Foo - So I took my car in for a routine...

...timing belt replacement Tuesday. I go to pick it up Wed. and it now has a terrible vibration. They agree that it's not right so they keep it another day. Go to get it yesterday and the vibration is fixed but now it has a loud "clunk" when you start it(and shut it off). They decide it's a bad motor mount. They will ask the boss about what they will do about it in the morning and call me. I take the car and drive it home. It dies at almost every stoplight/sign I stop at. Took it back this morning and told them I could not drive it like this. What will be wrong next time? SO FRUSTRATED!!! :eek: Not that getting mad is going to fix anything, but I am so pissed off right now. :mad:

Thank you for listening and have a nice day.

...timing belt replacement Tuesday. I go to pick it up Wed. and it now has a terrible vibration. They agree that it's not right so they keep it another day. Go to get it yesterday and the vibration is fixed but now it has a loud "clunk" when you start it(and shut it off). They decide it's a bad motor mount. They will ask the boss about what they will do about it in the morning and call me. I take the car and drive it home. It dies at almost every stoplight/sign I stop at. Took it back this morning and told them I could not drive it like this. What will be wrong next time? SO FRUSTRATED!!! :eek: Not that getting mad is going to fix anything, but I am so pissed off right now. :mad:

Thank you for listening and have a nice day.

If it started right after you got it back, you may have a case in forcing them to fix it free of charge. Just sayin':)

Perhaps when they did the timing belt they screwed up the timing to get rid of the vibration and now it's still not firing right at idle? Gas/air mixture right?

_________


OH nevermind what I'm saying. They should be able to fix it. Just make sure that you stick to the original guy who KNEW the car was not acting wrong when you brought it in. And get it in writing.

Get them to sign up here and get hooked on Foo, then I will ban them for you. Best I can offer. Sorry about the car. Hope it all works out okay.

Perhaps when they did the timing belt they screwed up the timing to get rid of the vibration and now it's still not firing right at idle? Gas/air mixture right?

Well, last year at Targa the Honda was idling rough, sitting at 500rpm and surging all the way to almost 1200rpm. It was the timing, I think, but I'm not sure exactly what caused it as I wasn't there at the time.

Get them to sign up here and get hooked on Foo, then I will ban them for you. Best I can offer. Sorry about the car. Hope it all works out okay.

Yeah, you GO, JSHARR!! You're so frikken badass! :D

Get them to sign up here and get hooked on Foo, then I will ban them for you. ......
Kick Ass!! :beer:


If it started right after you got it back, you may have a case in forcing them to fix it free of charge. Just sayin':)
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the car when I dropped it off Tuesday. While doing the routine timing belt replacement they created three other issues. When my wife heard this last clunking noise she about threw a fit. They have it now and they said they will "take care of it". I can only image what they will frigg up this time.

Needless to say, I WILL NOT be taking my car back to this particular stealership for any future service work.

yeah, we have a dodge dealership here... i used to work in their parts department. i knew all of the mechanics there. i wouldn't let em take care of a mouse, much less touch anything under the hood of the truck. for the few factory recalls i had, i drove 1/2 hour to our sister city's dealership, so someone with a lick of god4mmed sense could handle it.

i'd say you need to start getting something in writing before they need to 'fix everything' on the car and send you a bill for it. you might also want to consider another city's dealership for future factory repair work or find a reputable garage that can handle it.

Sounds like the timing is off. I bet before they took the timing belt of they did not set the engine to top dead center.

I've been working on all my own cars(and other people's cars) over 30 years. The "ISSUES" I am dealing with is a wee bit more than the timing being off.

Motor mounts will also clunk if you put the car into gear or shift gears.

I've never heard of a motor mount clunck ONLY upon starting and stopping the engine.

Ditto about the mount, it'll cause more trouble than just at startup/shutdown if it's bad. Is it an interference engine?

I've been working on all my own cars(and other people's cars) over 30 years. The "ISSUES" I am dealing with is a wee bit more than the timing being off.

What car is this?

Check engine light on?

You have the ability to pull the codes off it?

Could it that a sensor wasn't plugged back in when they disassembled down things to get to the timing belt?

Does the shop book say to loosen/remove the (whatever position) motor mount in order to get to the timing belt on that model? A tech not torquing back down a couple motor mount bolts could cause a clanking.

Just thinking out loud...

Check engine light on?

You have the ability to pull the codes off it?

Could it that a sensor wasn't plugged back in when they disassembled down things to get to the timing belt?

Does the shop book say to loosen/remove the (whatever position) motor mount in order to get to the timing belt on that model? A tech not torquing back down a couple motor mount bolts could cause a clanking.

Just thinking out loud...

Smartest responses yet to this thread. Those are the two most logical reasons. Some cars require the motor to be raised to get at the belt.

Motor mounts will also clunk if you put the car into gear or shift gears.

I've never heard of a motor mount clunck ONLY upon starting and stopping the engine.

