My mechanic messed up and cost me 10 grand

Submitted: Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 11:06

ThreadID: 80988 Views:4869 Replies:6 FollowUps:7

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kingkennas

Hi all

Nearly 2 years ago, I posted a thread 'Overheating car that mechanics can't fix'

Thread number 63606

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/63606/Overheating_car_that_mechanics_cant_fix.aspx.

I know it's been a while but I thought some of you may like to know what I found and I don't want the same thing to happen to you.

I had a dual fuel auto SWB GQ. I got sick of my gas giving me troubles, so I switched to an diesel auto SWB GQ (Safari).

I had to get a mechanic to swap the diff locks from my old one onto my new one.

They didn't swap the diff locks though, they swapped the diffs, one problem though, diff ratios. The diesels have got lower diff ratios than petrols.

When I drove the diesel out, I could have sworn it was slower and when I drove the petrol out, I could have sworn it was faster.

I mentioned this to them and they said that it may have been tyre pressures or something. I took their word for it.

For years, I had the slowest GQ in the world, auto, diesel, no turbo, 33 muds with the wrong diff ratios making it 35's.

I had a dangerous lack of engine braking with the high gear ratios auto GQ with 35's in simple terms and lost count of the number of times I lost control going down hills.

My gear ratios were a mess on road and off road, like on the highway I was either doing 1600 rpm slowing down for a bump in the road or 2800 rpm, couldn't win.

I had terrrrrrrible fuel mileage.

For a couple of years, it was overheating and different mechanics to the first one gave me about $5000 worth of trial and error bills to try and fix it, nothing worked. Plus I lost a head gasket with it overheating.

I did about 2000 km getting to and from the mechanics and a lot of days off work.

We found the problem eventually. The new owner of my petrol one went to the same mechanic that did most of the work on mine and he said that it was always working hard on the highway, I had the opposite problem.

The mechanic checked the diff ratios on both of them and found that they were both wrong.

My engine was under too much load. First it had 33's, the it had the wrong diff ratios making it 35, then it was an old technology automatic making it about 37's.

It's just like most cars you go bolting 37's on without lowering the diff ratios end up overheating.

I then had to spend another couple of grand fixing the diff ratios. After that, it was fine.

I offered to do it for the petrol one, but he was happy because he could bolt 33's on and be laughing.

With all the repairs, (about $1700),
the trial and error trying to fix it (about $5000),
the extra wear and tear car (hard to say how much),
the extra fuel (about $1000),
lowering the diff ratios (about $1900),
the time off work and the cost of driving the 150 km return journey from this mechanic from my regional area,
I'd say all up, this cost me about 10 grand.

How's that for mechanics messing up? They messed up and it cost me about 10 grand and sooooo much hassle and gave me a very underpowered and bad car.

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Reply By: ben_gv3 - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 11:36

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 11:36

That's an expensive lesson.

Speaking as the devil's advocate I would say you should've done your research first and checked the diff ratios between the petrol and diesel. I don't know of any car that has the same ratios between the petrol/diesel models.

having changed tyre sizes myself I made sure I knew about diff ratios first.

A lesson for all though.

AnswerID: 428605

Follow Up By: kingkennas - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:14

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:14

Yea I maybe should have known / done my research but the four wheel drive specialist who put the $3500 diff locks on the petrol one and then cost me something like $1000 to swap them absolutely most definitely should have known.

Remember I did go back to them and say that some thing's not right.

Remember everyone the one who did the diff locks was a different one to the one trying to fix the overheating (went to a few radiator specialists to). I swapped mechanics because of all the things they messed up on.

Like when I put the diff locks on the petrol before I had the diesel, when I was driving home, it started making a real loud sound and everyone was blocking their ears. I pulled over to check it out and they'd left one hub engaged and one disengaged and I drove about 100 km like that.

Things like that.

FollowupID: 699318

Reply By: kingkennas - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:06

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:06

One thing about it that made even more of a mess, there was the odd thing popping up that caused / contributed to overheating to, like viscous couplings that had past their use by date, a broken head gasket (caused by the overheating)

Soooo many times, we found something not right and we thought we'd found the problem and danced around in circles and thought we'd fixed it, but the next hot day we had, I was on the phone making a booking for the mechanic.

I had smaller road tyres on it for a short period and it was still overheating, but this must have been caused by something else. Sure it had 31's, but technically it had 33's with the wrong diff ratios, whether or not it's a problem, it wouldn't help.

A lot of confusion.

With mechanics, it's not just the quality of their repairs and maintenance and knowledge, it's their skills on assessing the problem.

I this case, mechanics couldn't assess the problem, in which case, they couldn't fix it.

There were a million problems because they couldn't assess it and therefore couldn't fix it.

