I changed the head on my car on the January 12th at a & z auto. Their address is 8459 Cherry Ave Fontana, CA 92335 (909) 355-3076. after they installed the head the car drove fine for 3 weeks. Then on January 31st as I got in my car and pulled out of my parking spot the car just dies. When I turned the key in the ignition the engine turns over but it will not turn on. It felt similar to my civic when the distributer cap went bad so I towed the car to the local mechanic shop by my work and hopefully they can fix it so I can drive home.

I recently purchased a house in fontana so it is a 45 mile drive home from el monte.ugh.. After spending $75 in tow charges and almost ripping up my m7 splitter on the tow truck the mechanic started on my car. They checked the electrical and found the spark was fine. They then checked the plugs. Those were fine too. THey then did a compression check on my car. All 4 cylinders had no compression at all. They said most likely the valves are bad and they would have to open it up to see whats wrong with it. but 95% sure the head is bad. After they opened the valve cover they found the cam sprocket bolt came loose and the timing chain jumped. They then said when the timing chain jumps the valves would smash into the pistons and then bend/break. They asked me if anyone has worked on my head recently. I said I just got the head installed. They recommended me going back to the shop where I got the work done so they can warranty it.

I left the car at the shop because it was already 6pm so I would not be able to get it to the mechanic shop in fontana in time before they closed. The next morning I went to A & Z auto in fontana and explained to them what happened. They told me they will not fix the car because I must have done something wrong. THey said I must have over reved the engine which caused the sprocket bolt to come loose. I told them I did not rev my car up at all and I take car of my car. I told them they failed to torque the bolt which caused it to come loose. They then said if that was the case then the bolt would have came loose the first day of driving and not after 3 weeks.

I then went to the mini dealer in monrovia and asked them what might have caused the sprocket bolt to come loose and if they can verify what A & Z was saying. The techs at the mini dealer told me it is impossible for the bolt to come loose even if you are reving at 20k rpm. They said the bolt was not torqued properly and I should go back to them and tell them that. I called them on the phone and explained to them what the dealer told me. They said they wont help me and then hung up on me.

I contacted the bureau of automotive service today in whittier. they are forwarding the case to the riverside one and they will contact the shop. They said if the shop doesnt want to fix it then I would have to take them to small claims court. I will definitely take them to court if they do not fix my car. Has this happened to anybody else?

Also I put the shops name, address and phone number up top so if any fellow mini owners want to call them and talk smack please do so. They are dishonest and do not deserve to be fixing peoples cars.

Here is the video of my engine below. My poor JCW!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LxRm...yer_detailpage

thank you

 

Sorry about what happened to your car, that's brutal. I hope you can get some resolution.

Just so you know, it's almost impossible to read a huge brick of text like that. If you edit in some paragraph breaks, you'll probably get more feedback.

 

I'm hopeful that no one would actually do that.

 

Well maybe not talk smack but let them know what they are saying is false. there is no way the sprocket bolt can spin off by reving the engine(which i did not even do). They are coming up with excuses not to correct the problem that they caused.

Based on what the current shop is saying and what the dealer is saying, It is an installation error. the bolts were not torqued down. I also took the video to the bureau of automotive repair and they also confirmed that there is no way the sprocket can rev loose. They said there is a slot and several grooves that are inserted into the cam from the sprocket which creates an exact fit. It basically lines up the 2 and doesnt allow slippage. so if the cam revs up higher the sprocket wont be able to slip or turn an any other direction. it will only slip if the 2 come appart far enough to where there is a gap and the male and female links come separated. which is what happened with my motor. If there are any mechanics out there that can verify this please let me know.

so by them telling me "no we wont be able to warranty it. You must have over reved the engine" is false. The headjob should not have fallen apart after 20 days of driving. If it does then there is surely a problem with the workmanship.

any professional mechanics out there that can verify this info please let me know.

thank you in advance

 

A friend of mine had his Nissan pickup tuned up by a local shop. It only ran a little rough when he brought it in. A couple days after he got it the engine blew. Found out the mechanic had a screw in his shirt pocket which dropped out and fell into the spark plug hole.
He had a little trouble proving it but in the end the shop had to install a new (crate motor).
He was persistent in following up with it and eventually got them to do it.
Hang in there. If the Mini dealer can give you something in writing that will certainly help your case.

 

Yes after speaking the the Bureau of automotive repair they recommended me going to the dealer and getting that in writing. I am heading down there today at lunch to ask them. I am sure there should be no problems with that.

 

Good Luck with it.

 

keep us posted and good luck.

 

good luck with this

 

Your dealer is correct. A simple mistake of not torquing the cam bolt to the 102nm that it should have been had catastrophic results. There aren't several grooves in the cam gear, there's a single slot which indexes the gear on a post on the end of the cam.

As difficult as it may seem, you might benefit from paying the shop a courteous visit (in person), and politely explain that you have all of the information at your disposal to show that the error was theirs, and that it will be a greater headache and expense to go through litigation than to just replace your motor. I suggest this because I have been through small claims on several occasions (I'm a landlord as well as a MINI Mechanic), and it's a huge PITA and time waster. I feel bad for you, and bad for the tech that made that mistake. Here's hoping that they don't compound the mistake by trying to deny culpability.

 

Sometimes its comforting to know that my Mini is under cover and stored in my garage for the winter months, no stress no worries!!!

Just interested in why the head change in the first place and did the garage you used have years of Mini experience?

