Car Service

Misticles

What should be included in a service?

Need a few opinions...

Got car serviced last Friday, full service.

Notices car engine temp a bit high in Sunday but paid no real attention to it is it was very hot out.

Monday morning - car engine makes rattling sounds and starts smoking when I pull over.

Was something cracked- this leads into the water pump and the water leaked out. That was fixed but car wouldn't start. The engine had to be taken apart because it was "roasted" from me driving it and turns out some seal was broken and could be an n joint also causing the noise so now car is away and I'm gonna have to pay more money.

I feel a bit miffed that this has happened straight after gettin a service done and don't wanna be paying out for it when he should have noticed water leaking or something.

Mechanic is a good friend of ohs dad and has his own business and all so not some dodgy character.

Should I just pay up?
Should all this not have been checked at the service?

I have a list, it has the usual- filters, oil, water etc

Mech1

Unfortunatly some things act just like that bulb in the bathroom, working perfectly last time you used it but then gone with no warning.

Some things cannot be predicted.

Nissan doctor

A problem can only be checked if its there at the time. It very possible that there was no isse when it was serviced.

TBH, it sounds like the major part of the price you have to pay is not due to the fault itself, its due to you not noticing it in time. If you pulled over with steam/smoke coming from the engine bay then your temperature gauge was likely in the red for a while.

Anan1

You say 'filters, oil, water etc'. Was the coolant changed as part of this service?

coylemj

Misticles wrote: »

Got car serviced last Friday, full service.

One man's 'full service' is another man's cheap oil change.

You mentioned 'water' in the short list of things that were done, did you mean they drained the coolant and replaced it with water and anti-freeze?

Edit: just noticed that Anan1 got there with that question before me.

Misticles

I was driving from clondalkin to the airport on the monday when it happened so not exactly a long journey. I didn't notice the gauge rising.

I have now been told I need a new piston as the existing one is cracked and failing that a replacement engine!

Anan1

Misticles wrote: »

I was driving from clondalkin to the airport on the monday when it happened so not exactly a long journey. I didn't notice the gauge rising.

I have now been told I need a new piston as the existing one is cracked and failing that a replacement engine!

It's much harder to help when you don't answer questions.

Misticles

Anan1 wrote: »

Misticles wrote: »

I was driving from clondalkin to the airport on the monday when it happened so not exactly a long journey. I didn't notice the gauge rising.

I have now been told I need a new piston as the existing one is cracked and failing that a replacement engine!

It's much harder to help when you don't answer questions.

Sorry

Not too sure about coolant. I don't have the docket to hand but all I can recall is oil, water, a part had to be changed....

I'll have a look for coolant on it.

I'm just so annoye that it's come to the fact I may need a replacement engine.

Anan1

Check it out and let us know if any work relating to the cooling system was done.

Misticles

Anan1 wrote: »

Check it out and let us know if any work relating to the cooling system was done.

Coolant was changed. An oil transmitter also.
Car is running but sounds like a bag of spanners in traffic. Compression is being lost in the number 3 cylinder and hence this change of piston to see if it can be rectified.

mickdw

So coolant was changed. Id be asking awkward questions in that case. Car which was fine, now overheating directly after coolant change points straight to the garage that worked on it IMO.

goz83

if there was air left in e system after the coolant was refilled, that would certainly have caused you the head ache.

Misticles

Tbh I don't know how to approach this... Mechanic is a good friend of a friend has own business etc but I don't want the friend left in an awkward situation. I have since gotten the guys number and intend on contacting him on Monday.

From wht I know, it over heated because of a crack in something (looks like a screw to me) that is in the water pipe and the water leaked out. However I am clueless about cars and don't want to be taken for a
Mug.

trixyben

Just take it back to mechanic and be straight with him, tell him there was no issue before the service was done and now you have this problem, get him to properly diagnose what exactly is wrong, if you are uncomfortable doing that take it to a good reputable mechanic with the correct tools and find out what is wrong with the car, there are a few very reputable mechanics on here if you can get to them.

Misticles

The thing that cracked is apparently a common problem in corsas and can break at any time. I don't know of that's true or not as I can't recall what this thing is called! So he could come back saying the above when I raise the issue of the car being fine before the service.

I drove the car for short periods over te weekend and nothing was wrong - it was just the Monday. Would this delay be normal or should it have had a more immediate effect?

Misticles

I have to ring the mechanic this week but I don't know what to say to him

Gumbo

Misticles wrote: »

I have to ring the mechanic this week but I don't know what to say to him

you possibely need to replace your engine, which may or may not be caused by this mechanic, and you are ringing him this week???? Ring him Now, get down to him Now if possible.

