I must admit I have my suspicions. Perhaps the car was run hard prior to my purchase of it. Perhaps it was just time for the engine to fail or perhaps test drives consisted of eighth or quarter mile acceleration tests. I have thoughts but little proof.
Bottom line is that I made decisions about where to take my Vette based on recommendations that I didn’t thoroughly confirm. I didn’t adhere to the saying of “trust but verify” and now I’m paying the price.
My purpose in sharing this experience with the Forum is to hopefully prevent someone else from making such a costly mistake. I’m not blaming anyone. I made the decisions and I’m responsible for my decisions but my hope is that by sharing my mistakes perhaps such missteps can be avoided by someone who reads about my experiences. Please check references. Check with the Better Business Bureau. If possible talk to others that have experience with the shop you plan on having do your work. Ask about warranties. If there is a stated need for extended repair time, drop by the shop periodically to see first-hand what is being done. Trust but verify. These are all things I didn’t do. You may do all of these things and more and still have a bad experience but the odds are that you stand a much better chance of satisfaction by doing the homework and oversight during the project that I failed to do.
I live in Bel Air MD and own a 92 Vette. My car goes to only one place ... Gallant's Automotive ... and is worked on by only guy ... Rob Metzger, the owner. If you still have your Corvette and are looking for someone to work on it who truly is knowledgeable AND honest, Gallant's is the place to go in the Baltimore metro area. Rob is a straight shooter who won't jerk you around. He has been a trained Corvette tech for over 20 years and has customers from up-and-down the East Coast. In the grand scheme of things, traveling from Pasadena to Bel Air shouldn't be that big a deal. I can assure you, it will be worth your while. Feel free to contact me via PM if you have any questions.
I feel for the OP right now. I just took my 94 Vette to our local mechanic for a coolant flush. There will be no prizes for guessing what is currently wrong with my car. The optispark has been drenched and is currently swinging between a no start condition and running like a bag of spanners. Against my better judgement I have let him have a couple of days to try to dry it out. To be fair to the mechanic Corvettes are rare in New Zealand and he has agreed to replace the optispark if doesn't dry but it really does pay to make sure whoever you choose to work on your car is familiar with them.
I live in Bel Air MD and own a 92 Vette. My car goes to only one place ... Gallant's Automotive ... and is worked on by only guy ... Rob Metzger, the owner. If you still have your Corvette and are looking for someone to work on it who truly is knowledgeable AND honest, Gallant's is the place to go in the Baltimore metro area. Rob is a straight shooter who won't jerk you around. He has been a trained Corvette tech for over 20 years and has customers from up-and-down the East Coast. In the grand scheme of things, traveling from Pasadena to Bel Air shouldn't be that big a deal. I can assure you, it will be worth your while. Feel free to contact me via PM if you have any questions.
Good Luck .......
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll save the info about Gallant's Automotive for future reference.
I had discount tires tell me over and over that "Oh don't worry we know all about corvettes".
Started with some weird things like popping the hood, un bolting the roof, opening the back hatch, and cracking the doors before any sort of lifting...
in my year that = burnt out light controller for the interior lights...
Then telling me that they know how to jack the car, so they start off by putting a floor jack right on the tire jack location, and with no support in the back.
I ran over and about smacked the kid up side his head, I still have a slight bow in that location.
After that I baby sit that car, it's a massive pain in the butt.
And I had a coworker get burned like that, he kept telling me the story and I kept trying to tell him to get the car out of there.
Ended up with a 10k bill for a 89 Camaro, and he still has issues.
I had discount tires tell me over and over that "Oh don't worry we know all about corvettes".
Started with some weird things like popping the hood, un bolting the roof, opening the back hatch, and cracking the doors before any sort of lifting...
in my year that = burnt out light controller for the interior lights...
Then telling me that they know how to jack the car, so they start off by putting a floor jack right on the tire jack location, and with no support in the back.
I ran over and about smacked the kid up side his head, I still have a slight bow in that location.
After that I baby sit that car, it's a massive pain in the butt.
And I had a coworker get burned like that, he kept telling me the story and I kept trying to tell him to get the car out of there.
Ended up with a 10k bill for a 89 Camaro, and he still has issues.
Your experience reminded me of the last time I bought tires for my Vette. The "experts" at Mr. Tire mounted my new Michelins without attention to direction. I didn't notice at first but eventually saw that two of the four wheels were mounted backwards. I went to a Goodyear store and had the wheels and tires mounted correctly and had an alignment done. Fortunately, I didn't put a lot of miles on the tires and there wasn't any damage done. However, I did notice that there was much less tire noise.
Oh well!
