Cracked Block: Whose Responsibility??

[brain55]

Not all service shops are run by scumbags.

Exactly, but you wouldn't be able to tell by many of the posts here. Too many here start with the assumption that they are getting screwed to the point that the shop would never be able to satisfy them in my opinion. I've been a professional mechanic for 27 years. Sometimes stuff happens.

I just did some routine maintenance on a Bobcat 763 on Wednesday, I got a call yesterday that it stopped moving. Unfortunately it broke a drive chain and it was getting jammed between the case and sprocket locking the machine up. That had nothing to do with the oil change and neutral adjustment that I did. It was merely coincidental. Lucky my customer understands that. I don't know that I would fare as well in this crowd.

Brian

 

[BleedingOrange]

As consumers become more educated, and thanks to sites like this which make it easier to find out about similar problems, it gets harder and harder for some dealers to hide shady stuff that they have done in the past.
I,m not implying anything here, but because, in general, consumers have been getting hosed by some dealers, and we,re hearing about more and more cases of that happening, I can certainly understand the concern, and why the OP has come on here to get opinions. Yes, there are lots of good dealers, even a few great ones, but not everyone gets an automatic passing grade. I,ve heard and seen tons of things happen at dealerships that would shock you. And it isn,t only tractor dealerships. Try sending a women into a car dealership with a very minor problem, and check out what the total bill amounts to, from a very minor problem. Especially with a car that is from out of state, or province. Ask lot,s of questions, and make sure you get your own old parts back. Make sure that is made clear to them before they start any work.

 

[Mahindra One]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. It's a lot to think about.

 

[crazyal]

But that's irrelevant if the customer won't write the check.

I see it as prevention. For a few hundred and 15 minutes worth of work you would save yourself and business the headache of doing all the work to a customer's block or head only to find after you have up to a hundred hours into it that the block is bad. Now you have the potential of an angry customer who you may have to fight with to get any money out of.

 

[Don87]

As consumers become more educated, and thanks to sites like this which make it easier to find out about similar problems, it gets harder and harder for some dealers to hide shady stuff that they have done in the past.
I,m not implying anything here, but because, in general, consumers have been getting hosed by some dealers, and we,re hearing about more and more cases of that happening, I can certainly understand the concern, and why the OP has come on here to get opinions. Yes, there are lots of good dealers, even a few great ones, but not everyone gets an automatic passing grade. I,ve heard and seen tons of things happen at dealerships that would shock you. And it isn,t only tractor dealerships. Try sending a women into a car dealership with a very minor problem, and check out what the total bill amounts to, from a very minor problem. Especially with a car that is from out of state, or province. Ask lot,s of questions, and make sure you get your own old parts back. Make sure that is made clear to them before they start any work.

I've sent my wife in, with specific instructions(dealers and parts stores). When they try to argue, she dials my number(i'm an over-the-road driver)........I only need to speak to them once. They remember my wife thereafter.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The dealer is trying to make it right...
In some instances, there is no wrong or right...
I suspect that the block could have had hairline cracks prior to the rebuild but again that is pure conjecture...
The dealership my dad worked at for 30 years would make good on issues like this that would arise intermittently...
99% of the time rebuilds on old engines go without a hiccup...
It is the 1% of the time when you find out if the dealer is honest...
In this case they are trying to do the right thing...

 

[Leejohn]

He is to pay $500 for a new block and has not paid for the work done yet. The shop well change everthing to the new block at N/C other then the price of the new block. What in the world could be wrong with that. The shop is doing more then the right thing.

 

[RickB]

I see it as prevention. For a few hundred and 15 minutes worth of work you would save yourself and business the headache of doing all the work to a customer's block or head only to find after you have up to a hundred hours into it that the block is bad. Now you have the potential of an angry customer who you may have to fight with to get any money out of.

How many shops in your area provide free magnafluxing?
But then a complete magnafluxing of a 4 cylinder engine block that takes only 15 minutes probably should be free.............

 

[art]

With something that old some of the parts were well set into the gaskets and the crack might have been there just couldn't expose itself till bing freed.
It is not normal to magna-flux every casting we work on do to time and costs of a rebuild. We quote many rebuilds but we don't normally do one unless the diesel gets the radiator cleaned and the injection pump gets worked on as well as the injectors when we do an engine. Most shops wait to do those after the bill has been paid and the customer complains of smoke or overheating issues so it is a different bill.

 

[brain55]

Out here in high rent California, I have seen very few people that would spend the $4-5000 to do that job right on an 8n or 9n that is worth $1000 to $1500. Most of the time you'll be lucky if they'll spend the $2000+ to do a half assed in frame.

Brian

The machine shop bill alone will be $1000+ to hot tank, magnaflux the block, head, rods, and crank; bore and hone the cylinders, resurface the head and block if needed, turn the crank if needed, resize the rods and fit new pin bushings