Car Repair Shop Nightmare - Suggestions/Help Desperately Needed
#1
11-02-2011, 01:48 PM
Car Repair Shop Nightmare - Suggestions/Help Desperately Needed
This story is a little long but get through it if you can, it’s a doosie. To get right to the questions, skip through the story and scroll to the bottom
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My 2003 A4 1.8T Quattro blew its engine due to oil sludge last May after having oil sludge repairs completed twice before by Audi. It blew 3k miles outside of the original sludge warranty and the extended warranty hadn't yet begun leaving the full expense of replacing the engine on my shoulders.
I took my car to a shop I had trusted for years for the engine repair, I had no problems with them in the past, they'd always done good work I thought and for a very reasonable price.
Bear in mind that my car was in PERFECT shape prior to the engine blowing, it ran perfectly, had no issues whatsoever.
After the engine replacement was complete ($4,400 for a 73k mile engine) the vehicle began to exhibit other issues, sluggish throttle response, a jumpy transmission, A/C stopped working, it stalled on more than one occasion and had a difficult time getting into gear. After returning to the shop that replaced the engine they basically cleared the check engine light and sent me on my way, I picked up the car after hours and when I put the car into reverse it jumped hard and stalled. I could not get the car into gear.
After this incident I no longer trusted this shop to repair my car, I took it to another shop which informed me that the EVAP system was hooked up completely wrong and was missing parts. In addition to that the first shop put the motor mounts in the 1.8 holes on one side and the 3.0 holes on the other side, which due to the pressure had all collapsed. I then paid the additional amount to the second shop to replace the mounts, repair the evap system and re-mount the engine ($1,800).
Not long after that the AC cut out, blown compressor, dryer etc...($1,400) and the transmission still wasn’t driving right, it was jerky when downshifting at high speeds would slip out of gear at low speeds and would take a very very long time to go into reverse.
After finally receiving the returned funds from the oil sludge settlement administrator I took the vehicle to AAMCO to get the transmission diagnosed. When they unbolted the transmission it jerked back from the drive shaft with force, which was puzzling. Through the next few days AAMCO discovered that the wrong engine had been installed in my vehicle and that my transmission had been forced against my engine causing all kinds of damage. The shaft that goes into the transmission was too long and thus crushed the fluid pumps and was pressing too deep into the transmission causing clutch damage and many of the gears to be ground down. Total Damage: $9,994.16.
So now I am left with needing to replace the engine once again and also replacing the transmission.
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My questions are these:
Does anyone know of a place that purchases working engines? This one in particular is a 1.8T with approx. 85k miles on it meant to couple with a manual transmission, not an automatic or CVT. It is in fully working order. I live in Orlando FL, local buyers would be preferred obviously but I’m sure I could ship the thing if need be.
Does anyone know how much I should/could expect to get for this engine?
How much would the vehicle go for at a salvage yard without the engine or transmission?
How much would it go for with a working engine and no transmission?
This whole situation has been, obviously, a complete disaster. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
----------------------------------------
My 2003 A4 1.8T Quattro blew its engine due to oil sludge last May after having oil sludge repairs completed twice before by Audi. It blew 3k miles outside of the original sludge warranty and the extended warranty hadn't yet begun leaving the full expense of replacing the engine on my shoulders.
I took my car to a shop I had trusted for years for the engine repair, I had no problems with them in the past, they'd always done good work I thought and for a very reasonable price.
Bear in mind that my car was in PERFECT shape prior to the engine blowing, it ran perfectly, had no issues whatsoever.
After the engine replacement was complete ($4,400 for a 73k mile engine) the vehicle began to exhibit other issues, sluggish throttle response, a jumpy transmission, A/C stopped working, it stalled on more than one occasion and had a difficult time getting into gear. After returning to the shop that replaced the engine they basically cleared the check engine light and sent me on my way, I picked up the car after hours and when I put the car into reverse it jumped hard and stalled. I could not get the car into gear.
After this incident I no longer trusted this shop to repair my car, I took it to another shop which informed me that the EVAP system was hooked up completely wrong and was missing parts. In addition to that the first shop put the motor mounts in the 1.8 holes on one side and the 3.0 holes on the other side, which due to the pressure had all collapsed. I then paid the additional amount to the second shop to replace the mounts, repair the evap system and re-mount the engine ($1,800).
Not long after that the AC cut out, blown compressor, dryer etc...($1,400) and the transmission still wasn’t driving right, it was jerky when downshifting at high speeds would slip out of gear at low speeds and would take a very very long time to go into reverse.
After finally receiving the returned funds from the oil sludge settlement administrator I took the vehicle to AAMCO to get the transmission diagnosed. When they unbolted the transmission it jerked back from the drive shaft with force, which was puzzling. Through the next few days AAMCO discovered that the wrong engine had been installed in my vehicle and that my transmission had been forced against my engine causing all kinds of damage. The shaft that goes into the transmission was too long and thus crushed the fluid pumps and was pressing too deep into the transmission causing clutch damage and many of the gears to be ground down. Total Damage: $9,994.16.
So now I am left with needing to replace the engine once again and also replacing the transmission.
----------------------------------------
My questions are these:
Does anyone know of a place that purchases working engines? This one in particular is a 1.8T with approx. 85k miles on it meant to couple with a manual transmission, not an automatic or CVT. It is in fully working order. I live in Orlando FL, local buyers would be preferred obviously but I’m sure I could ship the thing if need be.
Does anyone know how much I should/could expect to get for this engine?
How much would the vehicle go for at a salvage yard without the engine or transmission?
How much would it go for with a working engine and no transmission?
This whole situation has been, obviously, a complete disaster. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
#4
11-05-2011, 07:17 PM
Wow man and i thought my heater problem was bad. Really, dont pay for anything, its the mechanics fault. Get a public defendant even, sue the hell outta the mechanics. you will win the case if you have all the correct documentation. Though your case will be handled through a long period of time due to going to 2 mechanics. ( they will try to blame eachother )
#5
11-15-2011, 10:02 PM
well I skip the whole story if you need a Audi repair shop you can visit the site that i link in... they have a list of hundred of repair shop available on your state. add your zip code and they do the rest...
Last edited by archebald23; 08-24-2013 at 01:25 AM.
#6
11-18-2011, 11:26 AM
wow, thats really crappy, I'd definatly get a lawyer, your going to have 2 times what the cars worth in just repairs and rerepairs. sue the hell outta that shop, they shouldent even be in business if they cant even buy the right motor for your car
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