Yes, it makes other noise too. NOT just when you start/stop it. They confirmed it was a broken motor mount. Now I'm just hoping they fix it....since there was nothing wrong with it when I took the car it to be serviced. :rolleyes:

I can guarantee you if they try to make me pay ANY part of a motor mount replacement, I will take it somewhere else or just do it myself. I WILL NOT give them another penny.

What car is this?

2001 Accord

I can guarantee you if they try to make me pay ANY part of a motor mount replacement, I will take it somewhere else or just do it myself. I WILL NOT give them another penny.

You may as well save time and heartache and go get the part and do it yourself. No way the dealer is going to eat it on that job. But I suppose there's always a first time. :)

And another tip...(one you would probably consider on your own if you're going to do this yourself but what the heck) depending on how much exposure to the elements that car gets (I know 7 years isn't THAT old, but, just sayin), and the overall condition of the bolts for the said motor mount...get new bolts too. Don't learn the hard way like I did once. (snap!) ;)

I'd also look into the vacuum hoses. Maybe they forgot to plug one back in.

I'd also look into the lining up of the cam gears. If they skipped a tooth when putting the timing belt back on it could create a problem similar to what you're having since the timing would be off a few degrees.

Good luck! I hope they fix it! Just make sure they don't charge you for their mistakes. Also, keep a log of all that happened before and after the "repair" just in case you need to go to small claims court.

......., keep a log of all that happened before and after the "repair" just in case you need to go to small claims court.

I stayed up until 11:00 last night writing(typing) it all down.

2001 Accord

Check your fast idle valve. Is it surging when idling like I described earlier?

So the saga continues. :( Car is back in the shop again.

Have not been charged anything over and above the cost of the timing belt replacement, but I have had my car back in the shop three times now. It still dies occasionally. It died in traffic this last weekend. The damn thing is dangerous. I am just about at my wits end. I'm so frustrated and pissed off that I don't know what to do if they don't get it fixed this time. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the car when I took it in. A timing belt is routine maintenance for krist sake! It's never been the same since I dropped it off the first time. Sorry, nothing ya'll can do....just venting. :(:mad::(:mad::(

Has the EGR valve been checked? I had an EGR valve sticking once and the thing ran like crap and died all the time. Just a thought. Also if you stand across the street from the shop and do this anytime you see a technician, it may help.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r162/jsharr/44938.jpg

Sounds like the timing is off. I bet before they took the timing belt of they did not set the engine to top dead center.


That is why you always want to do your own work on your own car. Nobody else will do as good of a job as you will.

...you always want to do your own work on your own car. Nobody else will do as good of a job as you will.

+ 1,000,000,000

I'd still be doing all my own work if it weren't for that pesky stroke I had in Jan '05.

+ 1,000,000,000

I'd still be doing all my own work if it weren't for that pesky stroke I had in Jan '05.

Maybe a good shop then?

That much car trouble is a fairly sure sign of bad technicians.

Yeah, a lot of "mechanics" aren't any better than shadetree hacks. I had a problem passing smog due to erratic idle-speed and didn't have time to fix it myself due to having to be in Denver for a week for a trade show. So I dropped it off at the only shop in town that could work on it. Even then, I left specific instructions:


PROBLEM: failed smog due to unstable idle and high HC at idle

FIX #1: check throttle-plate closed position, may be too open or too closed
#2 no idle-switch contact, pin#4 & 6 on TPS, could be bad TPS or angle-adjustment, R&R as necessary
#3 idle-motor not working, could be related to #2, R&R as necessary
#4 check air-flow meter output-voltage at idle, should be between 0.79-0.88v


That's really the only way I can be sure the proper work is done, to give them a detailed procedure to follow. Damn monkeys!

Now, now. As with any profession there are the good, not so good & downright bad.

Yeah, there are good mechanics, but they seem to be overshadowed by the auto-service industry which is full of shady operators. Greedy shop-owners and service-writers who charge for unnecessary work or work that's not even done. Tagging on extra nibbles like headlight & blinker-fluids, muffler bearings, etc.

There really should be a encompassing feedback system for auto-repair shops, like the feedback ratings on eBay. Then you can look online and see what kind of grades any particular shop gets. Right now as it is, you have to go through a long trial & error process to find a decent shop. Gotta get burned quite a few times before you find someone reputable.


In the OP's case, it really sounds like an intake-leak. A hose-clamp or rubber-boot in the intake-tract probably wasn't re-installed correctly. Or a vacuum hose that operates a some sort of air-valve wasn't plugged in. A minor leak won't cause much of a problem when running at higher-RPMs, but when you let it idle more, like when driving through city stop & go traffic, that leak can contribute to a larger percentage of total-airflow and cause erroneous readings from the air-flow meter. Computer injects incorrect amount of fuel and >sputter< >put< car dies.

Good post Danno. I like the feedback system idea. :)

Somewhere on the web you'll find a site where you can give them an evaluation on their work and post it for the world to read.

Find it.