Recently took a 95 Grand Am to a Mom and Pop garage. Power steering fluid was leaking but I couldn't find the leak. Ended up being a power steering line with a pinhole in it that was spraying onto hot engine and smoking underhood. Mechanic proceeded to later say that PS pump was leaking as well (although I wasn't convinced that he didn't break it while removing/replacing new line because it was not leaking prior to bringing it in). Got the vehicle back, mechanic said we might still hear the whining noise the pump makes because there might still be air in the lines even though he bled them twice. "The air will work itself out". Got in the car and noticed that the steering seemed more smooth than when we brought it in. GREAT! Problem solved...until I drove it 15 miles back home and nearly took out the mailbox because I couldn't turn into the driveway. Mechanic DROVE (NOT towed) the car back to their garage the next morning to fix whatever they didn't fix the first time. Mechanic called and said the rack was shot and it got that way because we drove the car without PS fluid PRIOR to bringing it in the first time.
Is this possible? Small claims court date is Sept. 19th and after a call from the owner of the garage who stated "we didn't do anything wrong and we wouldn't have caught it if something was wrong with the rack because there was no fluid in it when you brought it"-I have a feeling he's going to try and car-talk his way out of it (a battle he might win because neither I nor the Magistrate would know anything he is talking about). 1-there WAS fluid in it, 2-it was NEVER driven w/o fluid, 3-the mechanic and the owner have two different stories, 4-even if there WAS no fluid in it, they had to put fluid in it to see where the leak was anyway. GRRR
Any help at all would be MORE than appreciated!