$400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!

[RallyDarkstrike]

Pleased, but annoyed....remember back in February last year when I had my fuel tank replaced due to rust (thanks for all the salt on the roads Nova Scotia D.O.T.!)...?

Well, I'd had a local shop replace it as I didn't want to travel far as we were under COVID lockdown. Ever since they replaced it, filling the tank 3/4 to full means that gas would just backflow out the filler neck and down the side of my car...also the CEL was now on when it wasn't before for a EVAP code. That shop claimed they put everything back exactly as it was and used all the parts that were there when I brought it in....right.....then why are things broken and not working now...?

I was loathe to take it back to them and pay them more money to fix what they obviously screwed up, so I finally took it to the dealership last week for them to look at. $100 later and their diagnosis was that the other shop hadn't even put one section of vent hose on AT ALL and they'd damaged the one EVAP sensor. An appointment yesterday for another hour and $200 in parts later and my CEL is gone and I can fill my gas tank without embarrassingly spilling gas all over the ground again!

I feel like going after the first shop for some recompense considering I'd spent $1000 on them replacing the tank and here I am having to spend almost half that again, but I'd likely get nothing from them...

But at least Humdrum is back to normal!

[pip bip]

@rallydarkstrike need to go see them regardless.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@pip-bip I've contacted the shop that did the fuel tank replacement a few times over the past months telling them I was having that issue since they did the work and they basically implied the if I came in, they'd fix it if I PAID them to look at it 'because we put everything back exactly as it was'.

[Qaaaaa]

@rallydarkstrike From experience you can totally get the first shop to comp you back at least part of that $1000, especially if they're a chain

[RallyDarkstrike]

@qaaaaa said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

@rallydarkstrike From experience you can totally get the first shop to comp you back at least part of that $1000, especially if they're a chain

Not a chain....just a small private shop

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@rallydarkstrike said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

'because we put everything back exactly as it was'

Get the dealership paperwork proving that's not true and threaten a very unpleasant review if they don't recompense you. It's unlikely they'll change their minds, but it's also worth a shot.

[MybirdIStheword]

@rallydarkstrike said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

@pip-bip I've contacted the shop that did the fuel tank replacement a few times over the past months telling them I was having that issue since they did the work and they basically implied the if I came in, they'd fix it if I PAID them to look at it 'because we put everything back exactly as it was'.

Send them the bill at least, and tell them you will not be returning.

[BicycleBuck]

@rallydarkstrike

This is a situation where the small shop needs the feedback. I've learned that shops will never admit they might have made a mistake until you show it to them. When a shop screwed up the ball joints on my truck, they didn't admit their mistake until the tow truck delivered it to their shop and they put it on the lift to take a look. That was a mistake that could have killed me and they knew it.

[Jb boin]

It's clearly after they did the job that the problems occurred so they should have at least diagnosed for free what was the issue.

[Manwich]

@rallydarkstrike

Yeah... no point in going back to the old shop. The only thing you can do is leave them a Grim Yelp Review...

I've had my own share of mechanics who didn't know what the fuck they were doing... particularly when I owned a Saab.

Had one mechanic who said he could work on them, but then I later found out that he didn't actually have the Saab WIS. Which effectively means he couldn't diagnose issues properly the first time, which led to guessing games, unnecessary work and replacing parts that didn't need replacing.

After wasting some money, I switched to a Saab specialist (who had rare Saab Sonnets on display in his shop).

He cost a bit more per hour, but no more money wasted on guesswork.

[ItalianJobR53]

@rallydarkstrike I distrust any shop so I do most of the work on my cars myself. That combined with how expensive labor is and parts markup is just aweful
Glad than Humdrum is working well tho! We need an Oppo hatchback meet!!

[e90m3]

@manwich said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

@rallydarkstrike

He cost a bit more per hour, but no more money wasted on guesswork.

It can be expensive to be cheap.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@whoistheleader said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

Get the dealership paperwork proving that's not true and threaten a very unpleasant review if they don't recompense you. It's unlikely they'll change their minds, but it's also worth a shot.

Yeah, might give that a shot...

[RallyDarkstrike]

@mybirdistheword said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

Send them the bill at least, and tell them you will not be returning.

Yup...fully intend on doing that...

[RallyDarkstrike]

@bicyclebuck said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

@rallydarkstrike

This is a situation where the small shop needs the feedback. I've learned that shops will never admit they might have made a mistake until you show it to them. When a shop screwed up the ball joints on my truck, they didn't admit their mistake until the tow truck delivered it to their shop and they put it on the lift to take a look. That was a mistake that could have killed me and they knew it.

Yeah, they'll definitely be hearing from me....not very happy

[RallyDarkstrike]

@italianjobr53 said in $400 later and my fuel backflow issue and CEL are fixed!:

@rallydarkstrike I distrust any shop so I do most of the work on my cars myself. That combined with how expensive labor is and parts markup is just aweful
Glad than Humdrum is working well tho! We need an Oppo hatchback meet!!

I would try and do that if I had a space to work in! Even our driveway is a slight incline, so I don't feel safe working on it even with the wheels chocked...especially if I have to raise the car on jacks/axle stands...

We do! Sadly I think you're a BIT of a trip away

[Future Next Gen S2000 Owner]

If they weren't even willing to double check their work for free, that would be the last time I use that shop. I've had screw ups of various levels at mechanic shops. Anything from misdiagnosing something to fucking up a head gasket replacement.

Weirdly enough, it was the shop that had the biggest fuck up that I'd go back to. They owned it and made it right. People make mistakes. People are generally forgiving of them if the admit it and do their best to make it right.

[ItalianJobR53]

@rallydarkstrike well, I do wanna do a long road trip this year tho...maybe I'll come to you! Not sure which car I'll take but we'll figure it out

[RallyDarkstrike]

@italianjobr53 That would be cool, though we'll have to see how everything fares with COVID

[onlytwowheels]

Start with these :

https://www.bbb.org/ca/ns

https://novascotia.ca/consumercomplaints/

[rctothefuture]

Is there a small claims court system up by you? I've known people to take indy shops to small claims court over stuff like this. Just a thought.