thepope

could the cts be the problem here? i looked a little deeper today under the hood and saw that one of the bolts to the CP is completely gone. im taking it back to him on monday and telling him that id like it to be at least in the condition i brought it to him in.

Zaphodb17

Random misfire usually means secondary ignition problems. I would bet that something is causing a periodic arcing to ground of one of your coil-pack-to-spark-plug connections. That's coil on plug, right? Something is wrong there. Maybe the power input wire to one or more of the coil packs, too. Knock down the simple problems first, and then when you're absolutely sure there is no ignition problem, look for the next possibility. Go from simple to complex, not the other way around.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Uh, yeah, that ought to work out fine for a tech who kept the car for two months. Let us know how that works out for you.

jseklund

OK- as stated earlier...not to be a dick....but my advice is to find a COMPETENT AUDI mechanic. You need to bring it to them and get an opinion of what was wrong, what was done that shouldn't have been, etc. - at least then you can go back to the guy who may have done additional damage and try to get your money back...but it doesn't sound like he can fix the problem.

thepope

well... im gonna tell him either he puts it back like i brought it to him or ill report him to the BBB, which he has no bad marks on. im not going to take it up the *** on this one.. i paid the guy to keep it for two months and then give it back to me in worse condition? no. hes GOING to put it back whether he has to pay out of pocket or not. why would i not take it back to him and demand he do it immediatly? what are my other options? uh..

thepope

well.. he can buy me a new coil pack and pay for the bolt thats missing. i can put the thing in.. im not paying for it though. doesnt that seem reasonable? he should offer to pay for it. he was recommended to me through a buddy which makes it that much worse. regardless.. he should at least give me a new cp considering the metal clip is gone.. the wire is bare .. and theres a bolt missing. i guess he thought i wouldnt notice that the one is not like the other 5 that he obviously didnt touch. im at my wits end.

jseklund

I understand you are upset with this, as you believe the mechanic screwed it up (and I have no reason to doubt you). The question is, can you prove that it WASN'T that way when you brought it in? The fact that you brought it in to him suggests there were issues with the car, so if he says that the car had issues and that he didn't cause them, the scale is already tilted in his favor. Do you have any waty to prove it wasn't that way when you brought it in and that it was when he picked it up?

At least if you have a second, somewhat unbiased mechanic look at it and they can find some evidence that someone caused damage and that it was pretty recent..then maybe you'd have something to stand on.

Getting him to pay for a coil pack is not a big deal - probably $50 depending on what you have (it sounds like the older, screw down style of course). If he damaged your wiring harness, that may or may not be a big deal...

If you take it to him, then you are losing sight of what you originally set out to do. You are trying to get your car running right. If you go back to him, he will be trying to do the minimum to get it back to how you brought it in, or at least get you off his back. You may be without your car for weeks (he has no incentive to get it running other than to shut you up), and it may still not run right.

I know you're upset, and I would be too (this is why I do much of my own work) - but even if he is found responsible, it's more your problem then his. Try to find someone competant that can solve your problem rather than someone who you can "win" with.

5v/cyl

Agree with jseklund that you just need to get it fixed. You will go round and round with the other mechanic and still end up with a broke car. Don't bring it back to him, but rather find a mechanic that knows German cars and Audi/VW's. Your last resort will be the dealer, but if your left with no other choice then will have to.

Once your car is repaired then you will know what the problem was. If it is in no way connected to the what the previous mechanic was trying to do, then you will at least have some ammo that he charged you for parts+labor that where not related to the problem. Still be a tough fight though as he could say the other parts where bad as well, but at least you will have a nice running car and realize he was a moron when it comes to European vehicles.

thepope

thats all sound advice. i will take it to him and tactfully tell him that it looks as though it was put back together poorly. if he doesnt agree.. what can i do? like i said.. im just about at my wits end with this guy. how do these guys get away with treating people like this and still have their doors open? that amazes me. again thank you all for the advice.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

They get away with it because no one files charges in small claims court (although you still have to collect even if you win a judgement...it's fun to go with a sheriff's deputy and clean out the guy's garage with a seize property order) or files a complaint with better business bureau or even better from a quick settlement perspective CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY and dispute the charge! Non delivery øf service is your crutch and let the mechanic sort it out with VISA.

These guys absolutely HATE to have their merchant credit card privileges suspended...and if enough people dispute charges for poor service, they will be.

OTOH, you may be an isolated case...mechanics can and do have disgruntled customers with unsolvable problems that are usually resolved with returning customer's money with a diagnostic fee and/or new expensive parts changed back to old parts.

File a complaint with your local better business bureau but don't delay...you've already spent more than two months and 90 days is often the cutoff for credit card disputes.