daleyz765

i posted my car for sale on here, but i'm having second thoughts. only reason being that i'm thinking about approaching the mechanic i last had work on it recently or possibly sue him if necessary. please give me you guys opinion on this, i will try to make a long story short.

early this year, i had my 1985 928S (automatic) towed to a meineke that i have a good repor with. the meineke guy is a very cool, young dude. worked on my old saturn before. but i figured he's not good with 928's. he thought my car wasn't starting cuz of the timing belt. i called the tow guy to come take it back to my house. he offered to take it to his shop and look at it himself. the next day, he told me it's a fuel issue, not the belt. but it wasn't until 3 weeks later that i got the car back. he wouldn't return my calls and the times i did get him, he said he was on the road doing a tow and would call back later or the next day. would never do so. come to find out he doesn't have a "real" shop. he has a two car garage with a lift and a bunch of other tools behind him and his mom's house, shadetree mechanic style. the name is incorporated and there are tow trucks there with his logo, but not a "real" shop like i thought. the way he said he fixed the car, running a separate fuse for the fuse pump around the fuse box itself since i may need an entirely new one as well as using propane gas directly into the engine itself convinced me that maybe a guy like this is one that i need to work on the car, not some college guy in a uniform that works at a goodyear or meineke off the highway. i figured it took 3 weeks maybe cuz he's legitimately busy with tows and works on cars on the side.

the car drove fine after that until i took it to him a month later. i figured summer's coming, let me see if he can do anything with the air conditioning. he actually called me that same night and said the car was ready cuz it was already r134a converted. i then figured since he was quick this time, ill have him look at one more thing: changing the spark plugs. i told him if he needs a couple days or so, no problem. deja vu. it took 2 weeks, wouldn't return my calls, etc. i finally got the car back. everything worked but now, white smoke was coming from the hood. i figured, maybe the a/c has a leak, but that's not his fault, the car is old and maybe he tried to save me money not checking every inch.

i took it back to him a few weeks later. had to take a taxi home after he wasn't at the shop at the time we agreed upon the day before. a/c was not as cold anymore. and i went the extra mile this time. i figured since he seems knowledgeable about cars, i'll give him a list of a few things to fix including the a/c and after this, never bring it to him again b/c of his shady not returning my call history. i told him i know you got towing stuff, so i won't rush you, but please give me status updates every week or every other week. 4 weeks went by. i was patient and didn't call him once. and he never called me at all. i finally decided that was enough. i called to get a status update. sounded like he barely touched the car. the same things he told me he looked at on day 3 were the same things he mentioned 4 weeks later, which was the a/c and power steering fluid leak. i told him forget about the rest of the list, i'll just pay you for that stuff and take the car home. he said no prob, he'll call me later that night when it's ready. 5 days later, didnt hear from him. i went straight to his shop. he wasn't there. called and told him i need the car back today and i cant leave without it. not only is the power steering still leaking, but the white smoke is tremendously worse. it's bellowing from the hood and coming from inside the dashboard vents. the vents smell like it's going to catch on fire. and to top it all off, the car is idling low and extremely rough. when i accelerate, it feels like it's driving on a bumpy, gravel road.

i called and talked to his mother who owns the shop. i was convinced either he or someone else went joyriding in this car and drove it into the ground. the car is completely ruined. she said that she knows he took it on a 1 to 2 minute road test, but the car sat in the shop beyond that. but she'll have him call me tomorrow. worse part of it, the odometer not working was one of the problems i mentioned on that list i gave him, so i don't know if i dug my own grave with that. do you guys think i have any recourse? my dad says i'm screwed and my mom feels i should approach him and if it means suing him, so be it. i know my dad is probably right cuz the car is old and i have no proof of what it was doing before, etc, especially with the odometer being busted. but i cant let him get away with this. what do yall think? thanks for reading this long story.

depami

Sorry about your troubles but don’t bother talking to this guy again, he obviously doesn’t know how to work on these cars. It takes an actual “928 mechanic” to work on these cars. Don’t take this car anywhere else until you do some research, not even a Porsche dealer.

Post your location and your car information. Make it part of your signature.

If we know where you are located, someone may be able to recommend a competent 928 mechanic.

Start by reading all the sticky threads at the top of this forum. If at all possible, learn to do your own work. With a little wrenching ability and the help of this forum it’s usually not that difficult to keep one of these cars running


Best of luck on getting your car in shape.

Imo000

Sounds like you know very little about fixing cars, yet you are acusing him with things you have zero proof of. You wanted to save money by letting him do the work, under the table, and when things didn't work out as planned, now you want to sue him for what exactly, not fixing your car? Sell the car before you get any more upside down and buy a realible daily driver.

SeanR

I'm not quite understanding what you are going to sue him for.

Have you paid for a certain, invoiced amount of work and do you have receipts for all of the work done? What exactly were you wanting fixed, what did he fix etc.

As for mechanics driving the cars, this is a expected, how else are they to find out if the car is working.

ETA: From looking at the engine pictures, you need a lot of work done on that car, it's a fire waiting to happen.

jcb928

You wanted $3500 for the car before but now it is worth maybe $1500 as a project or parts car.

Lawyers cost money and then you might have a 30% chance of winning and collecting.

Dump the car move on and buy a Toyota.

robot808

I'm puzzled as to why you think he has been joyriding. Joyriding doesn't cause these problems. I don't think you have much of a case, so personally I don't think a lawsuit is a real option. I think the choice you have is to fix it, or sell it to someone who will.

etmracing

That's what you get going shadetree. As a shop owner stories like this make me laugh. Next time take it to a professional or go buy a Taurus.