I can imagine how you feel, hope you can get them to accept their responsibility if they are the cause of the engine failure.

Sometimes a lawyers' letter can grease the wheels and aid in getting someone to own up.

Good luck....

 

This is probably the BEST piece of advice given so far. I'd try it this way and go from there. Go in humble and not screaming, sometimes that helps. Also, knowing you have your ducks in a row helps.

 

I feel for the OP. I once got a car back from a shop (not a MINI) only to find out halfway to work that a mechanic didn't replace the oil cap. Oil sprayed all over the inside of the engine compartment and covered the drive belt, which slid off (Lake Shore Drive winter rush hour, too). That was all, suddenly the car was junk. The shop denied any responsibility and I never got satisfaction from them. I was a lot younger and poorer in those days and I felt there really wasn't anything I could do. Your post reminded me of that winter.

 

Eric is right go down and talk to the owner, be nice though, you catch more flys with honey.
Accidents do happen and there are lazy technicians out there. Either way this is happened and from what you say the bolt would have to be left loose to have it happen. If this is a good honest shop this is their chance to prove it and step up and take care of their error.

Heck last week I had to redo a head job for FREE cause the machine shop didn't find a crack when they were doing the valve job. It sucks, but I have to stand behind my work and it's not the customers fault that the we didn't find it till we put it back together. No repair shop is perfect, we try, but how they handle mistakes is what makes them better.

 

This is why when I move to Florida in June/July I am stopping to see you WMW to have some work done. Can't wait.

 

thats actually what I did. I went down there and talked to them very calmly. I also showed them the video. They said the bolt came off due to me over reving. They will not fix the car for me and kicked me out of the shop.

Also an update on the situation

I spoke to the Parts/service director of the mini dealer in monrovia. His name is Jerry Lytton. Jerry told me to take the car to him so he can inspect it. He also told me that bolt cannot come off by just reving. So i towed it to them this afternoon. After they looked at it they said the bolt was definitely not tightened. They also told me they will pull the records from the mini's computer to show where I have had the car at the highest rpm. Since I already know I do not rev up high at all and I baby my car, that would clear me of any accusations about me over reving which caused the cam sprocket to unlossen.

The monrovia dealer will get back to me as soon as they compile all the information. They are also going to take pictures for me.

all a & z auto had to do was fix what they broke. But because they didnt want to do that now the bill is going to get larger due to the tow charges and the dealer having to fix the car. I will keep you guys posted.

thanks

peter

 

I actually talked to them really nice. I recorded the conversation just so I can have it as reference and I am able to write down a transcript of who said what. I cant use it in court but I can do a timeline of events and basically go off facts rather than memory. I have never sue'd anyone before so I might need help if this goes that far. The Bureau of automotive repair is going to step in within the next 5-10 days to try and litigate but if the shop cant come to an agreement then We have to go to court. A valve job isnt cheap. Usually if its a small mistake like a stripped thread or something then I will just pay for it. If its a few hundred then I dont mind taking a loss. But in this case my pistons might be damaged as well as the head. Lets hope its ok.

 

If you think you have a solid case, I would skip over the small claim and go to regular court. This way, you not only can sue them for liability damage but also punitive damage. You can find attorney who will work with little or no money up front on such an open-and-close case. If you choose this path, my guess is that the shop will settle for a reasonable amount that will cover your attorney, court cost and the repair at a reputable shop. After all, this is really all you want, right?

 

My mini had 44600 miles on it. The head that was on there was perfectly fine. I just chose to get one that is ported. I got a good deal on the new head and sold the old one for what I paid for the first one minus shiping charges and installation. so It was an ok deal for me at the time. After going thru all this then I would not have done it at all if I had the chance to choose my options again.

 

I really just want my mini back. I have never been without it for more than a day. I dont want to make money on it. Whats most important is getting my car back to me. I cant sleep at night because
1) i am afraid of a huge repair bill that I wont be able to afford. I put all my savings into the house I just bought. I have 2k in the bank and thats all I have for my wife and 10 month old baby.
2) I dont have a car to get to work. I have to borrow my father n laws car which makes it hard on him to get around since he is now without a car. I live in fontana and I work in el monte. THats over 50 miles away.

so this ordeal is more than just filing a complaint and trying to take someone to court. I jsut want my car back and I am happy

 

Just a little advice. If you are going to sue, I would ask to have this thread removed. Although you are not really bashing them per se, it is best if you keep things off-line as there might be something in here that could go against you.

As the others said, I would sue is regular court.

 

Keep us posted. The internet and word of mouth can seriously damage a business. If you paid this amazing hack shop that did your work with a credit card, DENY the charge also. Then you will get some of the money for your MINI to get the work done it deserves.

 

I'm a complete noob at car computers, but wouldn't it register your max revs in some way and couldn't you have access to that info Re OBD reader? If so, it could prove that you didn't over-rev the car and help your case. I dunno.

Like I said. Me = big car computer noob.

 

+1

 

Hi,
Posting something on the internet and suing someone are not mutually incompatible. As long as the post is not defamatory or factually incorrect, the posting merely represents a documented time line that can be later referred to in order to document the events as they on fold.

From what I have read, there has been nothing posted that could be construed in any way as anything but a recitation of the events. There has been no comment made that is derogatory to any person or persons involved in this event.

From what I can surmise, this is a rather straight forward recitation of facts that can be used for future reference and referred to for any potential claim of liability for the car problem.