First off, I know I should have used a dealership to fix the following issues I have with my Jeep, but they charge about 4x what it really costs to do the job.
Last week I happened to be browsing the Automotive Services section in the Dallas Craigslist. I stumped upon an ad for a mobile mechanic:
Honest, Reliable, Inexpensive mechanic!!!!! You need me!
Hello my name is XXX and I am a mobile mechanic in the Fort Worth area. I have been traveling throughout the DFW metroplex for a while now taking care of the needs of many different customers. I am the most honest, reliable, and inexpensive mechanic you will find. I specialize in everything from minor repairs to extensive performance upgrades as well as custom engines. You need to contact me and get a quote. I promise you will be happy. Thank you in advance.
So I emailed him and got a quick response. See, I needed to have both pinion bearings and all new seals replaced in my rear end, new manifold gaskets put on (failed inspection because of this BS) and my rear hatch fixed so it would open. He quoted me a price - $250 max if he travels to me. He had to travel 50 miles to get to me. I took it.
He showed up with his co-worker and proceeded to start on the pinion bearings. They ended up having to take it back to their sho - 50 miles away - and finish the job. After I verified all their insurance, I sent them on their way and they left their truck with me at my house. Around 10:30 he calls me and says the bearing is done, but he could not get to the rest that night. They didnt have my car back to me until 12:30am and had two chicks with them when they showed up. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. I took the car for a spin to see if the "whining" from the rear end had stopped. It sounded a lot better but still didnt seem right. So, he proceeds to tell me that he will come back out on Monday to fix the problem. He then pulls out the invoice and its $475. We had a discussion and he said that the price went up because they did a complete overhaul of the rear end and fixed everything. Now, I don't mind paying more if shit is fixed, so I agreed to it. I paid him cash and we both signed the invoice showing a price paid in full by cash.
So Sunday comes and I took the jeep for a spin. The whining came back. I called him up and emailed him and said what the problem was. He later found out what his co-worker did wrong that caused the front pinion bearing to burn up again. He said when he came out on Monday that he would fix this issue as well. I was cool with that, I was cool with it all because this dude was saving me some real money here.
Monday comes..........I have to cancel an important meeting at work, I get home and at the last minute he sends me a text message saying something came up and he can't make it tonight, but told me he would make it tomorrow (yesterday) with out a doubt. I started to get a little impatient and was thinking "here we go, getting taken for a ride and run around here". I agreed.
Yesterday we sent a few text messages back and forth making sure he was going to be there at a certain time. The whole afternoon I never heard from him. I get hom at 4 and am expecting him to be there no later than 4:30pm. That time rolls around and I call him up. His cell phone goes straight to voicemail. I knew right then I was getting taken for my money. I went on Craigslist and found all the ad's he had posted. He had posted his cell phone, his buddies cell phone, the shops phone and his home phone in 5 different ad's. I called his house first and his girl answered and she sounded nice and I asked where he was, she said he left and was on his way to my place. I asked her to get ahold of him and let me know what's up. I called back a couple more times and was fed BS by her.
I then called his partner's phone. He was kind of like "how did u get my number" sort of thing. I told him what was going on. He explained that the main dude (the guy who was supposed to be coming back out) actually had a day job and was there and wasn't getting off til 6pm. Funny, his girlfriend said he was on his way here, but his buddy says he is working. So I send him a pretty frustrating text message (mind you his cell was still off) saying "I dont know what the hell is going on here, but I am getting fed too many stories. You girl says you are on your way, your buddy says you are at work, WHICH IS IT?'. He calls me back within 2 mins and explained the situation. He took a job that day to fix a timing belt on a car. Not once did he call me up and tell me he was going to be late.....then only to find out that it gets to late for him to come out at all. I called him at 7:30pm because he said he would make it out. He said he put everything in his truck and his truck would not start, so he couldn't make it tonight (lastnight).
So, here I am, feeling taken. I sent him the following email:
I understand that today was not the best day, but it?s not been the best for me either. I need you to be here at 4:30pm tomorrow and get it all taken care of because I am going on a business trip on Thursday and have already opted to take my jeep. This has to be fixed. I have been very patient and working with you, but I still need this done. Tomorrow has to be the last day. My fiancé is breathing down my neck about all this and thinks I am getting taken for a ride (which I know I am not). Please bring the gaskets, the clip for the hatch and the bearings (or we can warranty them at autozone like you said). I can?t stay up late tomorrow, so that is why I need you here asap. I get off work at 4 and will be home around 4:30. Please be here.
