The ULTIMATE Cheap Auto Repair. Why you Never shop for the Cheapest Price

[LNSvince]

I've Been Working on cars for 25 Years. I have come across some Funny & Scary repairs performed by under qualified parts changers.
But this one "TAKES THE CAKE"
Face it guys, The days of the Shade Tree mechanic have been long gone. And Im not talking about all of the technology in todays cars like
multiple computers on serial data lines.
IM talking the basic Parts changing stuff like, Torque to yield bolts that can NOT be reused.

This Kia was at a local Firestone shopping for the Cheapest quote on a Timing Belt Service.
AT least this is 1 thing any parts changer can do, RIGHT ? Anyone can change a timing belt.............

Well this Kia uses one of those stretch Crankshaft bolts that you MUST replace. You can not reuse it, because once torqued and stretched,
when you try to reinstall it, the threads will "Strip itself on" because the bolt is now deformed and too long.

The guy [ I just can't call him a mechanic at this point] forced the bolt back in, probably with a large Impact air gun.
Look closely into the center of the crank. You see those 4 tiny but visible lines in the 4 & 5 o'clock positions and then 1 in the 9 O'clock position,
Well those are CRACKS.
Forcing the Crank bolt in [ We call it "Stripping it on" ] turns the bolt into a Pressing tool that literally blew the snout of the crankshaft open !
So after he forced the outer pulley and bolt on [ Obviously he had to know something was wrong ] The vehicle ran, therefore he delivered it to the customer. 5 miles after leaving the shop and on his way home, The wobbling of the pulley heated the front cover and seal, they began to "SMOKE".
Then the outer balancer flew off, took all the belts with it, By this time the customer Knew he was in trouble.

The car actually made it over the Mississippi bridge and over to my Port Allen Store.

IM not sure who was more upset, the Customer or the Manager at the Firestone where the repairs were done.
We emailed a Pic over to the repair shop as they did NOT believe us !

 

[Jack]

That was you? You *******, you got me fired.

 

[edman87k5]

Holy crap! I hate torque to yield bolts! The stupid bolt probably cost a lot more than the timing belt.
Gotta love it when a head gasket set costs $50, but the bolts required to do the job are over $100. Experiences like this made me hate the damn bolts.

 

[edman87k5]

So, is the firestone place going to pay up the big $$$$?

 

[CrkdLtr]

So, is the firestone place going to pay up the big $$$$?

They'll have to. That's either an engine rebuild (crank replacement as well as rod bearings and main bearings) at the minimum and a lower mileage used or factory refurbished engine at the most I bet.

 

[Gus McCrae]

Lulz. I've not had to deal with torque to yield bolts, but I know they are there. I know the LS1s had them.

 

[SimpleGreen]

I did a head gasket on our '98 4 banger S10. Head gasket was $15, the whole set of new head bolts was $22.

That mechanic was well, retarded...

 

[jasonj5313]

awesome,

and some people actually believe places like firestone and tire kingdom are the greatest places to get their work done.

My dad told me one time, "Son if you need a mechanic find the oldest M F'er in the most run down shop to do the work. He will fight for your business"

Well I found that mechanic (Vince) and he is an Old M F'er (His shop isn't run down though, 2 out of 3 ain't bad). My dad was right.

 

[Russo]

I see this all the time in the glass industry, get it done cheap, then spend twice as much fixing it...

 

[CEHollier]

I drive an Acura. Only Acura of BR touches it. Sterling the service mgr is a friend and takes excellent care of me. Firestone wouldn't even be allowed to put tires on it. Let alone touch the engine.

 

[LNSvince]

Well I found that mechanic (Vince) and he is an Old M F'er (His shop isn't run down though, 2 out of 3 ain't bad). My dad was right.

I guess I deserved that ! Because I lied to you. I told you that the absolute "LAST" Reach-Around you would have to do for me would be to get the SCAR17 mag from Palmetto, and I made you do it again..........
Well we should just stop there.

