Hello listees,
I have a particularly sticky problem which I could use some advice on:
A few months ago I brought my 1969 Midget to a local mechanic for a
valve job and a new clutch. I had just moved into town and was still
living out of boxes so I figured it would be easier to have someone
else deal with this problem. The mechanic works only on British cars
and came highly recommended.
The original estimate was $1100 about $700 less than I had been quoted
in NY. By the time the car came back it cost me $2400. Part of the unexpected
expense was all new seals on the tranny. I got the car back and the tranny
leaked worse than ever, so back into the shop for a new rear tranny seal
gratis. I had all new engine seals and gaskets installed at this time. All of
the new gaskets and seals now leak profusely.
Cut to last week, I went to change the oil in the car and found that the shop
had left the pressure plate and spring out of the oil filter. 2000 miles
since last oil change with pretty much no filtering mechanisim. Now the
car burns oil and has very low oil pressure, this was not the case before
the previously mentioned events. I've called the mechanic twice to try to
rectify this situation and he says he is baffled as to why the filter was put
together like that. He says he'll think about what he is going to do about it
and then never calls back.
Now he is telling me I had bottom end rattle when the car was originally
brought in (not true). Do I have any legal recourse here? Everything is
documented as far as his work and diagnosis and in his diagnosis there
is no mention of bottom end rattle. I feel this guy owes me an engine
rebuild. Am I just dreaming?
If he refuses to rebuild the engine what am I looking at time and $$$$ to
do it myself or have someone else do it?
Thanks,
Robert Weeks
Durham NC
1969 Midget
http://www.woozy.com/midget/
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