I called his cell later on and it was back off and has been off since. I have not received anything from him. I told him I was giving him til today to get this done. We shall see. My thoughts are he isn't going to show up at all. So here is what I propose. If he does not show up, I thought about driving out there and demanding my money back. If push comes to shove, I do have ALL of the documentation of everything....even him saying when he will be back and also the poor job that they did the first fo around.
I should add that I do have the address of his house and his shop.
I also have his license plate number as well.
I know I am a fool. I admited that. What I am asking is for a little advice on what to do next.
TIP:
DO NOT GO THE CHEAP WAY TO GETTING YOUR CAR FIXED
What should I do? Can I take this to small claims court?
****update****
He and I took the drive shaft off and opened the rear end. He could not get the front pinion bearing back out, but noticed it was bent a little (from the first install and he thinks his co-worker used an impact gun to tighten the bolt when he shouldnt have. After fighting with it for about an hour, he still couldn't get it out.
He decided to try to bend the pinion bearing back, which he did, and we put it back together, took it for a spin and the whine continued, just like it did before (when you barely put the gas on and when you let off the gas). He decided he would need to get it back to the shop lastnight and take it all apart and see what's wrong. He would have to drive back home, get his buddy, come back and pick up my jeep and take it back with him.
He calls me at 10:30pm and says he "talked" with his buddies and what not and tried to say they think it is the Torque converter within the trans. I called up my dad who is a mechanic and he said there is no way it is the torque converter. Since we have had the pinion bearings replaced twice before (since I have owned it - and because this year model is known to throw bearings) he insisted that they did something wrong in the rear end. He advised me to call this guy back and get them to finish the job.
So today, he is supposed to be coming back out to fix it, along with the other issues that he still needs to fix. I am back and forth with this guy.....im about ready to give up. If he doesn't fix it today, I am going to have to ask for a refund. If he says no, I am forced to take further action.....which is what this topic is about.
Last week I happened to be browsing the Automotive Services section in the Dallas Craigslist. I stumped upon an ad for a mobile mechanic:
Honest, Reliable, Inexpensive mechanic!!!!! You need me!
Hello my name is XXX and I am a mobile mechanic in the Fort Worth area. I have been traveling throughout the DFW metroplex for a while now taking care of the needs of many different customers. I am the most honest, reliable, and inexpensive mechanic you will find. I specialize in everything from minor repairs to extensive performance upgrades as well as custom engines. You need to contact me and get a quote. I promise you will be happy. Thank you in advance.
So I emailed him and got a quick response. See, I needed to have both pinion bearings and all new seals replaced in my rear end, new manifold gaskets put on (failed inspection because of this BS) and my rear hatch fixed so it would open. He quoted me a price - $250 max if he travels to me. He had to travel 50 miles to get to me. I took it.
He showed up with his co-worker and proceeded to start on the pinion bearings. They ended up having to take it back to their sho - 50 miles away - and finish the job. After I verified all their insurance, I sent them on their way and they left their truck with me at my house. Around 10:30 he calls me and says the bearing is done, but he could not get to the rest that night. They didnt have my car back to me until 12:30am and had two chicks with them when they showed up. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. I took the car for a spin to see if the "whining" from the rear end had stopped. It sounded a lot better but still didnt seem right. So, he proceeds to tell me that he will come back out on Monday to fix the problem. He then pulls out the invoice and its $475. We had a discussion and he said that the price went up because they did a complete overhaul of the rear end and fixed everything. Now, I don't mind paying more if shit is fixed, so I agreed to it. I paid him cash and we both signed the invoice showing a price paid in full by cash.
So Sunday comes and I took the jeep for a spin. The whining came back. I called him up and emailed him and said what the problem was. He later found out what his co-worker did wrong that caused the front pinion bearing to burn up again. He said when he came out on Monday that he would fix this issue as well. I was cool with that, I was cool with it all because this dude was saving me some real money here.