Mrmerlin

Welcome to the board.
since your 1985 isnt running well and you know it,
you now need to figure out if your going to proceed with repair or sell.

FIRST you need to read the FAQ at the top of the page it will take some time, but less than a week.
Once you have done that then you will be in a better position to decide what you should do.
Since you sound like its easier for you to write a check then open a tool box maybe this isnt the project you should be taking on,
You should note owning an old worn out broken down maintenance deferred 928 takes perseverance and knowledge, plus you need to know your way around a tool box.
If your missing any of the above you will soon find yourself under water.

That said you should open the hood and see if the power steering fluid is leaking onto the manifold,
it will usually leak from the pressure line that runs next to the left hand coil and drip onto the exhaust manifold,

If fluid is leaking
THEN
either dont run the engine
OR cut the power steering belt off so the car can be driven.

Post the location of where you live so others may be able to assist you in diagnosing your project.

Good luck and SRSLY read the FAQ it will give you more info than most of the mechanics you have taken your car to will know

fbarnhill

Well, I am a shadetree mechanic and I think a pretty good one. Of course, all I work on is my 928 and have for almost 20 years. That being said, when someone won't return your calls, you know they are avoiding something. And, yes, I take my car to a professional 982 mechanic with a fantastic reputation when there is something I can't or shouldn't do myself. I love working on my car almost as much as driving it and my mechanic knows it. Anyone need one here in NC, the one that I like is Ray Munsch. Find one with a good rep. If he loves the sharks as much as you do, you will be surprised at ways they can find to save you $$$. In the long run, it is worth it to go to the best.

Sorry for your issues but I guess I agree with the guys above, get your car fixed and drive it for the next 20 years. That way you get your $$$ out of it.

daleyz765

thanks for the responses, guys. and for reading my long story. ironically, most of the things on that list i gave him to fix were things i've been living with since i bought the car in May 2008. the hatch popping open when hitting bumps, the radio not working (recent issue), a couple of dashboard bulbs being out, etc. the a/c not working and power steering leak have also been happening since i bought the car, but they weren't critical. i just throw on a t-shirt when it's hot out, warn the girls there's no a/c, and just refill the steering fluid once a week. but of course, i figured with summer coming up and me turning 30 this time, let me once and for all after 4 years, fix these problems since i found "the guy".

the end result is puffs of white smoke from the engine, rough idle at 800 rpm, and really rough, slow acceleration. it feels as if driving an all terrain vehicle on a gravel road. like the poor thing is struggling. i feel in my heart that the car was pushed to its limit or something to that effect in the time he had the car. i never bothered fixing the stuff i mentioned before throughout the 4 years i've had it, mostly because the car drove really well in terms of just no frills basic driving. and i was fortunate that was the case, especially since i bought a car my parents were upset that i bought in the first place, especially at the age of 25.

there were a couple other cues i noticed before, during, and after i picked the car up that didn't seem odd to me at the time. i was thinking that day, maybe i'm reading too much into it. but now make sense in hindsight piece-ing the puzzle together of if he or his young kid accomplice knew about what happened. his only words to me when i left was the leak should be okay, but if it leaks again, let him know. the leak is the same as before. and nothing else on that list, except him adding r134a into the a/c, was fixed because i decided to take it from him after 5 weeks of nothing being done. trust me, i know had no business buying an old 928, so young, and not so financially secure. my dad actually saw a 350Z in the parking lot at the time that he thought i should get if i wanted a sports car so bad. but of course, i had my mind made up. now i went from having a 928 with a few problems to now a 928 that i can barely drive anymore. especially since these issues seem like they're all coming from the engine. the one part on a 928 that to fix probably costs more than the car itself. i feel like i'm dreaming.

M. Requin

Honestly, I think your best recourse is to sell this car.

fbarnhill

Or, get determined not to let the car beat you. If you can turn a wrench and read a manual and follow directions, then you can find writeups for just about every task you listed. These cars are famous or should I say infamous for some of the things you listed. They are old cars, It is amazing they have lasted this long. I have an 86.5 with much the same engine as yours. Your car probably needs, tuneup, water pump/timing belt if it hasn't been done and an intake refresh. Get a list of priorities from 'serious' to 'can live with' and start your work. The good news is that once you have fixed one of these components, you won't have to do it again for a very long time. Also, you will feel great about having something that not too many other people out there have and that you keep it on the road yourself (And your Rennlist friends). There are guys on this list tnat can fix these things with blindfolds on. Just be patient, do your homework and these guys will most always help you out or point you in a direction to look.

However, if these things realy intimidate you and you just want something to go from A to B, then you should definately sell the car.

Good luck,

curtisr

Daley,

You had every right to buy a 928. I am sorry that your willingness to trust someone hasn't gone the way that, frankly, anyone would have hoped/expected. Anyways, do post your address and perhaps someone here can drop by to have a look. You can also advertise for a mechanic who can demonstrate his or her expertise. I'm sure that it won't set you back too much for a once-over.

As a quick suggestion, the white smoke could be a sign of a greater issue, namely, coolant burning. If you haven't done so already, check to make sure that it isn't getting into the oil. The drip may be easily cured by throwing in a can of stop-leak oil additive. Today's oil, for the most part, do not have the necessary swellers to keep the seals at an appropriate size. Anyways, this is cheap, won't hurt and can yield fantastic results.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Roger C

soupcan

You have much bigger problems than your 928 if as it would appear you still live at home with your parents at the age of 30.

robot808

That's a bit harsh.