Caravan COLD Engine Oil Leak?? Help!!

yeah i called and got a quote on a radiator on the better half's car once. 2 days later she called them herself to confirm it. they quoted her a price

any number of things could be causing the hard starting issue, so we don't know yet if its something he did on this latest visit. but while you are having a reputable shop fix the oil leak, I'd ask them to check the timing as well, to make sure he didnt get the belt out of time, or mess up the belt tensioner causing the hard start.

I agree will Bill on this one. I would suggest starting with a reputable shop. Since your name is Michelle, I am guessing that you are female, and some shops take avantage of this. I am surprised that he made repairs without your authorization. In most states this is illegal, and you should not have to pay for the repairs, that you did not authorize.

If your city has a news station with a reporter that specializes in consumer issues, it by be worth referring the matter to them. If nothing else, it will warn others so they hopefully won't fall prey to this guy. There is also the Better Business Bureau, that you can refer the matter too.

KM

I don't think he did anything on purpose, from the sounds of your story, he appears to be completely incompetent. Fits in with the 'being cheap' thing, he has low expectations of himself and charges accordingly.

I totally believe that this guy took advantage of me because I am female. I mean like I said, I brought the car back to him for the third time in less than a week, so that he can fix the oil leak, and he ends up "topping off the fluids, cleaning the brakes, and changing the spark plugs", all because he "had the car there".

Plus, like I said, shouldn't the oil filter have been changed the 1ST TIME when he charged me the $850 for the "crank seal" and "timing belt" repair???

He claimed that the "OUTSIDE of the filter looked clean", so he didn't change the oil filter. Then when I told him that I wanted the oil filter changed, he said "okay, but it's gonna be another $20 bucks".

Then he puts on some oil filter called "ProMotive" which I never even heard of before???

Like I said, this guy is a mechanic at a used car dealership on the side of the road. And its not some big name place, its a little used car dealership with like 10 cars in the lot.

So I know the guy took me for a ride and ripped me off because I am female. Heck, I go to pick up my car, and the guy is stuffing his face with a party size pizza and a 6 pack of Miller Lite.

Stuffing his face and sucking down beers with my money!!!!!!

here's what i found

ProMotive OIL FILTERS (manufactured by Purolator / Bosch)

must be a no name budget line of filters they make

Well anyway, I am sorry to her that all this happened to you. Most people like to think that they will be treated fairly and with respect when doing business, but that's obviously not the case. Feel free to ask this group questions before getting work done. I have been on this group for more than 15 years, and I have picked up a lot of useful information, that has really helped when I have had to do repairs myself, or had them done by others.

KM

I would not have paid for the extra work that he claims he did. I would have left and had an attorney threaten to sue him. He probably would get nervous and would have returned you car for the twenty dollars he orginally quoted.

If I was you, I would get the vehicle fixed at the new mechanic your aunt brings her car to. Have them give you a itemized receipt of what they did. If they have to repair what the so called shade tree mechanic worked on then I would file a claim against this guy in small claims court. Use teh itemize receipt from the second mechanic as your proof that he did not repair what he said he did. I would go after not only the orginal repair cost but also the cost of fixing his mistakes.

As some suggested calling an action reporter from a local TV news crew or getting a newspaper to write an article on his buisness practices might put some pressure on him.

One option someone else mention is the BBB. I find this organization pretty much useless as if he does answer their complaint and you are not satisfied with his answer through them, They will consider the case closed but complaint would not accept answer given.

I would rather contact my state attorney general and speak with someone in comsumer fraud division. They may be interested in checking thsi guy out if he does not repair what he screwed up in the first place and he he does repairs without authorization. This may put him out of business are at least make him more willing to reimburse you for some of your cost.

UNLESS the mechanic pulled the engine and the oil pan, the "rear crank seal" or "rear main seal" would NOT have been on the agenda--period. When the front "timing cover" is removed from the engine to replace the timing chain, that cover also has the "front crankshaft seal" (a lip seal) installed in it, so THAT is the one that was most probably replaced. By "front", I mean the end of the engine that has the belts on it, usually facing toward the passenger-side front wheel.

Replacing that seal involves pressing the old one out and tapping the new seal assembly in. Not a terribly time-consuming job, but it can take a little while to do.

This is a "lip seal" which constantly contacts the front nose of the crankshaft. Unless there's a deep groove worn (from the earlier seal) in the area the seal would contact, there's usually not a leak there with a new seal. If a "wear groove" might exist, there are "sleeves" which can be placed over the area on the crankshaft so the new seal will work well. Also, some brands of replacement seals move the seal itself back a small amount to get to an "unworn" area of the crankshaft nose so the possibility of leaks will be diminished.

