did the guy at the shop mess up my car?
Posted by MelodicAd2734@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 39 comments
i had to bring my car to the local auto shop because the starter went out. i bought the starter & took it to the shop for them to replace it. after getting my car back, the speedometer doesn’t work & theres a weird noise when i start the car? he also said i needed oil, but i don’t know anything about cars so i don’t know where to go from here. did he mess up some wires & thats why the speedometer doesnt work??
updatelee@reddit
I can’t think of a vehicle where the vehicle speed sensor is anywhere near the starter
The weird sound might be related, kinda hard to tell based on your description
Also what mechanic accepts customer supplied parts. I wouldn’t. No reputable mechanic would. I’m assuming you went to a shade tree guy?
Cut your losses and go somewhere reputable
wide_right100@reddit
My local shop takes customer parts. They charge a higher labor rate and don’t offer a warranty. It’s not unheard of
Cow_Man32@reddit
Mechanics everywhere install costumer supplied parts just with the caveat of no parts warranty or guarantee.
lunchbox651@reddit
Ive supplied parts to mechanics before but it was used parts for upgrades not something like a factory starter.
updatelee@reddit
any reputable mechanic wont accept customer supplied parts or at a bare minimum make it incredibly clear there will be ZERO warrenty on parts OR labour. There is SOOOOO much garbage parts floating around these days, no one, not a single reputable mechanic would ever put his reputation on the line for junk parts. Like why would I ? Here's how it goes down. I say "no thank you, I dont install customer supplied parts" the customer either says "ok, you supply parts then" or says "ok I'll go elsewhere" in which case I just dodged a bullet, customer clearly doesnt give a F about what parts they are putting in their car and will 100% come back on me for it. Not worth my time. Not worth ANY reputable mechanics time.
some shade tree mechanic? sure. They dont care anyhow.
WoodenNet8388@reddit
You’re weirdly aggressive about this.. plenty of, if not nearly all, reputable shops install customer-supplied parts with the “no warranty” stipulation. I supply almost every part that I have my local shop install/replace, mostly because they’re jobs that I just don’t want to spend the time on
DesignerImpression79@reddit
A lot of reputable mechanics will use customer supplied parts. It is at their discretion though if they choose to obviously, also there is the no warranty stipulation. Ive had people supply oem parts that they simply purchased from another dealership at cost because they knew the head of the parts department.
AudieCowboy@reddit
This, I worked for O'Reillys so I got parts for 1/2 price and the shop I worked with would install them
Intelligent_Gain6713@reddit
Yeah i second this ive always brought my own parts when its a job I simply dont want to DIY myself like timing etc. Nobodies ever had a problem with me bringing my own nor have I ever had an issue with a mechanic doing something incorrectly. Ive even had them install like timing kits ive bought and stuff i.e. aisin for toyotas and they've always done it right. Saves a lot of money too to order online instead of having a mechanic use shitty chinese parts or overpriced OEM.
Imaginary-Mud4312@reddit
Have lots of big reputable shops installed my supplied parts. They wont warranty the parts, just the install.of it... (like putting tires on properly) they just charge labour.. and a little more shop fees.
Temporary-District96@reddit
Eh. I work on my own cars but when I need to, I have a shop I completely trust they don't mind if I bring my own part if I decided what I want is not something they usually carry (a mod or higher spec part), they just tell me they won't warranty their work because of it.
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
Having a customer want to supply their own parts isn't exactly some weird thing. It happens.
It usually comes with a caveat of "we won't warranty it if your crap part craps out though."
But sure, even licensed indy shops will allow customers to bring their own stuff if that's what they want.
No_Lifeguard3650@reddit
so take it back ?
Healthy-Theme8261@reddit
He can't the guys landlord said no more work in my driveway lol
No_Lifeguard3650@reddit
the OP cant take it back to the shop he had it done at ?
ThirdSunRising@reddit
Yeah, I’d say probably goofed though. It’s hard to say exactly how. And most current swapping the starter is a simple thing where the vehicle speed sensor remains untouched, but there are some convoluted starter jobs out there, and there are some clumsy mechanics who accidentally unplugged things they shouldn’t that happens.
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
i bought this car used a few months ago & didnt even think to check the oil, im glad the mechanic said something about it 😅 anddd i will definitely check it more often.
