long story, short question at the end....

About 6 months ago, my thermostat and radiator needed replaced. So I took my baby to the radiator shop (one of the few in town), and explained to them the problems. They gave me a quote for a new thermostat & radiator. I brought the car back a few days later and left it with them while I went to work. After my shift, I picked up the car and everything appeared fine.

A few days later, while I'm driving down the highway, the car starts running a little warm, so I parked the car to check it out. As soon as I get out, I smell burnt antifreeze and a sizzling sound. I pop the hood and see a ton of antifreeze leaking from the thermostat housing. I call a tow truck. By the time the tow truck shows up, the radiator is empty and the parking lot is green.

Once I get it to the radiator shop, they tell me an old seal failed. They replaced it, flushed the system, and put new antifreeze/water in. I drive for a few days and car starts running warm again. I park the car and the same ****, antifreeze leaking from where the top radiator hose meets the block. Again, I have the car towed to the radiator shop.

They say the leak is in the hose, cut 1.5" off the end of the hose (where it was corroded and falling apart). Then, they reattached the hose, and replaced the antifreeze/water.

When I picked the car up the final time, I noticed that the hose clamps on my CAI had been moved/adjusted. I asked them about this and tell they me that they had to remove the CAI to get to the thermostat. I say ok and pay them. Few days later, I'm checking my oil and I start finding loose pieces from my CAI just sitting in the engine bay. I look further and find that the radiator fans aren't screwed in, except with 1 screw. I wrote it off as retarded geezers that shouldn't be in the automotive business and my own fault for not replacing the **** myself.

Today, I was replacing my CAI & filter to find that.....THEY FORGOT TO REATTACH THE FILTER! It wasn't loose in the wheel well, it simply wasn't there, just the tube opening and nothing on the end. So the question is, what should I expect from my engine now that it's been run for 6 months without an air filter? Unfortunately, I have no proof that they failed to reattach my filter. Otherwise I would take them to small claims.

 

If it hasn't done anything serious yet it probably won't...anything that would have gone into the combustion chamber would either be burnt off or it would have let you know it was in there. You might have crap on your valves or in the intake manifold and throttle body, but who knows. I would check it out in there and get a filter ASAP.

 

Filter was put on this evening. Might be my imagination but the car seems to be running better now that I have one.

myself....for taking a honda to a hillbilly shop that only works on Ford trucks

 

Haha, live and learn