So here is the story *sigh* I bought a 914 with a "rebuilt" engine in it. Well the rebuild was not done propperly and low and behold it dies on me. I take it to a mechanic that is highly recommended by the local Porsche Club for aircooled engines and such. I tell him that I would like him to find out what is wrong (turns out it spun a bearing as it only had 2 of the 5 bearing dowles installed) and to fix it for me. This was in April of 2010. I wanted to drive teh car to my wedding in June and made him aware of this. I paid him $800 up front and then called or stopped by every week to see what kind of progress was being made. Let's just say that it was not ready in time for the wedding. Or even a year after that. After he had the vehicle for a YEAR and three or four months my Dad and I collected the engine and have it rebuilt. We recently called him and told him that we will be picking up the rest of the parts and the car in a few day.

He respondes by telling me that he will get a bill together for me. Now to be fair he did purchase a new flywheel, new main bearings, and did take the engine apart. On the flip side I know that we will not get all the nuts and bolts etc. What is a reasonanble amount for this kind of work or rather the lack thereof? I do not want to run this guy through the mud (hence no name is given) but as I see it has has taken an engine apart, bought a flywheel, and some meain bearings and nothing else. To me this sounds like a small amount for $800.

So what would a reasonable person do in this case? I know I have been more than patient.

I would do your best to get all the nuts, bolts, ect. Some parts could be very expensive to replace later.

I have been. So far I think that we have everything except the screws for the engine tin and the three bolts that hold the impeller fan onto the crankshaft hub. However, we have ahd to purchase several other bolts and nuts to get it to this point.

Man am I wee bit frustrated....

Fair: Pay him for the parts he bought and whatever labor he actually put into it.

The engine tin screws are cheap, as are the bolts that hold the fan to the crank.

Thanks. That was my thought as well. Just wanted to hear it from someone else.

And for future reference. I would be concerned if I was asked to pay up front for work on your car. I can see it if there building a custom engine only, but not if they have your car. In my 30 years owning cars Ive never had to.

What about the guy you bought the car from? Forgeting the dowels is grossly negligent.

I agree: "Fair: Pay him for the parts he bought and whatever labor he actually put into it."


When I worked in a shop there were times we asked for a deposit on the work and a 914 would have been a good candidate for that. If we thought the customer might walk away from the car after we invested time in disassembly/inspection/diagnosis and the car was not going to be worth anything we might ask for a deposit.
It was rare but some cars we were going to lose money on if we had to process a lean and sell the car because no one was going to buy it. Back then there was no market for 914's with a dead engine or maybe a 924 needing a clutch.

Jim

Life and old cars...

The guy I bought the car from did not do the build. It was one of his many Sunday drivers. It is a 72 that he has owned since 76. I'm ok with doing the rebuild. I am learning a lot and it is good time spent with my Dad on my days off

I am curious as to what his reasoning was for sittin gon the thing for so long - especially when it sounds like you gave him an end date for completion (your wedding). Whats the deal?

Hell wish I knew. He has a reputation for being slow but not this slow. Every time I would go to check in he would have the same excuse. "Well I've got one or two ahead of yours so I should be getting to it next week." Funny. The one or two were always different cars.

Sounds like a guy from Lincoln, Ne.

Reasonable for me would be to take back all the parts you need and then let him run after your money for a year or so.
And since we all give you free advice, I'm sure everybody will appreciate a fair warning not to approach this guy so, POST HIS NAME

I couldn’t have said better myself. I hate to say it, but it sounds like no win situation for you. Get everything you need and THEN negotiate the payment. Good luck, I hope that everything works out for you.

I'd request copies of his invoices for the parts and pay it only. I would not pay him for his time if he gave you a completion date, and failed to show sufficient progress towards that date.

Collect everything and move on. If he doesn't agree to the terms, I'd go to the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. The only kicker is the failure on your part to let time pass without giving him due notice.

I suspect he would agree to save his rep.

Yes, I'm a hardass when it comes to this type of thing.

Not Lincoln but Omaha. Anderson Certified Auto Repair. It's run by one of the local club members and driving instructors named Larry Anderson. His policy is "Race Cars Come First" but I know that these were not race cars in his shop that were always the one or two. I've used him before on my 968 with great results and he is highly recommened by the local club members.