CromulentPoint@reddit
Oh honey, you need to look up basic car maintenance. With a 15 year old Rio, you’re going to need it.
If you just got the car and need oil, you likely don’t know how long it’s been since it had an oil change. I would highly recommend an oil and filter change, rather than just topping it off. From there, check the oil level every week or two until you get an idea of how much it’s leaking/burning.
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
noted 👍🏻
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
Checking your oil should be something owners do like checking their tire pressure or their mirrors or to see if their exterior lights work. Sadly no one does that anymore.
Also sadly is the fact that it's become acceptable that auto makers say 10-12 even 15k mile oil changes are okay and that it's also "normal" for an engine to use a full quart even after 3k miles. Neither of those are "acceptable" to anyone that gives even the slightest rat's ass about their vehicle.
damncooter74@reddit
We don't use customer supplied parts at the shop I run. Had one customer ruin it for everyone. But then again you don't take your eggs to the Waffle House do ya? Same concept. As a reptiuble shop I've got to be able to warranty my parts and yes that means there is some mark up from my cost that is less than your gonna pay unless your price shopping me on Amazon with some problem part to begin with anything from Amazon is junk save your money.
superdak05@reddit
The weird noise is your starter probably needs a shim or two because when the solenoid contacts the flywheel the backing is not correct,
ca_nucklehead@reddit
Nah. It's a Kia without oil in it. They burn more oil than 2 strokes and get very loud just before they blow up.
Snag710@reddit
He probably just forgot to plug in the speed sensor when he was done
As for the noise and needing oil
I owned 3 different new kias and they are pieces of garbage that need critical parts replaced every 50k miles.
You car probably burned all the oil and and the sound might or might not have something to do with that but I have no way og knowing for sure from your post
Talentless_Cooking@reddit
If you know nothing about cars, why did you think it was ok to bring your own starter?
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
i consulted my step dad who does know things about cars. idk man
Talentless_Cooking@reddit
Unless you have a rare or classic car, it's not ok to bring your own parts. They will not warenty customer suplied parts, you likely have to pay for the job to be done again.
fastbeemer@reddit
I would never use a mechanic that allowed customer supplied parts. It means they don't take their work seriously because they don't have to warranty it.
I think you just found out why being cheap is usually more expensive.
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
We have no clue as you kinda failed to mention whatever vehicle it is you have.
If you're going to ask a mechanical question to car people or mechanics... some neat info to share would be the year, make, and model. Surprisingly, that's actually some helpful stuff.
Is it possible they unplugged or hit the VSS in the process... maybe.
You say it's making a "weird noise" now when you start it... so why was the starter being replaced to begin with? If the old starter was failing and new one isn't, it might be making a sound that's "weird" to you. Who knows.
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
i’ll edit my post with the info. the weird noise is a sort of grinding noise when it first turns over that stops right after. the starter in my car completely went out & i bought a brand new one for it to be replaced with. it never made the grinding noise until it was replaced.
superstud666fromhell@reddit
Figure out your oil level before you blow an engine
MelodicAd2734@reddit (OP)
noted 👍🏻
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
That's literally not always the case. But you do you.
Silly_Hurry_2795@reddit
My mechanic is happy for me to supply parts, well was when I had Volvo's. The parts were always genuine Volvo stuff because Volvo are a customer and we get a discount.
Why wouldn't a mechanic take parts you're supplying?
Manjushri1213@reddit
People equate "supplied parts" with "cheapest/crappiest" and also mechanics not warranting the work. Which personally I just see so much mark up it's insane. Fuck a warranty, I'm not spending $300 on a $100 hunk of metal made for a 10-20 year old car. Especially with how expensive the labor is on top, tho that part I understand entirely.
NuclearHateLizard@reddit
It's possible something got disturbed, is your vehicle well maintained? Just a few sentences of your side of it only tells so much. It's def possible but could be a coincidence easily
jrileyy229@reddit
Yes
xHANSCHEx@reddit
My kia has the starter above the speed sensor, but it's a 2006 model and you have to jack up the car and go from underneath at the rear of the engine to get to it. I could see in this situation pulling that sensor to allow for extra clearance, but the fact alone that it wasn't plugged back in, or God forbid he broke it, insinuates op should be heading to a new mechanic for sure!