Misticles

kceire wrote: »

you possibely need to replace your engine, which may or may not be caused by this mechanic, and you are ringing him this week???? Ring him Now, get down to him Now if possible.

I can't. I'm in Italy, my car is in Dublin.

I don't know what way to conduct the call as I have no clue about cars and what could be wrong with it... he could spew some jargon at me

Gumbo

Misticles wrote: »

I can't. I'm in Italy, my car is in Dublin.

I don't know what way to conduct the call as I have no clue about cars and what could be wrong with it... he could spew some jargon at me

thats fair enough, didnt realise that!

Misticles

kceire wrote: »

thats fair enough, didnt realise that!

Next time I will be back is Friday but I want to have words with him before that but again I don't know how to approach it without me actually saying...

My car was fine before it went to you, never ANY overheating issues at all and now after a service and a coolant change it's overheating. I do think he is to blame, can I say that directly to him or what?

I have never had any dealings like this before

Misticles

Update -

the coolant was topped up - not changed.
Waterpump broken
Head gasket broken

Working on 2 cylinders

Mechanic is going to price rings and a piston
Otherwise its an engine it needs which he said are very hard to find and he cannot locate one online

Gumbo

Misticles wrote: »

Next time I will be back is Friday but I want to have words with him before that but again I don't know how to approach it without me actually saying...

My car was fine before it went to you, never ANY overheating issues at all and now after a service and a coolant change it's overheating. I do think he is to blame, can I say that directly to him or what?

I have never had any dealings like this before

say to him that the car was perfect before you left it in. The coolant system worked perfect and the car never over heated once. After you done the coolant change the car over heated. Ask him is it possible he used the wrong grade of coolant or the wrong mix of coolant? ask him was the system bled to remove the air from the system? Ask him if its possible he left a pipe loose or similar?

Gumbo

Misticles wrote: »

Update -

the coolant was topped up - not changed.
Waterpump broken
Head gasket broken

Working on 2 cylinders

Mechanic is going to price rings and a piston
Otherwise its an engine it needs which he said are very hard to find and he cannot locate one online

OK, thats a different problem then. The mechanice only topped it up. How long have you got the car? when did you last change the water pump and timing belt?

Misticles

kceire wrote: »

OK, thats a different problem then. The mechanice only topped it up. How long have you got the car? when did you last change the water pump and timing belt?

I have the car just over a year.

Both have not been changed. Car had 38,000 miles on it when I got, has about an extra 10,000 on it now.

He is calling me with prices for pistons and rings. Could this be a possible solution to the rattley noise being caused?

I don't know how to proceed with this.

Misticles

Misticles wrote: »

I have the car just over a year.

Both have not been changed. Car had 38,000 miles on it when I got, has about an extra 10,000 on it now.

He is calling me with prices for pistons and rings. Could this be a possible solution to the rattley noise being caused?

I don't know how to proceed with this.

So now it needs a new engine

Can anyone here tell me that whilst doing a service he could not or could have damaged the water pump? This is how this all started

I'm still convinced that he is to blame as there were never any issues with the water pump until he serviced it and now the water leaks and I drive it for all of 20 minutes and my car is in tatters!

Avns1s

If all he did was top up the coolant, then he couldn't possibly have damaged your car.

Sorry to say but as another poster has pointed out, your guage must have been in the red for a while. The lack of coolant caused by the water pump failure is the problem but in my opinion, there was no real way the mechanic could have either caused it or predicted it.

Chalk it up to experience OP and in future, keep a close eye on the guages / lights.

Misticles

Avns1s wrote: »

If all he did was top up the coolant, then he couldn't possibly have damaged your car.

Sorry to say but as another poster has pointed out, your guage must have been in the red for a while. The lack of coolant caused by the water pump failure is the problem but in my opinion, there was no real way the mechanic could have either caused it or predicted it.

Chalk it up to experience OP and in future, keep a close eye on the guages / lights.

From what I understand it was the leaking of the water from the water pump that caused it so this would be the root of the problem?

Avns1s

Misticles wrote: »

From what I understand it was the leaking of the water from the water pump that caused it so this would be the root of the problem?

In a word, yes.

The bearings and seal obviously failed on your water pump and your coolant leaked out. This caused your engine to overheat. If it had been picked up in time, you would have got away with little or no damage other than having to replace the water pump itself. As the engine has seriously overheated, serious damage had occurred.

This can happen in an older car. It just underlines the importance of being aware of your vehicle and its instrumentation, sounds, etc.

Sorry again OP, but as I said earlier, I think you just have to get on with it and replace the engine, or the car as the case may be.

While you could argue, that there was a small sign in having to top up the coolant during the service, the reality is, that unless a coolant leak is significant, there isn't really any way a mechanic could have been expected to find it. The coolant quickly evaporates off the hot parts.