I really hate to Make fun of other people like that, But Hell, Some things are just too good to pass up. I have seen some crazy **** [ and have pictures to prove it ] but this one was a head turner.
I had to leave and get back to my Baton Rouge store, so Im not sure how the rest of the phone calls went. Soon as Greg gets home he is gonna call me.


The customer told Greg that even BEFORE he could leave their shop, the parts changer busted his radiator. They installed a new one for free of course.
He said that when he left from Firestone, his FIRST stop would be to see Greg and have his car thoroughly inspected for any other screw-ups.

This type scenario with this type of damage is gonna require an engine replacement.
You can not " just install a crank kit" on most engines.
The Machine work & parts necessary to " just stick a crank in it" is Astronomical.
A common example on just about every motor built today is they now use "Cracked Metal" Rods, and they can not be resized.
Of course "ALL" of the engine bolts are 1 time use only.
Basically they make it impossible for the rebuild to be cost effective .
This is a quick explanation and much is left out because it would take all day to school you [ NOLA_Jack, & not that you would be paying attention anyways ! ] guys.

Sterling the service mgr

I know him, he is a good guy.

BUT JUST IN CASE, Im right around the block on the Corner of Jefferson & Antioch............
This thread was not intended to drum up business, But please allow me to say that you have to be careful at Dealers too.
Reason is, they will usually keep only 1 Highly paid Shop Foreman, then hire just about any parts changer they can get to pull wrenches.
Training cost [ yes even the dealer has to pay to send their guys to school], the price of tools, [ basically the entire cost of doing business is getting out of control ]

The 1 Master mechanic will diagnose and run the show. The Minions will pull the wrenches and get paid scraps until they cant stand it anymore.
Dealers love hitting up all the vo-tech type schools to get fresh meat to come work.
Its sad but true. Before I started my Own business' 15 years ago, I WAS the Shop foreman at a very large Dealer, with 22 minions under my control.
I would see these kids come and go. first happy because they finished school and now work for a dealer. 3 months when they realize whats being done to them,
they leave. Some make it to independent shops like mine, where we pay them will and "REALLY" train them.
Many, MANY get out of the business all together.
This dealer fooled me too. Paid me a Crazy Salary........I made it a year, When the smell of money wore off, I realized that I was being used and abused, and just
Part of the Bean-Counters system !
These are General comments of the Mechanic world. OBVIOUSLY, there are plenty of good mechanics at Dealers, and Plenty of good mechanics at Firestone centers.

 

[CEHollier]

I guess I deserved that ! Because I lied to you. I told you that the absolute "LAST" Reach-Around you would have to do for me would be to get the SCAR17 mag from Palmetto, and I made you do it again..........
Well we should just stop there.

I really hate to Make fun of other people like that, But Hell, Some things are just too good to pass up. I have seen some crazy **** [ and have pictures to prove it ] but this one was a head turner.
I had to leave and get back to my Baton Rouge store, so Im not sure how the rest of the phone calls went. Soon as Greg gets home he is gonna call me.


The customer told Greg that even BEFORE he could leave their shop, the parts changer busted his radiator. They installed a new one for free of course.
He said that when he left from Firestone, his FIRST stop would be to see Greg and have his car thoroughly inspected for any other screw-ups.

This type scenario with this type of damage is gonna require an engine replacement.
You can not " just install a crank kit" on most engines.
The Machine work & parts necessary to " just stick a crank in it" is Astronomical.
A common example on just about every motor built today is they now use "Cracked Metal" Rods, and they can not be resized.
Of course "ALL" of the engine bolts are 1 time use only.
Basically they make it impossible for the rebuild to be cost effective .
This is a quick explanation and much is left out because it would take all day to school you [ NOLA_Jack, & not that you would be paying attention anyways ! ] guys.

I know him, he is a good guy.

BUT JUST IN CASE, Im right around the block on the Corner of Jefferson & Antioch............

Sorry for my ignorance. Please let me know your store's name. Yes, Sterling is a good guy. And a shooter too. So is the owner David.

 

[LNSvince]

I told you that I had Pictures of Everything !
When the Delivery driver was told to put the parts Under the Trailblazer, That's EXACTLY what he did !
Its a Damn good thing that the BMW was there. Hell the Trailblazer would have nosed over and probably flipped !
The sunlight you see in the back of the shop is the new window the BMW made.

