Gripes Gripes Gripes

[lawndart360]

Is it just me???? I tried to throw a friend some business and have him align my Caravan. Van has never been touched by anyone but me, mostly because for one, I am able, and for 2, it is hard to trust anyone to do proper work. Anyways, get there, hour goes by, then two. Starting the get nervous. Out comes a new, young, hourly tech with a handful of broken off wheel studs. Blames it all on the previous guy, which has only been me and I dont use an impact and I use a torgue wrench to tighten. They agree to eat the studs after I explain that they don't have a choice, but now I have them beating on the hubs which will do nothing but shorten the life of the hub. Fortunately it was confined to the rear, but when I got home, I had to take off all the wheels and go over everything he touched. The brakes shoes needed a 1/4 of adjustment, the hub bolts were not tight, and the steel brake line was peened over where he hit it with the wrench trying to get the hub bolts out from the back side of the backing plate. Tried to keep it short, but at least I walked out without paying for anything, although I don't know if my wheels are any straighter than before I took it in, and I'm out 4 hours sitting there and 2 hours when I got home to take it all apart and make sure everything is ok. Surely there is a phobia of irresponsible repair shops, if so I have it!!!!!

 

[GT340]

I'm with you on this one, I don't take my car(s) to a shop/dealer unless its a warranty repair or something I really can't do at home. Quite a few shops hire "monkeys" to work on your car because they get them for low pay, and most are worth less than that because of the damage they do. When I do take my car to a shop I generally stand or sit where I can see what they're doing. I have a rule that I state up front to the shop that NO ONE USES impact wrenchs on my car no matter what, and if they don't agree I find someone else to do the work.

 

[krabysniper]

I agree, no cheesy monkey shops for me, although I don't understand the phobia against an impact wrench for removing bolts, I use one all the time. Don't use them for putting stuff together, but there are some things that just wont come apart with out one. Sorry to hear ya had a bad expierence.

 

[66dartman]

Yours is one of many horror stories I hear and experience all the time. Our trucks have warranties of course but we always have to work on them when they get back. Spoken from someone in the industry, we have done it to ourselves by letting a flatrate book tell us how long it takes to do a job. Those idiots that write those books should have to do it out in the field after a truck has driven through magnesium chloride for 3 winters. Anyhow, thats my gripe and that is why nobody touches my cars but me. If I don't know how to do it, I learn.

 

[BJS racing]

I am with all of you. I have only personally taken one vehicle to a shop in my life. I sold parts to the shop and knew how they operated and they took care of me. I did how ever take some wheels and tires to a shop to have mounted and I ended up in the shop mounting the damn tires cause they couldn't get the tires to seat. I mean damn that is their job to know how to do that. My wife had taken her truck in to the dealer to have something checked out and ended up spending $800 on a battery and belts. I mean for gods sake. Since then she has had to have a friend retighten the belts because they left the adjuster loose.

 

[Jim Lusk]

that's why I even do my own alignments now. My first experience with a shop when I was 16 or 17 taught me to do my own work. It hasn't got any better in the last thirty years.

 

[blind_in_1_ear]

as i read your guys experience i am worried since i am new to all this(*no real experience hands on...)
and lack of Mopar base in San Diego(*or is there??? here me SD??) makes me concerned if i get good work done...
i DO want to work on mine, and it sounds like i might need to!!
thanks guys for the knowledge, and b/c of that i will probably be asking a range of questions...from the inane, to the sublime, if that's ok...
think i might thread for anyone interested in spreading the /6 love in San Diego....

blind, still dives into self car repair.

 

[superdart]

I do most of my own work. I only go to shops for stuff like turning rotors, trans rebuilds, & alignments. The local NTB has a specific guy who does alignments on old cars, because he knows them and is a motor head himself.

 

[340mopar]

I agree, no cheesy monkey shops for me, although I don't understand the phobia against an impact wrench for removing bolts, I use one all the time. Don't use them for putting stuff together, but there are some things that just wont come apart with out one. Sorry to hear ya had a bad expierence.

The phobia on impact guns is just like putting a hand gun in the wrong persons hands. They both are very useful tools when used correctly but given the amount of power in both they are deadly to parts, both car and human, in the wrong hands. If you don't know what kind of person is going to use them you don't let them.

I use both very successfully and sounds like you have to krabysniper.

Chuck

 

[BJS racing]

I do most of my own work. I only go to shops for stuff like turning rotors, trans rebuilds, & alignments. The local NTB has a specific guy who does alignments on old cars, because he knows them and is a motor head himself.

I am going to have to get his name from you and his location for when I get my car together.

 

[Dusterb318]

I only take my car to two shops......one for trans stuff and I really only take the trans to him and the other is an alignment shop. My alignment guy asks me how I want the car set up cause he knows that I drag race and I want it set up differently for the track than a street car would want. He is friends with my Uncle and I trust him with the car. The trans shop I go to is a full service shop and they build a lot of performance cars in the back area....kind of a High Performance shop.....most of the guys there drag race and have their own cars and I go up there sometimes to just BS and bench race.

 

[lawndart360]

Out of fairness, I should share the fact that I among other things, I am a fleet manager at my job. Most my small fleet is Fords, they are taken to a local dealer, mostly for liability reasons, but the service is fantastic, very reasonably priced, and maybe twice in 3 years have I had to take something back, and not due to any fault of theirs.
We currently have 1 Dodge Van, took it in for service to a dealer right across the street. they wanted $300.00 to replace a battery that they replaced 6 months earlier. When I reminded them of the warranty, they conveniently realized their mistake and took care of it, although when ready for pickup, the alternator had been disconnected, as well as several add-on electronics that they removed.
I turned wrenches, and was a kid once myself, but I treated every car like it was my own. Ther are lots of good people out there, even young ones, just can't always find them when you need them.

 

[2shelbys]

I totally agree. I have friend that owns a shop who will let me use a lift whenever I need to and can be an extra set of hands when I need them. For anything serious that I do not want to attempt (like setting up my Dana 60) I go to a guy who has been building MOPAR race cars for over 40 years who happened to know the original owner of my car. I do not trust anyone else.