Demmo

What kind of car is it. This may shine some light on whats actually wrong.

Misticles

It's an Opel Corsa -05 model

I have been quoted 750 for the supply and fit of a replacement engine . This engine has 30,000 more miles on than the one that is apparently fooked.

Misticles

Avns1s wrote: »

In a word, yes.

The bearings and seal obviously failed on your water pump and your coolant leaked out. This caused your engine to overheat. If it had been picked up in time, you would have got away with little or no damage other than having to replace the water pump itself. As the engine has seriously overheated, serious damage had occurred.

This can happen in an older car. It just underlines the importance of being aware of your vehicle and its instrumentation, sounds, etc.

Sorry again OP, but as I said earlier, I think you just have to get on with it and replace the engine, or the car as the case may be.

While you could argue, that there was a small sign in having to top up the coolant during the service, the reality is, that unless a coolant leak is significant, there isn't really any way a mechanic could have been expected to find it. The coolant quickly evaporates off the hot parts.

I was only driving it for 15 minutes though. Service done on Friday - Car spewing smoke 15 mins after driving on the Monday.

It just doesn't add up to me.:o

Anan1

Avns1s wrote: »

If all he did was top up the coolant, then he couldn't possibly have damaged your car.

Sorry to say but as another poster has pointed out, your guage must have been in the red for a while. The lack of coolant caused by the water pump failure is the problem but in my opinion, there was no real way the mechanic could have either caused it or predicted it.

Ish. If he had to top up the coolant then IMO he should have investigated where it was going, or at the very least warned the customer to keep an eye on it.

Misticles

Anan1 wrote: »

Ish. If he had to top up the coolant then IMO he should have investigated where it was going, or at the very least warned the customer to keep an eye on it.

I didn't know of any problems as it had never leaked before

Avns1s

Anan1 wrote: »

Ish. If he had to top up the coolant then IMO he should have investigated where it was going, or at the very least warned the customer to keep an eye on it.

I kinda agree with you. If it was just down a little though, I wouldn't really have felt the need to flag it. If it was empty that is a different matter.

In any case, I stand by what I say that the onus is on the driver to be aware of the warning gauges and lights in front of them and even if there was a high probability that the mechanic was at fault, which I don't believe there is, the OP would have a hell of a job trying to prove his culpability, in my opinion of course.

Finally, I don't think the make of the car informs the thread of anything. The same principles apply to all makes.

Avns1s

Misticles wrote: »

I didn't know of any problems as it had never leaked before

As a matter of interest, do you check oil, coolant, etc weekly?

Misticles

Avns1s wrote: »

As a matter of interest, do you check oil, coolant, etc weekly?

I wouldn't check it weekly no, I would check it monthly.
If doing a lot of driving I would check it more frequently.

Avns1s

Misticles wrote: »

I wouldn't check it weekly no, I would check it monthly.
If doing a lot of driving I would check it more frequently.

Fair enough. That's probably more than most people even though they will tell you otherwise.:)

Ideally, those items should be checked weekly or before a long journey.

Misticles

My question now is: This mechanic (that I feel is someway responsible for what has gone wrong) has quoted me 750 to supply and fit a 2nd hand engine.

My gut says stay away because I think he caused the whole lot but I'm being told its my best bet as another engine might not come around for months.

If I go somewhere else, it could end up costing a lot more but I would have peace of mind.

I don't really know what to do

Avns1s

Now that IS a difficult question!

Do you know for definite the history of the replacement engine?

€750 seems pretty reasonable for the supply and fit of a replacement even at 80K miles.

What is your own plan for the car? If you intended to keep it long term you might prefer to get something fresher.

I'm afraid you will have to make your own call on the gut reaction thing with the mechanic.

Misticles

Avns1s wrote: »

Now that IS a difficult question!

Do you know for definite the history of the replacement engine?

€750 seems pretty reasonable for the supply and fit of a replacement even at 80K miles.

What is your own plan for the car? If you intended to keep it long term you might prefer to get something fresher.

I'm afraid you will have to make your own call on the gut reaction thing with the mechanic.

I've made the decision to have someone else look it. I can't trust that mechanic and don't want my car with him any longer.

I was planning on keeping my own car for another few years as it's only 2005 and I only have it 1 year.

Avns1s

Misticles wrote: »

I've made the decision to have someone else look it. I can't trust that mechanic and don't want my car with him any longer.

I was planning on keeping my own car for another few years as it's only 2005 and I only have it 1 year.

Well I think that's the best decision.

Can you have someone look at it without putting the original mechanic "off hire" just yet?

I think you should get the second opinion just to put your mind at ease in any case. I still don't attribute blame to the mechanic as you seem to but I can understand the desire, or even need, to get a second opinion.

Let us know how you get on.