perrin_07 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 perhaps you could find someone in the "Recommended Business's" section. I generally find i have a good clue or not whether to take someones word pretty early(not just mechanical), so id say if u reckon he might be a bit dodge or dont approve how he do just take it elsewhere. http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/board,20.0.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luni260z Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 To answer a few questions. No this is not the same mechanic that killed my car and then stole the majority of parts from it. (That was actually my best friend's father .. so lets just say I not only changed mechanic, but also best friends). This is a new mechanic. Now I'm well aware the wires need to be replaced first, and that ground wire needs fixing. He has inspected the wires and they are only affected in the engine bay .. no troubles with anything past the firewall. I purchased myself a coil and ignition kit (figured might as well have them replaced with an upgrade rather than someone patching back in the same 35 year old technology). The battery isn't too old. The fusable links are fine (i have no idea how), so I got replacements for those because when things fry and the fusable links don't something is surely wrong. I can't really just up and take it to another mechanic/auto electrician because the car isn't running. I'd end up wasting a fortune on towing my baby around. So my only option is to check if i'm being scamed or can confirm its a genuine suggestion. The only things I didn't get a replacement for were the alternator and starter motor, wires fried on startup, so I figured the starter motor might be a likely culprit. As has been spelled out I don't know much about car electronics. My understanding was that the alternator only came into play when the motor was running to provide electrical power and charge up the battery that is drained a little on startup. So that's why I assumed it couldn't be involved. If the alternator is going the moment the key is turned and the engine is trying to start over, then fine. I'll accept its possible. Anyhoo, I don't mind the name calling (it can be harsh as long as it is fair, and I have a very thick skin so now offense has been taken - nor would i take offense at unfair name calling, life is too short). Overall, I don't think it is an overly expensive operation (bit less than a grand including the parts I purchased and the tow). I guess to be safe I'd rather spend the $100 or so for the alternator to be looked at rather than wasting all the money if the same issue returned after replacing the rest. I just don't like the idea of someone taking advantage of that. Especially when the mechanic can say "we took that apart and repaired the internals" .. it'll all look the same to me, but i'm supposed to trust they did something on the bits I can't see. I feel happier if something is repaired/replaced and I can see that work has been done. Sorry if that offends, but I think most people feel the same way. Appreciate the replies. Sorry, I struggle to keep mine short. But I figure more info is better than less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luni260z Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 OK, it is like obvious that he has limited knowledge of like cars and stuff. (someone please call me a Gen Y) This is like so my fav comment in this thread.... like its so on the money and stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luni260z Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 For me, it has to do with someone assuming that anyone of us in the auto repair or modification business are just out to rip people off. What? You are projecting. I certainly never said all, in fact the very subject of my post is "pretty sure MY mechanic is dodgy". As far as the repair here goes, it's hard to tell whether he just wanted to vent that he felt he was being ripped off again or wanted to tackle the repair himself. Even after subsequent replies I'm still not sure. Yes. I wanted to vent. Yes I feel that swearing is helpful when one wants to let of steam. Do you seriously bang your toe and say "shivver"? The car is with a mechanic. I'm well aware i'm out of my element when it comes to repairing electrical systems, and the thought of playing with a wiring loom frightens me. So I just want to know if I'm being ripped off again. I took my car a few years ago to a mechanic. He wanted to charge me $600 for new carbies. I told him they simply needed a tune. He told me they'd have to be replaced. I drove my car down the road to another mechanic. He said it might be a while. He then called me in 20mins and said "yeah, just needed a tune, its all good" .. come and get it. Cost me less than $50 and ran like a dream. That lovely mechanic took care of my car ever since. Wish he hadnt moved up the coast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo240 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Hmmmm.....I don't normally weigh in to the emotive issues on this forum, but I'm with 6 shooter on the question of language. While everyone will have their own standards on the use of colorful language, this being a semi-public forum, we have collectively decided to maintain a standard which precludes foul language being acceptable under that standard. While you may not agree with it, that is the standard here, and that is what all are required to observe. End of discussion. As for being ripped off by service providers, well, that can happen anywhere. I am a mechanic, and in my many years of providing service for a number of shops, I have seen varying practices. With dealers, you are paying for a lot of overhead (all those nice waiting rooms