Mechanic Issues
 

Ok, I just want to thank anyone ahead of time for reading this. Any help would be appreciated.

My car is an ES Lancer 2002. I was having problems with what I thought to be the struts, It would bounce alot on bumps and "pop" on hard bumps. A metal on metal thud. So I took it in to a car shop and he confirmed that the struts were bad. I had both front struts replaced. Total with labor was 500$ He did the brakes too, he said they were very low. (Even though I had them replaced about 7 months ago and drove it maybe 5k miles) He gave it back to me and it was like it was brand new. I felt like I was driving a new car. So it didnt bother me too much what I spent.

When he returned the car to me he told me that other things were wrong with the car also. He said that the left tie rod was bad and needed to be replaced and that both lower control arm bushings were going to go out soon. That I should just replace everything. I told him that I would and he ordered the parts.(Originally 95 for the tie rod. He lowered it to 45. And 70 for both bushings) I took the car back to him when he got the parts in and that's when this nightmare happened. When I called him mid day he told me there was a problem. I went after work to check on it and it was parked outside. They werent even working on it.

The mechanic told me that he couldnt get the right bushing out. That he tried pulling it out with tons of torque and tried using some sort of crowbar too. He told me that the state it was in that he couldnt let me drive it out. (I wanted to take it to another shop) He said that the next day he would have time to really work on it. He called me the next day around 2pm and told me it was ready. He said that he sawed the bushing out. And because he sawed it, he cut into the bolt that held it. He said he replaced it with another bolt. (Without the bullet head)

Well after labor and parts I dropped another 280$

I didn't care, I just wanted it fixed. But now it's worse then when I started...

The car drives itself to the left. So much that my wrist hurts by the time I get to work. The left side squeaks when i go over bumps and my right side rattles. I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know if I should take it back and risk more damage or even think about legal actions. Im afraid he may have stripped the threads on the actual frame. He was talking about how he thought the frame looked "ok". Which has me worried. I don't know much about fixing cars but this whole situation has me really worked up. I have no where else to turn. I hope you guys can help. Thanks...

After you replace tie rods you throw the alignment off. That's half the damn job. Go get an alignment before you ruin your tires.

Also, everything you had done could have been completed for $200 in parts had you done it yourself. The problems with the knocking could be many things.

Take it to a place that does free diagnosis, and come back here to report what they say.

Do yourself a favor. Buy a cheap tool set, some gloves, and roll up your sleeves. There's no reason to pay these retarded labor fees. It's robbery!

I agree an alignment is needed ASAP from a different shop.
While they are in there they will probably be able to identify what the last guy jacked up because they will be in contact with those "replaced" parts. I would do that first and proceed from that point.

I second the "work on it yourself" if you can idea. I can say the Lancer is perhaps the easiest car to work on I've ever had. The most basic tool set pretty much covers it.

Thanks,

I think i've come to the same conclusion. I was thinking of taking it to a shop to do the alignment and get a diagnosis on the front end underneath. Not mention anything until they tell me what they see. Then I will let them know the situation. I wouldn't want another shop to feed off of my worries and add more to the bill.

I am the last guy to work on a car. I know it sounds horrible that I can't but i really CANT. I tried doing an oil change once and i drained the transmission fluid. =_= Trust me, only bad things happen when I do things myself. I dont make alot, but I do save up when it's time to get things done so that I can get things done right. I paid enough to get quality work, and sadly I got the bad end of the stick. (I mean, should the allignment be done with the tie rod? Isn't that something that should have been done with the work. Even if with a seperate bill?) I can't trust the next mechanic shop more then the last...

Buahahahaha. You're just as bad as my older brother. Just as clueless.

Ok, so I found out what they did to my car. They stripped the thread on the body that holds the bolt which holds the bushing for the lower left control arm. When they were taking out the old one. And the squeak on the left side is because the strut isnt as tight as it should be. Theyre having difficulty tightening that up. But they say that's the least of my worries. Safety first. That the right side bolt could slip any minute.

I took it back to the mechanic to tell him and his solution is to cut a hole to open that space up (on the frame of the car) and fit a nut with the same thread size as the bolt and weld it closed. It sounds like a horrible fix to me but the only one given. He says he wont charge me any labor for it, only what it cost to get the welder guy over to do the job. I'm at a loss for words. A bolt hole that is in my frame has been stripped. Im furious at their work. Is there any sort of insurance for that kind of thing? I mean, my car is useless now.