Let me add some comments about body damage repair as well as mechanical. When my 85 took a light rear end hit that damaged the bumper cover, I sent it 75 miles to a recommended fiberglass repair specialist that claimed extensive knowledge of C4 bumper cover replacement . The estimate called for a new aftermarket bumper cover and I was charged accordingly, but he installed a used cover with cracks. I discovered this fact when I was detailing the car a few weeks after I got it back from repairs and found cracks in the urethane around the side marker lights. He informed me that it was normal for new covers to crack in those areas when being installed. It happens that he had reluctantly furnished the cover order info previously when I had requested it with the receipt, so I backtracked the order through the aftermarket supplier and discovered the new cover order was cancelled the day after it was ordered. To make a long story short, I told him I was coming after him for fraud through the state attorney general's office and got all of my money back. Paint looks okay, but hard to guess what corners were cut that I can't see. I got luckier than most people in this situation, but I don't know where I will take it if more cracks began to appear.
Let me add some comments about body damage repair as well as mechanical. When my 85 took a light rear end hit that damaged the bumper cover, I sent it 75 miles to a recommended fiberglass repair specialist that claimed extensive knowledge of C4 bumper cover replacement . The estimate called for a new aftermarket bumper cover and I was charged accordingly, but he installed a used cover with cracks. I discovered this fact when I was detailing the car a few weeks after I got it back from repairs and found cracks in the urethane around the side marker lights. He informed me that it was normal for new covers to crack in those areas when being installed. It happens that he had reluctantly furnished the cover order info previously when I had requested it with the receipt, so I backtracked the order through the aftermarket supplier and discovered the new cover order was cancelled the day after it was ordered. To make a long story short, I told him I was coming after him for fraud through the state attorney general's office and got all of my money back. Paint looks okay, but hard to guess what corners were cut that I can't see. I got luckier than most people in this situation, but I don't know where I will take it if more cracks began to appear.
Seems that getting anything done on these cars is a real minefield. From my experience choosing the wrong mechanic or repairer has significant consequences. I'm new to both Corvettes and this forum. Is there a service directory on the site? Could one be set up?
Its really a crapshoot
I look for a shop where theres usually older guys there that have been around these awhile and know about spending time and doing it right
Noone wants a redo. Get a look at whos working on the cars that can tell you a lot.
This past Spring I shared a rather unpleasant set of experiences I had with having work done on my 94 LT1 Vette. Many of you gave comments and advice for which I am very thankful and I want to let everyone know that there are times when good can come from bad – even though it may seem unlikely while going through the experience.
I now have a 1994 Vette with a new (remanufactured) engine, a new clutch assembly, and many new other items installed as a result of my experience. BTW, the first remanufactured engine lasted all of about 300 miles before an internal vibration showed up. Fortunately, I had a reliable and apparently business powerful enough shop behind me that the remanufacture agreed to the replacement with little resistance.
I still drive to car little and it has taken a few months to go through the 500 mile break-in period but the engine feels and sounds good. I just had the engine checked out and changed the oil and filter. Everything has checked out as it should.
So, after a lot of frustration and anger, I’ve got an almost brand new drive train and a 94 Vette that while it may not be perfect, it is in good shape overall. I can now drive it with trust and enjoyment – as any Vette should be driven.
Thanks to all of you and happy “Vetteing”!
Hey Rick I want to say thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm young but I learned quickly that you have to take longer to trust someone who's in a position where they can take advantage of you easily.
Mechanics are a perfect example but you see it with lawyers, accountants, anyone that knows a lot more than you or knows you have few options is more likely take advantage of you. Dr's over-prescribing, you name it. A family friend spent $10k on a child custody case and ended back at square one. Basically got a year long run around from a firm that didn't care about the case and bc they had no idea how the law worked, they never asked the right questions ended up getting a new law firm.
With mechanics I've realized that if you're at least fairly knowledgeable about the problems and parts needed, they will treat you differently as soon as they notice that. Not saying that you weren't at all, just stating my experience. ****, this the main reason I spend as much time possible learning about the C4. Makes me appreciate the car more tho'
This has been an interesting read. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences.
It's a little disappointing to read that even the Corvette specialists can be iffy. I'm in the process of 'shopping' for a new shop. I sort of drop in and see how I feel about the place; I know that sounds weird! I have a repair shop that I like, but they are not Corvette specialists. Maybe my 2007 doesn't need one.
This has been an interesting read. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences.
It's a little disappointing to read that even the Corvette specialists can be iffy. I'm in the process of 'shopping' for a new shop. I sort of drop in and see how I feel about the place; I know that sounds weird! I have a repair shop that I like, but they are not Corvette specialists. Maybe my 2007 doesn't need one.
Its not weird at all. I've called a shop near me that has good reviews but I'm not convinced with what I felt was a rushed tech/mechanic over the phone. So I'll go in there and check em out in person.
i dont trust any of them unless i know them personally. i was hanging out at my friends garage one day and a service mechanic from a BMW dealer pulled up to talk to my friend. he was test driving a customers beamer. when he left he smoked the tires.
03-07-2016, 08:23 PM