AnswerID: 428614

Follow Up By: 3GoBush - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:08

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:08

I have a quick fix for you.

Buy a Toyota.

FollowupID: 699322

Reply By: olcoolone - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:16

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:16

Didn't you click when you got the Patrol back and your revs to speed was way out, this I would expect to be very noticeable.

I would be annoyed with your first mechanic but I would be more annoyed with the second one who charged you 5 grand for trying to fix something that wasn't broken.

If you thought it was under powered a $100 run on a dyno would of showed different, you could of compared power figures with a standard one.

But end of the day the first mechanic should of checked diff ratios with the one thats can out of it...just in case.

AnswerID: 428617

Follow Up By: kingkennas - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:30

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 13:30

Not only did I notice, I noticed there was something not right when I stuck it in drive and was driving out of the factory, I wasn't even on the road yet.

I didn't jump to conclusions yet, but when I was driving it home and it was slow and underpowered, I called them immediately when I got back.

They said that there's no reason why that could happen, to which I figured all the ratios and everything were the same (just listening to my mechanic).

When I drove the petrol one home a few days later, it was a rocket. Same thing, they said that there's no reason why that could happen.

They were blaming that I was just used to the petrol and bought a diesel and kept swapping back and forth between the cars at one stage, so they seemed faster and slower. Again, I listened to the mechanic and took their word for it because they're supposed to know more than me.

I tried.

FollowupID: 699324

Reply By: kcandco - Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 15:07

Friday, Aug 27, 2010 at 15:07

I think there are a lot of people who feel just the same as you. Over the years i have had rags left in engine bay loose, air filter loose, bolts half put in, wiring harness swinging in the breeze, wiring looms not plugged back in, tools left in various places (I have a collection), plug leads not put back on properly, broken radiator mounts, loose wheel nuts, overtightened wheel nuts, new battery installed only to have car not start and find old battery still fitted, and wheel alignment only done one side. There could be others.. the biggest bill due to someone else's stuffup being $1100, but could not prove the mechanic had stuffed up!! Thats why I try to do all my work myself. I may not be a rocket scientist but i know how to tighten a bolt and plug in a connection. I am still looking for a reliable mechanic......
kC

AnswerID: 428625

Follow Up By: roberttbruce - Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 10:39

Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 10:39

X2 KC, DIYing or Trade Assisting is the only way to go, is the only way you'll know

FollowupID: 699456

Reply By: Member - Doug T (NT) - Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 14:42

Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 14:42

You mention in your post....

( I had to get a mechanic to swap the diff locks from my old one onto my new one. They didn't swap the diff locks though, they swapped the diffs,)

So ...what happened to the Diff Locks, the other fella must have them, no wonder he didn't want to change,

.

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AnswerID: 428751

Follow Up By: kingkennas - Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 20:54

Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 20:54

No

My old one was a SWB dual fuel and my new one was a SWB diesel and I had to get the mechanic to swap the diff locks from my old one onto my new one, in other words, the dual fuel to the diesel.

They didn't pull the diff locks out of one diff and put them in the other, they swapped the whole diff over thinking that it was quicker and easier.

So the my new diesel had my diff locks, but it had the high diff ratios of a petrol and the dual fuel one had the lower diff ratios of the diesel.

The swapped the whole diff and diff locks at once, theyh should have pulled the diff locks out of the diffs on the petrol one and stuck it into the diffs on the diesel one.

FollowupID: 699528

Follow Up By: Lex M (Brisbane) - Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 21:46

Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 21:46

No experience with difflocks.
What sort of diff locks can you swap from diff to diff?

FollowupID: 699532

Follow Up By: kingkennas - Sunday, Aug 29, 2010 at 08:09

Sunday, Aug 29, 2010 at 08:09

ARB Air Lockers

Other mechanics apart from the ones who messed up have said that they should have taken the diff locks out of the petrol diffs and put them in the diesel diffs.

They're different diff ratios, but generally they're the same diff design, just the teeth on one section are smaller and closer together.

Even if you can't, they still shouldn't have done this.

I seriously would have been better off buying diff locks all over again.

At least if I didn't swap them, I would have got about $1500 more for my petrol one when I sold it.

But like I say, other mechanics apart the stupid ones have said that I can swap the air lockers between patrol diffs even with different diff ratios.

FollowupID: 699544

Reply By: Member - Geoff H (QLD) - Sunday, Aug 29, 2010 at 10:01

Sunday, Aug 29, 2010 at 10:01

Unfortunately some mechanics are really only fitters, they don't understand how a vehicle works and can't understand anything that is not standard.

If it's not in the manual they are stumped.

I have now found a mechanic who understands vehicles and can speak in everyday terms.

Regards
Geoff

AnswerID: 428805