Repair shop Scam... What to do

[aznnoodleboi]

Ok, sorry to make this thread but need a quick suggestion on what to do if im getting scammed by a transmission shop that just keeps adding cost to the original repair cost. What can i do to get my car out for the original cost or if there is a way to bluff him out by reporting to BBB, having his ASE revoked, monitored or a small claims lawsuit?

Story : I dropped a BMW 2001 323ci at a local transmission shop because the reverse went out (Very common problem on this car). They took a look and gave me a estimate repair of $1300 for a rebuild transmission, rebuild kit included with parts and labor. I gave the okay and talked with the owner and he made sure if he cannot do this job, it will be $500 to put back together and $1300 max.

2 days later they called me and said there is much more problems inside and that its going to cost $2100. The reverse drum is broken apart and pieces are flew around damaging the whole transmission... Im thinking BS, so i did some research and looking at the DIY repair on the reverse problem online. Yes the rings break apart but they are contained in a housing.. no way could it fly around and break more then the reverse drum.

I went down there and talked to him and called his BS.. he was speechless. I told him FK the rebuild, just throw a new drum and charge me the original cost or i take my car elsewhere.

He switched out the drim and now he called me again today saying my radiator is broken. Ok whatever.. poor some water in and let me drive home, im already done with you guys but no, the thermostat is broken and the transmission thermostat is broken, some housing, some this and that and it will forsure overheat. The car never had any radiator problems or overheating issue... wtf.

Im fking pissed and sorry for venting here but if anyone can help with suggestion it would be greatly appreciated.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Umm, its a fucking E46, its fucking common to have cooling issue with it related to the radiator, expansion tank, and waterpump. Why BMW decided to use plastic for cooling component parts is beyond me.

[dopplganger1]

if you are done with him go there and tell him not to do anything else and pay for the work that you approved him to do, at that point get a fucking tow truck to tow your car and if he still tries to not let you leave call the police

[LowLipS13]

if you cant afford a bmw dont own a bmw i work as a tech and see shit like this every day
its the job of a shop to explain to the customer what is wrong with the vehicle whether you want to repair it or not is up to you. im not a bmw specialist in any way what so ever but that does sound suspicous that they continue to call you with more problems when they should of told you this within the first inspection of the vehicle. have you considered puting in a jasper trans? if not just pay the 500.00 and take your car back out
you signed on paper that you would. ( if you didnt technically you dont owe them shit and can take your car back) if not you owe them 500.00 at worst.

[Trap Star]

Tell him to release the car. Not his problem if you don't have him fix the cooling issues and it overheats.

[Bumpkin203]

Punch him in his dick sucker!

[slw240sx]

sounds like there were more hard parts that needed replaced then what he assumed, which is not uncommon. That is when you go down and ask to be shown the damaged parts that need replaced and to get a amended estimate. Then speak with a person who has some experience and see if this is what is needed. It is very common for a rebuild to get quoted at one price and end up much more expensive. trans shops are normally one of the most expensive ways to get trans problems fixed. We normally source lower mileage or remann units from reputable salvage yards and purchase warranties for them. This tends to be cheaper then rebuilding especially since we would have to outsource that labor to seasoned builders. That part doesn't sound all that fishy. could be him trying to explain stuff in laymens terms and not getting it across 100% correctly.

The coolant leak issue, that is not uncommon for most German cars. BMW, AUDI, VW all loved to use plastic on anything coolant related. That being said the type of plastic they used becomes super brittle after a few years. Almost every time i have worked on a VW or BMW i had to replace at least one or two plastic coolant junctions or housings. Its part of the game with them. I rarely eat that cost as it happens and its not fair for the business to lose money on crappy plastic. I normally give the customers a good deal on the parts and the labor it normally overlapped in the job some where. for this i am betting they broke a plastic thermo housing that feeds coolant to the trans or the lines from the rad and they will need replaced. Now can the tech be really careful to avoid this issue? yes and no, sometimes no matter what it happens even if you are being really gentle.
so it sucks to have to pay more for this stuff, but its the cost of owning a german car.