and courtesy buses). At little shops in industrial areas you are at the whim of the standards the shop keeps and the ability of the person doing your work. Accordingly, you must do your diligence and satisfy yourself that the shop you are using is working to the standards you expect, and the people doing the work are competent. After that, you must respect their expertise, and while questioning is healthy, to head in there confronting and abusing them will get you no-where fast. I am in the locomotive maintenance business nowadays, and we provide top-notch services, and customers value that even though it costs them substantial $$ because they know it's what keeps their freight getting to the port. Bottom line: Choose a good maintainer, discuss the situation with them respectfully, and the overwhelming majority of the time they will sort your problem out and get you going. Cheers Jamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.A.R. Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 This has gone on long enough - I'll be locking this thread shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luni260z Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Accordingly, you must do your diligence and satisfy yourself that the shop you are using is working to the standards you expect, and the people doing the work are competent. After that, you must respect their expertise, and while questioning is healthy, to head in there confronting and abusing them will get you no-where fast. Cheers Jamo Pretty much. I'm not the sort of person who would abuse anyone (espcially not the person in control of me getting my car back on the road). If anyone cares I'll post a followup. Have a good week everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nizm0zed Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 just to add to this, there is absolutely no reason why you cant go to the mechanic and say "please replace the coil and points with these parts supplied, run new replacement wires to the coil as per factory specs. Please test the alternator and record the details for me. If there is anything else, call me before doing the work and i'll get back to you" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrin_07 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 just to add to this, there is absolutely no reason why you cant go to the mechanic and say "please replace the coil and points with these parts supplied, run new replacement wires to the coil as per factory specs. Please test the alternator and record the details for me. If there is anything else, call me before doing the work and i'll get back to you" absolutely the best option right there. Shows you know some stuff without annoying him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 What? You are projecting. I certainly never said all, in fact the very subject of my post is "pretty sure MY mechanic is dodgy". No projecting from me at all. In my many years in the service industries and cruising the intarweeb, I've come across many people and posts like this one, where there is question of being scammed simply because the person doesn't understand the procedure, or system. Yes. I wanted to vent. Yes I feel that swearing is helpful when one wants to let of steam. Do you seriously bang your toe and say "shivver"? The car is with a mechanic. I'm well aware i'm out of my element when it comes to repairing electrical systems, and the thought of playing with a wiring loom frightens me. So I just want to know if I'm being ripped off again. No I don't say "shivver" or "Oh phooey", I may say nothing at all or use colourful language, the difference is, I'm not stubbing my toe on the intarweeb , but later when I post about it (ok, I know, why would I post about it), I would use language that a grandfather would read to his grandkids about a situation that is humerus after the fact. (Why would a grandfather want to tell his grandkids about some random guy stubbing his toe? lol) I took my car a few years ago to a mechanic. He wanted to charge me $600 for new carbies. I told him they simply needed a tune. He told me they'd have to be replaced. I drove my car down the road to another mechanic. He said it might be a while. He then called me in 20mins and said "yeah, just needed a tune, its all good" .. come and get it. Cost me less than $50 and ran like a dream. That lovely mechanic took care of my car ever since. Wish he hadnt moved up the coast Ok? You found someone that did the work necessary, not extra work. That's good. Many times it is hard to find someone like this. Did your mechanic remove the dash and inspect the wiring, or is he assuming that the wires inside the dash harness are fine? I'm not saying there IS a problem in there, but until the car is running 100% and/or you actually physically the each and every wire that is in that circuit and near it (physically and electrically), you don't know for sure. I've been playing the automotive repair and modification game, specifically dealing with electrical and electronics for a very long time. I've seen some "could never happens" happen, never rule anything out until it is 100% repaired and physically inspected. just to add to this, there is absolutely no reason why you cant go to the mechanic and say "please replace the coil and points with these parts supplied, run new replacement wires to the coil as per factory specs. Please test the alternator and record the details for me. If there is anything else, call me before doing the work and i'll get back to you" THIS^^^ If I had work done for me, that is exactly what I would do. I do all of my own automotive work, (other than safety inspections, similar to your rego inspections I beleive, and alignments), because I can't afford to pay someone else for it and