I think I'll put together my own bill for the missing parts if I don't get them. I have already started putting it together.

Update tomorrow after I pick it up.

Be careful on the hardass approach-

Did you sign a written estimate with a total on the bottom? That is a legal binding agreement. The results of not following through with that legal agreement is a mechanics lien. A time estimate is most likely not on the document.

Shops all have a sign that says they can charge you storage. If you try the hardass approach, he may also do the same. The sign at my shop says $30 per day.

I am sure that if it comes down to litigation there will be a lot of valid reasons why an over 30 year old collector car had some time delays on a major repair. I know it sucks, and I have been in that situation before. The only difference is that after 1 week of delay past the agreed time frame my car was out of the shop...

Holy crap have I been there. Although I was out no real cash for the year to speak of. I have had alot of extra work I shouldn't have had. Having my freshly painted car sitting outside for a year did not do it much good. I am dealing with some misc surface rust because of it. Just a big huge PITA but stuff I can fix myself. Best thing I ever did was just go pick it up. A year wasted & not much to show for it but some rust

Unless the guy give's you some insane bill. Try to work with him & just pay it. It's not worth the hassle. Especially after him having it for a year. Just move on

Sucky situation.

I have learned to pay with a credit card (Visa is best) just in case I need to dispute a charge from a vendor. I have not had to use this service, but few people understand that calling Visa to resolve a dispute AFTER you have paid a vendor could easily result in a refund to you by Visa.

I am not suggesting that we abuse this service, but it's helpful to know that using your credit card accomplishes a few things..... establishes the date money was paid & gives you a way to make a dispute without the need to argue with someone that you have lost all trust in.

I had a similar situation with a local garage last year that had just opened near my house. They offered to fix my 66 Dodge for a stated amount. When they could not fix the problem (they threw up their hands and admitted total confusion), they STILL wanted to charge me for the quoted amount!!!??? (no new parts were installed - just labor)

I argued for a short while, and then offered to pay them with my Visa card, without admitting resolution. They must have known that I would contest the charge because they handed me the keys and I was on my way (in a tow truck).

Good luck. And never pre-pay, unless it's a custom job.

Ultimately, your gonna have to get the bill before deciding your course of action. If he actually did any work that was needed and done right, He deserves to be paid for it. Anything else is unacceptable. He shouldn't be able to charge for storage while he's still engauged in a customer relationship with you. Once the car is finished, he can charge for it.

I was in a similar situation with a gunsmith who was working on an 1872 rolling block of mine.

After 3 years and not returning phone calls I eventually had to drive over one day when I knew he would be there and corner him to get my rifle back. In my case there was no bill. The rifle was sitting right where I had left it three years earlier. The dude said that he had bought special tooling to work on the gun a year earlier, and I told him - politely - then he should have done the work I asked for when he bought the tooling. I walked out with my stuff, did not pay a dime.

Now, if the guy had done any work or bought the parts I wanted for the rifle, I would have gladly paid him for the labor and parts. But he had not touched it at all.

Now, of course, I just want to sell the rifle and put the money into my 914 or jeep...

Zach

....Seems to be the common story?
Now I KNOW WHY PEOPLE LEARN TO WORK ON THEM..THEMSELVES!
GOD FORTUNE BRO...

I agree! If you really love your 914 and plan to keep it for the long haul, you may as well plan on doing most if not all of the maintenance yourself. You will know the car better. You will know what it needs and when, and you will have a better understanding of how it works.

For major reconstruction, call in the experts like ScottyB

As soon as you handed over your money to him you took away any incentive he would have had to do any work.

Well the car is back in my driveway. He did not charge me for storage. I paid him for the parts and removal of the engine and we parted ways. He stated that he was "Waiting for a block of uninterrupted time so he could knock it out all at once." Is there such a thing in the repair business unless you make it yourself? All in all I am happy to have the car back and seemingly no worse for the wear.

Glad you got the car back, and that in the end all you lost was time and stress.

Could be worse. You could've had a shop return your 944S without oil, except for what was in the Accusump, and not realized until...

I'm glad it worked out for you on good terms.