I'm not really sure how to feel about this one. Let me start off with I found a new mechanic a few weeks ago who seemed fair/smart. He did my brake pads, new rotors, shimmed my starter, and fixed my trunk latch for $174 labor(not including parts). Anyways he asked me when my next oil change was due, which was coming up and said he'd do it for free - anyways the day after the oil change I start hearing a 'chirping' noise from the rear of my car on every bump I hit - let it go for a couple days seeing if it would go away or what but every bump/vibration made it chirp which kinda freaked me. Anyways the other day I turn on the car and I can hear it so I trace it back to a hole in my rear passenger exhaust pipe.

Anyways the hole had been in that pipe forever, however NOW there was a PERFECT V cut into the top of it and bent out at a 90 degree angle to rub on the hanger it had broken from originally and cause that damn annoying sound... Any logical person that didn't know they had a hole in their exhaust that saw that woulda been all 'Oh that thingy supporting my exhaust pipe must have broken recently and is now making that sound - I had better take my car over to my mechanic so he can fix it!' Except I had known it was their forever - I literally took pictures of it before and posted it on this very forum so I know It's been tampered with and I don't see any way in hell a PERFECT straight V cut could have formed and then somehow bent upwards to rub on that hangar thing!! And the coincidence of that impossibility happening the same day I have my car worked on?? yeah right!!

I'm so maad. My girlfriend wouldn't even believe me!! She's all 'why do you even take your car to these places if your just gonna claim they're sabotaging your car?' That comment really wanted to make me kick her *** out of my house(we've been together 4 years)... I am so fed up with people seeing me and thinking I'm this dumbass punk kid. And then he has the ***** to actually CUT into my exhaust pipe... Oh I wanna go up there and smack that guy with my 28 oz hammer!!

 

Learn to do your own maintenance work.

 

I agree. Spend a few dollars on a Service Manual and some tools and only take it somewhere for special stuff you cant do yourself.

 

That is messed up, but I agree. I only take my car to shops for stuff like paint, body work. I am going to have a friend weld in my roll cage. But Other then that stuff I do everything.

 

Any way that perfect cut could be a split instead? And is it possible that maybe when the mechanic put your car on a lift, that one of the arms could have been pushing up on the already weakened pipe and bent/split it open? Just seems like a strange spot to be sabotaging something.

 

I don't know what happened but I can tell you I have been in and around the trade for 25 years and there are a lot of shady things mechanic to to make a buck, this one is new to me. Unless the place sells custom exhaust system exhaust work it makes no sence. Exhaust work is seen by most of us as something we have to do. To damage something that was already damaged does not make any sence either. Why not just tell you your exhause has a hole and needs replaces? But to get a cutter out and risk being seen by you and damage an already damaged part seems very risky.

Normal money making scams would be draining the AC line So you think your need a ac repair, Splashing oil to make it look like and oil leak. Quick easy fixes that you can charge alot for or an easy to change part that has a large markup, like a alternator. I would classify your repair as a low profit pain in the butt job.

Camaro69 Lift theory has merit. I have seen some pretty straight "tears" cause near exhaust supports by a miss adjusted lifts.

 

So Gorn, which was your favorite technique? I be kidding, of course!

 

Hmmm.. I hope it was an accident, if a lift did it wouldn't that bend/scratch up the pipe a little bit? Theres no damage except in the exhaust leak.

 

AC work is the biggest rip off in the industry, You don't even have to fake anything. I used to love this time a year when i was flat rate. I was working on 3 cars at a time an in many cases I was being paid for all three. I could turn a 90 hour week in 40 hours. And it was simple, semi-clean work that seldom had any of that non-paid trouble shooting time in there unlike driveablity issues I worked on the rest of the year

I was always of the mind set that there is enough broken cars out there I really don't need to add to my work load. As a general rule the guys that do this stuff are lazy. Thats why screwing up a exhaust system on a 10-15 year old car does not make sence. That is real work to fix that.

 

For $174 you received

labor to remove/replace rotors
remove/replace pads

We don't know if it's 4 wheels or just the fronts but that doesn't matter

removal and reinstallation of your starter

repairing rear hatch

an oil change


And you feel betrayed????

May I suggest a $2 pair of pliers at Walmart, slide under the exhaust and bend the metal yourself


and then go kiss the butt of that mechanic who frankly, you screwed, not the other way around