HELP!! I think im being played by my mechanic!
 

Alright guys and girls here is the story, last week I went to the drag strip with my E46 M3, during one of my passes something broke on the rear on the car. It turns out a mount bolt broke, but the car was also making some funny noises and wasent driving right. Well the past few days I have been dropping by the shop I towed the car to to check up on it and see the progress. Well yesterday I dropped by and I was told the bolt was fixed and to take it for a drive, ok I said.

I get into the car and start it, it immediately dies. I start it again and it dies right away again. This isnt right, the car has never done this to me before. Mechanic tells me start it again and give it some gas, it stayed running but was running VERY, VERY rough. Sounded like it was misfiring and cutting in and out. The car could not revv, my foot could be flat to the floor and it would not revv higher than 2000 or so RPM. I told him I refuse to drive the car like this because when I towed the car to the shop it was running smooth, has never died on me. Mechanic tells me its only because the car is on a cold start, I respond to him that cannot be the case. I have let the car sit for days at a time, start it and go with no problems. Hell even before I had it towed to the shop the car was sitting in my cold gargae for 5 straight days and when I started it to move it out of the garage to get towed it still ran smooth as butter. No trouble staying running, has never died, never was misfiring, was always smooth. He tells me its only running like that because they reset the cars computer and it was relearning itself. The car continues to stay running like that so he plugs a computer scanner into the car to see whats going on. Tells me that the O2 sensor codes are comming up and to let him get the car in the air to see whats going on and that he will call me. I tell him check the axel shaft because I thought maybe thats where the rear end noise is comming from. I never recieved a call so about a 1/2 hr before they closed up for the day I called them to get the progress. I was told they were not able to go over the car again and to check back tommorow.

So fast foward til tommorow which is now today, about 15 mins ago. I go by the shop and was told they still have not diagnosed the rear end problem, but have discovered that my car needed O2 sensors and he went ahead and ordered them in. I keep repeating myself over and over, the car has never ran that rough, has never misfired, car has never ran rough. I tell him again and again, I cannot see how all of a sudden since I dropped the car there that it needs new O2s. That was not an issue what-so-ever going into the shop, now that its there convienitly I need O2s?? This seemed to kind of annoy the mechanic abit, he tells me that they are computer controlled cars and that it is very possible that all of a sudden the O2s both did fail simitaniously. That they did nothing to cause it, that it must of just "happened." He was comparing it to buying a TV, saying how one day it will work then all of a sudden it can just stop working. I keep on my story and telling him the car did not need O2s going in for repair, that I needed a rear end issue fixed, now that its there under their care the car is running like total and complete ****, I did not cause this. He tells me again and again that its just a coincidence that it just happened while under their care, that they did nothing to cause it. Also that if I keep comming at him like that to just take the car and get it towed somewhere else that he doesnt want my business. I apologize and tell him he just has to see where im comming from, that this is a new, (and surely not cheap issues) that just so happened to come up after the car was dropped there.


Soooooo what do I do???? I feel like I am being played and dont know how to properly handle this situation, please guys give me some ANSWERS!!!

Probably and more than likely this will not randomly happen, But still a possibility. Maybe they touched something that triggered it, etc, etc. Regardless, thats the game and unfortunately untrustworthy mechanics shouldnt have been dealt with in the first place.

If you can, fix the car on your own.

Their is nothing you can do about this situation. Your either stuck at the current mechanic or towing to another. Good Luck

- amyn

It doesn't really make sense. I don't think the o2 sensor is your problem. If the car was cold when you started the ECM does not use o2 sensor feedback until the car is warmed up. The o2 sensor should come online in 30 seconds to a minute. And I really hope he's not saying it's the rear o2 sensor(after the cat) since this sensor has very little effect on engine performance. It's only to monitor catalytic convertor operation.

Can you give us the fault codes in the ECM??

sounds like a coil pack not your o2 good luck man does it sound like a subi lol

GET YOUR CAR OUT OF THIS ''SHOP''. Sadly, Most shops will keep buying and charging you for parts once your car is there, When you don't actually need the parts to begin with. this is how shops make their income and they just keep nickle and diming you. I've had ALOT of people drop their cars off at my place before after having terrible experiences with different shops. They go in for one thing, And before you know it, You're paying huge money.

