roxics

So I've taken my car into this shop three times after my girlfriend took her car in there and everything went great. The first time I took in my 98 Civic, it was for an electrical problem which they fixed that another shop couldn't figure out. All is well. But the second time I took it in was to have a subframe replaced and when I got my car back the power locks didn't work anymore, the speakers all stopped working a few days later and a week or so later my power steering fluid had all leaked out. I figured that maybe these are just coincidences, this is an old car. But I also thought that maybe they had messed a few things up accidently when replacing the subframe.

I just took my car in again to get the clutch fixed and got it back yesterday. Today I notice the engine heat guage is no longer moving and I'm getting very little heat, even after my trip to work which is enough time for it to heat up. Granted it's been really cold the last few days. So maybe that's just the problem. But interestingly enough I have a Licoln LS with a broken heater core that I told the mechanic about the day I took my Civic in. Part of me wonders if this isn't accidental and if they messed with the heating in my Honda just so I would bring one of those cars back in. A way to get repeat business. Although a very bad way. I'm just guessing here. I have no evidence.

But let's imagine that is what happened, what could they have done to make my engine guage/heat output on my civic do what it's doing or rather, not doing?

To be fair though, the things I bring in to get fixed, do get fixed. The car feels better on the new sub frame and the clutch feels nice now. So maybe it is just coincidental, but after two times that seems like a long shot to me. At best I'd say accidental.

Former User

This is a discussion you should first have with your mechanic.

roxics

Yeah I'm going to call him and tell him about the heat issue suddenly not working after getting it back yesterday. But if he's not a straight shooter, how would I even know?

What I'm looking for in this thread are suggestions of problems that could contribute to this outcome. Maybe (hopefully) something I mght be able to fix myself easily. Could it be a thermostat? If so which one and where is it? How hard is it to replace a heater core on this car?

Former User

If you don't trust him, then find another mechanic.

Start by bleeding the cooling system. If the problem persists, then replace the thermostat.

Do you have any experience working on cars? Do you have any tools? Are you really interested in learning?

baller status

Your original problem was electrical, appeared to be fixed, but now your new problems are electrical and seemingly unrelated to your later repairs. Sounds like the original problem creeping back up again.

The gauge sending unit wire could have been damaged or left unplugged during a clutch replacement, but you should still get heat.

The power steering fluid is probably related to the subframe but I highly doubt it's intentional. I can't see any business attempting to operate this way. People would catch on real quick. Besides that, you don't have to damage cars to get business - cars need constant maintenance. You do a good repair and people will come back. You do a shoddy repair or cause new issues, people will go somewhere else.

Be very careful about making accusations about things that you don't really understand. Just explain the problems and give them a chance to rectify them. If you make an *** of yourself, you'll be on your own to fix the car.

crazyhouse2011

Well said. I've made this mistake many times in the past, when everything seemed perfectly lined up that I was intentionaly shafted, and I set off on someone, only to find out I overlooked a detail or two and it was actually NOT their fault, or even worse, my OWN fault.

OP make sure you talk to him first. If he offers to correct his mistakes free of charge or at a reduced rate, you're pretty much okay. But be careful of accusing him of anything.

Tyler Dirden

iTrader: (3)

Is it just me or did Crazy get a brain for Christmas? I mean his responses are much more appropriate and thoughtful. Way to go Crazy.

Former User

B serious

iTrader: (1)

I would accuse the mechanic of witchcraft.

Your problems are scattered enough that they don't really seem related. Infact...they seem like problems that would surface situationally.

You bent your subframe....which means you probably crashed the car. This may explain the power steering leak....and possibly some of the electrical issues.

Did you have the other issues fixed? Or just rollin out, as is?

Your heat issue probably just popped up because, as you said, it's colder out than usual. Your thermostat has likely been failing for a while and you just didn't notice.

So....for sure the mechanic is definitely 100% a witch.

Former User

crazyhouse2011

Look out, you got a potential lover here, apparently.

Former User

I like slomo, but I don't know whether he's just setting me up for a sneak attack.

roxics

No the subframe was rusted out when I bought the car. I just didn't know it at the time. One guy I had look at it said it looked like it had just been sitting in a field or something during the hot and cold just rusting out underneath. I'm not really a car guy other than the fact that I like to drive them when the conditions are right. I've swapped out alternators, brake pads, spark plugs, etc. but I don't really know what to look for when buying a used car. it was a $1700 car with 200K miles on it so I knew it would need some work here and there. So far I've dropped about $2200 into it in the two years I've had it.

But yeah I may have jumped the gun a bit. I didn't really think too hard about the fact that when I dropped it off it was 30 degrees out and when I got it back it's been in the single digits all week. One degrees out today. Apparently my drive to work which is normally long enough to heat my car up about halfway there, takes even longer to heat up than it does to get there in this weather. I tested that out this afternoon when I went home for lunch and left the car running for 20 minutes while I was inside. I came back out and it was nice and toasty and the temp guage had gone up a little past the C mark. But as I got on the freeway and it started dropping all the way down to the bottom.

I'm not sure it should be dropping that low even in this weather, but I'm not going to call the guy up over this anymore. My initial emotional reaction was what it was, but I cooled off and thought it through logically. Luckily before I called the guy up to complain.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

For that, either your car doesn't have a thermostat, or the thermostat is stuck open. That's easy to fix - replace it with a new, OEM thermostat.