Monday comes..........I have to cancel an important meeting at work, I get home and at the last minute he sends me a text message saying something came up and he can't make it tonight, but told me he would make it tomorrow (yesterday) with out a doubt. I started to get a little impatient and was thinking "here we go, getting taken for a ride and run around here". I agreed.
Yesterday we sent a few text messages back and forth making sure he was going to be there at a certain time. The whole afternoon I never heard from him. I get hom at 4 and am expecting him to be there no later than 4:30pm. That time rolls around and I call him up. His cell phone goes straight to voicemail. I knew right then I was getting taken for my money. I went on Craigslist and found all the ad's he had posted. He had posted his cell phone, his buddies cell phone, the shops phone and his home phone in 5 different ad's. I called his house first and his girl answered and she sounded nice and I asked where he was, she said he left and was on his way to my place. I asked her to get ahold of him and let me know what's up. I called back a couple more times and was fed BS by her.
I then called his partner's phone. He was kind of like "how did u get my number" sort of thing. I told him what was going on. He explained that the main dude (the guy who was supposed to be coming back out) actually had a day job and was there and wasn't getting off til 6pm. Funny, his girlfriend said he was on his way here, but his buddy says he is working. So I send him a pretty frustrating text message (mind you his cell was still off) saying "I dont know what the hell is going on here, but I am getting fed too many stories. You girl says you are on your way, your buddy says you are at work, WHICH IS IT?'. He calls me back within 2 mins and explained the situation. He took a job that day to fix a timing belt on a car. Not once did he call me up and tell me he was going to be late.....then only to find out that it gets to late for him to come out at all. I called him at 7:30pm because he said he would make it out. He said he put everything in his truck and his truck would not start, so he couldn't make it tonight (lastnight).
So, here I am, feeling taken. I sent him the following email:
I understand that today was not the best day, but it?s not been the best for me either. I need you to be here at 4:30pm tomorrow and get it all taken care of because I am going on a business trip on Thursday and have already opted to take my jeep. This has to be fixed. I have been very patient and working with you, but I still need this done. Tomorrow has to be the last day. My fiancé is breathing down my neck about all this and thinks I am getting taken for a ride (which I know I am not). Please bring the gaskets, the clip for the hatch and the bearings (or we can warranty them at autozone like you said). I can?t stay up late tomorrow, so that is why I need you here asap. I get off work at 4 and will be home around 4:30. Please be here.
I called his cell later on and it was back off and has been off since. I have not received anything from him. I told him I was giving him til today to get this done. We shall see. My thoughts are he isn't going to show up at all. So here is what I propose. If he does not show up, I thought about driving out there and demanding my money back. If push comes to shove, I do have ALL of the documentation of everything....even him saying when he will be back and also the poor job that they did the first fo around.
I should add that I do have the address of his house and his shop.
I also have his license plate number as well.
I know I am a fool. I admited that. What I am asking is for a little advice on what to do next.
TIP:
DO NOT GO THE CHEAP WAY TO GETTING YOUR CAR FIXED
What should I do? Can I take this to small claims court?
****update****
He and I took the drive shaft off and opened the rear end. He could not get the front pinion bearing back out, but noticed it was bent a little (from the first install and he thinks his co-worker used an impact gun to tighten the bolt when he shouldnt have. After fighting with it for about an hour, he still couldn't get it out.
He decided to try to bend the pinion bearing back, which he did, and we put it back together, took it for a spin and the whine continued, just like it did before (when you barely put the gas on and when you let off the gas). He decided he would need to get it back to the shop lastnight and take it all apart and see what's wrong. He would have to drive back home, get his buddy, come back and pick up my jeep and take it back with him.
He calls me at 10:30pm and says he "talked" with his buddies and what not and tried to say they think it is the Torque converter within the trans. I called up my dad who is a mechanic and he said there is no way it is the torque converter. Since we have had the pinion bearings replaced twice before (since I have owned it - and because this year model is known to throw bearings) he insisted that they did something wrong in the rear end. He advised me to call this guy back and get them to finish the job.
So today, he is supposed to be coming back out to fix it, along with the other issues that he still needs to fix. I am back and forth with this guy.....im about ready to give up. If he doesn't fix it today, I am going to have to ask for a refund. If he says no, I am forced to take further action.....which is what this topic is about.
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