Unfortunately, this is going to be a vent followed by a plea for advice.
On Thursday, we noticed that smoke was coming from under our hood. Our usual mechanic closed about a month ago because his shop was broken into and all of his tools and several vehicles were stolen. We went to a nearby shop on Friday to find out what was causing the smoke and they told us that it was a cracked resevior dripping onto something hot. We paid for that to be replaced and to have the radiator flushed. At 5:15, I picked up the car and paid them $300. On the 2 mile drive home, it started smoking again. I called when I got home and they were closed so we went without a car all weekend. On Monday we took the car back in and they said that it was the water pump. They said that the test they ran the first day didn't put enough pressure on it to show the leak. We paid another $250 and less than 5 minutes after leaving it was smoking again! My dh was FURIOUS. He went back in and said I need this fixed immediately and I want to know why it wasn't fixed properly the first time. They said that it is a gasket for the oil pan that has slipped(?) and that it will be another $350 to fix it. They are unwilling to claim any responsibility for the repairs that weren't causing the problems and said that they mentioned the oil pan in their first assessment. Yes they mentioned it needed to be looked at but not that it was the reason for the smoke. As DH said, this is like going into a hospital with a club foot and an arm cut off and being sent home with the foot fixed. I don't know what to do as far as the payments they have already been given (Do I put a stop on the checks? How difficult is that?). Do I report them to the BBB? I still don't know if they are being honest this time with the cause of the problem. They claimed that there was no smoke both times after they supposedly repaired it. DH and I are both pretty car illiterate and we don't know anyone that is more knowledgable. I have been in tears about this for several days now. This has wiped out our savings and, since we are a one car family, we are having to beg rides for everything right now. Please give me any and all advice. Thanks!

By Gammiejoan on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 06:21 pm:

I would check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints on file against them. Also I would speak with the owner of the business about my concerns; and if I didn't get a satisfactory response there, I would definitely report them to the BBB. If you decide to report them to the BBB, I would make the owner of the business aware of my intentions. Although I would start with a phone call to the BBB, I would definitely follow up with a letter. I would probably send the business owner a copy of my letter. I am assuming that this is a private business owner and not a chain. Am I correct? If it is a chain, you could send a letter to their main headquarters also.

By Mrse on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 06:26 pm:

Oh my. Is it smoke or is it steam? I would be wondering too, if you guys got dinged that many times. You can put a stop payment on a cheque, here it is 10.00 to stop it, But you may end up in court over the whole thing. I would take the car to another place for a free estimate, tell them what you have already had done to it,ask what they think , and go from their. I am fortuanate because what my dh does not know my dad knows. I would report it to bbb , to say they do not stand behind their work. Only because it was only a few min from leaving the shop. The reason why I say is it smoke or steam, is because if you have a rad hose that has a crack in it, it can look like steam. I would go to another shop mention the oil pan, and get them to take a look at it. You can also buy a moter cleaning that you spray on the moter cleans off all the grease, if you do that you will be able to see where the leak is, if it is oil. Let us know how things turn out.

By Emily7 on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 07:01 pm:

I would also take it to another shop & make sure they actually did the work they said they did.

By Tink on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 07:11 pm:

The owner of the shop is the mechanic that we have been dealing with. He is not the mechanic that did the original testing and diagnostic work but he did the 2nd repair and has been the man that dh has spoken with since we have had a problem with this shop. Dh told the owner in his last conversation that we would be filing a report with the BBB.

It is definitely smoke. The mechanic tried to say that it was steam but the smell and the fact that it is black and greasy looking makes Dh and I think otherwise.

We are sure that they replaced the resevoir because it is obviously different. We have no idea about the water pump and they cleaned all the grease off the motor when the second repair was done.
We will be taking it to another shop, we just aren't sure what to be doing regarding this shop and the money that has already been spent.

By Emily7 on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 07:59 pm:

You may want to check the laws in your state. Sometimes if you stop payment on a check for services render that can be considered stealing & fraud.

By Tink on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:03 pm:

That's what I'm worried about and why I haven't taken any action yet. I'm hoping to find out more tonight and tomorrow about what I can and can't do. Thanks, Emily.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 10:51 pm:

I know a a bit about cars and I can probably ask a million questions but I will post a link on how to check it out yourself. IF you have any questions then ask away...

How to Know if Your Car Has a Fluid Leak

I would contact the BBB and ask them what to do. As far as the stop check etc.. They will know the laws in your area and what you can legally do an not do.. Or who you need to talk to.

By Feona on Wednesday, October 13, 2004 - 06:02 am:

Ask all you friends where they take their car in. We just feel we got ripped off from the audi dealership so I feel your pain. Like we got something fixed for a thousand dollars that didn't need to be fixed.


The better business bureau is a very good idea.

By Bren on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 03:39 am:

Tink, I am in th Towing and Recovery business. I have seen alot of fast-ones pulled on people by mechanic shops. These guys are taking you for a ride. If you stop payment on the checks, they can take you to court. Your best bet, check the laws in your state, Start with the Dept. of Consumer Affairs ( if you have one), complain also to the BBB. You will get results, in the meantime it may be advisable to you, like I tell my customers, take it somewhere else and have someone look at it and give you an estimate of repairs.Do not have it fixed!!!! Sometimes Consumer Affairs and BBB will tell you to take it back to the original mechanic. Be bold and do not get taken advantage of again. I deal with mechanics that think people are stupid and don't know there cars. It's a different story when my husband and come in to drop one off for a customer. Besides when they see a woman driving a tow truck there's not much they can say.

By Bren on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 03:45 am:

Just a quick note for allof you guys: if you ever want to know what fluid is leaking out of your car,before you go to bed at noght, place a piece of white post board under the car. Directly under the motor. Oil is usually black if really dirty or a dark burnt brown/ it also has a very distinct smell when it burns. Transmission fluid is of a muted red color similar. And you all know that antifreeze is yellowy unless soemone has used a Quick fill formula and then it's almost clear.

By Tink on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 01:44 pm:

Thanks, everyone. We are filing a report with the BBB, the Dept. of Consumer Affairs, and dh says he will speak to his dad, who is on the board for the Chamber of Commerce. There aren't any reports filed against this company so it is really making me doubt what is happening is an ongoing problem but this whole situation is so bad that I want to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. We won't be stopping the check because we authorized the repairs. We thought the repairs were to fix the smoking problem. The shop is claiming that they stated these were all needed but never claimed it would fix the smoke issue. So the checks will pay for services that we approved and we would be open to a lawsuit for failure to pay. Don't want that!

Bren, we thought it was an oil leak because of the smell but the mechanic told us that antifreeze could smell bad if it was burning. It isn't an option for us to not have it fixed because we only have one car and between 3 dks and all of their activities and Dh's job, we can't beg rides for all of it. We are taking it into a shop that was highly recommended. It was towed there this morning. BTW, we started up the car to position it better for the driver and within a few minutes, he asked if there was an oil leak! Apparently, the shop we had been taking it to employed only mechanics with no sense of sight or smell. A true equal opportunity employer. *eg*

By Wandilu on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 10:49 pm:

let us know what you find out.my dh thinks it is either an oil leak around the valve covers ,or the frount seal.