So on the thruway to rochester tonight my car started to shake a little bit, i hit the brake and it went away so i thought nothing much of it. A few miles down the road it did it again so i pull off the road and check my lug nuts just incase (i had some work done about 3 weeks ago and thought they might have loosened), they were all tight and nothing looked suspicious so i continued on. About another 15 miles down the road i hear a BOOM my car pulls HARD to the left and starts shaking 100 times worse then before and i almost take out the semi next to me. I managed to keep it in control and get off the road, i went to check under the car again to see what was up.
The driver side ball joint was missing a bolt and another was very loose, just what i needed, so i call AAA and have them send out a tow. Once the car was up on the truck i took a look underneath to get a better look at stuff, not only was the driver side hanging on by a thread but the passenger side was completely destroyed. Now I just had these replaced and last time i checked ball joints usually last longer then 3 weeks…
I’m not too sure how i should go about taking care of this, i know i have to take it back to the shop but i’m not sure how big of a deal i should make about this, do i just get it repaired or should i put up a big fuss and demand money back for the original work that was done. Mind you this happened while driving 70mph down the thruway and i almost took out a semi and f’d my car and myself. Has anyone had any experience with a situation like this? Any help would be appreciated. I just don’t want to go in screaming and shouting and look like an idiot. I’m not going to throw out the name of the shop and bad talk them, at least until i deal with them and see what they offer me.
Dont be an ass but be firm, dont let them push you around. Whatever you do, don’t lose your cool. Dont threaten them, write an e-mail complaining to the BBB [Better Business Bureau]. No mechanic wants them asking questions, its really bad for business, and there ASE certification can be called into question. Its a perfect move, no one can fault you for it, and it gets results. Just may take alittle bit.
They were the bolts that held them to the control arm, there’s 3 on each ball joint, i couldn’t see too well but on the side that was broke, but had all 3 bolts still, it looked like 1 of the bolts had been lost and the guy put another one that was laying around in its place.
And its an audi 90
First off, where did you have this done? If it was an independent shop I’d start by talking directly with the owner. If a chain call and find out when the store manager will be in and go talk to him in person.
This is a major fuckup by the shop so I would bet the manager or owner are quick to make things right. If not I wouldn’t hesitate to tell them you’re going to the BBB as well as the 2 on you side/ call 4 action (local news). No shop wants a story about a customers suspension they just worked on falling apart at highway speed on the news.
Dont flip out. It was a huge mistake on their part and they will know that. Losing your head only makes things difficult for everyone. You have every right to get your money back and your car fixed correctly. You may have some options like taking your car to another shop and have them pay the bill because you may not trust them. Also make sure you get them to pay for a rental cause you are going to be without a car again and that is not your fault at all. Make sure you document the shit out of everything, pictures, reciepts, copies of reciepts, pictures of copies of reciepts, etc…
Dont settle short of just your car getting fixed though, make sure you get a rental out of them too at least.
well i finally got ahold of the shop and talked to the owner, he said to bring it in and he would fix everything right up for me, 'm just waiting to go in and have him tell me that this and that are bad now and need to be replaced for x amount of dollars… i can’t wait to actually talk to this guy face to face