If the fuel pump for your vehicle is in the tank, it can be a much more labor-intensive job than many might suspect. Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds/gallon, so a 15 gallon tank (for example) can be pretty heavy to deal with, in addition to the weight of the tank itself. Want to try to deal with a 100 pound bulky item, even with an appropriate transmission or fuel tank jack? Not to mention getting into where the fuel lines attach, or the electric harness going to the sending unit! $500.00 for labor might equate to 5-6 hours of work, just to get the tank out of the vehicle. Having to deal with the gasoline already in the tank, siphon/drain it out, store it, then possibly reinstall it can easily take several hours just for those things!

On many middle 1990s GM Suburbans, to replace the in-tank fuel pump and the related sending unit, it could easily be $800.00 for parts and labor . . about 10 years ago.

What makes the fuel pumps go away is the fuel filter that slowly clogs up and makes the pump work harder. On many Chrysler products, there is no inline filter as it's part of the sending unit in the tank. Keep the fuel filter changed and it should delay any future problems.

Be MORE concerned that your long-time mechanic is doing you a good job on these "first time" maintenance items. NOTHINGS cheap to fix anymore, especially if you pay somebody to do them.

The value of the vehicle compared to what you've spent on it is irrelevant. They might not increase the resale value, but having them NOT done can certainly decrease it when you might want to sell it.

Now that you've had these things done, be sure to TAKE CARE of your Chrysler product and it'll continue to take care of you. Sure, there will be some maintenance issues as time progresses, but they'll sure be less expensive than monthly car payments and higher insurance rates for a newer (and higher value) vehicle!

C-BODY

And engine oil and oil filter change are NOT part of the front crankshaft seal replacement labor operation--they're extra.

When you checked the oil and found the "debris" on the dipstick, whether such items are "hard" or "soft" can determine where they came from and what they might be. Disintegrating gasket parts, of which there should not have been many, considering where the only gasket is in that situation, will usually be larger than what you have described OR would come up on the dipstick. It's probably engine deposits from the front cover breaking loose from the engine block, which should be generally "soft" rather than otherwise. If you press them between your fingers, they should smush out.

As for the other unapproved services he performed, your local municipality should have some laws about "unapproved repair work" being performed. In some towns, the shop can go 10% over on the actual cost of the repair work, from the prior estimate, before approval is needed to do further work. IF they don't get the approval, the customer is not liable to pay for the additional charges.

Naturally, in your case, you didn't have time to press the issue, with no paper estimate being offered, just verbal, so you paid and felt fortunate to be through with that deal that day. Still, though, you might check with the municipality the shop is located in to verify any further course of action you might have.

Might it be possible that this whole oil leak issue might have been because the crankcase was too full to begin with, and especially afterward?

Generally, it's better to look for an oil leak on an overhead lift. Where it drips from might not really be where it's coming from. Usually, though, wet oil on the engine comes from somewhere and where that trail might originate would not be revealed by the cardboard method. Similarly, though, there should have been oil drops on the concrete or other surface where the vehicle was parked--the cardboard just made it easier for you to see.

It looks like your normal mechanic was trying to do you a favor for recommending another mechanic "on the cheap",but "cheap" is not always better . . . in the long run.

In general, the more substantial the repair shop is, the greater recourse you might have in getting poor repairs fixed. Most will not take jobs they can't do or don't have people trained/experienced to do them. Smaller private shops can just as easily tell you to get lost, but chains or dealerships can't do that nearly as easily if a repair has been poorly done.

ALSO, with all due respect, a used car dealer's used car mechanic is probably going to be more experienced in "flat-rating" repairs than taking a little extra time to do them "as specified". If it's a smaller dealership, there probably can be more "patching" being done rather than "fixing", many times.

On many of the front and rear crankshaft seals, there can be some "knurling" on the inner surface of the seal to help deflect oil back into the motor before the actual lip on the seal would come into play. If the seal is put in backward (usually can't be done as it looks wrong compared to how the old one was installed), then oil leaks can happen. But it might be "cocked" rather than "square".

End result, you'd better find somebody else at a reputable shop . . . even IF they might be more expensive . . . to get you a written estimate of what it'll take to get your vehicle repaired so it acts correctly and doesn't leak oil. THEN use that estimate should you go to small claims court as your "real damages". If you had to rent a vehicle to get around while your vehicle was under repair, bring those receipts too! You might also be able to get a reasonable "pain and suffering"-type of award for the time you didn't have your vehicle. Unfortunately, the total amount might exceed what some small claims courts might have jurisdiction over.

When a mechanic charges you for looking at a vehicle, that's called "check out time" and is a valid charge. Usually, if they repair the vehicle, that charge is waived. Still, their time is valuable and is worth something, even if they might be a shyster.

I concur with Putney that the transmission issue might not have been a "replacement" issue, but it could have been. No way to know that, now, though.

Regards,

C-BODY

Thanks, but that was 'Daniel who wants to know' who said that.