clutch blows out immediately after engine work

The clutch had no need to be touched during the engine work except to bleed the hydraulic system upon reinstallation of the motor. Giving warranty work on a clutch after engine work is like doing warranty work on the air conditioning after replacing the tires. Sometimes things just break. We put O2 sensors in a 355 2 weeks ago and when the customer got 4 blocks away the speedometer quit. Very unhappy customer......not our fault. We fixed it but will probably never see him again. Can't please everyone.


8 grand for a clutch though??? Did he use a gun?

 

This is a Rule of Ferrari ownership.......

Just 'cuz you fix "a lot of stuff' is no assurance "a lot of other stuff" won't fail.

 

I wound up with 32 bent valves while the tech was driving my 348 after installing a new transmission. 4 miles down the road from putting the new tranny on!

Not his fault.... crap happens. (I think he felt worse than me!)


$8k for a clutch however is odd. Can you be more specific? All in, the hard parts are probably only $3k or less assuming no need for a flywheel. Fluids + labor, additional. And certainly no more than 8 hours of work.

 

The clutch in my BB512i started slipping about a week after a major service at FoA. The clutch was ~ 8 years old. I bought an AP Racing clutch at TRutlands and FoA replaced it and waived labor even though I did not ask for free labor, and it was clearly not their fault. It pays to do business with a high quality, customer service oriented dealer IMHO...

 

I don't understand why you did not have them at least rebuild the slave if rebuildable with new seals which you knew was leaking and install a new clutch while all that was out as it would have saved you a little bit of labor and headaches later.

We had a Diablo in just last month for some oil leaks and a 15k maintenance service/valve adjust. I informed the owner the clutch was on its last leg and really needed replacing which is an engine out service. I told him we could save labor on the 15k and fixing oil leaks if we did it all at once. No small amount of dinero though.

He declined on the clutch. The day before he was coming down from Dallas to pickup the car, the clutch literally blew up moving it out of the workshop in the morning.

He was not very happy either. Sometimes it just happens that way.
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You will need to be specific about the repair before anyone can tell you if $8000 is out of line. You really need to be specific about the repair before even an educated guess about the connection to the engine work can be made.


Like several of us have said, sometimes cars just break.

 

In this state prior authorization is required.

 

Sometimes things happen.

I have an off-road toy that I have dis-assembled each summer, trans torn apart, everything magni-fluxed, and anything that remotely resembles wear I have replaced.

Two years ago I had the engine sent off to the builder to have it completely gone through. I got it back, put back in the car and it lasted 15 minutes "yeah, sometimes it happens like that".

My new engine is doing fine however. They did make me a fairly good deal on it.

 

First let me say I have no dog in this hunt. I will say I have my own personal business that deals with the public. The public can be a pita. Strange or funny as it may seem this mechanic is one smart cookie. It makes me laugh he is so smart or experienced. He probably got wind by your posturing attitude whatever that you are not happy and lay some blame on him. Whether it is warranted or not I don't think anyone will ever know. But, how smart of him to think that maybe you will never see him again, give him trouble in the near future, tell everyone on the internet, basically just be negative. I don't think a ferrari clutch or T/O bearing would be $8k probably closer to 3-4k. But don't forget you buy a mechanics time, expertise and there are parts. So all the extra headache, time, ill will and trouble he is now basically getting paid for at 8k. He always has the option to discount his price if he really likes you. But it is pretty hard to ask for more. Now that is a smart businessman.

May be you are the one who has been wronged. Maybe **** just happens.

 

Just to be clear, he wants you to send him a payment of $8000 without you seeing a detailed repair bill?

When he gave you the "verbal" estimate of $1200, did he say that it can end up being much higher? And if it is then he would contact you prior to going forward with the repair?

And at anytime did you say "go ahead and repair at any cost"?

I would find it very odd that a shop would give an estimate at 1/8 the cost of what it actually ended up being without getting your permission first.

 

Geez, he sure didn't cut you a break on anything, did he? $40 for Prestone? $105 for oil? I know there is a Ferrari tax for this kind of stuff but some of this seems really out of whack. Or am I missing something?

 

You seem like a saint...

But if another mechanic could get your motor running for $3500...I would seriously contemplate readdressing the issue with the first mechanic. Sounds like he did $30,000 in unnecessary work...

Geesh... I just got a bill to fix a 325ci BMW for 3 grand and I wasn't happy about it... $39,000? I think my heart would have stopped...momentarily...

 

...I hope it works out for you..I would definately have a parts car, but then again I would never have been able to authorize such a repair. If you didn't in fact authorize it and it is required by the State, then I would be having a "colorful" conversation with the repair facility.

 

I only have a 348, but if I got a bill for $39,000 I would either be stuffing the engine from my vette in there or parting the car out on e-bay!

 

Yeah, but somebody has to pay for the time. It'll either be you next visit or two or the guy behind you. Sooner or later, you'll be the guy that pays.

 

I hate to litigate.....but in this case I think you need to take him to court and get your money back for the first unwarranted repair!

 

Scott,
Send the car to us, the clutch will be half the price. Thats insane.

 

Situations like these are prime examples of why it pays to have at least a basic knowledge of auto mechanics. When your having major repairs done on your car you need to be making regular trips into the shop to see the progression of work. Certainly not everyday, you dont want to be a pest, but once or twice a week is okay, and they should make you feel welcome.

You say they rebuilt your engine. Did they show you the motor after the heads were off? Did they show you the cylinders? Did you witness the leakdown test? If your not around when those major events are being conducted, you'll never really know if further work was necessary and your banking on their trust. Did they give you back the old parts? Gaskets, rings, crank bearings, valves????

Their needs to be agreements in place ahead of time. Agreements to the amount of labor performed beforehand, parts being purchased. I would want to be in the shop when the heads come off, when the leakdown is performed, or have it understood that NO further work is to be done until "I" see it.

I dont know how a $12k estimate ballooned to $48K without some discussions along the way. But it has happened before, and usually with shady mechanics who are basically trying to legally steal your car or steal your money by making up phony repair costs and hoping youll let them take the car through a Sheriff sale.

Pay by check, get your car off their property and out of their possesion, then cancel the check and file for court. In between times, take the car to someone like Brian and have it inspected to see if any of the charged work was even performed. Ask if they will be a witness. As Judge Judy always says, get it in writing and keep all your invoices. You may also be able to file a case of fraud, $48K is a lot of money if nothing was done.

 

I have two questions: Since I am relatively local, I would like to know who did the work so I can avoid them and the other question is: Why, after dropping $40k on engine work, and since the engine was already out, would you not replace the clutch at the same time?

 

An honest mechanic would have given a thorough and honest estimate up front. An owner with a good basic understanding of mechanics would have insisted it be checked/replaced.

Without that understanding, too many owners feel the entire car should belike new after a water pump overhaul.

Without morals, too many mechanics are far better at writing exorbitant repair bills than they are at actually performing the work they claim.

Put the two together and you have a really big bill with not much to show for it.