my husband owns a 1995 z28 lt1.
we assumed that he had a blown head gasket so i took it to a local shop that a friend sent us to and the mechanic and i agreed that he would rebuild the engine. i was trying to have it done before my husband came back from a stay in houston for work.

this mechanic had done work on my other two vehicles without any problems so i felt he could do the job.
a few days ago it was ready and i went to pick it up.
the bill was 3700.00! the problem is it looks the same except for a few painted pieces that they painted with red paint. i drove it 1/2 a mile to the house and the engine was covered underneath with oil.
oil was leaking out of the dipstick on top of the engine. i swear it was still even blowing white smoke from the tailpipes but not as bad as before.
i took it back right away and he calls and says they must have gotten a bad oil pump. he says he fixed that problem but now he says it stays idle at 2000rpms. it just seems the same to me and for that amount of money i wouldnt expect i should have these problems. what exactly would a rebuild consist of?
i have an idea but i am a woman and i feel that i am really getting the boot!
i dont believe he rebuilt the engine. he seems really nervous to talk to me.
any info or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

What did they tell you a "Rebuild" included? What price did you agree to before you authorized the work? Did they give you an itemized bill? Did you request all removed parts be returned to you? Why was it taken in for a "rebuild" when the problem was a blown head gasket? Exactly what pieces are "painted with red paint"?

 

they originally told me that they were going to put in a rebuilt engine that they were buying from someone local. then they called and said that they had the heads redone and rebuilt the engine themselves. i agreed to a rebuilt engine because they suggested that was the way to go. they quoted me a price of 2500. but i did not get that in writing. stupid on my part. now that i have questioned his work he stated that had i not paid for the repair he would have just put a lien on my vehicle until i paid it. i paid him in full cash money expecting it would run fine.
ive really gotten myself in a mess for sure.
he did put on my ticket that i had a 30 day warranty on all work. but at this point he hasnt offered anything to back up his work. no old parts to show eithier.

 

Was it an independent shop owner(not a major auto maker)? I'm still not sure how on earth a bad oil pump would cause the bottom of the pan to be covered in oil. That honestly sounds like they didn't seal the oil pan correctly. Oil out the dipstick certainly is not a good thing(PVC system troubles maybe??? not sure).

If it's idling high...I would suspect some kind of intake leak. If they are any good at all, a high idle should not have been a problem to find and fix. I'm not trying to be a downer, but it sounds like this guy does not know what he is doing. It also worries me that you seemed to find him nervous when talking with you.

What is it's oil pressure at idle?

As Injuneer asked, be sure to get them to tell you exactly what all was done to the heads and bottom end.

You might need to have another mechanic verify the work within the 30 day warranty so as to dispute the work. Trouble may be finding someone you can trust.

 

Its probably going to cost you some money to get your money back. This guy probably bit off more than he could chew,and seems to have tried to slap the thing together, and thought he could jack the price up cause your a girl. If he wont refund your money or prove his work I would contact an attorney ASAP.

 

Yes, contact the attorney general who handles consumer complaints. Probably a website with a phone number on it. They will contact the garage for their side of the story, and sometimes that shakes things up enough that they will try and make good.

LT1's are notorious for an oil leak on the intake- which would tie into the idle problems, too. First thing I would have checked. Good luck

 

Thanks so much for all the info everyone. It does appear this guy doesn't know what he's doing. Went there today at 10 am and they weren't even there. Still my question is what exactly should the rebuild consist of. New water pump? Oil pump and..... Thanks!

 

Depends on the rebuild
Rings, bearings, gaskets, seals, Machine work (block, heads), and fluids would be a basic rebuild.

Sounds like they did just a top end rebuild, which is not a lot of work to run a bill up nearly 4k. I'd check your invoice and make sure you got what you paid for and make sure it was done correctly.

 

Im bettin it was tore down new head gaskets put in and slapped back together....

 

Yes I believe they just had the heads redone. They have had it back for 5 days now and still don't have it right. Im going back and asking to see old parts etc. I'm sure ill have to go to court to get my money back. I really didnt want it to come to that. I just wanted the car fixed. My husband loves the car!