 

[LNSvince]

CEHollier,

Sorry for my ignorance. Please let me know your store's name. Yes, Sterling is a good guy. And a shooter too. So is the owner David.

I'm not trying to steal you away from Sterling. I'm Not trying to say their service dept is F'ed up.

Maybe, if they are booked up , and it will take a few days to get your vehicle completed, then look me up.
I do offer everyone from B.S. discounts. When you call me [ Or Racheal ] Say Hey, "I'm a member with Vince on Bayou Shooter"
The discounts vary, Just like every repair or maintenance job will vary from visit to visit.
The Reason is, I can truly say that I love this forum.
Lets face it, There are MANY Customers a business just DOES NOT WANT TO HAVE"
I know that a B.S. member is going to be one of those customers that every business "Wants"
Never have I been a member of a forum where everyone helps each other & simply gets along. I am a supporting vendor on some "Hot Rod" forums, and I do not like
Hanging out there. There are some difficult people to deal with on those forums.
Most impressive is when B.S. people disagree , they know how to be adults and solve their problem.

www.LNSauto.com

http://www.facebook.com/LNSautorepair

 

[mtalbert]

Ive seen the best mechanics make mistakes. If you've been in the business long enough its gonna happen.


Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[king4456]

They (LNS) have taken care of my cars on several occassions. As anal as I am, always leaves happy.

 

[Richard in LA]

Were you wearing a blue LnS auto T-shirt at Hunters run thursday? If so, at around 6:00 PM, I was right behind ya at station 4

 

[LNSvince]

mtalbert ,

Ive seen the best mechanics make mistakes

That is TRUE.
To be Fair, Ill tell you about one of our F'ups that happened a few years ago. On a serious note, I can honestly say we have only 1 screw up a year.
I've got some AWESOME mechanics that take pride in their work. 85% of my employees have been with me for YEARS. My turnover rate is VERY low. However when you service several THOUSAND cars a year..................................


Back to the screw up !
I keep a plastic gallon Jug of Condenser cleaner. [ acid that is used to clean your home condensing units, so you see where this one is going]
Love bugs and other small rodents will clog up your condenser killing the efficiency of your auto A/C unit, therefore we have become very good at cleaning condensers
on cars, and also protecting surrounding components and PAINT.
I keep the jug in the corner, on the lower shelf, in the back corner, just about out of sight.
The Clear plastic jug is properly labeled with WARNING etched into the plastic. I've also gone as far as to Paint SKULL and Crossbones on it !
I hide it because it looks just like a gallon of window washer fluid, Except its a deep blue, almost purple.

The Mechanic working for me at the time, was a long time friend, and had been with us for over 5 years. He was at my Port Allen store,
and asked to come to Baton Rouge because he moved.
Well one day, he was in a hurry to get a Black Volkswagen Passat finished for a regular customer.
The Customer called me about an hour later and Said,
I'm not sure what Happened, but I need your Help. I was crossing the Spillway going to Lafayette and a large bug splattered on the windsheild.
When I hit my Washer button, my windsheild turned White. I tried it again, and it did it even worse. This is weird, what could be wrong ?
Is there too much soap in my washer jug.....................
AT this point I had NO CLUE what happened ??? I even told her, "That is weird, Never heard of that happening. Let me go ask Brad if he checked and filled
your washer bottle".
When I walked out to the shop and told Brad what the customer just said, I asked him if he checked or filled up the washer jug..........
[ ON every job, no matter what it is, we check and top off all fluid levels

When His Face turned WHITE, and his Jaw dropped..................
You know the rest of the Story..........
Yes we painted a Volkswagen !
The lady is still a customer today !

 

[LNSvince]

Richard in LA,
No it wasn't. I am a member there. It was Greg my Business Partner.
Next time you see him, [if he doesn't know who you are] Call me so we can set up a Prank !
He would definitely do it to me if the tables were turned !

225-405-519nine

 

[Richard in LA]

Will do.