i've got a 97 Cobra that needed motor mounts. shop charging $170 labor.
when jacking up the motor, some stud punctures the heater core hose (small snakely hose at the firewall).
they want me to pay for replacement parts & labor because it's a common occurrance. another $85-170 labor.
is this valid?
No. Guess they for got to take the hoses of first, at least loosen one end. Call another shop to verify too.
If it's that common of an occurrence, then the Dilbert that did the job should have known to take steps to prevent it.
If something is suffering from old age.... say we have a corroded brake line and we're changing a wheel cylinder, we might expect that we are going to damage the steel brake line..... If that happens, it's going to be a customer pay thing.
If, however, one of our techs has a lapse of common sense and damages a serviceable part, it makes good business sense to own up to the error and minimize the customers inconvenience (not to mention it is the moral thing to do).
Without seeing the nature of the damage and the general condition of the parts involved, it is hard to comment further....
It's only a common occurrence if the shop doesn't have the foresight to remove the hoses before they jack up the engine. As for paying, you have to decide if it's worth putting up the fuss/cash to get your work done. My gut feeling is they'll continue to charge you for any/ everything thing else that's a "common occurrence" instead of taking more care/thought in their work processes. That said, I'd probably pay the cost and then next time find a new/smarter shop/mechanic to do your work.
Question: Why did you need new motor mounts?
Patrick
Exactly. IMHO the mechanic should have removed the hose and if you was brittle and cracked with age he should have said so up front.
I get ripped off all the time by the dealer and there's nothing I can do about it. amanda
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