I enjoy it, usually. lol When it comes to other services though, the above is the exact practice that people need to employ, find someone they can trust, and ask questions, along with agreeing on a set limit to go to, where additional authorization will be needed. I'll suggest that next time, you think there is something questionable about a service technician's repair procedure, ask questions, of the person doing the work, he may have a valid reason why. If it sounds like bull puckey, then research, and ask other people that might be able to verify or deny, but do so in a non accusatory manner, you'll get much better replies from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luni260z Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 No projecting from me at all. In my many years in the service industries and cruising the intarweeb, I've come across many people and posts like this one, where there is question of being scammed simply because the person doesn't understand the procedure, or system. No I don't say "shivver" or "Oh phooey", I may say nothing at all or use colourful language, the difference is, I'm not stubbing my toe on the intarweeb , My point is that there are times when using foul language is appropriate. Situations where people would not take offense at offensive language. Times when using colourful language does exactly that ..it adds a little colour to the discussion. Did your mechanic remove the dash and inspect the wiring, or is he assuming that the wires inside the dash harness are fine? I'm not saying there IS a problem in there, but until the car is running 100% and/or you actually physically the each and every wire that is in that circuit and near it (physically and electrically), you don't know for sure. I've been playing the automotive repair and modification game, specifically dealing with electrical and electronics for a very long time. I've seen some "could never happens" happen, never rule anything out until it is 100% repaired and physically inspected. Not that I'm aware of. I do know that many many wires are accessible inside the car, so I'm assuming he at least looked at these. I know from my own inspections the ones incar seemed fine (but no, i doubt he has taken out the dash to be certain. I'll suggest that next time, you think there is something questionable about a service technician's repair procedure, ask questions, of the person doing the work, he may have a valid reason why. If it sounds like bull puckey, then research, and ask other people that might be able to verify or deny, but do so in a non accusatory manner, you'll get much better replies from the start. I did exactly that. I told him to do what I'd asked. To get it running and then see if the alternator needed fixing. He basically said it wasn't worth risking all the work and having it fry again. I mentioned the snapped ground wire and he said that was unlikely to be the cause. So I came here asking for confirmation (and it seems I was right to be wary). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 My point is that there are times when using foul language is appropriate. Situations where people would not take offense at offensive language. Times when using colourful language does exactly that ..it adds a little colour to the discussion. What the rest of us are trying to explain nicely, is that fowl or colourful language on a, or at the very least this, forum is NOT appropriate. There are many reasons for this, I've already stated how I look at people that insist on using it. Chat that way with your mates or co-workers, just not around the forum. To spell it out a little more, some people would or will take offense to cursing being used on the forums in a post very much like these. Not that I'm aware of. I do know that many many wires are accessible inside the car, so I'm assuming he at least looked at these. I know from my own inspections the ones incar seemed fine (but no, i doubt he has taken out the dash to be certain. Just looking under the dash at the bundled up wires won't tell you anything. I've repaired harness that looked perfectly fine on the outside, you know the harness wrap looked like brand new, no indications that there was anything wrong internally, slice it open however, and there were burnt wires. Again, I'm not saying there is for sure in your case, wires in the dash that are damaged, but until everything is running 100% again, you can NOT rule it out. I have seen some wires where they will get hot at either end, hot only in the middle, or hot at multiple points along it's length. I did exactly that. I told him to do what I'd asked. To get it running and then see if the alternator needed fixing. He basically said it wasn't worth risking all the work and having it fry again. I mentioned the snapped ground wire and he said that was unlikely to be the cause. So I came here asking for confirmation (and it seems I was right to be wary). Well if he said the snapped ground couldn't cause it, find a different mechanic, he obviously has very little understanding of automotive electrical, it could be the whole problem, or at least a contributor. Like I said long ago, fix what is known to need repair than move onto the questionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 OK. I reckon this is now done ..... pending a result. Further exchanges on the merits of different aspects of the Queens English (or phrases that she may avoid) would be better handled via PM or simply ignored. Please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
620Z Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Geez some people have too much time on their hands. Lurch please put an end to this suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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