My now deadish 3000GT....

youngcaradvc · #1 07-18-2006, 02:38 PM

I suppose the guy we bought the 3000GT from had an illegal smog performed on the car becuase there is no way it would pass smog the way it is now. And I think the car has been like this for a while because, when we first bought her, my father's mechanic told us there was a problem with cylinder 6 but didn't know what becuase it was a brief inspection. There is very low compression in cylinder 6 that we now know from our mechanic. That was not even 24 hours after we bought it! The TCU went out and we had to replace the alternator pulleys just recently. Estimated cost for fixing the engine is at least 2500 because of all labor involved. We might be taking legal action against the Vallco 76 station and/or the previous owner. THIS SUCKS!

I hope I can get my money back...

talskinyguy · #2 07-18-2006, 03:33 PM

How long ago did it pass smog?

youngcaradvc · #3 07-18-2006, 05:08 PM

The certificate says July 7th.

xXxRocker5150 · #4 07-18-2006, 09:17 PM

2500 in labor?? you can get a "new" engine for that price

youngcaradvc · #5 07-18-2006, 11:15 PM

I know, that why I was sooooooo suprised. Maybe I missheard him, but he said 2500 if minimal, it could reach 6000!!!!

planet_keeper · #6 07-19-2006, 12:14 AM

man that's gotta suck. i remember one morning like a week after i got my vr4, it wouldnt start and i was like "nooo! now the car's going to start a long trail of mechanical failure till it breaks me!" but i was lucky, i just kicked the floor mat under the clutch on accident and couldn't push the clutch down all the way, lol.

hope you have better luck from here on out!

youngcaradvc · #7 07-19-2006, 12:22 AM

haha, yeah I hope so.
To tell you the truth, I just want this guy to take back his car and I get my 3500 back! If all goes how the judicial system in CA should, then I am most likely going to get it all back and buy a 2nd gen 3000GT. My father is gonna call his lawyer tomorrow and we might go to small claims with the fake smogging, Ill let you know what goes down. Not a good 17th birthday for me...

xXxRocker5150 · #8 07-19-2006, 11:16 AM

did you take the car to a mechanic first before you purchased it or what???

Polygon · #9 07-19-2006, 01:15 PM

That sucks man, but I think you need to take the car somewhere else, that labor cost is asinine. There is no way it should cost that much. Also, I feel for ya' but there is really nothing you can do to the previous owner. They sold you the car "as is" with no warranty implied and you agreed to that.

youngcaradvc · #10 07-19-2006, 02:57 PM

Yeah but the thing is is that we would not have bought the vehicle if it did not pass smog, which it doesn't know. So if indeed the smog was illegal then shouldn't we be inclined to get our money back? I am probobly gonna drop a new engine in it if we have to keep it.

2old · #11 07-19-2006, 03:05 PM

I wouldn't be so hard on the mechanic...

The time quotes are actually generated based on some standard times for repair work on the engine (there is even software that does that for him)... If you can get a new engine for $2500 so be it (I am thinking it's not "new" but salvaged and inspected for that price). But maybe I am just used to my car costing and arm and a leg to fix in Canada...

It is buyer beware though... The best you could get it him on a "false advertising" on the emissions testing but without written documentation I really think you might be SOL (he could plead ignorance and the best you could do is sue the shop that did the emssions testing).

youngcaradvc · #12 07-19-2006, 03:45 PM

Yeah that is what we are most likely going to do. We are threatening right now and are most likely going to take action tomorrow or the next day. I don't care which way it goes as long as I get some money outta it.

Polygon · #13 07-19-2006, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngcaradvc

Yeah but the thing is is that we would not have bought the vehicle if it did not pass smog, which it doesn't know. So if indeed the smog was illegal then shouldn't we be inclined to get our money back? I am probobly gonna drop a new engine in it if we have to keep it.

You can get the shop in trouble that passed the car, but there is nothing you can do to the seller.

youngcaradvc · #14 07-19-2006, 06:34 PM

Yeah, and since they are a corporation they might just right off the amount were looking for...

Igovert500 · #15 07-19-2006, 08:23 PM

Okay, so this is the part where I hate to say it, but I'm going to...remember a month ago, when you asked about a few 'fix-er upers', and we all said, wait wait, wait, save up more, don't be too anxious, find a good one, TTs aren't cheap to own, etc. And we said it over and over and over, and you said, it's ok, I have a friend who can do my work for me cheaper than a mechanic, I work and make money, etc..... Are you now getting the idea that we say this stuff for a reason???

That out of the way, I'm sorry you got a tough situation on your hands, however, I wouldn't be so quick to start threatening legal action.
Nothing that I read screams 'fake smog test'. Granted, July 7th is extremely recent, but compression problems can escelate quite quickly, and I didn't even see any exact diagnosis in your post...was it a headgasket leak or what?

a) tcu's aren't tested...ever, they go sometimes when they get old, it sucks, but they are easy to replace and can usually be found used for $50. Nothing you can really do there, it's just bad luck. However, I would think that there would have been evidence of it going out...such as prolonged/rough shifting/having trouble finding the right gear, etc.

b) alternator pulleys...I would htink if they were failing they would be making some sort of noise to clue you in.

c) you bought a car, knowing there was an issue with a bad cylinder, yet you didn't do a compression test prior to buying it, you didn't spend any time or a few bucks to see if it was a plug, you decided to buy it... That doesn't leave much of a leg to stand on, legally speaking. You knew there was a problem, and you bought it. You took a risk, and it failed you.

d) Where is this $2500-6,000 quote coming from? Did your mechanic pulley it out of his butt? Did he give you any kind of price breakdown, or even tell you what the problem exactly was yet? How much is he charging for labor per hour???

This is why we say over and over and over again, make sure you don't buy the first one that comes along, wait for a good one, make sure you can afford, test drive it and do a decent inspection, and find a mechanic you can trust AND who knows these cars. Hate to be the prick, but we don't say all this because it's fun to repeat ourselves.

Sorry you are in this situation, but take a step back and a breath, and think through it rationally, let us know what all has happened. What exactly was wrong, and how bad has it gotten, tell us what your mechanic says, and we can help out as best we can and try to give you advice/steer you in the right direction. Best of luck, but I really don't see you having much of a case. Sorry.

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