Get your car away from these people.

Why didn't you just take it to the dealer? It's not a civic I wouldn't take it to some random shop.

What he said, he saw a M3 and immediately thought time to take advantage. I'd remove it from there asap.

I agree with everyone, get your car out of there, and don't pay for the o2 sensors. Check your plugs and coil packs and your cap. Sounds like you may be misfiring, wish I knew something about M3s so I could tell ya more, but if it isn't a Nissan, I am pretty clueless lol. Good luck man.

Alight heres an update:

The rear end related noise is from a blown axelshaft, $400-500.

The O2 sensors, $170 EACH?!?!? Gimmi a break wait til I get this bill I am going to refuse to pay on those O2s, THE CAR DID NOT NEED THEM WHEN I BROUGHT IT THERE. I did not ask him to reset the computer, I did not ask him to mess with the O2s, I did not ask him to order in new O2s.

Only things I asked to have done were to fix the rear end problem, and get the light that came on the dash after it broke cleared. Thats it.

Also the shop it was towed to was not just any garage, it wasent Joes Garage and Custom Exhausts down in Kunkletown, it was strictly a European car repair place, before I brought it there I was asking if they are familiar with M3s and he claimed yes.

you opened up the can when you told him to fix the dash light...

Agreed, Cant clear a light without accessing the cars computer. So apparently, You did tell him to "reset" your ecu. Im not an owner so please forgive my inexperience if I am wrong, I only drool over these cars.

It could also be spark plugs. I am unsure cause I never tried this on my own car but my friends 240 actually ran on 2 pistons cause he had only 2 working spark plugs. It did behave and act like the explanation with your car.

One thing I dont understand about some mechanics, (cause I am IT and do the same), why dont they check their work after finishing it and then call the client to retest everything. This way everything will be well when the client comes in.......

- amyn

I'll echo the "it's not likely" sentiment, but you'd have a difficult time disproving it. You are well within your rights and take your car to another shop (dealership?) for a second opinion.

$170 for an o2 sensor is not completely out of line. Yes, you can get them for less than that, but you didn't try to look for them on your own.

Wait till he refuses to give you your car back for failure to pay for services/parts rendered.

Did you authorize him to order and repair anything besides the axle issue? Did the words "just fix it" (or anything implying that) ever come out of your mouth? If so, you are stuck with the bill. Pay the man and get your car to a better shop.

What light came on in the dashboard??

The check engine light or some other light? Traction control, ABS, etc??

There is not one computer for all the systems in the vehicle and it is possible to only access them individually.

I never said "just fix it." He ordered the O2s in without contacting me about it first. The dash light thats on is the little explanation point (!) in the right hand corner. When turning traction on and off the light comes on in yellow, right now it is red.

I told him to fix the issues the car is having with the rear end, I really dont even know how O2 sensor talk came up. Is there anyway that something he did with his computer messed this up? Because again until he had my car, it ran like butter.

Is your M3 an SMG?

So your mad that you took a speciality car to a normal shop and they struggled with it? You need to man up and pay for the O2s. You told them to fix it the CEL and didn't ask for an estimate first...

Aside from bad customer service/possible people skills, I don't see how they are really screwing you.

No its 6 spd


Did you read the thread? Like at all? The car IS at a specialty shop, I did NOT ask them to clear the CEL. I asked them to fix the rear end issue and to make sure the red ! light is cleared off the dash, because that is the light that came on after the car broke.

This. If you cannot afford to have proper maintenance on an e46 M3, you shouldn't have one at all.

And I believe their are TSB's out for rear sub-frame issues on most E46's

I missed the post that you took it to a Euro shop.

"Only things I asked to have done were to fix the rear end problem, and get the light that came on the dash after it broke cleared. Thats it."

This quoted from one of your above posts. I would say if they replaced the O2s and the CEL is off they cleared it.