I did some more looking around it seems the avg repair cost is 1800-2K and thats with good shape transmissions that do not require more parts due to other damage inside the trans. so i would say any where from 1800-2500 is probably fair cost of this job. it can cost more depending on how much internal damage is in the trans.
A trans shop is not just going to fix the reverse issue if they see that the forward gears have worn parts. that would leave them open to warranty work that they would have to provide even though its not their fault the trans fails. Then when they deny the warranty due to that fact they leave them selves open to civil litigation by the customer for refusing to warranty a job that a customer was only wanting to half fix.
some times it sucks, but 2-4K is about average for this type of rebuild work. You know next time to shop around and get more info. check out respected performance shops too, most have a good amount of experience with service work and seeing common failures and cheaper ways to fix them.

[word sux]

I have a good amount of experience with bimmers, those bmw expansion tank and trans coolers the e46's use are a pita to get apart without breaking. Even with a heat gun and allot of patience they will still break sometimes


however there are always unexpected expense's when working on a car. If the shop breaks something while doing a job they should be footing the bill. They gave you a quote its not your fault they didn't take everything into account and be more careful. You should not have to pay for their f**k ups.

[TunerJohnny]

I'm a shop owner and I have customers bring their cars in to fix a symptom of the problem. I make it a point to let them know the cause of the problem before I fix the symptom.

Threatening service manager or the mechanic won't make things any better.

Regardless, if the shop is taking advantage of you or not. If you don't want them to continue working on your vehicle, just let him know and take your vehicle back.

[deolio]

don't buy a bmw in the first place

-mr. 2020 hindsight

[slw240sx]

I have a good amount of experience with bimmers, those bmw expansion tank and trans coolers the e46's use are a pita to get apart without breaking. Even with a heat gun and allot of patience they will still break sometimes


however there are always unexpected expense's when working on a car. If the shop breaks something while doing a job they should be footing the bill. They gave you a quote its not your fault they didn't take everything into account and be more careful. You should not have to pay for their f**k ups.


Most quotes, even my own state that estimates are exactly that an estimate. That some times when working on a vehicle you uncover other problems that were not visible or seen before beginning work. Its not common place to run across this issue on every job, but when dealing with german cars and their plastic it happens here and there. every time i explain to the customer what the deal is and they foot the bill. I am nice about it and i make sure they understand. Now if the customer is going to turn horrible over a 13.00 part i can normally tel from their tone when dealing with them so i may eat that and use the misc shop charges to pad that loss. I am not in the habit of eating cost of parts that break unless i or one of my techs break them and it shouldn't have happened. Like breaking putting a hole in a rad by dropping a screw driver in the bay and it puncturing a fin, that sort of stuff is paid out of pocket because it was an accident and could have been avoided.

either way if you are unhappy with the service or how you are being treated you have the right to advise them to stop work and to withdraw your car once you paid for the labor preformed up until that point. You may have a hard time finding another shop want to touch it,but its possible

[fliprayzin240sx]

Fuck e46s and its shitty cooling system. $36K car and you can't put in a damn water pump made out of metal?!?!

[Bmxer300zx]

You gota look at the fact your going to a shop be prepared to pay more and have them look for more things that are wrong. They are liable for making sure the car is ok, if you go in for brakes and they see the wheel bearings are shot they are responsible to tell you and have it fixed.
If you decide not to then fine tow it out regardless and if it breaks on the highway it's on you not them.
.
Also when they give you a price in the begining it's a ESTIMATE, ball park or round about, not a final price. I can go to a junk yard and find a trans for a e46 for 500$ or less.
At the same time i hear your pain not wanting to do something and having someone do it for you then paying 2-3x the amount you expect sucks but thats the price and labor isn't cheap at shops let alone a dealership.
.
Honestly if your that upset tell them to finish the trans and tow it and do it yourself.

[g00se]

Fuck e46s and its shitty cooling system. $36K car and you can't put in a damn water pump made out of metal?!?!

hows your wagon? :3