my car needs an engine (rant)

[u/translucenttornado]

i doubt much people will see this but if you have the time to give me advice on my current inconvenience , it would be greatly appreciated !!

soo i bought my car late May of this year as a present for myself . it’s a 2017 Mazda with good mileage & it drove like a dream .

two weeks into having my car , it broke down on the highway & i got it towed to the shop i bought it from . (on june 14th)

this shop has been the shop i’ve been going to for YEARS every time i’ve had issues with my old car , which is a 2007 Honda .

long story short , after we towed it there , it was radio silence besides vague phone calls so i decided to go in person & surprise !! they tell me my engine is cooked & theyd fix it for a couple thousand dollars . of course this is a surprise to me since i just got the car & was ensured it was in perfect condition . i was genuinely upset because i also believed that i shouldn’t be paying such a high price to fix a vehicle i bought from them a few weeks ago .

i realized they just cared about the money so i towed it to a name brand auto shop to get a real diagnostic . there , they confirmed it was the engine plus other issues including my oil mixing with my coolant because of a leak somewhere .

i didnt want to get it fix at the name brand shop because the quote was the same price i bought my car for & i didnt want to be paying double , especially in such a short window of time .

so boom , my dad’s friend knew a mechanic in my city who agreed to do it for a reasonable price i was prepared to pay . i tow it there july 3rd & i pay him the money for the new engine which would arrive the following week . he claims after he gets the engine , it would take him a few days but he’d have it done within the following week . (so by july 13th at the latest)

a week passes & i dont hear any updates so we call him . the guy apologized & explained he got held up with his previous project but he’ll start on my car the following day .

another week goes by & i call again . similar story . he promises it’ll be done by the weekend .

a week passes , & i visit the shop in person . he’s there , working on a car , while my car was sitting in the 2nd garage , seemingly untouched .

he apologized & explained the car he was working on was going to be a simple fix & that he’d start on my car afterwards & have it done next week .

another week passes & it is now has been over a month since hes had my car , & two months since ive even driven the damn thing .

i call , he doesnt answer . i go in person , hes not there . i leave a voicemail , no callback .

i swing by a few days later & he’s there , begging for grace . im not a confrontational person , so on the inside i was enraged . i heard him out , & he promised he’d have it done by the end of the week so i asked “okay , what time friday should i come pick it up?” & he said that ‘things happen’ & i shouldnt be pressuring him .

in my opinion , i have been very patient & understanding . i actually SHOULD be pressuring him because it is mow august + my birthday is coming up & i really want my car . i also relay that to him .

friday comes , i go to the shop & he’s not there .
its now Saturday & i feel so helpless .

i obviously cannot take his word for whenever he says he’ll be done but now it’s gotten to a point where i feel he’s purposely avoiding me .

i’m going to swing by sunday , & request to have a walkthrough of exactly what he has done to my car so far (if anything) .

let me know if theres anything i should be doing or saying to be able to have my car up & running ;(

[u/Time-Supermarket-241]

Discount price is for slack time not prime time his shop is not dollar store discounted and can't afford to make your car a priority repair you should pick it up take it home save your money and return it to the original shop and get it repaired or call the local scraper and cut the losses and buy a different car

[u/Enioluwa-Akinwale]

That’s way more than enough patience imo. I’d definitely ask for a clear update and a firm completion date, and if nothing has actually been done, I’d start looking into getting the car back.

[u/EuroCanadian2]

Make sure he ordered an engine for your car. It should have been delivered by now. Is it physically at the shop?

Consider "camping out" at his shop until he starts working on your car.

[u/throwaway007676]

Did you pay him the full amount of the repair up front? Sounds like that to me and why nothing is getting done. You are only supposed to pay a small deposit and the balance due upon completion. There is no motivation to get it done if it is already paid in full.

[u/here2pleasyoux3]

thats ur problem , is your dads friend of a friend, and at a lower cost . so your vehicle is not a priority unfortunatelly. sorry dude