Am i getting screwed over?
 

2 days ago my clutch in my 98 cavalier wouldnt respring back so i towed it to this small auto repair place near marine dr. the next day the mechainc called me back and told me i would have to replace my whole entire clutch.. hes charging me 700.. is he screwing me over? i never noticed anything wrong with my clutch up untill this happened, and when i called a different mechanic he said all i needed was transmission fluid.

when it didn't spring back up did you try pulling it up with your hands?
Or you jus left it on the ground and got a tow?
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Which place on marine drive you get towed to?

Pawlik Automotive on SW marine drive near the oak st bridge?

i could pull it back up, but once i press it down it stays down there.

chapin auto on e kent ave. i think there screwing me over too, apparently they fixed it already and they want their 700.. so they found a new replacement part, and installed a new clutch within 24 hours?

What's the story with Pawlik? Heard through the grapevine that the owner is a bit of a dbag. Don't know if it's true or not
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Sell it for 500 bucks and just go buy a new one for like 900 bucks. Cheaper than fixing it.

Rinse and repeat each time something fucks up. A buddy of mine has been doing this for years, figures he has only spent 1000 bucks total because sometimes he can find good deals on shitty cars and sell them for same price if not a little bit more.

If you haven't authorized repair, just diagnosis, then yes they are trying to fuck you. Call the cops when you get there
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and it does sounds like either a clutch master, or a clutch slave failed, defn does not sound like a clutch failure from the way you are describing it.

When your clutch falls to the ground and doesnt come back up, 9 out 10 means your "brake fluid" (not transmission fluid) is leaking somewhere within the clutch assembly....

so yes it sounds like you are getting screwed over

they are trying to donkehpunch you :troll:

clutch master cylinder leak

clutch hydraulics is sealed system, should not need topping up unless leaking, prob clutch slave cylinder leak, slave cylinder is inside the bell housing, need to remove trans to get to it, might as well do clutch at the same time

so how much should he be charging me? and how would i go about complaining about this situation? im going to the shop tomorrow morning. they are expecting me to pay 700

Did you authorize any repairs or just for them to diagnose it?

And it sounds more like the slave cylinder failed than the clutch just going. That said, it is possible for the clutch to fail like that if you're not aware of the symptoms leading up to that point.

Tell him you didn't authorize the repair and you ain't paying for shit...

offer him $300 or he can put the car back to its original condition and charge a $100 diagnostic fee

i didnt authorize the repair, the mechanic just went ahead and fixed it. would he have had to buy a new oem part? if so cant i ask for a receipt of the part/box and the broken clutch?

No. You don't get it. If you didn't authorize the repair, you aren't obligated to pay for it.

Yeah it's a difficult situation, but stay firm and don't be a push over. They make their money by doing this exact thing, and then threatening that they won't release your car without the payment.

I'd ask to see the invoice for what parts they used, how they got the parts so quick. Or f they don't provide that, get the part # and call lordco and ask the price (maybe use the RS discount? Since the shop would have a discounted price)
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$700 sounds about right for a COMPLETE clutch replacement, parts and labour all in (from reading the procedure, sounds like probably a four-hour job, shop rate is probably in the $100-$125 range).

But like the others say, if you didn't authorize the work, you're not obligated to pay for it. ESPECIALLY if it turns out they did more than was necessary to repair the problem you brought it in for.

The owner can be a little condescending -- especially when you inquire about providing the parts yourself lol.


Work they do is decent though, and they stick by their quoted price -- no "surprisee!!" when you show up to get the car. They were rated best independent repair shop in vancouver if i recall correctly. I always point female friends/family to that shop because I know atleast they won't get upsold into get unnecessary stuff -- or if they attempt to, they will at least ask before slapping it in there.

No sexist .... well maybe a little.

if your car is at a mechanic, your getting screwed over

if that is meant as a generalized statement, then what a stupid thing to say. What about the guys on here who own C63 AMG's...? Or E92 M3's...? Or anything new and worth a ton of money? "So i'm stuck on removing the pressure plate on a 2010 M3, any tips?"


:seriously:

makes sense, if you do not know whats wrong with your car a mechanic could tell you it is anything just to upsell you..


to me it sounds like there is little fluid in the system or something wrong with the pressure plate.. hard to tell without being there.. for all you know it could have been a $5 fix that is now $700 and there isnt much you can do about it.

My cousins 97 Prelude had this problem before. The spring would not release so the clutch master cylinder was replaced. We had it fixed at Mac's shop (sorry forgot the name) in Richmond. It was around 2-300. No more than that for sure
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MDA FABRICATION