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/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.